Your favored enemies, and why?

[Felon]

Oh, and to answer the topical question, I generally pick aberrations or (in 3.5e) undead.

Generaly, the most optimal choice is the creature type that "trumps" other creature types, meaning that when a monster designer is in a quandry about what creature type to assign, he has the safety of knowing that certain creature types precede others. Giant is trumped by aberration, which is in turn trumped by undead. This is laid out in the MM's section on templates, but it applies to general monster design as well. Undead and outsiders at the top of the hierarchy; technically, you should never see an undead monster that actually has another creature type, but you could very well see a giant that has the undead type (e.g. a bodak ettin).

Now, outsiders should be a primo choice, but those clever balance-preserving designers rigged it so you'd have to pick a specific subtype, rendering it less optimal. But they didn't break undead up into subtypes (even though that's clearly warranted, as a zombie is markedly different from a vampire, which in turn has few traits in common with a banshee). So if you're just going for sheer commonality, cashing in on a favored enemy bonus as often as possible, undead are probably the pony to bet on IMO.

 

[Steverooo]

Outsiders (Evil) and Humanoids (Evil).

 

[Plane Sailing]

My first ranger character had drow as his first favoured enemy and Evil Outsiders as his second.

My second ranger character (actually a cohort) has humans as his first favoured enemy and magical beasts as his second. After a lot of trouble with outsiders recently he is likely to make Evil Outsiders his next favoured enemy.

Cheers

 

[RangerWickett]

Humanoids (Evil).

This one's logical:

"Hmm . . . I can hear his voice really well . . . and I really hate him. . . . He must be Evil.

 

[Cor Azer]

Okay, I'm going to rant now.

What the hell is the logic behind Favored Enemy? Apparently, you've studied your enemy very well, so you're really good at dealing with him. Let's examine the bonuses you get. Bonuses to Spot and Listen, to damage rolls, to Sense Motive, to tracking, and a few others.

<snip>

No, I'm sorry. The explanation in the PHB is stupid and lame. The only possible explanation my group can accept for these ridiculous bonuses to completely arbitrary groups is that rangers hate these monsters. They do not derive benefits to combat and hunting because of close study, but rather because they are racists.

Yeah, the variations in scope of the different categories annoy me a bit. Fortunately, in my games it tends not to come up as often, because in any particular campaign of mine, I select a subset of creatures that I'll use (this is often modified over time, the my players never really get a listing of what's around, just vague mentions), so it's unlikely the players will ever interact with an aboleth, a mind flayer, an umber hulk, and such... maybe one of them, but certainly not a bunch of different ones.

I think the hatred idea works better with the optional rules similar to what Forgotten Realms allows, in that a character can get the bonuses as morale bonuses to the same skills against members of particular groups. So, given that I can do more damage to the Zhentish human guard than the Cormyte human guard, it must mean that I hate the Zhentish guy more (otherwise couldn't I attack the same part of the Cormyte's body to do more damage to him).

 

[Darklone]

Humans, Elves (darn treehuggers), dwarves (darn dirty muddiggers), gnomes (annoying pranksterdudes), undeads (stinking corpses),... dragons (arrogant lizards).

 

[Kae'Yoss]

For my third favored enemy, I choose Aberrations.

But it's logical. Hit them whereever the anatomy is most freakish

 

[Deadguy]

RangerWickett:

I can understand your difficulties with the Favoured Enemy. Hong's advice in these circumstances is generally the best: don't overthink D&D.

However, if that causes you problems still, remember that the Ranger is a divinely-inspired class. Granted most Rangers I have seen are considered to draw their power from Nature itself. Perhaps that link to the natural world is what gives them the insight into their opponents?

 

[Li Shenron]

I haven't played a Ranger (except in ToEE PCG) but have seen at least half a dozen played by others. ALL of them chose Orcs and/or Undead Dragons was said to be the real favored of the favored, but usually it wasn't chosen before high levels.

Strangely, Humans is not commonly chosen, despite being probably the very best choice. Just none of the Rangers I have seen wanted to be an enemy of humans...

 

[shilsen]

Depends on the character. Last PC I ran was an elven rgr/rog in a RttToEE campaign (Greyhawk). His background had him having spent a little time in the elven military fighting goblinoids on the borders, before becoming a bounty hunter specializing in tracking down lawbreakers. Most of his targets were human, but he also tracked down elves when needed. So his favored enemies were humans, elves and goblinoids.