My campaign's Alt.Ranger

[Nebuchadnezzar]

This is the ranger in my campaign. The reason I wanted to change the core class was because of spell casting (which I never understood why the ranger had), and because I thought he was rather weak. Monte Cook's ranger was a little overpowered IMHO.

THE RANGER HAS ALL THE PHB STATISTICS, EXCEPT FOR NOTED BELOW:


Skill Points at 1st level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Bluff and Sense Motive are Class Skills.


Good Reflex saves.

Bonus Feats: At 1st level, the ranger gets a bonus feat in addition to the feat that any 1st-level characters gets or the bonus feat granted to humans. The ranger gains an additional feat feat at 4th level and every three levels thereafter (7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, 19th).

The ranger loses spell casting capabilities.

These bonus feats must be drawn from the following list: Alertness, Ambidexterity, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Dodge (Mobility, Spring Attack), Endurance, Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Expertise (Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Whirlwind Attack), Extra Favored Enemy, Favored Enemy Critical, Favored Enemy Strike, Mounted Combat (Mounted Archery, Trample, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge), Point Blank Shot (Far Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Shot on the Run), Quick Draw, Run, Super- natural Blow, Two-Weapon Fighting (Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting), Weapon Finesse*, and Weapon Focus*.
Feats dependent on other feats are listed parenthetically under the prerequisite feat. A character can select feats marked with an asterisk (*) more than once, but it must be for a different weapon each time. Characters must still meet the prerequisites for a feat, including ability score and base attack minimums.

The ranger does not gain Two-Weapon Fighting and Ambidexterity as virtual feats.

The ranger can select his own race as a favored enemy even if he is of good or neutral alignment.

 

[Ravellion]

If you give him d8 hitdie and give him back his spellcasting, he'll be exactly like Monte Cooks alternative Ranger.

Rav

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

Yup. Instead, maybe you could give him a couple of druid type feats like trackless step and nature sense, or animal companion.

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

If you give him d8 hitdie and give him back his spellcasting, he'll be exactly like Monte Cooks alternative Ranger.

Not so.

Monte Cook's ranger does not have Bluff nor Sense Motive as class skills.

A number of feats are included in my list of bonus feats which are not included on Monte Cook's (some PHB and MoTW feats): Alertness, Extra Favored Enemy, Run, Supernatural Blow, and Greater Two-Weapon Fighting.

My ranger can select his own race as a favored enemy even if he isn't evil.

A problem could be that I diden't mentioned how I based my ranger on modifications to Monte Cook's ranger. As I mentioned above, I thought his ranger was overpowered. Thus the need to reshape it to my low-magic campaign-setting.

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

Not so.

Monte Cook's ranger does not have Bluff nor Sense Motive as class skills.

A number of feats are included in my list of bonus feats which are not included on Monte Cook's (some PHB and MoTW feats): Alertness, Extra Favored Enemy, Run, Supernatural Blow, and Greater Two-Weapon Fighting.

My ranger can select his own race as a favored enemy even if he isn't evil.

A problem could be that I diden't mentioned how I based my ranger on modifications to Monte Cook's ranger. As I mentioned above, I thought his ranger was overpowered. Thus the need to reshape it to my low-magic campaign-setting.

You're right. Monte's alt.ranger came out prior to MotW, so that may be why they aren't on his bonus feat list (or the fact that they are not yet OGC, LOL).

Bluff and Sense Motive are both good skills to have, and I can see your rationale for including them. The ranger must sometimes use disguise (either costume or stated beliefs) to avoid being recognized by enemies and as a loner and survivalist, he would be deeply suspicious of most outsiders and "city slickers" motives.

I agree 100% that a ranger with his own race as favored enemy should not be required to be evil. What if he is running guerilla war against an evil kingdom ala Robin Hood? The evil requirement does not factor this type of exception in and therefore, it should be removed as a requirement from the core class and its variants.