Tell me about the Beastmaster Ranger in play...

[HeirToPendragon]

Ok so I'm looking at the Beast Master to try and help my player.

And this can't be right. My power output is significantly better if I attack and just use the beast as a flanking stump.

I have a base 18 Str, so I have a +4 str mod and a Longsword which is a d10.
The Wolf has a 14 Str and a d8 claw

My basic attack: +4 vs AC
My damage: 1d10 + 4

Wolf basic attack: +3 vs AC
Wolf Damage: 1d8 + 3 or +5 if flanking.

As I progress, my attacks still stay significantly better than the Wolf's. All the powers that use the are worse than the ones that allow me to just use my [W]. So can someone please explain to me why I'm even using a beast ranger when a melee or ranged Ranger does things so much better?

Granted the fact that I get a beast is better than Defensive Mobility and Prime Shot (since that seems to happen so very little), but not a single power in here seems worth it.

(Ignore roleplaying)

 

[Mal Malenkirk]

I have a base 18 Str, so I have a +4 str mod and a Longsword which is a d10.
The Wolf has a 14 Str and a d8 claw

My basic attack: +4 vs AC
My damage: 1d10 + 4

Wolf basic attack: +3 vs AC
Wolf Damage: 1d8 + 3 or +5 if flanking.

Hmmm...

1 - A long sword is D8, not D10 and at level 1 your basic attack would be +7 vs AC ; 1d8+4 while the wolf would be +5 vs AC ; 1d8+2.

2 - Using the Predator at will power strike while flanking, the wolf does 1d8+6 damage at level 1 if the ranger has WIS 14. Don't forget you get to add your WIS on many power but for the At wills only the power allows it.

3 - Many time, the powers allow both the beast and the master to attack so it's not always one or the other.

4 - Sometime the wolf is in range and you ain't so it's not a matter of who does the best damage but of who can attack at all.

5 - Some ranger have a higher WIS and lower STR which skew the stats toward the Beast.

 

[robotsinmyhead]

words

As Mal said, your math is wrong. It looks like your best bet is going to be using your attacks over the wolf's, and using the wolf to attack is going to be useful only in instances when you can't get to it yourself, and it's primary role will be for setting up flanks.

 

[HeirToPendragon]

Wow, how did I mess up on the longsword's damage...

yeah



but anyway, when I look at the Beast Ranger powers I can't help but thinking that they are pretty bad and I could replace my companion with one of the pokemon summons in the AV and do the same effect.

 

[mneme]

One thing to keep in mind is that the beast's attack bonus, if anything, scales better than yours (particularly the falcon). It may start with a mere +4 or +6 to hit to your +6 to +8, but at 18th level, that's a 22 or 24 to hit, whereas you're attacking at, oh, 9+str(7)+prof(3)+4 (weapon) = +23 -- and that's -if- you minimaxed with a 20 str/dex. At 30th level, the falcon has an attack bonus of +35 -- try to get that out of a sword!

So fairly quickly, there are going to be monsters which, even if you do more damage per hit than your beast has, the beast's going to be hitting more often.

 

[Nymrohd]

Also if you actually get to play with a beast at epic levels, you can spend a feat to get to take a basic attack with your beast as a minor action, and an ED to get to make a standard/move action as a minor action once per round (Beastlord). Lvl 21 is were the beastmaster's damage output really gets a boost.

 

[Starfox]

Can you use beast protector on your own turn, by making the beast provoke AOs? I'm not sure you can - after all you get one AO on each opponent's turn.

Not energetic enough atm to properly research this, but it does matter.

 

[HeirToPendragon]

Can you use beast protector on your own turn, by making the beast provoke AOs? I'm not sure you can - after all you get one AO on each opponent's turn.

Not energetic enough atm to properly research this, but it does matter.

Yeah, you can. One really nice tactic is to have a rogue and a fighter do this. The fighter marks the guy then the rogue moves through squares to provoke an attack. When the marked creature attacks the rogue, the figher gets to strike.

Unless someone knows something I don't. I could have missed a ruling somewhere.

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Well, the rules for opportunity attacks in the PH do say that they can't be taken on one's own turn...

 

[RefinedBean]

Well, the rules for opportunity attacks in the PH do say that they can't be taken on one's own turn...

Which is exactly why I retrained Beast Protector out. It just didn't come up often enough to be worth a feat, and mainly my beast was provoking attacks on its own turn, and not getting attacked too often.

Now, combine Beast Protector with the Bard's "Misdirected Mark" or whatever, have your Beast marking things left and right...that could probably guarantee a TON of OA's.