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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FireLance" data-source="post: 3586530" data-attributes="member: 3424">Because you can eventually get a higher shield bonus to AC without sacrificing too much damage with Improved Shield Bash and a spiked shield with the bashing property.  TWF is fine. Improved Two-weapon Fighting is less useful. Greater Two-weapon Fighting is even less useful. A ranger shouldn't be compared to a two-weapon fighter, but to one that is more optimally built.Most weapons that can be used with finesse are light weapons, which do not benefit from Power Attack.As mentioned, the ranger's ability to keep up with the fighter in terms of damage is highly situational. A fighter with Weapon Specialization and Greater Weapon Specialization (+4) already out-damages the ranger with respect to any non-improved favored enemy (+2), even assuming equal ability scores and weapons. The ranger can take Improved Favored Enemy from Complete Warrior to gain back the edge (+5), but the fighter can take Weapon Mastery from PH2 to go back into the lead (+6) and pull ahead even further with respect to non-favored enemies. Where the ranger does have an advantage is that the damage bonus is not weapon dependent, so he can maintain it even as he switches from melee to ranged attacks, or vice-versa.Now, while it is possible to continue the discussion along these lines, analyzing how the fighter's armor proficiencies and better hit dice compare to the ranger's better saving throws, skill points, class skill list and other special abilities, such a discussion would miss the point. The real issue is not how the ranger compares with the fighter, because in a standard D&D game, they each have their respective strengths, niches and roles to play, even if there is a ranger and a fighter in the same party. The real issue is how a ranger with no spells and four bonus feats compares to a ranger with three or so spells per day from 1st to 4th level.</blockquote>

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