How about another Ranger varient?

[Haggar the Horrible]

Here's a new twist to the favored enemy ability for review:

At 1st level, 3rd level, and every three levels after that, a ranger may choose a new type of favored enemy. He gets a +1 to Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Wilderness Lore, as well as +1 to damage rolls against a favored enemy.

The ranger's bonus increases by +1 for each choice of the same type of favored enemy. For Example, Bob, a 6th level ranger has just made it to level 6. His first favored enemy (level 1) is Aberrations and his second favored enemy (level 3) is Magical Beasts. Because he has battled many Frost Worms (which are Magical Beasts), he decides to choose Magical Beasts for his third favored enemy, therefore increasing his bonuses to Magical Beats by +1.

Any thoughts, comments, concerns? Too ambiguous. Too over-powered? Too under-powered?

 

[Cheiromancer]

It seems just right. A ranger who starts off fighting gnolls might never fight them again after the first few levels. Why should his bonus continue to increase? Your system allows them to move on, instead.

 

[Dr. Zoom]

If you are going to go this route, I think your version is too underpowered. A very popular favored enemy variant works just like your variant, except the ranger gets a new bonus at 3rd level and every odd level thereafter (5th, 7th, 9th...).

I put some thought into doing favored enemy this way. It is difficult to combine maximum flexibility and choice while maintaining a similar number of bonus points as the core ranger (15). Usually, the variant has too few bonus points (like yours, for instance) or too many (those that give a new bonus every level). This assumes, of course, an even progression throughout the ranger's career (every level, every other level, every three levels, etc.).

The best solution I thought of for this type of favored enemy system gave the ranger a favored enemy choice at 1st level, 4th level, and every 3 three levels thereafter (7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, and 19th). It works exactly like you describe except the ranger gets +2 each time. This gives the ranger 14 total bonus points (close enough) and makes each choice more significant. I limited any one favored enemy at +6 in order to keep the variant as close as possible to the core. What do you think? BTW, I don't use this variant, it was simply the best way I could think of to do it.

 

[Haggar the Horrible]

I know what you mean, Dr. Zoom. I've thought of a couple of ways to balance it out. These are in a ddition to the above mentioned favored enemy bonuses:

1. +1 to attack

2. +1 to saves

3. +1 Dodge bonus to AC

 

[Steven McRownt]

chosen enemy bonuses

I have to say that favored enemy is one of the hottest questions on favored enemies. I think that as hunters of creatures, rangers should have bonuses to particular ones, not to particular lands.

In the same time the core system seems to work bad. If u read MotW, u'll find some suggestions on what type of creature take, and in which order, but in a way that has no roleplaying background, just powergaming. Dunno, i think that Wotc want their players be like "magic" or other card gamers: wins who has the expensive expansion which explain how to maximize your PC.

Anyway, and sorry for the mini rant, i have to say that choose freely the chosen enemy is the best idea to balance it all, but the problem could arrive with the idea of a...let me say... player that wants to specialize fighting just one or two enemies. It could be difficult with this system saying to him, "You can just take a bonus to the same enemy thrice"... dunno, it seems that could create problems in this way: you can barely try to defend a rule like this, while the core one is straight linear.

Do you understand my philosophical thought?

 

[Cheiromancer]

I would say keep the +1 favored enemy every 3 levels, with one modification:

Instead of adding a favored enemy, a ranger can get a +1 bonus to all favored enemies. (new favored enemies will start at +2)

So an 18th level ranger with all 7 favored enemies can have either;

+1 vs 7 different creatures

+2 vs 6 different creatures

+3 vs 5 different creatures

+4 vs 4 different creatures

+5 vs 3 different creatures

+6 vs 2 different creatures

+7 vs 1 favored enemy

The extreme cases are what the current system gives, while the middle cases give total bonuses in the +15 or +16 range; which compares quite nicely to the +15 of a standard ranger.

 

[Thorvald Kviksverd]

Hej Haggar!

Here's a re-posting from about a year ago (I still think it's a pretty good approach )...

...Just where exactly would a first level ranger garner this extensive experience with respect to something as dangerous as say, a dragon? Yet if you wanted to maximze your effectiveness against them at later levels you would have to take them as a favored enemy at first level.

Now I know there are those who can justify having this experience early on, and like the idea of slowly building on this experience.

In deference to both camps I offer the following twist on your suggestion...

Bonus Slots by Level

• 1st: +1(new bonus slot)
• 5th: +1, +2(new bonus slot)
• 10th: +1, +2, +3(new bonus slot)...

Each time you gain a bonus slot you assign your favored enemies(the new one as well as any old ones you may have)to the slots in any manner you desire.

The only restriction is that you may never assign an enemy to a lower bonus slot than it already occupies.

Example...

1st: +1 vs goblins(prior to beginning your adventuring career you amassed considerable experience tracking and fighting the goblins that plague your frontier community)

5th: +1 vs goblins(they haven't bothered you much lately), +2 vs giants(but the ogres coming down from the mountains in unheard of numbers are another story).

10th: +1 vs goblins(not much chance to gather experience when they run in fear at the sight of you), +2 vs Dragons(seems the ancient red wyrm that decided to take up residence is what was driving the Ogres down), +3 vs giants(but you still had to battle through a hoard of ogres and a handful of hill giants to get to him).

Well, there you have it.

I think this system allows greater flexibility in developing your ranger and reflecting his adventuring career, while still keeping the overall bonuses the same.

And if someone prefers the old system? Well you can still model the old results with this one.