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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(Psi)SeveredHead" data-source="post: 1755512" data-attributes="member: 1165">My last two favorite characters were based on archetypes that 3.0 didn't do well; one was under 3.5 rules, the other under Modern rules.I created a human 3.5 ranger named Jander, and he was supposed to be an arctic hunter. The DM had created a very interesting desert world, however, which I somehow missed out on despite the numerous more-than-hints, so I switched at the last minute to a desert hunter. Nonetheless I was very happy that I could play a ranger who didn't suck. I had the skill points I needed (human, Int 12, base 6 sp/level) and didn't have any TWF/Drizzt baggage. The lower hit points didn't bother me one iota; he never lost consciousness, either.His name is based on a ranger from the Hero's Lorebook - Lander. The similarity to the name Jander Sunstar (an elven vampire) is pure coincidence. The DM says he likes the name; I wonder if he's familiar with either of those two characters. He was nicknamed "the Terminator" based on my evil copy (long story) slaughtering half the party (again, long story). Of course, the terrain was set up to help him out, but even so he was once forced into melee against a paladin... and he wasn't built for melee.His favored enemy: animals. It actually came in handy, once, though in the long run it would have been better if I had chosen vermin.I started off with Weapon Finesse and Point Blank Shot. That was a mistake. I should have switched Weapon Finesse with Precise Shot, then taken Weapon Finesse at 3rd-level. It does cause me to wonder what an elven ranger is supposed to do with his first two levels, seeing how he can't take Precise Shot. He carries a short sword, two shortspears and a longbow. I really need to switch that short sword with a hand-axe. At one point he was carrying 200 arrows <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=";)" /> Of course, my camel was carrying 150 of them. Come to think about it, a camel is handy in a fight... it can set up flanking. No, really. At 4th-level I had a ranged attack bonus of +9 (Dex 16, BAB +4, mastercraft bow) and I'm not sure where I got the other +1 bonus from. Maybe I'm just thinking about Point Blank Shot. In any event, only one other fighting character could match my attack bonus <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=":)" />He started off as a simple desert hunter who had been hired to help protect a caravan... the got sucked into a conflict that shaped the relationship between humans and elves.My other favorite character was in D20 Modern. I wanted to play a martial artist who wasn't a wimp, so obviously I couldn't use the DnD version <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=";)" /> We started at 1st-level and I put my first level into Strong. That let me have a BAB +1, which let me take Combat Martial Arts and Weapon Finesse at 1st-level. I also had Archaic Weapons Proficiency from my Athlete occupation, but I chose that occupation for the skills, not the feats. (Strong heroes don't have skills that are appropriate for martial artists, other than Climb and Jump, IMO.)I took my next three levels in Fast, then two in Martial Artist before the GM had to leave for the summer, and I ended up with a very good Defense bonus. Plus I had Defensive Martial Arts. With my attack bonus of ... +9 (what is with that bonus?) I usually only needed to roll a 12 or 13 to hit my opponent, and had the highest attack bonus in the party. (In Modern, hitting doesn't come easy.) Plus, with my high Defense bonus I wasn't afraid to melee with anything that didn't have a gaze attack. (I had the highest Defense bonus in the party too... well, I tied with someone else but she had to wear an Undercover Vest to match me, and I only had a leather jacket.)A good strat (not one that I used) is to take Dodge and Agile Riposte. I was going to use Combat Throw, but without Improved Trip (didn't have the Int) that feat isn't so useful, and though it's more fun, it's much more feat-intensive. If you're in a long-running campaign, however, take the Int and take both trees <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=":)" />He took Melee Smash and the Increased Speed talent twice.His name was Linnorm (a play on the word "dragon") and he was afraid of the FX monsters we had to face - especially those with DR and ridiculously high save DCs (FX is not well balanced in Modern). Until he found out he had accidentally set the world on the path of (literal) destruction, he didn't want to adventure too much. After that, he threw himself quite willingly into the battle. (Of course, the alternative was death.)</blockquote>

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