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Tell me about the Beastmaster Ranger in play...
- Thread starter Klaus
- Start date
Klaus
First Post
I made a human one, focusing on Strength, Wisdom and Dexterity, since most powers that have "cat" as a modifier add Wisdom to the master's weapon damage. And since most of those powers are Melee and are single attacks, I opted for a big two-handed weapon (greatsword, or maybe even a reach weapon).
fissionessence
First Post
Incidentally, a beastmaster ranger I drew up a few weeks ago looks pretty much the same as what you just described. A human with Strength 18, Wisdom 15, Dexterity 14, and one of his feats is Weapon Proficiency — Craghammer for a big, brutal weapon. It's also versatile, so he can shift it into one hand and use Twin Strike with that and his spiked gauntlet (that should work, right?) His other feat is the fighter multiclass, but I think I screwed up on that one.
~ fissionessence
~ fissionessence
I've done beastmaster rangers in two one shots, and they were very different.
The first was an 11th level human with the raptor (a young roc) for story reasons. He focused on ranged attacks, and only took a couple of powers to use with his beast. He was just as good as the archer ranger, the animal was a scout and a flanking buddy for the melee characters. I enjoyed this guy a lot.
The second was a 16th level dwarven avalanche hurler, with high str/dex and a spider companion. He took a lot of powers that worked in either a ranged or melee situation, and used his spider to keep enemies off of him. I liked this one better, his damage output was super, and the spider was a great tool to have around for flanking and whatnot.
Basically, take what you want. Don't think of beastmaster as a type, think about where you want to be in a fight (melee or ranged) and how much of a role you want your cat to play, and then take powers that work well with that. The book seems to assume a melee beastmaster, but I don' think that is your only option.
I would drop the Paladin in my main campaign to play a beastmaster in a heartbeat. They have similar damage output to either other ranger build, and the increased versatility of their beast. Not to mention the cool RP that can open up (what happens when you take it to town, how do you handle your pet dying, how does it react around others of it's kind, etc).
Jay
The first was an 11th level human with the raptor (a young roc) for story reasons. He focused on ranged attacks, and only took a couple of powers to use with his beast. He was just as good as the archer ranger, the animal was a scout and a flanking buddy for the melee characters. I enjoyed this guy a lot.
The second was a 16th level dwarven avalanche hurler, with high str/dex and a spider companion. He took a lot of powers that worked in either a ranged or melee situation, and used his spider to keep enemies off of him. I liked this one better, his damage output was super, and the spider was a great tool to have around for flanking and whatnot.
Basically, take what you want. Don't think of beastmaster as a type, think about where you want to be in a fight (melee or ranged) and how much of a role you want your cat to play, and then take powers that work well with that. The book seems to assume a melee beastmaster, but I don' think that is your only option.
I would drop the Paladin in my main campaign to play a beastmaster in a heartbeat. They have similar damage output to either other ranger build, and the increased versatility of their beast. Not to mention the cool RP that can open up (what happens when you take it to town, how do you handle your pet dying, how does it react around others of it's kind, etc).
Jay
I wrote one up, but have not yet had the chance to see him in play.
But to summarize what I noticed from writing one up ...
When choosing powers, compare your stats with your beast. Some powers key off your attack/damage with bonus from beast, or key off beast's attack/damage with bonus from you. So the choice of which depends on which is better between the two of you.
The main boon from the beast is the extra ally to help set of flanking (for you or another ally). Or to help keep one more ally between an enemy and a squishier ally. Also to help spread damage around from enemies (meaning each of you is taking less damage individually). One feat I thought would be really handy was the one that let you take an OA against someone that attacked your beast (but that depends on how often the two of you get to run around together for an entire combat).
Oh, and don't be afraid to pick a non beast power from the ranger set if none of the beast ones appealed to you.
But to summarize what I noticed from writing one up ...
When choosing powers, compare your stats with your beast. Some powers key off your attack/damage with bonus from beast, or key off beast's attack/damage with bonus from you. So the choice of which depends on which is better between the two of you.
The main boon from the beast is the extra ally to help set of flanking (for you or another ally). Or to help keep one more ally between an enemy and a squishier ally. Also to help spread damage around from enemies (meaning each of you is taking less damage individually). One feat I thought would be really handy was the one that let you take an OA against someone that attacked your beast (but that depends on how often the two of you get to run around together for an entire combat).
Oh, and don't be afraid to pick a non beast power from the ranger set if none of the beast ones appealed to you.
I'm trying out a beastmaster with high str and wis and ok con. Chain prof, Dwarven urgosh and that feat that lets you attack as an AOO anyone who swings at your beast. Urgosh: +2 prof d12/d8 weapon that also gives you +1 ac and lets you pick 2 handed exploits if you want as well. Figured it's a good feat, but my ref def is going to fail badly.
I'm playing a (currently 5th-level) human beastmaster ranger with a boar companion.
Str 18
Con 14
Dex 14
Int 10
Wis 14
Cha 10
Trained Skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Endurance, Nature, Perception, Stealth (human bonus skill), Thievery (Sneak of Shadows bonus skill)
Feats (4 total, including human bonus feat):
Durable - for the extra surges, since the beast eats up healing like crazy
Wpn Prof - double-sword (from AV) - for decent damage, "light blade" property for sneak attack (see below), and "defensive" property
Sneak of Shadows - for the 1/encounter sneak attack capability, since the beast helps with flanking
Beast Protector - MP feat that provides the ranger with an OA if the beast is attacked in melee
Powers:
Circling Strike (at-will)
Predator Strike (at-will)
Twin Strike (human bonus at-will)
Sychronized Strike (encounter)
Paired Predators (encounter)
Partnered Savaging (daily)
Lacerating Maul (daily
Crucial Advice (utility)
Pretty straight-forward suite of beast-oriented powers that allow me to have flanking most of the time. They've generally worked well. Sometimes the ranger deals the big hit; sometimes the beast gets a good shot in. Sometimes they both nail the baddie with dailies.
Twin Strike with a double-sword allows me to wade through minions fairly quickly. Having the beast with me helps with attack bonuses for flanking.
Being a human (bonus trained skill) with the Sneak of Shadows feat (trained in Thievery) has given him seven trained skills, allowing me to use Crucial Advice to great effect with other PCs.
Sometimes, I send the beast off to aid in flanking with other PCs, but most of the time I keep him close to the ranger, keeping that +2 bonus for combat advantage in play much of the time (and allowing the Sneak of Shadows sneak attack capability to come into play in pretty much every encounter).
In close quarters (such as dungeon environments), it can be difficult to move the pair into flank together, but training in both Athletics and Acrobatics has alleviated this a bit, allowing the ranger to run-and-jump/climb/swim over or around adversaries when necessary to get into flank with the beast (who can't do that crazy stuff).
The boar's bonuses when charging (particularly the +2 bonus to speed) have come in handy a few times, allowing the beast to get to a baddie faster than the pair could together. Boar charges first. Ranger follows up on the next round and they pair up in flank for their team powers.
The Beast Protector feat allows the ranger to gain additional attacks when the beast is attacked in melee. If a particular combat really heats up, I move the beast in such a way so as to provoke OAs, allowing the ranger to get a free shot in each time. This strategy generally burns through the pair's hps pretty quickly, but allows for a serious flurry of attacks between them. Using this strategy, a recent 6-round combat encounter resulted in 16 seperate attacks (between the two of them), dealing nearly 120 hps in damage. There were a few misses in this encounter and no crits. Strong damage, despite there being no crits.
Magic Items:
Frost Double-Sword +1
Hide Armor of Fire Resistance +1
Amulet of Physical Resolve +1 (particularly useful for bonuses to saving throws regarding being slowed or immobilized)
Friend's Gift (AV 122) - companion slot item that increases the hps regained when the beast heals - VERY helpful, since the ranger and beast often take a lot of damage between the two of them
Str 18
Con 14
Dex 14
Int 10
Wis 14
Cha 10
Trained Skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Endurance, Nature, Perception, Stealth (human bonus skill), Thievery (Sneak of Shadows bonus skill)
Feats (4 total, including human bonus feat):
Durable - for the extra surges, since the beast eats up healing like crazy
Wpn Prof - double-sword (from AV) - for decent damage, "light blade" property for sneak attack (see below), and "defensive" property
Sneak of Shadows - for the 1/encounter sneak attack capability, since the beast helps with flanking
Beast Protector - MP feat that provides the ranger with an OA if the beast is attacked in melee
Powers:
Circling Strike (at-will)
Predator Strike (at-will)
Twin Strike (human bonus at-will)
Sychronized Strike (encounter)
Paired Predators (encounter)
Partnered Savaging (daily)
Lacerating Maul (daily
Crucial Advice (utility)
Pretty straight-forward suite of beast-oriented powers that allow me to have flanking most of the time. They've generally worked well. Sometimes the ranger deals the big hit; sometimes the beast gets a good shot in. Sometimes they both nail the baddie with dailies.
Twin Strike with a double-sword allows me to wade through minions fairly quickly. Having the beast with me helps with attack bonuses for flanking.
Being a human (bonus trained skill) with the Sneak of Shadows feat (trained in Thievery) has given him seven trained skills, allowing me to use Crucial Advice to great effect with other PCs.
Sometimes, I send the beast off to aid in flanking with other PCs, but most of the time I keep him close to the ranger, keeping that +2 bonus for combat advantage in play much of the time (and allowing the Sneak of Shadows sneak attack capability to come into play in pretty much every encounter).
In close quarters (such as dungeon environments), it can be difficult to move the pair into flank together, but training in both Athletics and Acrobatics has alleviated this a bit, allowing the ranger to run-and-jump/climb/swim over or around adversaries when necessary to get into flank with the beast (who can't do that crazy stuff).
The boar's bonuses when charging (particularly the +2 bonus to speed) have come in handy a few times, allowing the beast to get to a baddie faster than the pair could together. Boar charges first. Ranger follows up on the next round and they pair up in flank for their team powers.
The Beast Protector feat allows the ranger to gain additional attacks when the beast is attacked in melee. If a particular combat really heats up, I move the beast in such a way so as to provoke OAs, allowing the ranger to get a free shot in each time. This strategy generally burns through the pair's hps pretty quickly, but allows for a serious flurry of attacks between them. Using this strategy, a recent 6-round combat encounter resulted in 16 seperate attacks (between the two of them), dealing nearly 120 hps in damage. There were a few misses in this encounter and no crits. Strong damage, despite there being no crits.
Magic Items:
Frost Double-Sword +1
Hide Armor of Fire Resistance +1
Amulet of Physical Resolve +1 (particularly useful for bonuses to saving throws regarding being slowed or immobilized)
Friend's Gift (AV 122) - companion slot item that increases the hps regained when the beast heals - VERY helpful, since the ranger and beast often take a lot of damage between the two of them
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robotsinmyhead
First Post
I've just built a dwarven beastmaster ranger for an upcoming game, and I'm also really interested to see how it plays. I've taken the "wolf" template and opted for an Old English Mastiff as the actual pet (more socially acceptable than toting around a spider or a bear, yet still awesome - this dog will be the same height as the dwarf)
Starting 3rd level, and I'm focusing a lot on single-enemy control (lots of push/pull/slide/knockdown powers) paired with a big nasty Staggering Mordenkrad for ridiculous hits. The Beast Protector feat seems so good it borders on broken, and I've tried hard to make my Opportunity attacks that much more dangerous (Bracers of Mighty Striking, and the Coordinated Opportunity Feat forthcoming)
Pairing this with the rogue (or rogues as it looks like it's shaping up) in the party and we're poised to be a really nasty, high damage team.
Obviously, a dwarven ranger isn't the most optimized build and I knew this going in, but I like that aesthetic of it and I think it'll be a lot of fun.
Starting 3rd level, and I'm focusing a lot on single-enemy control (lots of push/pull/slide/knockdown powers) paired with a big nasty Staggering Mordenkrad for ridiculous hits. The Beast Protector feat seems so good it borders on broken, and I've tried hard to make my Opportunity attacks that much more dangerous (Bracers of Mighty Striking, and the Coordinated Opportunity Feat forthcoming)
Pairing this with the rogue (or rogues as it looks like it's shaping up) in the party and we're poised to be a really nasty, high damage team.
Obviously, a dwarven ranger isn't the most optimized build and I knew this going in, but I like that aesthetic of it and I think it'll be a lot of fun.
