What DO you DO for... Rangers?

[Nyaricus]

Well, it's been long enough, so I want to know... what DO you DO for rangers? Do you give them new combat styles? Make them Spell-less (and no, those ones from ComWar don't count )? Something else entirely?

What DO you DO?

Personally, I am going to be taking the Ranger class, the Scout Class and a bunch of original classes from all over the net (EN World and Wizards, mainly) and combining them into one skillsy outdoorsy warrior class. I want a competent class which will go with light weapons and likely a lot of archery as well. I want to drop the spells, the animal companion, the combat styles, the ranger class in general (it will, however, make a comback as a PrC based off of Aragorn and his group of Rangers from LotR) and make a outdoor warrior class which will replace it. 6 SkP/level will likely make it in, but the main thing is I am not sure about the BAB and whether it'll be 3/4 or 1/1. I guess once I really get into this project, I will see what becomes of it. Likely this class will be called the Scout, since I want it to be a class from any enviroment, and not just the archetypical woodlands the Ranger is from (the working name before this was 'Woodsman', in fact, but I want it to be more 'all-encompassing' than that.

But for yourselves: what do you do?

 

[smootrk]

Mainly, the additional Combat Styles (from a Dragon Magazine article primarily) do wonders for making Rangers distinct from each other. Additionally, the effective feats granted by the alternate combat styles are great lead-ins to other feats and PRCs to further diversify them.

Going further, I would seriously consider beefing up the animal companion to make the critter have reasonable survivability - possibly making the critter equivalent to the Druid's. I would consider dropping most/all spellcasting for this reasonable change.

 

[Nyaricus]

Going further, I would seriously consider beefing up the animal companion to make the critter have reasonable survivability - possibly making the critter equivalent to the Druid's. I would consider dropping most/all spellcasting for this reasonable change.

Well, in my games as-is, a Rangers Animal Companion is his level -3. Not quite up to par with druids, but he has a bunch of compensate.

Also, I use some alternative Combat Styles, like this one:

Weapon Specialist Combat Style:
Combat Style - Weapon Focus
Improved Combat Style - Weapon Specialization
Combat Style Mastery - Improved Critical

I also want there to be a Spear Style, but there are few feats which are really that great for this style... I've heard passingly of a book about Wilderness stuff which supposedly has a great spear-fighter in there. Anyone have it and willing to cough up the details of it?

 

[Narsil]

I swap the Ranger's spellcasting for a better Animal Companion, and at level 6, they gain the benefit of full dex bonus while wearing light armour. This bonus improves to medium at level 12

 

[Arkhandus]

"Rhunarian rangers have slightly more skill flexibility than those presented in the Player's Handbook. As a houserule, a ranger of Rhunaria adds Knowledge [Spirits] (Int) to his or her list of ranger class skills, and they get a base of 6 skill points per level rather than 4."

From my Rhunaria campaign website. Otherwise identical to standard 3.0E Ranger.

My Aurelian homebrew's version of the Ranger, along with the Archer variant, are of course already posted in my Aurelia thread (link in sig). The Archer variant is nonmagical and focused on ranged weapons primarily (not just bows, though they tend to work best for it), with fewer Favored Enemies and many more class features for ranged and (occasionally) melee combat, including a few bonus ranged-attack feats.

The standard Ranger of Aurelia has d8 HP, 6 sp/level, full BAB, strong Fortitude, a few extra class skills (like 'all creature lore skills' as Knowledge class skills), more useful Favored Enemy (applied to attack, damage, AC, and some skills; damage bonus is the only one lost against constructs/undead/etc.), an option for replacing further FEs with minor, nearly-feat-equivalent benefits (like Dual Wield or Hunter's Guile), a broader selection of Battle Styles (though just gained at 2nd-level), a Speed Style later on for swiftness or overcoming terrain, Shield Other for an animal companion 1/day at upper levels, and a few other upper-level goodies.

The other two Ranger variants for Aurelia, not yet quite complete enough for posting, are the Scout and the Seeker. 'Scout' rangers get fewer spells, fewer favored enemies, and only a few of the standard Ranger's other abilities, but also gain a bit of Sneak Attack progression, an incremental skill/anti-trap benefit called Keen Awareness, a few bonus feats, and just a bit more. I'll likely give Scouts d10 HD in exchange for something else. 'Seeker' rangers are more oriented towards fey, nature magic, and mobility, being essentially the bridge between standard Rangers and Druids. Seekers get spellcasting just a bit weaker than a Bard's, but have lower skill points and Base Attack than other Rangers do, and their strong saves are Reflex and Will. Seekers lack some of the standard Ranger's special abilities, but still get full Favored Enemy progression and some tracking benefits. In exchange for their losses and drawbacks compared to other Rangers, the Seeker gets extra abilities like Fey Bond, Greater Combat Casting, Superior Combat Casting, Trackless Step, Woodland Stride, Timeless Body, and some bonus feats.

 

[smootrk]

Look to the Polearm article for ideas for spear feats. No reason you cant make reasonably comparable feats that work for the slightly smaller spear.

Another good Ranger Style to consider is:
Strong Arm (a Power Attack/Cleave/Great Cleave tree) or
Mounted (you guessed it, mounted combat)

 

[Nyaricus]

Look to the Polearm article for ideas for spear feats. No reason you cant make reasonably comparable feats that work for the slightly smaller spear.

Another good Ranger Style to consider is:
Strong Arm (a Power Attack/Cleave/Great Cleave tree) or
Mounted (you guessed it, mounted combat)

The only problem with those are is that pretty much any character can get those by level 4. As a ranger, you'll be getting a rather useless feat at level 11. Bleck.

So, you need better feats for those levels, rather than having some low-level feats which were acessable back when a few Kobolds made you whimper.

 

[smootrk]

The only problem with those are is that pretty much any character can get those by level 4. As a ranger, you'll be getting a rather useless feat at level 11. Bleck.

So, you need better feats for those levels, rather than having some low-level feats which were acessable back when a few Kobolds made you whimper.

I think you are overlooking the usefulness of certain combinations of the 'effective feats' for use in PRC prerequisites, or for some of the advanced feats which require prereq's (such as in the PHB2). Anyway, I do see your point as well - maybe tweaking the styles with additions from the PHB2 may help the power-level conundrum.

I will try and do a little brainstorming for you. For now though, I have to head off to work this evening, but tomorrow I will break out some books and see if there are some good options that you can incorporate into your Ranger-redesign.

The Ranger is one of my favorite archetypes, yet I have disliked all the 3.x treatments thusfar. Your concept seems more in-line with my thinking (so far), so I would love to see your final design.

 

[Tonguez]

Sea Ranger (Hautai) – Master Fisherman, Mariners and Navigators the Sea Ranger is the master of the open sea, out beyond the protection of the reef sailing the large sailing craft, casting nets and lines out against sharks and other monsters of the deep.

BAb - as Ranger
Saves – as Ranger

The Sea Ranger

All of the following are class features of the {class}.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Sea Ranger is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and light armor

Spells: See below

Track: In addition to the standard Track ability the Sea Ranger can also ‘Track’ creatures through the water.
Water Conditions DC: Clear water -2 ,Calm surface –1, Slightly murky water +0, Small waves +0, Medium, choppy waves +1, Large waves +2, Obscuring clouds of silt +2, Storm waves +4
Distance Dc: Within 20' of target 10, 20' to 30' apart 15, More than 30' apart +1/10'

Maritime Skills: Due to the extensive training that the Sea Ranger receives in and around the water, she automatically gains training and competency bonuses to the following skills at 1st level:
Swim+4 Profession (Sailing) +2, Profession (Navigator) +2 (training is assumed)

Aquatic Combat: As master Hunter of Big game fish like Sharks the Sea Ranger is trained in the best techniques and methods for surviving combat both when on or in the water. The Sea Ranger gains a bonus to Listen, Move Silently,Sense Motive, and Spot checks when using these skills against creatures found in at sea whether deep water or shallows (including shoreline). Likewise, she gets the same bonus to weapon damage rolls against these creatures. Deep water+1 Shallows/Shore+2
At Level 8 the bonuses increase to Deep water+2 Shallows/Shore+4 Deep Water refers to anywhere the character can not touch the bottom whilst fully submerged

Endure Elements: Used to the dangers of the Sea the Sea Ranger gains +2 bonus to all Fort saves made against weather effects (cold, wind, heat), drowning and starvation.

Improved Swim (new feat)– The character is able to swim at ½ their base speed as a move action or at their base speed as a full round action. Additionally they do not suffer the –1 penalty for swimming underwater (but still drown as per usual if they run out of breath)

Sea Legs: A Sea Ranger spends years living and working on the water, and has learned to stay on her feet during fair weather and foul. At 3rd level, a Sea Ranger gains a +2 competence bonus to all Balance checks. Furthermore, a successful check allows a full move instead of a half move. A failed check still means no movement at all.

Orientation: A Mariner has an innate sense of their location and by reading the combination of swells, prevailing winds, stars and water salinity can always locate the direction of and predict the distance (in days of travel) to his home island. The Mariner can also locate other Islands they have been to for more than 1 day with a Prof Navigator check DC 15
At 5th level with a Prof Navigator check DC 15 the Mariner can locate the direction of any landmass within 50 miles

Weather Sense: With a successful Survival check a Sea Ranger can predict the Weather for the next few days. The DC is 10+2 per day (eg weather in 3 days has DC 16 (10+6)).

Oceans Bounty: The Sea Ranger is a Master Fisherman and can find and locate schools of fish as required. The Sea Ranger can also locate drinkable water at sea (often by following rain clouds). The Oceans Bounty requires 1 hour to locate

Freedom of Movement: Starting at 12th level, a Sea Ranger knows how to use her abilities and weapons to their best effect when underwater. As a result, when underwater, she suffers no penalties to movement or attack rolls as if she were the recipient of the freedom of movement spell
This is an Extraordinary ability.

Hold Breath: At 16th level, a Sea Ranger has learned how to survive underwater for extended periods of time. She can hold her breath for a number of rounds equal Constitution x4, instead of double Con as normal

1st-LEVEL RANGER SPELLS
Alarm
Animal Friendship
Delay Poison
Detect Animals or Plants
Detect Snares and Pits
Entangle
Magic Fang
Obscuring Mist
Pass without Trace
Read Magic
Resist Elements
Speak with Animals
Summon Nature's Ally I

2nd-LEVEL RANGER SPELLS
Animal Messenger
Cure Light Wounds
Detect Chaos/Evil/Good/Law
Hold Animal
Locate Object
Protection from Elements
Sleep
Snare
Summon Nature's Ally II

3rd-LEVEL RANGER SPELLS
Cure Moderate Wounds
Greater Magic Fang
Gust of Wind
Neutralize Poison
Plant Growth
Remove Disease
Summon Nature's Ally III
Water Walk
Water Breathing

4th-LEVEL RANGER SPELLS
Sending
Cure Serious Wounds
Freedom of Movement
Nondetection
Polymorph Self
Summon Nature's Ally IV
Wind Wall

 

[Tonguez]

WHALE RIDER PrC
Amongst The People of the South Seas whales are revered as lords of the ocean, children of the Sea god. Mortal races live in awe of the mighty beasts and are humbled by the beauty of their song.

The Whale Rider become attuned to the Song of the Whales (and their cousins porpoise and the dolphins), they learn to sing the song of the whales, become companions to the whales and even learn to ride upon the mighty beasts.

Alignment Any
Hit Dice d8
BAb - as Cleric
Fort Good
Skills 4+int
Animal Empathy (Cha,exclusive skill),Concentration (Con),Intuit Direction (Wis), Knowledge (nature)(Int), Listen (Wis), Perform(Cha), Profession (Wis), Speak Language (none), Swim (Str),and Survival (Wis)

Requirements
Skills Swim 6 ranks, Animal Empathy 8 ranks, Listen 8 Ranks
Feats Endurance
Other: The character has had an encounter with a Cetacean whilst swimming (including drowning if applicable ie was saved by a dolphin)

Abilities per Level
1 Ride Skill, Improved Swim, Hold Breath x3

2 Whale Companion, Mounted Combat,

3 Hold Breath x4, Whale Song (Listen)

4 Hold Breath x 5, Blind fight

5 Water breathing (1 hour), Whale Song (Speak)

6, Deep Diving, Song of the Sea (Rebuke)

7 Whale Call, Water breathing (4 hours)

8 Whale Song (Emotion), Blindsight

9 Song of the Sea (Command)

10 Aquatic nature


Ride Skill: The Whale Rider gains character level +2 ranks in this unique skill. The skill is considered a class skill and can be increased normally There are no large land animals imc and so no ‘standard’ ride skill. However this is the same skill granted as an ability

Improved Swim (new feat)– The character is able to swim at ½ their base speed as a move action or at their base speed as a full round action. Additionally they do not suffer the –1 penalty for swimming underwater (but still drown as per usual if they run out of breath)

Whale Companion – The Whale Rider is able to summon a Cetacean (Whale or Dolphin) who is willing to carry the rider on its back. The cetacean has an intelligence score of at least 6 and speaks the language of the Whale song (which may or may not be aquan)

Hold Breath – A normal character is able to hold their breath for constitution x 2 rounds. A Whale Rider through constant practice is able to extend this for much longer periods (initially Con x 3 etc)

Mounted Combat – The Whale Rider can use the Mounted Combat feat whilst riding her whale/dolphin companion

Deep Diving – The Whale rider does not suffer any ill effects from deep water (either due to pressure or cold)

Blind Sight – The Whale Rider is so attuned to the sounds around her that she is able to 'see' by sound alone.

Whale Song (Listen) The Whale Rider is able to understand the song of various cetaceans (whales and dolphins etc). Whale song travels for up to a mile and is likely to have information about weather conditions, food sources, sharks and other hazards in or on the water within a 1-mile radius. The Whale Rider should make a Wis mod+ level Check vs DC 15 to determine if a required piece of information is heard in the song (use the Bardic Knowledge chart to determine results)

Whale Song (Speak) The Whale Rider has gained mastery of the language of the Whale Song and is able to ask up to 3 questions (per day) of all Cetaceans (and other listeners (eg other Whale Riders, Merfolk etc). The Whale Rider may ask and (be informed) about the weather conditions, plants, minerals, ships, seabed topography, people, general animal population, presence of marine creatures, presence of powerful unnatural creatures, or even the general state of the surrounding sea in a 1 mile radius.

Whale Call: The Whale Rider is able to call to all cetaceans in a 1-mile radius, any cetaceans in the area they will gather within 1d6 minutes and respond positively to any reasonable request

Whale Song (Emotion) – By causing subtle changes in the ambient song the Whale Rider is able to affect the emotions of all creatures able to hear her within 100ft (+10ft per level). The effects are like those of the Emotion Spell

Water breathing – The Whale rider is able to breathe underwater for up to 4 hours allowing them to dive to great depths

Song of the Sea - The Whale Rider can use the Whale song to command other sea animals and beasts (sharks, fish, octopi, Sea Lions etc). Initially she can only rebuke non-cetaceans, however as she gains greater understanding of the Song she also gains the ability to give basic commands to non-cetaceans. The Whale Rider must make a perform check DC 10+creature int mod to succeed

Aquatic – The Whale Rider has become an Aquatic creature as at home in The water as on land. The Character suffers no penalties wshen swimming and is able to breath water for an indefinite period of time (Add Aquatic to the Characters creature type (eg Humanoid, Aquatic)