The Aragorn Ranger Variant (You'll like! Promise!)

[ForceUser]

We were dissatisfied with the 3.0 ranger.

When the 3.5 ranger hit, we became disgruntled.

Couldn't these guys get it right? Why can't we have a ranger who can go toe to toe with foes in melee, whirling around the battlefield like Aragorn did in Peter Jackson's movies? Why can't they make the D&D ranger a wilderness warrior, instead of some strange rogue-druid hybrid? Fed up, one of our DMs developed his own in-house ranger, and we are in love. This is what the ranger is supposed to be (to us).

He has

• d10 HD
• Bonus virtual feats instead of rigid archery or TWF paths
• Favored terrains instead of favored enemies
• The good bits from the 3.5 ranger (2 good saves, Endurance, swift tracker, etc.)

This ranger is fast, tough, and skilled in wilderness survival and warfare. I share him with you not for critique, but in the spirit of generosity. Rejoice! Here's the real ranger that should have been all along!

 

[smootrk]

I like it. I was always a big fan of earlier edition rangers, and this seems more in line with them.

Of course there are things I might do differently. It seems all the abilities you have listed could easily be feats, and if HR'd to be additions to the fighter list, you could easily just have a fighter (with all the bonus feats) just take a number of feats to become a "ranger".

Aside from my minor opinion, I still like your ideas for Rangers better than the current incarnation.

 

[Felon]

Of course there are things I might do differently. It seems all the abilities you have listed could easily be feats, and if HR'd to be additions to the fighter list, you could easily just have a fighter (with all the bonus feats) just take a number of feats to become a "ranger".

Nah, if he were just a fighter, he couldn't get 6 skill points a level and two good saving throws.

Sorry, I like rangers, but this is a bit excessive. At the very least, the favored terrain should either be a a bonus to attack rolls or damage, not both. Also, note that a huge number of monsters (probably a majority) have "Underground" as a terrain type.

The 3.5 ranger didn't make me disgruntled. It's a pretty big improvement IMO. I don't like the spellcasting bit, but the majority of D&D archetypes are magical in some way. And of course, we now have the scout.

 

[ForceUser]

hehe

Compared to the cleric, druid, wizard, and even the fighter, I hardly think this variant is excessive. Heck, a plain-Jane 3.5 fighter would go to town on this guy in a duel. But hey, to each his own!

EDIT: Forgot to mention--we didn't make these bonuses up; we yoinked them from the Horizon Walker PrC in the DMG. So, um, your beef is with WotC, not our ranger variant.

 

[ydirbut]

Horizon walker is PRC. That's like saying a base class that gets full Divine and Arcane advancement is ok because he Theurge has it.

 

[ForceUser]

Horizon walker is PRC. That's like saying a base class that gets full Divine and Arcane advancement is ok because he Theurge has it.

Ah, but well-designed prestige classes are not more powerful than base classes--only different. The Mystic Theurge you mention, for instance, gives up a lot to be what he is: on the cleric side, he gives up armor, d8 hit dice, good Fort saves, and the turn undead progression; while on the wizard side, he gives up access to most knowledge skills, advancement for his familiar, and wizard bonus feats. He also gives up 6 whole spell levels over the life of the character (3 from each class). I'd say the MT, then, is no more powerful than either of the cleric or the wizard. He's just a lot more versatile in his spell selection.

 

[ydirbut]

Ah, but giving a base class Full arcane and Divine casting is broken, no? Remember, the Terrains are all the Horizon Walker gets.

 

[ForceUser]

Ah, but giving a base class Full arcane and Divine casting is broken, no?

No. With some tinkering, the MT would work just as well as a base class.

 

[CRGreathouse]

It's strong compared to the existing classes. Compared to a fighter it gives 2 fewer bonus feats, but has 5 terrain masteries, favored enemy +3, hunter's stealth, woodland stride, swift tracker, 4 * 23 = 92 more skill points, and 1 more good save. (I suppose it loses some armor proficiencies....)

Terrain Mastery (underground) is worth at least two feats. It's just that good -- with so many underground creatures, the attack bonus alone is 2/3 of a feat.

All of this is fine if you want to make the ranger stronger than other classes (for example, to encourage more people to take it) -- but don't expect EN Worlders to let this pass uncommented.

 

[ForceUser]

Bah. I stand by my earlier comment--standard clerics, druids and wizards are all more powerful than this variant ranger. Anyway, I love the class, and I'm sharing the love.