Ranger info

[MrUberGr]

Hello, onto my second char since my first had an untimely demise at the hands of a large orc. :smallfurious:

Going for a ranger, and I got three questions. First one is where can I find a damned list with the basic animal companions? Can't find the base stats... Secondly, given that I have a horse, what animal companion you suggest I take? I was thinking of an eagle since it's pretty cool :smallcool: .

Third, what PRCs are there for rangers with bows?


Ah and a small thing. Does weapon proficiency (longbow) include (composite longbow) or not?

[Yuki Akuma]

1. The list of Animal Companions is in the Druid (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/druid.htm) class description. You can find stats for the animals by searching on that site for them.

2. A eagle is a good choice. For a Druid I'd suggest a riding dog, but as you're a Ranger your AC won't be much of a combat pet, so having something that can scout for you is good. Get some way to speak with animals and you're set.

3. Can't help with PrCs, sorry.

4. For purposes of weapon proficiency and similar feats, a composite longbow is treated as if it were a longbow. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#longbowComposite)

[MrUberGr]

Good god... Scrolled over that many times. I was expecting a table of some sort.

I don't really understand what difference between my pet and a druid's would be. Why should I not take a wolf or a riding dog and use him in combat? What way is there for a ranger to communicate with his animal companion?

[Yuki Akuma]

Speak With Animals (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/speakWithAnimals.htm) is a first level Ranger spell. Get a wand of it (750gp) and you won't have to rely on your tiny number of spell slots.

This ability functions like the druid ability of the same name, except that the ranger’s effective druid level is one-half his ranger level. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/ranger.htm#animalCompanion) Your Animal Companion scales half as quickly as a Druid's, so at higher levels (heck, even the level you get it), it won't be able to keep up as a combat pet.

[DEMON]

The list of basic companions is right at the description of the ability:


At 4th level, a ranger gains an animal companion selected from the following list: badger, camel, dire rat, dog, riding dog, eagle, hawk, horse (light or heavy), owl, pony, snake (Small or Medium viper), or wolf. If the campaign takes place wholly or partly in an aquatic environment, the following creatures may be added to the ranger’s list of options: manta ray, porpoise, Medium shark, and squid. This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the ranger on his adventures as appropriate for its kind.

I would actually suggest choosing an alternate class feature instead of the animal companion, but that depends on what is available to you and what your race is, in some cases.

When it comes to archery, 3.5 is really not great at supporting it, especially when it comes to PrCs. If you aim for archery on a Ranger (a good choice, actually), a few levels of Fighter might help you with the feats and some extra damage. Other option is grabbing Scout and going Swift Hunter. Justice of Weald and Woe is actually a decent PrC.

If someones suggest Arcane Archer or an Order of the Bow Initiate, smack them.

[Kennisiou]

Cragtop Archer isn't bad for archery prestiging, although arguably a bit niche and not as powerful in campaigns where you won't be likely to find high vantage points to take advantage of some of the class features or where you won't be able to fight at the long distances the class is made for (so dungeon-crawl heavy campaigns are bad for this class).

Instead of prestiging, going scout + ranger and taking the swift hunter feat is a great option as well, since it lets your damage scale up marvelously. Take the greater manyshot feat, swift hunter and improved skirmish. Move 20 feet every round then standard action greater manyshot to get as many attacks as you would normally have if you had full attacked, each one with +3d6 to 736 damage on top of it depending on your level. You can even dip one level cloistered cleric to grab the knowledge devotion, travel devotion, and undeath domain to have the ability to move as a swift action for a minute three or more times a day (depending on charisma modifier) so you can choose to go with rapid shot instead of greater many shot so as to be more accurate on your attacks (also, knowledge devotion is a great feat for builds that attack frequently and get good skill points, which swift hunter does).

[MrUberGr]

Well, I'm planning on making him an elf, but haven't made him yet. Can go human. Pretty much anything without level-adjustment (dm's rule) unless the dm says so.

You think I should go fighter for archery? Never really considered that.

[Yuki Akuma]

Archery in D&D 3.5 tends to require a **** ton of feats. Fighters get a **** ton of feats. So they tend to be good at it.

Rangers do get some nifty archery-focused spells, but get a wand chamber put in your bow and you can use those with a single level of Ranger.

[DEMON]

Well, I'm planning on making him an elf, but haven't made him yet. Can go human. Pretty much anything without level-adjustment (dm's rule) unless the dm says so.

Elves can get an Elven Hound Animal Companion, that is a non-entirely-sucky AC for a Ranger. I would still look around for some ACFs though, if you got enough books on the table (Complete Champion is one option and it also gives you a Speak with Animals spell-like ability instead of Wild Empathy).


You think I should go fighter for archery? Never really considered that.

I suggested you *dip* a few levels of fighter to your Ranger levels. Like Ranger 16 / Fighter 4 or Ranger 19 / Fighter 1 if you go for a Hit-and-Run Sneak Attack Fighter (= Fighter with 2 different ACFs).

Cragtop Archer is... not much, really, unless you can reliable set up encounters at significant distance. Maybe adapting it for Elves, as suggested and taking inspiration from the Deepwood Sniper would make it better. As it is, I personally don't think it has that much to offer a Ranger.

[Kennisiou]

Generally fighter beyond two levels is a bad idea for archery builds, and even then only take it if you need the bonus feats for specific reasons. You get more out of ranger, scout, and cloistered cleric. Heck, you gain more out of monk.

[Averis Vol]

You could dip one or two levels of fighter and take the targeteer variant to get the dead aim ability to get dex instead of strength to damage. you lose out on melee weapon proficiencies but oh well.

Other than that, yea, I would go something like ranger 1/fighter 1/ranger +4/Fighter +1/peerless archer 3/x 10. this makes you a hyper specialised sniper, allows access to craven and instant crits alla hunters mercy (all of which can be multiplied)

[Curmudgeon]

Elves can get an Elven Hound Animal Companion, that is a non-entirely-sucky AC for a Ranger.
It's worth pointing out that Wood Elf (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/elf.htm#woodElf) makes for a fairly decent Ranger.

[Flickerdart]

Consider taking a 1 level dip in Beastmaster if you want to have a powerful animal companion, as well as picking up the feat Natural Bond. With these two feats, your companion should be as powerful as a druid's for a pretty solid span of time.

[gorfnab]

Archery focused builds in 3.5 tend to have some issues: feat intensive, low overall damage output, and lack of decent support material. However, for archery focused Ranger builds one thing to consider would be to make a Swift Hunter (Ranger X/ Scout Y with the feat Swift Hunter)

Here are some handbooks that may provide you with some insight:
Swift Hunter Handbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?PHPSESSID=e6fbnjr6p7n165f5tr5gan1r65&topic=103.0)
Archery Handbook (http://www.brilliantgameologists.com/boards/?topic=642.0)
Piggy Knowles Archer Build Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=284283)

Here are two Swift Hunter builds I've used before

Human Swift Hunter
1. Scout - Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot
2. Scout
3. Scout - Alertness (prereq for SoK)
4. Ranger - (Arcane Hunter ACF), B: Track
5. Scout - B: Swift Hunter
6. Scout - Favored of the Champions (prereq for SoK)
7. Ranger - B: Rapid Shot
8. Stalker of Kharash
9. Stalker of Kharash - Nemesis: Evil
10. Ranger - B: Endurance
11. Ranger - (Distracting Attack ACF)
12. Ranger - Improved Skirmish
13. Ranger - B: Manyshot
14. Ranger
15. Ranger - Greater Manyshot
16. Ranger - (Spell Reflection ACF)
17. Ranger
18. Ranger - Darkstalker, B: Improved Precise Shot
19. Ranger
20. Ranger


Human Swift Hunter
1. Scout - Point Blank Shot, Education
2. Scout
3. Scout - Precise Shot
4. Ranger - (Arcane Hunter ACF), B: Track
5. Scout - B: Swift Hunter
6. Scout - Improved Skirmish
7. Ranger - B: Rapid Shot
8. Ranger - B: Endurance
9. Ranger - (Distracting Attack ACF), Knowledge Devotion
10. Ranger
11. Ranger - B: Manyshot
12. Ranger - Greater Manyshot
13. Ranger
14. Ranger - (Spell Reflection ACF)
15. Ranger - Darkstalker
16. Ranger - B: Improved Precise Shot
17. Ranger
18. Ranger - *Open Feat*
19. Ranger
20. Ranger

*Penetrating Shot, Nemesis: Arcanist, Dead Eye (Drg#304), or some other appropriate feat. If you're playing in Forgotten Realms take Sword of the Arcane Order at 15th and Darkstalker or Nemesis: Arcanist at 18th.

[Raezeman]

suggestion:
take 3 levels scout for skirmish and swift hunter feat (ranger & scout levels stack for skirmish stuff and favoured enemy stuff)
take a level in cleric for turn undead and switch the travel domain for travel devotion.
Then go all ranger, move with travel devotion and shoot lot's of arrows that include skirmish damage.

If you don't want cleric, just take travel devotion as a feat, but know it only works 1 minute per day if you can't use turn attempts for extra uses.
If multiclass penalties are in effect, you have to take a race with ranger or any as favored, and take 2 cleric levels in such order with scout that you don't get penalties.
Cloistered cleric might also be an idea
The other chosen domain might also be turned into devotion feat, at your choice.
Make sure your DM allows this skirmish-travel devotion build, as mine banned it after my brother thought it up

[Feint's End]

What kind of archer do you want to be? One focusing on a few very dealy shots? One focusing on shooting as many arrows as possible? Or a mobile one who runs around and shoots at opponents from short range?

The first is hard to build but deals ridiculous amounts of damage later on.
Also requires more material allowed and is generally high op to be useful.

The second is a volley archer. There are several builds doing this and most use either the Factotum or TOB. Requires later levels to get really useful but then it is quite decent.

The third one is a swift hunter build and works quite good from early levels. It's all dependant though if you can get Travel Devotion and have at least 12 cha (so you can use it three times a day). I for once don't like Greater Many Shot. Swift Hunter + Improved Skirmish are still your safest bets because they don't require all too much optimization and work well from early levels as opposed to the other builds.


My suggestion? Ask if you can use one of the ToB homebrew disciplines for archery (sadly they never made an oficial one) .... Disciplines like Falling Star are quite well balanced and make good archers without much optimization. I'd suggest asking for falling star and swapping in for Tiger Claw ... then build a Warblade and you are pretty much set.

[Jgosse]

I personally like to burn the feat and get a Great bow, more range more damage.