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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Steverooo" data-source="post: 809986" data-attributes="member: 9410">Or, on yet another hand, you could simply fix the Ranger!Give the Ranger some "Combat Path" Bonus Feats, but make them selectable.  Include TWF, Point Blank Shot, limited Weapon Specialization, Improved Unarmed Strike, a spell path (Spell Penetration), and some Ranger-only Feats.  Then let the player chose which path the Ranger takes.  TWF, Missile, Sword&Board, Two-handed, Spellslinger, Mounted, AND OTHER paths (such as Spell-less or Saves) could all be included.People disagree over whether or not the Ranger should have spells or not.  I have always seen him as someone so good in the wilderness that his abilities seemed almost magical.  Thus, he could do things like Pass Without Trace, and Speak with Animals.One way to do that is spells.  Another is supernatural or spell-like abilities.  The easiest way, IMO, is to assume they have spells, and then allow those who don't want them to trade them away for a more limited, always-usable magical ability...  For instance, Pass Without Trace at will, in return for a first-level spell slot (making them no more powerful than a Druid with Trackless Step).  Another way to do that is to allow the Ranger to subtract their Ranger level from all attempts to track them.In any case, in order to make the Ranger Class fit the various Archetypes (Aragorn, Robinhood, et al), flexibility will be required.  The current Ranger, the 3.5 version, Monte Cook's, the 2e, and even the 1e versions all fail at this.Rangers need outdoors skills.  They can take Survival, get tracking, and can find food/water, dangerous ground, and simple traps IF they take enough of the right skills.  They may be able to find direction in 3.5e (or that may just be rumour).They cannot forecast the weather, are not specifically noted as being able to identify plants, animals, nor fresh water (which makes me wonder how they find food), aren't noted as being able to find or make traps (see finding food, again - any survival manual covers snares, deadfalls, etc), build shelters, start fires without equipment such as flint & steel (see the bonuses to saves vs. weather effects), etc.Feats/Abilities which allow all of these would be good, and generally not too powerful.  Combined with a few Bonus Feats from a list, I think it's a fix.In my Ranger, I gave two types of Feats.  "Ranger-Only" Feats, which were almost all either Non-Combat-Related, or required "Favoured Enemies", which I made a General Feat.I gave the Ranger a "Ranger-Only" Feat at 1rst level (which would have to be spent on Favoured Enemies, if you wanted to be backwards-compatible), then Bonus Feats at 2nd & 3rd, 6th, 11th, and 16th.  These could include any of the Ranger-Only Feats, or the "Combat Path" Feats, from above.  (This was based on the Wizard's one Class Feat/5 levels).Along with that, I gave the Ranger some movement abilities which increased his movement rate in the wild (obviating the need for a mount, in most cases), and allowed him to travel with a Medium or lighter load better (or with only a light one, at the highest level).  I kept the spells (but allowed the trade-it-away) option, provided almost 40 special abilities to choose 10 or so from, gave some new Class abilities, some old ones, and added a lot of flexibility.Then again, I favor one Class Feat/5 Class Levels for ALL classes, and special class abilities at every level, just like the Druid and Monk (or D20 Modern, I hear).Anyway, I think that would work better than two combat paths.  My version can handle a spear wielder, or a Trident-bearer, or a sword-swinger, or a Tarzan/Beastmaster, or a wave-rider pulled by a pair of trained dolphins, or a Sword & Board woods-fighter, or a desert-tracker, or a Rhino-rider, without needing levels of Fighter, Druid, or Paladin.  It would handle the old man of the woods, but also Arctic/Desert/Swamp Special Forces, trained with Bows/Martial Arts/Tridents/Spears, or whatever.That's what I think Rangers should be.  Wilderness- (not just Woods-) Wise, able to fit multiple archetypes, either spellcasting or not (at the player's option), and extraordinarily adaptable.The 3.5e Ranger won't be most of that.</blockquote>

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