Ranger w/o animal companion...

[TracerBullet42]

So I'm creating a new character for a campaign. I have decided to make a dwarven ranger. He's more focused on the skilled hunter aspect, and not so much the spellcasting or animal companion. So I'm using the Complete Warrior's spell-less ranger variant, and I'm going to forgo the animal companion. What would be fair to replace an animal companion? I'm not looking for much...just a little something to make the character fit my idea a little better.

Here's my thought: Give up the animal companion and the handle animal class skill to gain the Alertness feat at 4th level (when you'd gain the animal companion) and gather information as a class skill.

Does that seem fair? I think so...

Or if anyone out there has some nifty ideas, I'd love to hear those as well...

 

[trentonjoe]

Here's my thought: Give up the animal companion and the handle animal class skill to gain the Alertness feat at 4th level (when you'd gain the animal companion) and gather information as a class skill.

Does that seem fair? I think so......

Yup!

Or if anyone out there has some nifty ideas, I'd love to hear those as well...

My first thought was SKill Focus (spot).
What about an abiltiy that improve your darkvision 30 extra feet?
Or one of those +2/+2 feats like adds to survival and Knowledge (nature) or something?