D&D 3E/3.5 Revised 3.5 ranger (or) the it's-never-too-soon-to-improve-on-official-design thread

[Inari]

Sure, it seems to fit nicely (although I repeat myself about Improved Initiative... it's not that important though). Nice touch removing Endurance from the list of feats all Rangers get.

Anyways, a few problems I saw...

In the bonus feat list, it says:

These bonus feats are in addition to the feat that a character of any class gets from advancing levels (see Table 3–2: Experience and Level-Dependant Benefits, page 22 of the Player’s Handbook). A ranger is not limited to the list of ranger bonus feats when choosing these feats.

What, does this mean that the ranger bonus feat list isn't the entire list of feats they can choose? Does it mean that a Ranger could choose a metamagic feat if he wanted to? I'm sure it's just a typo, but it's still worth mentioning.

Ohh yeah, what happened to Canny reaction? Chose to ditch it instead of making it wis dependant?

In the familiar terrain it says:

At 7th level, and every four levels thereafter (11th, 15th, and 19th level), the ranger may either select an additional favored enemy from those given on the table, or increase the bonuses of an existing favored enemy by 2.

I'm yet again sure this is just a copy/paste mistake, but I'd recommend it being fixed.

Ohh yeah, whilst not so much of a glitch, how about offering the ranger a choice at creation (or when he takes on the ranger class) of wether he chooses 1d10hd and 4 sp or 1d8hd and 6 sp, and then he has to stick with that choice (meaning no switching suddenly at 5th level). Would it be a bad idea?

 

[Sonofapreacherman]

Howdy Inari.

Sure, it seems to fit nicely (although I repeat myself about Improved Initiative... it's not that important though). Nice touch removing Endurance from the list of feats all Rangers get.

Here's the thing about feats like Improved Initiative and Quick Draw. I deliberately avoided any "combat-specific" feats for the ranger, basing their list on "survival-oriented" feats instead (or feats that specifically complimented their ranger abilities, like Favored Critical and Familiar Defense). As such, I felt that feats like Improved Initiative and Quick Draw fell more into the "combat-specific" category, than the "survival-oriented" category. From a mechanical standpoint as well, I didn't want any ranger feats to overlap with any fighter feats. As it stands, I think Blind-Fight is the only one that appears on both lists (and that feat I am considering removing from the ranger list).

Anyways, a few problems I saw...

In the bonus feat list, it says:

"These bonus feats are in addition to the feat that a character of any class gets from advancing levels (see Table 3–2: Experience and Level-Dependant Benefits, page 22 of the Player's Handbook). A ranger is not limited to the list of ranger bonus feats when choosing these feats."

What, does this mean that the ranger bonus feat list isn't the entire list of feats they can choose? Does it mean that a Ranger could choose a metamagic feat if he wanted to? I'm sure it's just a typo, but it's still worth mentioning.

This section was lifted out of the fighter bonus feat description pretty much verbatim. It means that your regular level-dependant feats (at 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, level, etc.) are not restricted to the ranger bonus feats list.

Ohh yeah, what happened to Canny reaction? Chose to ditch it instead of making it wis dependant?

I've never had an ability called Canny Reaction. You might be confusing my ranger with the one that Jack Daniel was pushing.

No offense Jack.

"At 7th level, and every four levels thereafter (11th, 15th, and 19th level), the ranger may either select an additional favored enemy from those given on the table, or increase the bonuses of an existing favored enemy by 2."

I'm yet again sure this is just a copy/paste mistake, but I'd recommend it being fixed.

Dammit! My perfectionism is foiled again.



Consider version 3 corrected. Thanks for the heads up.

Ohh yeah, whilst not so much of a glitch, how about offering the ranger a choice at creation (or when he takes on the ranger class) of whether he chooses 1d10hd and 4 sp or 1d8hd and 6 sp, and then he has to stick with that choice (meaning no switching suddenly at 5th level). Would it be a bad idea?

It wouldn't be a bad idea Inari, but it would be an indecisive one. I'm really big on committing to a concept and putting my foot down on it. Adding a hit point/skill point trade-off smacks of wishy-washiness to me. It's not a bad house rule, but I really feel that rangers are a warrior-based class *first* and a skill-based class *second*. That's all.

 

[Inari]

Oops, I'm so sorry for that misunderstanding :S It was something that I should've seen right away

My most sincere apologies!

But good job with the ranger! Although our visions of the ranger vary a bit (mainly that I see a skillful hunter whilst you see a hunter/fighter), despite that little difference, I still have to say that it's a nice build of a ranger.

*note* I've had a fever for a week now, so I haven't been quite myself these last days. It was nothing personal when I confused the two. Gomen.

 

[Sonofapreacherman]

But good job with the ranger! Although our visions of the ranger vary a bit (mainly that I see a skillful hunter whilst you see a hunter/fighter), despite that little difference, I still have to say that it's a nice build of a ranger.

Thank you. But I would add that our visions of the ranger are not that dissimilar. To clarify, I do not see the ranger as a hunter/fighter "or" a skillful hunter. I see the ranger as a hunter with skills. These are perhaps subtle or not-so-subtle differences, but when you consider all the potential skill bonuses that are granted by favored enemy *and* familiar terrain, they more than make up for the 2 skill points I have sacrificed in order to justify raising the ranger hit die back up to a d10. Favored enemy and familiar terrain alone secure the skill-driven focus of the ranger class (without increasing their skill points per level). The rest of the ranger, in my opinion, should primarily remain survival-oriented and warrior-driven.