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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(Psi)SeveredHead" data-source="post: 819361" data-attributes="member: 1165">The Black Watch was cool. I think they had one guy with Ambidexterity, and no one with Two Weapon Fighting. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />I'm a bit surprised that the monk doesn't get as much attention, since a lot of people wanted a martial artist, not "randomly assigned ki abilities" and "flurry of misses".Anyway, about the ranger...1) Rangers are too focused on fighting styles, rather than skills. No amount of fighting styles will please everyone, and besides, fighters are supposed to be the master of combat styles, whether they choose one or several styles.Rangers from 2e and 3e were forced to take one combat style, which has almost nothing to do with the class. Even if you twink the ability, or even if it were as overpowered as it was in 2e, it still has nothing to do with the class.Believe it or not, combat styles can be connected to roleplaying. A fighter who takes Expertise and wears the heaviest armor available might be a cautious, tactical-minded warrior, very different from a character wearing a chain shirt, wielding a greatsword, and takes Reckless Offensive.This even applies to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and (dare I saw it) Star Wars.I don't see any member of the Black Watch using this, and neither does Aragorn, unless he used Shield Bash when I wasn't looking. Robin Hood might have this ability, but it doesn't apply to quarterstaves, and he was better with the bow than a quarterstaff.Perhaps more importantly, even if you wanted to make a ranger that wasn't a copy of a previous ranger, and decided to be a unique roleplayer <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> you still had to take TWF and had to be a carbon copy of the 2e's "blades of death with almost no skill" class.2) Favored enemy is a central focus of the class. Aragorn, the prototype for DnD rangers, had this ability, but most other rangers didn't. Not everyone wants this ability.It's also hard to balance, and is much stricter than sneak attack when it comes to who can use it. Broadening the array of targets while decreasing the damage wouldn't work either - that's basically the same thing as Weapon Specialization. This ability works like a great prestige class ability or a feat chain, not a core class ability.3) Rangers were too front-loaded, and didn't have enough skill points.4) Some unique skills-based class feature would be nice (eg Favored Terrain), but would not be required and might be difficult to balance.5) Spellcasting. Like infinite combat styles, it will be difficult to please everyone. A ranger starts getting spells at 4th-level, which is pretty close to the level a player might choose a prestige class for. *Hint hint*Nonetheless, this "solution" might please me, but not everyone.</blockquote>

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