Gray's 1st Question(s)

[Gray Lensman]

Okay, from the onset I will specify that I want to become VERY proficient at 3.5 character design. I love this system (and no, I have not tried and will not be buying 4e), the ability to use feats and skills and dipping into other classes to create unique characters has really got me going. I realize that the old proficiency system made this somewhat possible, but it has nowhere near this level of flexibility.

So, on to my first attempt (second really because I do have a character in a current campiagn).

Meet Keera, a Female Half-Orc Ranger

Background: Unusually, Keera was not the product of an Orc raping a Human woman. Keera's Mother (Napeth) was a Female Orc badly wounded during a raid on a Human Village. Left in the wilderness to die by her "comrades", she was found by a compassionate Human Druid who nures her back to health. Out of gratitude to her rescuer and hatred for the "clan" that left her to die, she stayed with her new companion and aided him in the care and defense of his beloved forest. One thing led to
another and eventually Keera was born.

Keera was quick to pickup a love for and affinty to her parents precious woodlands. Maturing rapidly, Keera was sent at age 13 to spens some time training with a Ranger acquaintance of her Father. Season followed season and Keera's love for nature grew apace. Very addept at physical skills and well educcated in wilderness lore at her father's side, there was little doubt where her life's path would lead her.

Now, at age 16, Keera is a Ranger in her own right and has taken on responsibility for a region of forrested hills all on her own.

Character Generation was 4d6 -lowest, rolled 7 times and discard lowest total

Keera, Female Half-Orc Ranger 2

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Ability Scores
17 18 13 14 12 11 As Rolled
19 12 9 Racial +/- Applied
+4 +4 +1 +1 +1 -1 Bonus/Penalty

Size Age Height Weight Hit Points Armor Class
Med 16 5’ 1’ 126 lbs 17 18 (touch 14, flat footed 14)

Base
Attack Fort Ref Will
Level Bonus Save Save Save
2 +2 +3 +0 +0
Armor: Armor: Chain Shirt +4 AC, armor check penalty -2, speed 30 ft., 25 lb. To Hit Damage
Weapons: MW Longsword (1d8, crit 19-20x2, 4 lb., Medium, Slashing). D20+5 1d8+4
MW Shortsword, Hand Off (1d6, crit 19-20x2, 3 lb., Small, Piercing). D20+5 1d6+2
Longbow (1d8, crit x3, 100 ft., 1 lb., Large, Piercing). D20+6 1d8
Skills Ranks(Bonus) Ability Armor DC
Climb 4(8) Str -2 d20+8
Wilderness Lore 4(5) Wis d20+5
Listen 4(5) Wis d20+5
Jump 4(8) Str -2 d20+8
Spot 5(6) Wis d20+6
Knowledge (Geography) 4(5) Int d20+5

Feats: 1st level Combat Reflexes

Gear: Backpack, Bedroll, Flint and Steel, Rope (hemp) 50 ft., Waterskin, Whetstone, Lantern (Hooded), Oil (3 pints), Trail
Rations (3), Explorer’s Outfit, Quiver w/20 Arrows

Money: 0 pp 12 gp 5 sp 8 cp

Magic: Potion of Cure Light Wounds

Special: As Ambidexterity Feat (when wearing light or no armor), As Two Weapon Fighting Feat (when wearing light or no
armor), As Track Feat , 1st Favored Enemy: Goblinoids

Proposed feat list
1st Combat Reflexs
3rd Dodge
6th Mobilty
9th Improved two weapon fighting
12th Spring attack
15th Expertise
18th Whirlwind Attack

Proposed Ability Increases
4th Strength
8th Strength
12th Intelligence (needed to gain Combat Expertise Feat)
16th Strength

Okay, now the questions ...

#1. Is there a #%^%# word processor or file format that will let me type these long posts and KEEP the &^%$ formatting when I import it?

#2. What do you think of the background, and if you were the DM, would the background be enough to justify forgoing (or lessening) the -2 Int penalty?

#3. How would you rate the feat selection giving that I am trying to give her every melee advantage (not concerned with ranged weapon skills)?

#4. Would it be worth dipping into Druid? If so, when and for how many levels?

 

[xigbar]

A DM can alter the rules at a whim for his game, so you may be allowed to keep your rolled intelligence. I would, since I recall the original explantion for the penalty as being something of the "don't usually get proper education" line. As for dipping Druid, what are trying to do with your character? There's alternate class feature in the book Unearthed Arcana that allows Rangers to Wild Shape, if you want a mechanical reason.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

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2. No. Half-Orcs get the penalties they get.

3. Spring Attack (which limits you to 1 attack per round) does not synergize well with two-weapon fighting (which requires full-attack actions). Similarly, Whirlwind Attack doesn't work very well with two-weapon fighting (since, while making your WWA, you give up all those off-hand attacks you paid for with feats).

4. What do you want out of Druid?

 

[Dandu]

You seem to be using 3.0 skills and feats.

There's not a whole lot of synergy between Druid and Ranger. Of the two, Druid is by far the more powerful class, both in terms of melee combat and spellcasting.

TWF is mostly a trap with a few rather specific exceptions, Dodge is horrible as is Spring Attack, and Whirlwind Attack is a trap.

Half-orcs are a bad race for pretty much everything because they just don't get enough to make up for their shortcomings. The best races in core are Humans, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings, in roughly that order.

Here's an example of a good Ranger build: Fari Axebearer.

 

[Jackinthegreen]

1) After looking at the issue you had with the stats and formatting, I can definitely tell you the Tab key won't work in the majority of forum posts. To be honest I'm not sure how you'd get around the formatting issues, but I imagine there's something you could do to preserve it through some program. If or when you find such a thing, I'd recommend just doing the formatting in the forum box itself since how you type it will always be how it comes out. It won't be as pretty or "easy" as formatting in a proper processor, but being more easily understood is more worthwhile in the long run even if it means you have to do a little extra work.

2) The background is nice and works. For the Int part, because you brought it up and are willing to work with it, it would be okay in my eyes. It's not a huge change and you're not making a bunch of other changes. That's me though. Every DM is going to have a different take. Some will go strictly by the book and say your character has a -2 Int because that's just how Half-Orcs are.

3) I can tell you're basing your build off 3.0 stuff, not 3.5. Take a look at The Hypertext d20 SRD (v3.5 d20 System Reference Document) :: d20srd.org for the 3.5 Core rules. In particular, Wilderness Lore is now Survival, Ambidexterity has been folded into the Two-Weapon Fighting feat chain, and Expertise is now called Combat Expertise. There are numerous other updates you'll need to look at, especially with regards to a Ranger's bonus feats.

4) To be honest, a single-class Druid is much more powerful than a single-class Ranger at any level. The spells and Wild Shape combination can make for a very nasty combatant. If you're set on a Ranger though, what you have is a decent Core-only build. Once you start looking through more splatbooks, you'll see an incredible number of character possibilities. Notice how I say "character" and not "build." It's typically better to not treat your character as a pile of numbers, since D&D is a role-playing game after all.

 

[Sekhmet]

I highly recommend Myth-Weavers .
You have to register (takes roughly twenty seconds if you're an average typist), but it will allow you to create character sheets and automatically calculate a lot of your bonuses for you, and then give you a URL to which you can just link us to see your actual character sheet.
This will allow us to better critique and help you create your character ideas, and as for formatting, it looks exactly like the character sheet you've come to love.

 

[Gray Lensman]

1. Use [code][/code] tags to turn:

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Thanks, I'll try this.

You seem to be using 3.0 skills and feats.

TWF is mostly a trap with a few rather specific exceptions, Dodge is horrible as is Spring Attack, and Whirlwind Attack is a trap.

PHB is 3.0 everything else is 3.5, guess I'll have to DL the SRD.
So two-handed weapon and the power attck tree then?

2) The background is nice and works. For the Int part, because you brought it up and are willing to work with it, it would be okay in my eyes. It's not a huge change and you're not making a bunch of other changes. That's me though. Every DM is going to have a different take. Some will go strictly by the book and say your character has a -2 Int because that's just how Half-Orcs are.

3) I can tell you're basing your build off 3.0 stuff, not 3.5. Take a look at The Hypertext d20 SRD (v3.5 d20 System Reference Document) :: d20srd.org for the 3.5 Core rules.

I just wanted to get as many skills as possible, which, now that I have seen the SRD, I was wrong on anyhoo.
Kudos on the Jethro Tull, one of my favorite albums.

Wow, there is a LOT of difference between 3.0 and 3.5 for the Ranger

:doh: Back to the drawing board (wonder what kinda mistakes I made with the character I am actually playing )

Thanks Folks

 

[Dandu]

So two-handed weapon and the power attcak tree then?

For great justice.

 

[Jackinthegreen]

For great justice.

For pony!

 

[Sekhmet]

For pony!

Must... EXP... can't... *explode*