Scout?

[Teapot Salty]

Hey guys, my first ever thread. When I was first introduced to the scout, it was made to sound like a ranger subtype. Similar to what the tallfolk are like for halflings. I was told that it was just a ranger that gained skirmish bonuses and lost favored enemy, spells and animal companion, is this right?

[Rhynn]

No, the Scout is a base class in Complete Scoundrel Complete Adventurer. It is not a ranger variant, but it does play like a more wilderness-oriented (i.e. "ranger-like") rogue (Skirmish instead of Sneak Attack, wilderness skills, etc.), but with no spellcasting, animal companion, or actual ranger abilities.

[Red Fel]

Hey guys, my first ever thread. When I was first introduced to the scout, it was made to sound like a ranger subtype. Similar to what the tallfolk are like for halflings. I was told that it was just a ranger that gained skirmish bonuses and lost favored enemy, spells and animal companion, is this right?

First off, perhaps this should go in the 3.5/PF subforum?

Second, as Rhynn said, Scout is its own class. (In 3.5. I don't know if it's different in PF.) Mechanically, it's something of a hybrid between Rogue and Ranger, but its own mechanics function independently of both. (There are, however, feats that synch Scout levels with Rogue or Ranger for various functions.) Fluff-wise, it's what it says on the tin - a class about agile movement, observation and concealment, and picking off enemies. It's not about being a friend to nature, or being the terror that quacks in the night - it's about moving through the area undetected, spotting the unseen while not being seen. Also smacking things while in motion.

And I think it's in Complete Adventurer.

[Rhynn]

Oh, duh, yes. Complete Adventurer, not Complete Scoundrel. Got the later mixed up with the earlier supplement.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Hey guys, my first ever thread. When I was first introduced to the scout, it was made to sound like a ranger subtype. Similar to what the tallfolk are like for halflings. I was told that it was just a ranger that gained skirmish bonuses and lost favored enemy, spells and animal companion, is this right?
Scout is a separate class, as has been noted, but this is a pretty good description of it.

[TuggyNE]

Hey guys, my first ever thread. When I was first introduced to the scout, it was made to sound like a ranger subtype. Similar to what the tallfolk are like for halflings. I was told that it was just a ranger that gained skirmish bonuses and lost favored enemy, spells and animal companion, is this right?

It's a separate class, but they are quite similar in many respects, and are often multiclassed together, especially using Swift Hunter to make Ranger levels progress skirmish. (In which case, Ranger is usually all but 3 or 4 levels of the build.)

[Teapot Salty]

So it's essentialy what I talked about above, but it also loses favored combat style. That's a shame, I wanted to do a build where I could kindoff abuse skirmish with two weapons, might talk to my dm.

[Nihilarian]

You only get skirmish after moving. That makes it difficult for TWF. There's a handbook that should help, but really, take a look at the class first. It's in Complete Adventurer.

Swift Hunter Handbook. (http://dictummortuum.blogspot.com/2011/09/swift-hunters-handbook.html)

[Kaje]

No, just use Swift Hunter to progress skirmish with your ranger levels.

[Grod_The_Giant]

So it's essentialy what I talked about above, but it also loses favored combat style. That's a shame, I wanted to do a build where I could kindoff abuse skirmish with two weapons, might talk to my dm.
The feat "Swift Hunter" that people keeps mentioning (from Complete Scoundrel) allows your Ranger and Scout levels to stack for Skirmish and Favored Enemy. So you take 3 or 4 levels of Scout, then jump into Ranger, grabbing the feat at 6th level. In the end, you get the full skirmish bonus damage, +18 or +19 BAB, 4th level spells, an animal companion, all that good stuff.

[Teapot Salty]

Thanks everyone for the help, you guys are awesome.