[PEACH] Minsc Ranger Archetype [PF]

[Logic]

I have been reading the recent comic book series by IDW Tyranny of Dragons, starring our Beloved Ranger, Minsc. It got me thinking. What would Minsc look like for Pathfinder? Here is my take on the dunder-headed hero of Baldur's Gate:

The Minsc Archetype has the following changes to the ranger class:

Change hit die to d12.
Add acrobatics (Dex) to list of class skills.
Favored Enemy - Must Select Humanoid (Gnolls) as the first favored enemy at 1st level.
Combat Weapon Style - Must select the Two-Handed Weapon style at 2nd level.
Mighty Fury! - As the Rage Barbarian ability. This replaces Favored Terrain at 3rd level.
Hunter's Bond: Must select animal companion (Miniature Giant Space Hamster) at 4th level.
Favored Enemy - Must select Vampires as favored enemy at 5th level.
Speed of Butt-kicking! - Fast Movement, as the Barbarian Ability. This ability replaces Woodland Stride at 7th level.
Full-Plate and Packing Steel! - Grants Heavy Armor proficiency, and allows Fast Movement to function while wearing Heavy Armor. This ability replaces Evasion at 9th level.
Feel the Backhand of Justice! - As the Greater Rage Barbarian ability. This replaces Improved Evasion at 16th level.

[Vhaidara]

My only objections are to the favored enemy requirements. Gnolls make a degree of sense, but those were only his favored enemies because they were enemies you were guaranteed to fight. I would personally allow any favored enemy choice (to make it more applicable).

Also, Vampire isn't even a valid selection.

Criticism aside...

GO FOR THE EYES BOO! GO FOR THE EYES RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

[T.G. Oskar]

I have been reading the recent comic book series by IDW Tyranny of Dragons, starring our Beloved Ranger, Minsc. It got me thinking. What would Minsc look like for Pathfinder? Here is my take on the dunder-headed hero of Baldur's Gate:

The Minsc Archetype has the following changes to the ranger class:

Change hit die to d12.

Add acrobatics (Dex) to list of class skills.

Favored Enemy - Must Select Humanoid (Gnolls) as the first favored enemy at 1st level.

Combat Weapon Style - Must select the Two-Handed Weapon style at 2nd level.

Mighty Fury! - As the Rage Barbarian ability. This replaces Favored Terrain at 3rd level.

Hunter's Bond: Must select animal companion (Miniature Giant Space Hamster) at 4th level.

Favored Enemy - Must select Vampires as favored enemy at 5th level.

Speed of Butt-kicking! - Fast Movement, as the Barbarian Ability. This ability replaces Woodland Stride at 7th level.

Full-Plate and Packing Steel! - Grants Heavy Armor proficiency, and allows Fast Movement to function while wearing Heavy Armor. This ability replaces Evasion at 9th level.

Feel the Backhand of Justice! - As the Greater Rage Barbarian ability. This replaces Improved Evasion at 16th level.


Wouldn't it be better to call it "Brain-Addled Evil-Cleaving Berserker-hopeful"? Because that's what Minsc really is.

That said - about half of Minsc's attributes are character choices, not actual concepts that could go on an archetype. Certainly, granting it heavy armor proficiency and rage are part of what makes an archetype such, but otherwise, most of the choices are a bit...lacking. Lol, Dynaheir!

Hit Dice is too excessive. Minsc's Hit Die in Baldur's Gate was the same as a Ranger - d10. Thus, keep the Ranger HD of d10. If you want to replicate Minsc, you need somewhat low Constitution, to be honest.
Acrobatics as a class skill is fair enough.
Both choices of Favored Enemies are mostly player choice, if they want to replicate Minsc.
Two-Handed Weapon style already exists, so again, this is prerogative. You can make a pretty decent archer with Minsc, and he also does a mean thrower.
The Rage and Greater Rage abilities can be collapsed. I.e., a Ranger gets the Barbarian Rage ability as a Barbarian of its Ranger level -2, but without Rage powers. That would make the Ranger gain Greater Rage by 12th level, which is pretty close to Imp. Evasion.
Fast Movement...erm, not sure about that. Personally, I'd remove it since it conflicts with the Witchguard (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/ranger/archetypes/paizo---ranger-archetypes/witchguard)archetype, which is exactly what Minsc was supposed to be, but failed to do.
Heavy Armor Proficiency should go early on. You still lose the benefits of Ranger Combat Styles if wearing Heavy Armor, so you need to make that pretty clear (if not so already).

BTW: did you know that http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/ranger/archetypes/paizo---ranger-archetypes/wild-stalker can be used to make Minsc? Boo doesn't have to be an actual animal companion (you never see Boo attacking, after all), so you can still have a miniature giant space hamster as a pet. Not to mention there's a way to get an Animal Companion via feats, so the point is moot anyways. It does conflict with Witchguard, though (both archetypes replace Hunter's Bond). If you need to get specialization in two-handed weapons, then take them with your own feats.

[Logic]

My only objections are to the favored enemy requirements. Gnolls make a degree of sense, but those were only his favored enemies because they were enemies you were guaranteed to fight. I would personally allow any favored enemy choice (to make it more applicable).

Also, Vampire isn't even a valid selection.

Criticism aside...

GO FOR THE EYES BOO! GO FOR THE EYES RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

Vampires were his favored enemy in BG:II, which is why I made the restriction. I guess I'd have to make an exception and/or refine how that favored enemy ability would work for Vampires.


Wouldn't it be better to call it "Brain-Addled Evil-Cleaving Berserker-hopeful"? Because that's what Minsc really is.

That said - about half of Minsc's attributes are character choices, not actual concepts that could go on an archetype. Certainly, granting it heavy armor proficiency and rage are part of what makes an archetype such, but otherwise, most of the choices are a bit...lacking. Lol, Dynaheir!

Hit Dice is too excessive. Minsc's Hit Die in Baldur's Gate was the same as a Ranger - d10. Thus, keep the Ranger HD of d10. If you want to replicate Minsc, you need somewhat low Constitution, to be honest.
Acrobatics as a class skill is fair enough.
Both choices of Favored Enemies are mostly player choice, if they want to replicate Minsc.
Two-Handed Weapon style already exists, so again, this is prerogative. You can make a pretty decent archer with Minsc, and he also does a mean thrower.
The Rage and Greater Rage abilities can be collapsed. I.e., a Ranger gets the Barbarian Rage ability as a Barbarian of its Ranger level -2, but without Rage powers. That would make the Ranger gain Greater Rage by 12th level, which is pretty close to Imp. Evasion.
Fast Movement...erm, not sure about that. Personally, I'd remove it since it conflicts with the Witchguard (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/ranger/archetypes/paizo---ranger-archetypes/witchguard)archetype, which is exactly what Minsc was supposed to be, but failed to do.
Heavy Armor Proficiency should go early on. You still lose the benefits of Ranger Combat Styles if wearing Heavy Armor, so you need to make that pretty clear (if not so already).

BTW: did you know that http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/ranger/archetypes/paizo---ranger-archetypes/wild-stalker can be used to make Minsc? Boo doesn't have to be an actual animal companion (you never see Boo attacking, after all), so you can still have a miniature giant space hamster as a pet. Not to mention there's a way to get an Animal Companion via feats, so the point is moot anyways. It does conflict with Witchguard, though (both archetypes replace Hunter's Bond). If you need to get specialization in two-handed weapons, then take them with your own feats.
I can concede the d12 hit die, but what do you mean by low constitution? Minsc has a 15 (16 in BG:II) which is still fine for a fighter in 2nd Edition, though not nearly as good as 3rd edition representations of those same ability scores.
Acrobatics as a class skill on the Barbarian list, yet not on the Ranger seems wrong to me. I think I am going to house-rule that change.
His favored enemies are exactly what they are in BG and BG:II
Considering his dialogue, Minsc prefers the biggest swords he can find. The idea isn't to replicate what he is capable of, but what he would be if given the choice himself. (Minsc would never attack from a distance.)
The downside of collapsing the Rage and Greater Rage is that you don't improve automatically in Pathfinder (unlike in 3.5) so it must be spelled out. Specifying that your rage is as a Barbarian -2 doesn't give you the benefit of Greater Rage, because rage doesn't improve as you gain levels, rage improves with a spike upon gaining greater rage.
Fast movement makes sense to put on Minsc, and what he gives up is Evasion, an ability I do not see the towering behemoth to possess. (See next point)
Heavy Armor Proficiency could make more sense at level 3, replacing Favored Terrain, with the specification that it does not negate Weapon Style and Fast Movement (which will probably be gained later)


Wild stalker is still missing heavy armor proficiency, which is a cornerstone of Minsc. I will go back and retool him using the Wild Stalker as a guide, but just granting rage doesn't feel enough like Minsc to me.

[Vhaidara]

Honestly, I've always felt Minsc would be better done as a Barbarian who thinks he's a Ranger.

[Logic]

Honestly, I've always felt Minsc would be better done as a Barbarian who thinks he's a Ranger.

I disagree, because one of the things about Minsc is that he is PROUD to be a Ranger. I almost wrote a Hybrid class between Barbarian and Ranger to cover this, but I didn't think it worked well.

[Vhaidara]

Yes, he is proud to be a ranger. Which, by the rules of the game, he didn't qualify for (IIRC, long time since I played, Rangers had a minimum Wisdom that Minsc didn't have). And if you look at how the classes work, Minsc was an outdoorsman who used two handed weapons and raged. Barbarian has, since 2e, begun to share the outdoorsman role with Ranger.

You're confusing classes with roles. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0209.html)

[Logic]

Yes, he is proud to be a ranger. Which, by the rules of the game, he didn't qualify for (IIRC, long time since I played, Rangers had a minimum Wisdom that Minsc didn't have). And if you look at how the classes work, Minsc was an outdoorsman who used two handed weapons and raged. Barbarian has, since 2e, begun to share the outdoorsman role with Ranger.

You're confusing classes with roles. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0209.html)

I respectfully disagree. His class in Ranger, and many of his abilities are tied to being a (2nd Edition) Ranger. The fact that he was essentially the first instance of the Barbarian (as a kit class) doesn't make him less of a Ranger in my eyes.