Ranger Playahs: How do you choose favored enemies?

[Dave G]

I recently had to bring a 4th level Ranger into a campaign where my paladin died. We just leveled up and I'm faced with the task of choosing a 2nd favored enemy. I'm playing an aquatic elf with his first favored enemy set as Sahuagin, since they're a critical part of this campaign. Now I don't know what to choose for another one... I can't really choose "Sharks" and choosing "Thayans" seems kind of cheap too.

Any thoughts? How do you go about picking your enemies?

 

[Skarp Hedin]

I don't play a ranger, just because I'm the DM.. but there's one in my group.

As far as I can tell, he picked his 2 favored enemies in the following manner:

1) I hate goblins. So does my PC.
2) I think the DM will make us fight undead.. so I hate undead.

So there you go. Whim, I guess.

He's 10th level now (though only 5 levels of ranger), and his goblins choice is still consistently useful, though the undead choice is sort of hit or miss.

 

[Tallok]

I often use my character's history before the campaign

 

[diaglo]

i'm a greedy little halfling. i chose dragons. next i'm going undead. since they have the most loot in their tombs/hoards

 

[RC Hagy]

More from a DM standpoint...

What are your most common enemies outside the Sahugin and sharks (sorry dumb question, but..)?

Ask your DM if they are planning on introducing anything new and if they will let you 'hold' your bonus for your second FE until an appropriate enemy shows up.
Or if you are feeling lucky ask to put the bonus into your main enemy to be swapped out at a later time.

Otherwise, between Thayans and sharks I would go with sharks.
You never know what size, shape or magical manipulation your DM will pull from behind his curtain using the Sahuagin as his emissaries...


RCH
Vermont

 

[Crothian]

At first level it was based off of character history, so I went with giants. At 5th level I based it off what we foiught the most, so it was undead. If I make it to tenth level it will be dragons since I'm having a lot of dealings with them.

 

[Dave G]

My only problem about using my history, is that my character's story begins with him discovering his dead wife. Dead at the hands of the sahuagin. His trail led him to a divine agent who helped train him to become a ranger. The back story ends right before last session, with him taking on a sahuagin scouting patrol. So now we're still underwater, still fighting Sahuagin and I've got to choose something... Maybe I can ask my DM to let me save it for a session or two, so I'll have an opportunity to face something different.

[edit: RC Hagy posted while I was posting ]

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

My only problem about using my history, is that my character's story begins with him discovering his dead wife. Dead at the hands of the sahuagin. His trail led him to a divine agent who helped train him to become a ranger. The back story ends right before last session, with him taking on a sahuagin scouting patrol. So now we're still underwater, still fighting Sahuagin and I've got to choose something... Maybe I can ask my DM to let me save it for a session or two, so I'll have an opportunity to face something different.

[edit: RC Hagy posted while I was posting ]

Chose humans. Humans are always causing trouble. It also have some wonderful, unnerving RP potential.

 

[Voadam]

Why won't you choose animals for the sharks, aren't they used as attack beasts by sahugin? You said you were trained to fight sahugin generally, so a little training focused on their beasties is appropriate. Seems approrpriate to me. This will also cover any animals their evil druids summon as well.

 

[The_Gneech]

I ask my DM for suggestions. Cheesy, but effective.

-The Gneech