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<blockquote data-quote="Michael Tree" data-source="post: 11999" data-attributes="member: 1455">As others have said, the problem IMO isn't that the Ranger is weak, it's that it's utterly boring.At first level a Ranger gets several cool abilities, but after that they get practically nothing.&nbsp; Rangers have nothing to look forward to.&nbsp; All other classes get new goodies when they gain levels, new powers or options that expand their capabilites.&nbsp; Fighters get more feats, Barbarians gain more rage, uncanny dodge, and eventually DR, Druids and Monks gain tons of special abilities, Wizards gain new spells and feats, Sorcerers gain firepower galore and expand their repetoire of spells known, Rogues get better sneak attacks, and several unique abilties after 10th level.&nbsp; When a Ranger goes up a new level all he gets is a few more skill points, and maybe an uninspiring spell or two at higher levels.&nbsp; Bleh.&nbsp; There's no incentive to gain levels, nothing to look forward to.Add to this that they only have one unique ability that no other class can learn, is favored enemy, and it's a rather insignificant bonus and only applies when the DM brings that enemy into play.&nbsp; It's no wonder that so many Rangers take a single level of Ranger then advance in something else.Hopefully Masters of the Wild will have some fixes or prestige classes to fix the boring-as-cold-porridge Ranger, but I'm not holding my breath.It used to be that their sole redeeming feature was gaining Polymorph Self at 14th level (which is a long time to wait for a cool ability), but now even that ability has been castrated.&nbsp; Turning into a Stone Giant is nice and all, but a &quot;ranger&quot;, a dedicated woodsman, shouldn't have to turn into a giant to be a viable class.Don't get me started on TWF.&nbsp; It's a bizarre holdover of a bizarre rule in 2nd edition, and makes no sense whatsoever.&nbsp; Sure some Rangers will want to take TWF and Ambidexterity, but certainly not enough to make it a class feature.&nbsp; Heck, fighting with two weapons is far more common among rogue character archetypes, but you don't see Rogues getting TWF as a special ability.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Michael Tree, post: 11999, member: 1455"] As others have said, the problem IMO isn't that the Ranger is weak, it's that it's utterly boring. At first level a Ranger gets several cool abilities, but after that they get practically nothing. Rangers have nothing to look forward to. All other classes get new goodies when they gain levels, new powers or options that expand their capabilites. Fighters get more feats, Barbarians gain more rage, uncanny dodge, and eventually DR, Druids and Monks gain tons of special abilities, Wizards gain new spells and feats, Sorcerers gain firepower galore and expand their repetoire of spells known, Rogues get better sneak attacks, and several unique abilties after 10th level. When a Ranger goes up a new level all he gets is a few more skill points, and maybe an uninspiring spell or two at higher levels. Bleh. There's no incentive to gain levels, nothing to look forward to. Add to this that they only have one unique ability that no other class can learn, is favored enemy, and it's a rather insignificant bonus and only applies when the DM brings that enemy into play. It's no wonder that so many Rangers take a single level of Ranger then advance in something else. Hopefully Masters of the Wild will have some fixes or prestige classes to fix the boring-as-cold-porridge Ranger, but I'm not holding my breath. It used to be that their sole redeeming feature was gaining Polymorph Self at 14th level (which is a long time to wait for a cool ability), but now even that ability has been castrated. Turning into a Stone Giant is nice and all, but a "ranger", a dedicated woodsman, shouldn't have to turn into a giant to be a viable class. Don't get me started on TWF. It's a bizarre holdover of a bizarre rule in 2nd edition, and makes no sense whatsoever. Sure some Rangers will want to take TWF and Ambidexterity, but certainly not enough to make it a class feature. Heck, fighting with two weapons is far more common among rogue character archetypes, but you don't see Rogues getting TWF as a special ability. [/QUOTE]

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