[Partial OT] The Monte Cook Ranger
- Thread starter -Ekimus-
- Start date
Heretic Apostate
First Post
How about a Knowledge (Creature Lore) skill?
Set up a table. The character rolls against their Kn(CL) skill. Consult the table. Let's say that if the character gets a 10 on their skill roll, they know that the creature has poor Reflex saves, and at most one of the creature's immunities. Or if they roll a 15, they know that the creature can shrug off blows (Damage Reduction) and magic seems unable to affect it (some Spell Resistance). Stuff like that.
Then make it a class skill for Rangers, Druids and Wizards (since Wizards, I think, have all Knowledge skills).
Set up a table. The character rolls against their Kn(CL) skill. Consult the table. Let's say that if the character gets a 10 on their skill roll, they know that the creature has poor Reflex saves, and at most one of the creature's immunities. Or if they roll a 15, they know that the creature can shrug off blows (Damage Reduction) and magic seems unable to affect it (some Spell Resistance). Stuff like that.
Then make it a class skill for Rangers, Druids and Wizards (since Wizards, I think, have all Knowledge skills).
Heretic Apostate
First Post
My view of what a ranger should be:
What it should not be:
Monte's ranger: I'd drop any reference to preferred enemy. That should be a feat, not a class feature. I'd get rid of most of the combat feats. In my opinion, the bonus feats should be of the Alertness, Lightning Reflexes, Great Fortitude, Dodge variety (general-purpose and defensive, rather than offensive), rather than combat. (Want bonus combat feats? Take Fighter levels.)
PHB ranger: I'd remove the "virtual" feats. Those annoy the heck out of me. And I especially dislike the fact that they turned the ranger into a Drizzt-wannabe. Rangers are wilderness scouts, hunters, and snipers. They are not front-line fighters.
Okay, rambling.
What it should not be:
Monte's ranger: I'd drop any reference to preferred enemy. That should be a feat, not a class feature. I'd get rid of most of the combat feats. In my opinion, the bonus feats should be of the Alertness, Lightning Reflexes, Great Fortitude, Dodge variety (general-purpose and defensive, rather than offensive), rather than combat. (Want bonus combat feats? Take Fighter levels.)
PHB ranger: I'd remove the "virtual" feats. Those annoy the heck out of me. And I especially dislike the fact that they turned the ranger into a Drizzt-wannabe. Rangers are wilderness scouts, hunters, and snipers. They are not front-line fighters.
Okay, rambling.
Fenris
Adventurer
Matt's Ranger
I liked Matt's ranger a lot. So much that I wanted to use it but like many others waited for an update. So with my gratitude and apologies to Matt Colville here is my take on Matt's ranger. I have basically just tweaked the Creature Lore feature. But I tried to put my changes in red to show what I changed althought I didn't get them all. Hopefully it is clear. Please let me know if this mechanic works.
The Ranger is a master hunter of the wilderness. His lore is the lore of beasts and monsters, no creature that travels in the forest can keep their presence from him, and where he walks, none can follow.
As Soveliss squats and studies the empty campsite, sifting through piles of waste and dung, Lidda and Mialee keep watch. After probing a pile of dung with a stick, Soveliss stands and says "The band of gnolls we have been following were here two nights ago. There are five males in the group and two are injured. They ate a large meal, most likely the rest of the farmer they kidnapped four days ago. They rested here all of the next day. They will be hungry again soon So they will slow down to hunt. We should be able to gain some ground on them. Follow me." And with that the ranger begins off into the underbrush, eyes alert for every sign of his quarry. "How did he know all of that?" Lidda asks. "I don't want to know!" replies Mialee watching the ranger on his hands and knees sniffing footprints
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d10.
Skill Points: 6
Class Skills: The ranger's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Animal Empathy (Cha, exclusive skill), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Use Rope (Dex), and Wilderness Lore (Wis).
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A ranger is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields.
TABLE: The Ranger
Base Fort Ref Will
Level Attack Bonus Save Save Save Special
----- ------------ ---- ---- ---- -------
1 +1 +2 +2 +0 Studied Foe, Live Off The Land, Track (bonus feat)
2 +2 +3 +3 +0 Studied Hunter
3 +3 +3 +3 +1 Wilderness Awareness, Studied Foe
4 +4 +4 +4 +1 Free Climber
5 +5 +4 +4 +1 Studied Combatant
6 +6/+1 +5 +5 +2 Studied Foe
7 +7/+2 +5 +5 +2 Unhindered Movement
8 +8/+3 +6 +6 +2
9 +9/+4 +6 +6 +3 Studied Foe
10 +10/+5 +7 +7 +3
11 +11/+6/+1 +7 +7 +3 Camouflage
12 +12/+7/+2 +8 +8 +4 Studied Foe
13 +13/+8/+3 +8 +8 +4 Master Hunter
14 +14/+9/+4 +9 +9 +4
15 +15/+10/+5 +9 +9 +5 Master Combatant, Studied Foe
16 +16/+11/+6/+1 +10 +10 +5
17 +17/+12/+7/+2 +10 +10 +5 Find The Weakness
18 +18/+13/+8/+3 +11 +11 +6 Studied Foe
19 +19/+14/+9/+4 +11 +11 +6
20 +20/+15/+10/+5 +12 +12 +6
Studied Foe: Rangers are very focused people. They study all aspects of their enemies, they exchange tales with other rangers and discuss minute details of animal behavior that would bore a druid. But this attention to detail is what makes a ranger so hard to elude if he is following you. At first, third and every third level after that a ranger may pick a Studied Foe. This is a set of creatures that the ranger has spent time watching, tracking, studying and talking to other rangers about. A ranger may make a Studied Foe check to determine the knowledge he has acquired about his Studied Foe. A successful check allows the ranger to know about the creatures ecology, habitat, likely places for a lair, when, where and what it hunts, it's weaknesses, it's strengths, any combat tactics it prefers and any other behavioral tendencies. It allows a ranger to identify scat as from a Studied Foe and what it ate and how long ago. A Studied Foe check should be made by rolling a d20 and adding the rangers level to the result. Compare the result against the Studied Foe's DC to determine the results.
Animals (DC: 10), Beasts (DC: 10), Dragons (DC: 25), Fey (DC: 20), Giants (DC: 15), Humanoids (goblinoids and reptilian only) (DC: 10), Magical Beasts (DC: 15), Monstrous Humanoids (DC: 15), Humans and Demi-humans (DC 15), Plants (DC: 10), or Vermin (DC: 10)
Roll Result Studied Foe Knowledge
Less than DC:Ranger does not know or remembers incorrect knowledge
Succeed by 1-5: Ranger knows or can perceive the basics of a situation, the number, size and type of creatures
Succeed by 6-10: Ranger can tell how old a campsite or mark is, how rapidly the prey is travelling, if the subject was moving strangely
Succeed by 11-15: Ranger positively identify scat or other remains and identity most contents, ranger can determine the load a Foe is carrying or if they are injured.
Succeed by 16-20: Ranger knows the subject intimately. Any evidence found provides the ranger with clues into the Foes behavior. Ranger can predict where the Foe would travel next, where it would lair, can tell by scent when an individual is in heat. The Ranger knows his Foe better than he knows himself sometimes.
It is the sole discretion of the DM to determine what level of information is garnered by a Studied Foe check. This should reflect what evidence there is for the Ranger to find as well as it's age and the Rangers familiarity with his foe. The DCs mean that only the most experienced ranger will be able to decipher larger amount of information from a site.
Live Off The Land: The Ranger never wants for food. By spending one hour hunting, he can provide a day's food for a number of people equal to his ranger levels without making a Wilderness Lore check. If he is accompanied by anyone other than another ranger, this ability will not function.
Studied Hunter: Whereas track allows a ranger to follow a set of tracks, Studied Hunter allows a ranger to examine an area in which a Studied Foe he is tracking has passed and know what they did while there. A successful Search check tells the ranger how many creatures passed this way, what type of creatures they were, and what they did. He would recognize that two groups met and talked, met and fought, that one group ambushed the other, or that one group subdued the other without a fight. If there was a battle, the ranger knows what weapons were employed and how the battle progressed, including who was victorious.
The search check for this ability is opposed by the hide result and modified by terrain and time as follows.
New Use For Hide: A character or group can use Hide to thwart a ranger’s Studied Hunter ability. By declaring their intent to ‘cover their tracks,’ an individual or group can make a Hide test. The result acts as the DC for Studied Hunter.
Wilderness Awareness: The others talk, ride, make jokes, pass the time. But a Ranger is always acutely conscious of his surroundings. He can detect the presence of any predatory creature or fellow humanoid at a maximum range equal to 50' plus 10' for every ranger level. This is based on a Spot check with a bonus of +1 for every two levels the ranger has. By concentrating for one round, he knows how many there are. By concentrating for two rounds, he knows what size creatures they are. After three rounds of concentration, he may determine if they are a Studied Foe. After four rounds of concentration, he knows if they're closing in, maintaining their distance, or fleeing and he knows if they are aware of the group's presence or not.
Free Climber: At 4th level, the ranger gains +5 to any attempt to climb a tree or any natural rock.
Studied Combatant: At 5th level, creatures affected by his Studied Foe ability cannot flank a ranger. His weapons are considered keen against these creatures if they are not keen already, and he is not subject to critical hits by these creature types.
Unhindered Movement: At 7th level, the ranger ignores terrain penalties to movement.
Camouflage: at 11th level, a ranger gains a +5 to any attempt to move silently or hide.
Master Hunter: At 13th level, the ranger's Hunter ability can be used against those who hide their traces using magical or supernatural means such as pass without trace.
Master Combatant: at 15th level, the ranger gains an extra attack per round against any of the creatures affected by his Studied Foe ability.
Find The Weakness: at 17th level, a Ranger can, once per day, make a Coup De Grace attack against any creature affected by his Studied Foe ability. The creature need not be stunned or helpless, the attack must be armed, but can be a melee or ranged attack.
I liked Matt's ranger a lot. So much that I wanted to use it but like many others waited for an update. So with my gratitude and apologies to Matt Colville here is my take on Matt's ranger. I have basically just tweaked the Creature Lore feature. But I tried to put my changes in red to show what I changed althought I didn't get them all. Hopefully it is clear. Please let me know if this mechanic works.
The Ranger is a master hunter of the wilderness. His lore is the lore of beasts and monsters, no creature that travels in the forest can keep their presence from him, and where he walks, none can follow.
As Soveliss squats and studies the empty campsite, sifting through piles of waste and dung, Lidda and Mialee keep watch. After probing a pile of dung with a stick, Soveliss stands and says "The band of gnolls we have been following were here two nights ago. There are five males in the group and two are injured. They ate a large meal, most likely the rest of the farmer they kidnapped four days ago. They rested here all of the next day. They will be hungry again soon So they will slow down to hunt. We should be able to gain some ground on them. Follow me." And with that the ranger begins off into the underbrush, eyes alert for every sign of his quarry. "How did he know all of that?" Lidda asks. "I don't want to know!" replies Mialee watching the ranger on his hands and knees sniffing footprints
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d10.
Skill Points: 6
Class Skills: The ranger's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Animal Empathy (Cha, exclusive skill), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Use Rope (Dex), and Wilderness Lore (Wis).
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A ranger is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields.
TABLE: The Ranger
Base Fort Ref Will
Level Attack Bonus Save Save Save Special
----- ------------ ---- ---- ---- -------
1 +1 +2 +2 +0 Studied Foe, Live Off The Land, Track (bonus feat)
2 +2 +3 +3 +0 Studied Hunter
3 +3 +3 +3 +1 Wilderness Awareness, Studied Foe
4 +4 +4 +4 +1 Free Climber
5 +5 +4 +4 +1 Studied Combatant
6 +6/+1 +5 +5 +2 Studied Foe
7 +7/+2 +5 +5 +2 Unhindered Movement
8 +8/+3 +6 +6 +2
9 +9/+4 +6 +6 +3 Studied Foe
10 +10/+5 +7 +7 +3
11 +11/+6/+1 +7 +7 +3 Camouflage
12 +12/+7/+2 +8 +8 +4 Studied Foe
13 +13/+8/+3 +8 +8 +4 Master Hunter
14 +14/+9/+4 +9 +9 +4
15 +15/+10/+5 +9 +9 +5 Master Combatant, Studied Foe
16 +16/+11/+6/+1 +10 +10 +5
17 +17/+12/+7/+2 +10 +10 +5 Find The Weakness
18 +18/+13/+8/+3 +11 +11 +6 Studied Foe
19 +19/+14/+9/+4 +11 +11 +6
20 +20/+15/+10/+5 +12 +12 +6
Studied Foe: Rangers are very focused people. They study all aspects of their enemies, they exchange tales with other rangers and discuss minute details of animal behavior that would bore a druid. But this attention to detail is what makes a ranger so hard to elude if he is following you. At first, third and every third level after that a ranger may pick a Studied Foe. This is a set of creatures that the ranger has spent time watching, tracking, studying and talking to other rangers about. A ranger may make a Studied Foe check to determine the knowledge he has acquired about his Studied Foe. A successful check allows the ranger to know about the creatures ecology, habitat, likely places for a lair, when, where and what it hunts, it's weaknesses, it's strengths, any combat tactics it prefers and any other behavioral tendencies. It allows a ranger to identify scat as from a Studied Foe and what it ate and how long ago. A Studied Foe check should be made by rolling a d20 and adding the rangers level to the result. Compare the result against the Studied Foe's DC to determine the results.
Animals (DC: 10), Beasts (DC: 10), Dragons (DC: 25), Fey (DC: 20), Giants (DC: 15), Humanoids (goblinoids and reptilian only) (DC: 10), Magical Beasts (DC: 15), Monstrous Humanoids (DC: 15), Humans and Demi-humans (DC 15), Plants (DC: 10), or Vermin (DC: 10)
Roll Result Studied Foe Knowledge
Less than DC:Ranger does not know or remembers incorrect knowledge
Succeed by 1-5: Ranger knows or can perceive the basics of a situation, the number, size and type of creatures
Succeed by 6-10: Ranger can tell how old a campsite or mark is, how rapidly the prey is travelling, if the subject was moving strangely
Succeed by 11-15: Ranger positively identify scat or other remains and identity most contents, ranger can determine the load a Foe is carrying or if they are injured.
Succeed by 16-20: Ranger knows the subject intimately. Any evidence found provides the ranger with clues into the Foes behavior. Ranger can predict where the Foe would travel next, where it would lair, can tell by scent when an individual is in heat. The Ranger knows his Foe better than he knows himself sometimes.
It is the sole discretion of the DM to determine what level of information is garnered by a Studied Foe check. This should reflect what evidence there is for the Ranger to find as well as it's age and the Rangers familiarity with his foe. The DCs mean that only the most experienced ranger will be able to decipher larger amount of information from a site.
Live Off The Land: The Ranger never wants for food. By spending one hour hunting, he can provide a day's food for a number of people equal to his ranger levels without making a Wilderness Lore check. If he is accompanied by anyone other than another ranger, this ability will not function.
Studied Hunter: Whereas track allows a ranger to follow a set of tracks, Studied Hunter allows a ranger to examine an area in which a Studied Foe he is tracking has passed and know what they did while there. A successful Search check tells the ranger how many creatures passed this way, what type of creatures they were, and what they did. He would recognize that two groups met and talked, met and fought, that one group ambushed the other, or that one group subdued the other without a fight. If there was a battle, the ranger knows what weapons were employed and how the battle progressed, including who was victorious.
The search check for this ability is opposed by the hide result and modified by terrain and time as follows.
New Use For Hide: A character or group can use Hide to thwart a ranger’s Studied Hunter ability. By declaring their intent to ‘cover their tracks,’ an individual or group can make a Hide test. The result acts as the DC for Studied Hunter.
Wilderness Awareness: The others talk, ride, make jokes, pass the time. But a Ranger is always acutely conscious of his surroundings. He can detect the presence of any predatory creature or fellow humanoid at a maximum range equal to 50' plus 10' for every ranger level. This is based on a Spot check with a bonus of +1 for every two levels the ranger has. By concentrating for one round, he knows how many there are. By concentrating for two rounds, he knows what size creatures they are. After three rounds of concentration, he may determine if they are a Studied Foe. After four rounds of concentration, he knows if they're closing in, maintaining their distance, or fleeing and he knows if they are aware of the group's presence or not.
Free Climber: At 4th level, the ranger gains +5 to any attempt to climb a tree or any natural rock.
Studied Combatant: At 5th level, creatures affected by his Studied Foe ability cannot flank a ranger. His weapons are considered keen against these creatures if they are not keen already, and he is not subject to critical hits by these creature types.
Unhindered Movement: At 7th level, the ranger ignores terrain penalties to movement.
Camouflage: at 11th level, a ranger gains a +5 to any attempt to move silently or hide.
Master Hunter: At 13th level, the ranger's Hunter ability can be used against those who hide their traces using magical or supernatural means such as pass without trace.
Master Combatant: at 15th level, the ranger gains an extra attack per round against any of the creatures affected by his Studied Foe ability.
Find The Weakness: at 17th level, a Ranger can, once per day, make a Coup De Grace attack against any creature affected by his Studied Foe ability. The creature need not be stunned or helpless, the attack must be armed, but can be a melee or ranged attack.
Ranger as prestige class?
(First post, so please bare with me if this doesn't come out right)
I know a lot of people feel that there are already too many prestige classes out there, and in general I feel that some of them really didn't need to be done as a prestige class as such. However, I've always felt that rangers should be done as a prestige class, mainly because most of the rangers from fiction that I can think of are introduced as already competent. They've already earned their stripes off-screen - ie, there are almost no rangers who start off at character level 1.
Along with a couple of other reasons, this has made me think that rangers should start off as another class (probably fighter or rogue) and move from there to becoming a ranger.
In the light of this, I've been looking on the web for examples of rangers done as a prestige class, but I haven't had much luck. The Ranger Project looks like it was going collect a few, but it hasn't been updated in over a year. Does anyone have any pointers?
(First post, so please bare with me if this doesn't come out right)
I know a lot of people feel that there are already too many prestige classes out there, and in general I feel that some of them really didn't need to be done as a prestige class as such. However, I've always felt that rangers should be done as a prestige class, mainly because most of the rangers from fiction that I can think of are introduced as already competent. They've already earned their stripes off-screen - ie, there are almost no rangers who start off at character level 1.
Along with a couple of other reasons, this has made me think that rangers should start off as another class (probably fighter or rogue) and move from there to becoming a ranger.
In the light of this, I've been looking on the web for examples of rangers done as a prestige class, but I haven't had much luck. The Ranger Project looks like it was going collect a few, but it hasn't been updated in over a year. Does anyone have any pointers?
Top of My Head...
The Quintessential Ranger [Prestige Class]
Requirements: +6 BAB, 5 ranks in Listen or Spot; 5 ranks in Wilderness Lore or Knowledge [Nature]; Track, Alertness
The ranger gains weapon proficiency with the Longbow and Composite Longbow if he did not already have it. The ranger does not gain any armor proficiencies.
BAB: As Fighter
Saves: As MC Ranger
Hp: d8 (final choice for me, its between rogue and fighter)
Skills: 4+int/level
Skill List: As the PHB Ranger
Abilities:
Improved Tracking: A ranger may track using the wilderness lore or the knowledge [nature] skill. If the ranger has at least 5 ranks in each, he gets a +2 to tracking checks in the wild.
Favored Enemy: As PHB but +2. It essentially grants Enemy Specialization
Trackless Step: As the druid ability.
Woodland Stride: As the druid ability.
Enemy Lore: The damage bonus from the Favored Enemy bonus may be used as a dodge AC bonus. This must be declared on your turn in initiative, as a free action.
1-Improved Tracking
2-Favored Enemy +2
3-Trackless Step
4-Favored Enemy +4/+2
5-Woodland Stride
6-Favored Enemy +6/+4/+2
7-
8-Favored Enemy +8/+6/+4/+2
9-Enemy Lore
10-Favored Enemy +10/+8/+6/+4/+2
Casual rangers stick around till 5, then go for more combat oriented prcs. More dedicated rangers learn to stalk their foe like no other, and advance to the end. Please note, before I hear min/max that the Favored Enemy is as written in PHB (somewhat weak, in terms of groups of enemies). Also, this ranger has no cutsey animal friends, nor spell-casting abilties.
Just my take, for today
Technik
The Quintessential Ranger [Prestige Class]
Requirements: +6 BAB, 5 ranks in Listen or Spot; 5 ranks in Wilderness Lore or Knowledge [Nature]; Track, Alertness
The ranger gains weapon proficiency with the Longbow and Composite Longbow if he did not already have it. The ranger does not gain any armor proficiencies.
BAB: As Fighter
Saves: As MC Ranger
Hp: d8 (final choice for me, its between rogue and fighter)
Skills: 4+int/level
Skill List: As the PHB Ranger
Abilities:
Improved Tracking: A ranger may track using the wilderness lore or the knowledge [nature] skill. If the ranger has at least 5 ranks in each, he gets a +2 to tracking checks in the wild.
Favored Enemy: As PHB but +2. It essentially grants Enemy Specialization
Trackless Step: As the druid ability.
Woodland Stride: As the druid ability.
Enemy Lore: The damage bonus from the Favored Enemy bonus may be used as a dodge AC bonus. This must be declared on your turn in initiative, as a free action.
1-Improved Tracking
2-Favored Enemy +2
3-Trackless Step
4-Favored Enemy +4/+2
5-Woodland Stride
6-Favored Enemy +6/+4/+2
7-
8-Favored Enemy +8/+6/+4/+2
9-Enemy Lore
10-Favored Enemy +10/+8/+6/+4/+2
Casual rangers stick around till 5, then go for more combat oriented prcs. More dedicated rangers learn to stalk their foe like no other, and advance to the end. Please note, before I hear min/max that the Favored Enemy is as written in PHB (somewhat weak, in terms of groups of enemies). Also, this ranger has no cutsey animal friends, nor spell-casting abilties.
Just my take, for today
Technik
Spatzimaus
First Post
Okay, it's not like we really NEED more Ranger variants, but here's what we use IMC, it's a lot closer to the PHB version. More flexibility, less front-loading, and a couple minor penalties.
As PHB, except:
> Remove Ambi/2Weap from level 1.
> Rangers aren't proficient with shields any more. It's just not part of their fighting styles.
> At levels 2 and 4, the Ranger selects a Feat from the following list: Ambidexterity, 2-Weapon Fighting, Combat Reflexes, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Dodge, Mobility.
However, these Feats (and any Feats that depend on them) can't be used when wearing Medium or Heavy armor, or when using a shield. Otherwise, they're the normal Feats in every way, so you can use double weapons with the 2-weapon/Ambi combo.
It's a little bit stronger than before, but not nearly as front-loaded.
Also, you still have to meet any stat requirements needed. No DEX 12 Rangers taking a Feat (Ambidexterity) that requires DEX 15.
> Finally, overhaul Favored Enemy. At levels 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 you receive one favored enemy point to be spent in any group. At 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 you receive 2 points that can be split up. So, the Favored Enemy you pick at level 1 won't automatically be +5 at the end, but you'll still have a total of 15 points by level 20.
The maximum number of points per group is 2 for levels 1-5 (or for non-Rangers who get these points through a Prestige Class or something), 3 for 6-10, 4 for 11-15, 5 for 16-20.
It really does approximate the old progression well, although you get far more flexibility, and it removes ridiculous situations like a level 1 Ranger picking Dragons because he knows a dozen levels from now he'll need it.
Now maybe you could argue that the increased flexibility is worth dropping it to a d8 HD, but if you do that I think you should add another pseudo-Feat at level 6 to compensate.
As PHB, except:
> Remove Ambi/2Weap from level 1.
> Rangers aren't proficient with shields any more. It's just not part of their fighting styles.
> At levels 2 and 4, the Ranger selects a Feat from the following list: Ambidexterity, 2-Weapon Fighting, Combat Reflexes, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Dodge, Mobility.
However, these Feats (and any Feats that depend on them) can't be used when wearing Medium or Heavy armor, or when using a shield. Otherwise, they're the normal Feats in every way, so you can use double weapons with the 2-weapon/Ambi combo.
It's a little bit stronger than before, but not nearly as front-loaded.
Also, you still have to meet any stat requirements needed. No DEX 12 Rangers taking a Feat (Ambidexterity) that requires DEX 15.
> Finally, overhaul Favored Enemy. At levels 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 you receive one favored enemy point to be spent in any group. At 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 you receive 2 points that can be split up. So, the Favored Enemy you pick at level 1 won't automatically be +5 at the end, but you'll still have a total of 15 points by level 20.
The maximum number of points per group is 2 for levels 1-5 (or for non-Rangers who get these points through a Prestige Class or something), 3 for 6-10, 4 for 11-15, 5 for 16-20.
It really does approximate the old progression well, although you get far more flexibility, and it removes ridiculous situations like a level 1 Ranger picking Dragons because he knows a dozen levels from now he'll need it.
Now maybe you could argue that the increased flexibility is worth dropping it to a d8 HD, but if you do that I think you should add another pseudo-Feat at level 6 to compensate.
In 2e, the enemies were based on hatred... in 3e it is more of a training bonus.Spatzimaus said:
It doesn't have to be a... You kill my father... prepare to die!
It is very appropiate to choose your 1st and 2nd favoured enemies as giants or dragons, and save the later ones for lesser creatures.
Spatzimaus
First Post
Even saying that it's a "hatred" thing, it still came down far too often to metagame thinking. You could take Goblins at 1, and KNOW that it'd be wasted since by the time you were level 20 your chance of finding high-CR Goblins is minimal (although not as bad in 3E). On the other hand, far too many times you'll see players come up with some ridiculous story to explain why they picked Dragon, Elemental, and Fiends as favored enemies, when 95% of the people in the world haven't ever seen a dragon or outsider.
I mean really, you'd think every town in the game world had been destroyed by these sorts of things ten times over. And I can understand ONE life-defining catastrophe, but too often it's "a Dragon killed my brother, and a Devil killed my mother, and my father was killed by a diseased squirrel"... just to prove a point, I made a character whose family members are still mostly alive and living normal middle-class lives, only a few having died of old age, and I ended up being the unusual one at the table.
The Ranger class should be designed in a way that the character's abilities evolve along with them without having to come up with a convoluted backstory or plan for ten levels down the road.
I mean really, you'd think every town in the game world had been destroyed by these sorts of things ten times over. And I can understand ONE life-defining catastrophe, but too often it's "a Dragon killed my brother, and a Devil killed my mother, and my father was killed by a diseased squirrel"... just to prove a point, I made a character whose family members are still mostly alive and living normal middle-class lives, only a few having died of old age, and I ended up being the unusual one at the table.
The Ranger class should be designed in a way that the character's abilities evolve along with them without having to come up with a convoluted backstory or plan for ten levels down the road.
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