New player advice?

[Linkavitch]

So, I'm a few sessions into my first D&D campaign, and I'm running a dual wielding 2nd level Human Ranger. Currently with Studded Leather armor, a +1 longsword, a shortsword, a composite bow for +1 Strength damage, and several other random items. Any advice on feats to take, better items (without getting into magical items, hopefully.) or other suchlike things?

[Kelb_Panthera]

Are you aware of just how massive a game 3E D&D can get? There's a ridiculously huge amount of info to sort through.

You can google <class> handbook and get a result for most classes, but those handbooks always assume a pretty broad amount of book access.

Do you have any idea what to expect from your DM or what you want to do with the character?

[Medic!]

I know this is probably more vague than you're after, and pretty cliche` to boot...but there's only one way a thing becomes a cliche` anyway, so:

Book dive at every opportunity, and try things out that sound fun! As a ranger, I'd say take a look at Complete Warrior, Complete Adventurer, and Player's Handbook 2 as a starting point, there's some fun stuff in them thar books. Depending on your campaign etc, Book of Exalted Deeds can have some cool perks in it as well. Specifically thinking of the Nemesis feat, players at our table have always enjoyed it.

[Gwendol]

Try and get hold of the Spell Compendium, since your ranger spellcasting will benefit greatly from that.
Which weapon style did you choose? From what you wrote I'm guessing two-weapon fighting?
Think long and hard about what favored enemy to choose. Perennial favorites include Undead, Aberrations and Outsiders (instead of narrower definitions of enemies like goblins or orcs).

As has been stated, search for and read handbooks on rangers and swift hunters (Ranger/Scouts), think about what you want to make of your character and begin to plan for that and have fun!

As for equipment, I suggest picking up some thrown (splash) weapons like Tanglefoot bags, alchemists fire, acid flasks, etc. A handy haversack or similar magical storage thingy. A wand of your favorite 1st level ranger spell (you can cast from wands the spells you have on your class spell list, hence spell compendium). Some special arrows (serpenttongue for example: deals slashing damage).

[Kelb_Panthera]

@ Gwendol:

You have to pick a subtype when you make outsiders your favored enemy, just like you do with humanoids.

[Gwendol]

Right, my bad re: outsider. Undead and aberrations have no subtypes.

[BowStreetRunner]

Okay, I'm going to try to provide a bit more specific advice, since everyone else already chimed in with the general suggestions...but I would definitely second a lot of the things that have been said so far.

Specifically though, the main problem a dual-wielder runs into as the game progresses (and I have played a few so am talking from experience) is smaller damage packets. The Two-Handed style and the Two-Weapon style theoretically do similar amounts of damage - one in fewer attacks but with more damage per attack, and the other in more attacks but with less damage per attack. You would be in the latter group, and this becomes a problem once Damage Reduction begins to appear in the game on a regular basis, as your smaller packets are more easily absorbed by DR.

So what you want to do is find ways to increase the damage you do per attack. Favored Enemy bonuses are one way, so you might choose favored enemies that you not only expect to encounter frequently, but who are more likely to have Damage Reduction. The Knowledge Devotion feat can help too, especially if you can get even a couple of ranks in each of the main Knowledge skills. Multi-classing is another option - four levels in fighter can give you Weapon Specialization and open up the option to take Melee Weapon Mastery later - or a dip in Crusader or Warblade can give you some martial adept maneuvers that will help increase your damage output.

Of course, another option is to collect weapons that bypass common damage reduction types - adamantine, cold iron, silver, aligned, magic, etc....

Anyway, that's my two-cents worth. Whatever direction you end up going, have fun!!!

[TheifofZ]

Well, that's most of the basics and not-quite-basics covered.
All that's left of note is the animal companion, which you'll likely get in two levels.
You don't really have a ton of options on what to pick, but be aware that you can easily change up your animal companion if it's not working like you'd hoped, or if it dies. The list is also expanded as you level up, giving you more and more options to choose from. Feel free to fool around alittle, explore the options you have.
Also remember that your companion gains tricks (as Handle Animal) as you advance in HD, as well as bonus HD and all the benefits that come with it. (Like Feats.)

There's a large variety of feats and PrCs that can effect your Animal Companion, and many of your spells can be shared with it if it's nearby.
It's a class feature for a reason, and there's no reason to be shy about using/abusing it's potential.

[Ryulin18]

Is it 3rd ed, 3.5 or 3.x (allowing both)?

[Linkavitch]

Just 3.5. My DM has actually limited the sourcebooks to the Player's Handbook 1, Monster Manual 1, and the Dungeon Master's Manual 1, to keep it simple for all the new players in our group. So that kinda nullifies most of the suggestions above, but thanks anyway.

@Gwendol, I think I shall look into Tanglefoot bags and the like, thanks.

[Namfuak]

One thing to remember as a ranger is your spells. Unfortunately core-only doesn't have nearly as many goodies as the Spell Compendium, but look through the SRD and see what you like. You only get a few per day, but working with your full caster(s) will let you deal with some situations and free up their slots for others you cannot cover. Remember to give yourself extra spells per day from wisdom correctly (the first time I did it I thought it was your wisdom bonus added to your spells per day, which is quite wrong).

[odigity]

One thing to remember as a ranger is your spells. Unfortunately core-only doesn't have nearly as many goodies as the Spell Compendium, but look through the SRD and see what you like. You only get a few per day, but working with your full caster(s) will let you deal with some situations and free up their slots for others you cannot cover. Remember to give yourself extra spells per day from wisdom correctly (the first time I did it I thought it was your wisdom bonus added to your spells per day, which is quite wrong).

http://dndtools.eu/spells/players-handbook-v35--6/entangle--2807/

Entangle is a 1st lvl Ranger spells, and one of the most powerful low-level spells in the game. Study it, learn how to use it to your advantage.

[Gwendol]

Since you play a core only game, I suggest you take a look at the Horizon Tripper for inspiration:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80415

Another thing to consider is that if you have indeed chosen the TWF style, you should really have an animal companion that functions as your flanking buddy. The +2 from flanking helps offset the TWF penalty, as well as acting as a distraction for counterattacks (enemy needs to split attacks between you and your animal).

In general, a riding dog is an excellent choice. Have it war-trained so that it can trip when biting, and equip it with barding (=armor) asap.

Entangle and magic fang are staple choices for spells, so much that you probably want to buy a wand for each as soon as you can.

[Endarire]

TWF is just begging for a Rogue dip (or heavy investment) for Sneak Attack on each attack!

[Rubik]

Take a few levels in rogue for some sneak attack to add to your ranger, because you'll need as much damage as you can manage to overcome the crippling problem of damage on a two-weapon fighter. Alternately, make Strength a priority and TWF with a two-handed weapon and armor spikes or an unarmed strike (which, remember, can be made with any part of the body).

[odigity]

Alternately, make Strength a priority and TWF with a two-handed weapon and armor spikes or an unarmed strike (which, remember, can be made with any part of the body).

I think you've gone too far into optimization with this suggestion. It's not very in theme with the classic long- and short- sword dual-wielding ranger. There are other ways to get more damage, even in core.

To new player:

If you don't value your spells too much and want to push the melee aspect, you could dip 2-4 (or more) levels of Fighter to get all those cheap feats. If you choose a weapon you wouldn't mind wielding two of, you can benefit from per-weapon feats like Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, Improved Critical. They're considered weak, but you don't have many better feats to choose from if you're plaing PHB-only, and Fighters get lots of feats anyway.

Possible Weapon Pairs

You definitely want to stay with light weapons to avoid higher penalties, and generally martial weapons are going to be superior to simple weapons within the same category. Here are the good choices:

{table=head]Weapon | Dmg | Critical | Range | Type
Axe, Throwing | 1d6 | x2 | 10' | Slashing
Hammer, Light | 1d4 | x2 | 20' | Bludgeoning
Kukri | 1d4 | 18-20/x2 | - | Slashing
Sword, Short | 1d6 | 19-20/x2 | - | Piercing[/table]

I include the throwing axe and light hammer because it's cool to have a melee weapon that you can throw in a pinch -- very cinematic. Not very effective, though, in terms of power-gaming, so you don't want to make it your primary criteria. So, probably ignore the light hammer.

The short sword is great, a staple of two-weapon fighters. Just like a longsword, but 1pt of damage less on average (1d8 vs 1d6). Good choice for dual-wielding twin weapons.

I include the Kukri in case you want to put some focus on critical hits. You trade 1pt of dmg (avg, 1d6 vs 1d4) for one extra point of critical threat range (19-20 vs 18-20). As a TWF fighter, you'll be making lots of attacks, so lots of opportunities for critical hits. Also, if most of your damage is eventually coming from strength/power attack/magic enhancements/sneak attack/etc, rather than weapon base damage, the 1pt difference won't be missed, but having most of what I just said occasionally doubled is nice.

Probably worth taking Improved Critical (especially if dipping fighter) rather than paying to enchant both with Keen (or get two keen Scabbards).

You want to keep an eye on weapon damage types (bludgeoning, piercing, slashing), especially early in the game when you have few other options for dealing with enemies that have partial or complete immunity to a type.

If you go with twin weapons, you'll only have one type represented, so consider getting one or two more to keep around for when you need them (they're all light, so easy to carry). For example, if you go with a pair of Kukris, keep a short sword and light hammer in your pack for when you need piercing and bludgeoning damage.

A much simpler alternative to everything I just said (if you're willing to lose some of the dramatic flare of paired blades) is to ditch everything and just get a quarterstaff and longsword.

1) You can use TWF with the quarterstaff -- each end is considered a separate weapon, and you'd get attacks with each end, each round. The primary-hand end is considered a one-handed weapon, the off-hand end a light weapon, so you can the lowest penalties, and you can power attack with the primary if you really want. You can also enchant each end of the staff with different properties for different occasions.

2) You can also use the quarterstaff as a two-handed weapon if you want to get the 2-for-1 damage multiplier from Power Attack (you wouldn't use TWF in the same round -- it's either a two-handed weapon, or it's a pair of weapons).

Now you have the flexibility of alternativing between both styles (and their pros and cons) each round, and when you're fighting something immune to bludgeoning, pull out the long sword and really have fun with Power Attack.