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View Full Version : [DM] Opinions on small tweaks to (3.5) Ranger a player is going to be.



killem2
2011-12-02, 06:40 PM
I have a player in my group who is going to be a ranger. After reading quite a bit of the 3.5 forums, it appears rangers do get quite the shaft.

I wanted to know if these tweaks I have in mind are too much are just right considering the current state of the basic ranger.

1st: I want to allow the Elvish Ranger variant from races of the wilds to keep the d8 hp, not a d6.

2nd: I want to allow each level of Ranger advancement (other than where elvish ranger replaces it) to allow a choice. +1 to current favorite enemies or add a new one to their existing list.

3rd: I want to add a bonus feat, no sooner than say level 9, called True Shot. A feat that can be activated once per two days, per 3 levels. (so at level 9 he'd get 3 true shots. 4 at 12, 5 at 15 and so on. The ranger must take a full 8 hours of target practice to regain lost true shot attempts.

The ranger needs not roll an attack roll for this shot, and the projectile can fly with out being stopped in any non solid obstacle. So they could shoot through a tornado, or shoot into or out of water at something.

Rapidghoul
2011-12-02, 11:06 PM
I see no problem with using a d8 instead of a d6, especially since the race gets -2 con.


Your wording on #2 is confusing. If I understand correctly, every level of Ranger (all 20) give either a new favored enemy or increase all of the existing ones? That's... weird. I support the idea of buffing the ability, and the element of choice is nice and also fits the class well. It's just... worded strangely.

As it's stated, the bonuses to newer ones would be weaker than the buffed-up-existing-ones, so you'd basically just pick a handful and then spend every subsequent level increasing the bonuses, not getting new ones.

If you want to create an option of either many weak bonuses or fewer strong bonuses, I suggest phrasing differently. Make the bonus to bluff, listen, sense motive, spot, survival, and damage the same for all favored enemies, then add something like:
"At each level of Ranger past 1st, you may choose to either select an additional type of creature as a new favored enemy or increase the bonus to all your favored enemies by +1." This way after ten levels, a ranger could either have +2 to 10 types of creatures, +3 to 9 types, +4 to 8 types, etc. It wouldn't matter which order they pick these since the bonus from favored enemy is static. Picking five types then buffing the bonus five times or doing so in reverse would still result in 5 types, +5 (+7 with the starting +2).


True Shot. This is also weird. I've never seen a "per two days" ability before, but that's not such a big deal. The idea is a shot that literally can't miss, right? The target could have 100 AC behind a brick wall in the middle of a cyclone, and the arrow will still hit anyway, right?

It's a mix of both too-good and not-good-enough-to-care. It's mostly just too complicated to explain. Part of it is like True Strike (+20 to a single attack, ignores concealment), which is only a level 1 spell. A 1st level wizard with 11 Int could still cast this once every day, twice if he was a diviner. Making it a 1/2days/3levels ability for a class that does actually get some spellcasting is a bit overboard. On the otherhand, being able to hit something with 100 AC behind a wall surrounded by a cyclone is not quite the same, and it's a little too "I do it because I say I can" for my tastes, personally. If you want, maybe make it a ranger only divination spell (at level 9 a ranger can cast 0 level 2 spells per day, so a high Wis score would allow a use or two) which acts as True Strike for with the added benefit of ignoring effects which block ranged attacks (such as shooting through water, Wind Wall, the Deflect Arrows feat, etc.). Simpler, uses a system the class already has built in, and gets more or less the same effect.

Hiro Protagonest
2011-12-02, 11:14 PM
True Shot. This is also weird. I've never seen a "per two days" ability before, but that's not such a big deal. The idea is a shot that literally can't miss, right? The target could have 100 AC behind a brick wall in the middle of a cyclone, and the arrow will still hit anyway, right?

It's a mix of both too-good and not-good-enough-to-care. It's mostly just too complicated to explain. Part of it is like True Strike (+20 to a single attack, ignores concealment), which is only a level 1 spell. A 1st level wizard with 11 Int could still cast this once every day, twice if he was a diviner. Making it a 1/2days/3levels ability for a class that does actually get some spellcasting is a bit overboard. On the otherhand, being able to hit something with 100 AC behind a wall surrounded by a cyclone is not quite the same, and it's a little too "I do it because I say I can" for my tastes, personally. If you want, maybe make it a ranger only divination spell (at level 9 a ranger can cast 0 level 2 spells per day, so a high Wis score would allow a use or two) which acts as True Strike for with the added benefit of ignoring effects which block ranged attacks (such as shooting through water, Wind Wall, the Deflect Arrows feat, etc.). Simpler, uses a system the class already has built in, and gets more or less the same effect.

No brick wall. It can't go through solid objects and it's specifically worded as such.

killem2
2011-12-03, 12:08 AM
Right on the true shot, it can't penetrate solid walls. Maybe the favored enemy is a bit much. I just always thought of a ranger as more than a person who just focuses on one being, it feels like he would gain knowledge over time of all sorts of baddies through their travels in the wilds.

Rapidghoul
2011-12-03, 12:24 AM
Maybe giving them Knowledge Devotion (Complete Champion)? They roll Knowledge checks to get bonuses to attacks and damage against certain types of features.

Yitzi
2011-12-03, 06:37 PM
Favored enemy is pretty weak anyway. True Shot has potential, but instead of uses/day, make it require a FRA the previous round during which the target does not detect the ranger. (This, of course, works nicely with the ranger's natural strength in sniping due to being the only full-BAB class with Hide as a class skill.)

Naturally, the ranger still won't be an offensive powerhouse. But he doesn't really need to be, since he can solo pretty much any enemy without ranks in spot. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0270.html)

killem2
2011-12-04, 08:33 AM
what is fra?

Rapidghoul
2011-12-04, 12:12 PM
full round action

DeAnno
2011-12-04, 12:31 PM
Instead of True Shot, I'd just add Quickened True Strike as a 2nd or 3rd level Ranger Spell. He'll have more of them later on, but later on is when he'll be most behind and need them more.

Also, if he uses his companion I would give him either a Druid companion or a Druid -3 companion; the half druid companion they get is really just painful.