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Harkone
2007-02-18, 02:51 PM
Ranger

HD: d8 Base Attack Bonus: +1 Favored Saving Throws: Fortitude and Reflex

Class Skills (6+Int): Balance, Climb, Craft, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Jump, Knowledge: Dungeoneering, Knowledge: Geography, Knowledge: Nature, Listen, Move Silently, Ride, Search, Spot, Survival, Swim, Tumble, Use Rope

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Proficient in simple and martial weapons; proficient in light armor and shields.

Class Abilities:

1st: 1st Favored Enemy
Wild Empathy
Bonus Feat: Track

2nd: Bonus Feat: Mobility or Rapid Shot

3rd: Skirmish: +1d6
Bonus Feat: Endurance

4th: Animal Companion (Druid Level = ½ Ranger level)

5th: 2nd Favored Enemy
Fast Movement: +10’ Spd

6th: Skirmish: +2d6
Bonus Feat: Manyshot or Spring Attack
+1 competence bonus to AC

7th: Woodland Stride

8th: Swift Tracker
Trackless Step

9th: Skirmish: +3d6
+2 competence bonus to AC
Evasion

10th: 3rd Favored Enemy
Fast Movement: +20’ Spd

11th: Bonus Feat: Improved Precise Shot or Bounding Assault (PHB II)

12th: Skirmish: +4d6
+3 competence bonus to AC

13th: Camouflage

14th: -----

15th: 4th Favored Enemy
Skirmish: +5d6
+4 competence bonus to AC

16th: Hide in Plain Sight

17th: -----

18th: Skirmish: +6d6
+5 competence bonus to AC
19th: Free Movement (as freedom of movement spell, except always active)

20th: 5th Favored Enemy
Fast Movement: +30’ Spd

Magi_Ring_O
2007-02-19, 06:09 PM
Are you sure this holds with to ranger's flavor? Isn't a ranger to a druid as a palidan to a cleric? By taking away the spelld and the nature oriented stuff this looks alot like a bountyhunter hermit who lives in the forest.

Harkone
2007-02-19, 07:06 PM
I always figured that the spell-casting nature-loving guys were druids. I think of the Ranger as more of a hunter, scout, and skimisher rather than a spellcaster. Also, from a meta-gaming perspective, the spells the standard Ranger was able to cast were so few and so rarely useful (compared to the Paladin's spells, especially when you include the Paladin spells from other sourcebooks).

Also, I never understood (going all the way back to 1st edition) what being a woodsman-warrior/hunter/tracker guy had to do with fighting with two weapons! That's why I eliminated the Two-Weapon Fighting Style option. Rangers should be archers or skirmishers; I feel that's much more in keeping with the woodsman-warrior theme.

Draz74
2007-02-20, 01:15 AM
Also, from a meta-gaming perspective, the spells the standard Ranger was able to cast were so few and so rarely useful (compared to the Paladin's spells, especially when you include the Paladin spells from other sourcebooks).


Well, Core-only, Ranger spellcasting reeks, this is true. But since you brought up splatbooks ... rumor has it the Ranger gets some very decent spells in them (Spell Compendium especially).

Harkone
2007-02-20, 01:38 AM
Generally, I've found the Ranger spells from other sourcebooks to be equally as unimpressive as those in the PHB, so I didn't hesitate to go ahead and eliminate the spellcasting from the Ranger (and work in what I felt to be the best elements of the Scout, obviously) to make a more interesting (and more powerful, more playable/enjoyable) class.