Ranger feats

[the Jester]

I've mentioned before that the best way (imo) to handle the ranger's lack of frequent sexy power ups is with feats that require favored enemy bonuses; here's one I just came up with.


GRIM SPEED [General]

When you battle your favored enemies you move quicker due to your intense loathing of them.

Prerequisites: Favored enemy +1

Benefit: When in melee combat or closing to melee combat with your favored enemies, your speed increases by 5’ per point of favored enemy bonus against them. Only count your highest bonus if you are facing multiple favored enemies. This speed bonus counts as a morale bonus.



What do you think? It seems balanced to me, but YMMV...

 

[Crothian]

Wow, combine that with shot on the run, or spring attack and you could really have devastingly cool Ranger. I really like it. All I need is way more feats for my Ranger, too many good ones.

 

[the Jester]

Here's a few more, at least one of which was inspired by a discussion here... Note that not all of these rely on favored enemy bonus, a couple are more generally 2WF related.



AMBIPOTENCY (General)

Your hands are both equally strong.

Prerequisites: Ambidexterity, Two Weapon Fighting

Benefit: You use your full strength bonus to damage for both hands.

Normal: Your off hand only gains one-half your strength bonus.


DAMAGE ENHANCEMENT (General)

You can harm your favored enemies even with weapons they might otherwise resist.

Prerequisites: Base attack +6, favored enemy +1

Benefits: Against your attacks a favored enemy’s damage reduction is reduced by 3 per plus of favored enemy bonus you have against it. For example, if you have aberrations as a favored enemy at +2, a grick’s normal 15/+1 DR is reduced to 9/+1 against your attacks.


FEINT AND STRIKE (Standard, Fighter)

When you fight with two weapons you are adept at distracting an enemy with one while striking with the other.

Prerequisites: Base attack +3, Bluff skill, Ambidexterity, Two Weapon Fighting

Benefit: When you are using the full attack action and armed with two weapons you may choose to forfeit all your off-hand attacks and receive a +2 attack bonus with your primary weapon’s first strike. This bonus replaces the normal penalties for fighting with two weapons.


SPECIES FOE (General)

You are especially adept at slaying a specific species of favored enemy.

Prerequisites: Favored enemy +2

Benefit: Choose one species of favored enemy +2 or higher, such as red dragons, bugbears or unicorns. Whenever you damage a member of that species with a melee attack or a ranged attack within 30’, you deal an extra 1d6 points of damage.


VEHEMENCE OF SPEECH (General)

You can rally others against your favored enemies.

Prerequisites: Favored enemy

Benefit: You gain your favored enemy bonus on diplomacy and intimidate checks used to persuade or incite others against them (for example, to incite a lynching).




As a note, I don't consider rangers underpowered, just frontloaded. That and the fact that they only get their cool abilities every five levels makes it a less sexy class than many- but I don't want to start that discussion up. Let's stick to the concept of feats, shall we?

 

[Crothian]

Those are pretty good.

Species foe actually seems a little weak. Monte has a feat that does +1d6 damage to a selected favorite enemy.

Ambipotency I've been using under a different name and it has never caused problems.

DAMAGE ENHANCEMENT: I really like this one for a low magic world game.

 

[the Jester]

Species foe actually seems a little weak. Monte has a feat that does +1d6 damage to a selected favorite enemy.

Could you post this one for me? Where's it found?

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Crothian]

Could you post this one for me? Where's it found?

Thanks for the feedback!

Sure, it was with Monte's first alt Ranger (and the next feat for my Ranger).

Favored Enemy Strike

Prerequiste: Favored Enemy

Benefit: When striking a foe designated as your favorite enemy, you inflict an addition 1d6 damage every time you hit.

 

[the Jester]

Wow, no prereqs or anything!

Looks like I'll update my feat to match it- I originally thought of making mine +1d6 against a specific favored enemy type, but thought that might be overpowered. Monte's is against all favored enemies- I guess if it's good enough for Monte then I'll go with it (in this case, at least...)

Thanks!

 

[the Jester]

Okay, so I've added Favored Enemy Strike to my list and changed Species Foe as follows:

SPECIES FOE (General)

You are especially adept at slaying a specific species of favored enemy.

Prerequisites: Favored enemy +2

Benefit: Choose one species of favored enemy +2 or higher, such as red dragons, bugbears or unicorns. Whenever you damage a member of that species with a melee attack or a ranged attack within 30’, you deal an extra 1d6 points of damage. This bonus damage stacks with that received from Favored Enemy Strike. It also applies even against those enemies normally immune to critical hits.


Whaddaya think now?

 

[Crothian]

Wow, no prereqs or anything!

Looks like I'll update my feat to match it- I originally thought of making mine +1d6 against a specific favored enemy type, but thought that might be overpowered. Monte's is against all favored enemies- I guess if it's good enough for Monte then I'll go with it (in this case, at least...)

Thanks!

I've heard he has it in the Hallowed book or whatever it is that just came out. So, it might have been edited, I haven't read that one yet.

 

[las]

heres an idea howabout +1d6 per bonus for that vavered anemy. Thos if your bonus is +4 you get +4d6 to damage verses that fo.