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ed209uardo
2015-10-15, 01:30 AM
Good evening, folks.

As some of you may know, the Mystic Ranger (Dragon Magazine 336, page 105) was a popular Ranger variant in 3.5, especially for E6 games. It gave up it's animal companion, martial melee weapons and shield proficiency, and it's combat style progression was slowed. In exchange, it gained Spellcraft as a class skill and the most oddball casting progression for a full BAB class ever.

Since I haven't seen it done elsewhere, here is my take on translating the Mystic Ranger to Pathfinder. I kept the shuffling up of class abilities to a minimum, in order to avoid dead levels. I also tried to keep the 5 level spell progression saner than the original. I'm stealing the spellcasting from the Hunter hybrid class.

Hit Dice: Mystic Rangers have d8 hit dice instead of d10, due to their increased focus on spellcasting.

Armor Proficiency: Mystic Rangers are proficient with light and medium armor. They lose shield proficiency due to their increased focus on spellcasting.

Weapon Proficiency: Mystic Rangers are proficient with all simple and martial ranged weapons. They lose proficiency with martial melee weapons due to their increased focus on spellcasting.

Class Skills: Mystic Rangers gain Spellcraft, due to their increased focus on spellcasting.

Spell Casting: Mystic Rangers cast divine spells drawn from the druid and ranger spell lists. Only druid spells of 5th level and lower and ranger spells are considered to be part of the Mystic Ranger spell list. If a spell appears on both the druid and ranger spell lists, the Mystic Ranger uses the lower of the two spell levels listed for the spell. For instance, reduce animal is a 2nd-level druid spell and a 3rd-level ranger spell, making it a 2nd-level Mystic Ranger spell. Likewise, detect poison is a 0-level druid spell and a 2nd-level ranger spell, making it a 0-level Mystic Ranger spell. The Mystic Ranger can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a Mystic Ranger must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell's level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Mystic Ranger's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the Mystic Ranger's Wisdom modifier.

A Mystic Ranger cannot use spell completion or spell trigger magic items (without making a successful Use Magic Device check) of druid spells of 6th level or higher. Her alignment may restrict her from casting certain spells opposed to her moral or ethical beliefs; see Chaotic, Evil, Good, and Lawful Spells below.

Like other spellcasters, a Mystic Ranger can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given in the table below. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score.

Unlike druids and rangers, a Mystic Ranger's selection of spells is extremely limited. A Mystic Ranger begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of her choice. At each new Mystic Ranger level, she gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Spells Known. Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a Mystic Ranger knows is not affected by her Wisdom score; the numbers on Table: Spells Known are fixed.

In addition to the spells gained by Mystic Rangers as they gain levels, each Mystic Ranger also automatically adds all summon nature's ally spells to her list of spells known. These spells are added as soon as the Mystic Ranger is capable of casting them.

At 5th level and at every 3 levels thereafter, a Mystic Ranger can choose to learn a new spell in place of one she already knows. In effect, the Mystic Ranger loses the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell's level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged. A Mystic Ranger may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that she gains new spells known for the level. She cannot swap any summon nature's ally spells.

Unlike a druid or ranger, a Mystic Ranger need not prepare her spells in advance. She can cast any spell she knows at any time, assuming she has not yet used up her spells per day for that spell level.


Orisons: Mystic Rangers learn a number of orisons, or 0-level spells, as noted on Table: Spells Known. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they do not consume any slots and may be used again.
Chaotic, Evil, Good, and Lawful Spells: A Mystic Ranger can't cast spells of an alignment opposed to her own or her deity's (if she has one). Spells associated with particular alignments are indicated by the chaos, evil, good, and law descriptors in their spell descriptions.

The Mystic Ranger also loses a level of favored enemy (1st level) and two combat style feats (10th & 18th level) due to their increased focus on spellcasting.

Endurance: the Endurance bonus feat is gained at 4th level instead or 3rd. This delay is due to the increased focus on spellcasting. This still counts as the unmodified original ability for the purpose of stacking with other archetypes, but delayed until 4th level.


Table: original 3.5 spell progression for Mystic Ranger


Spells per Day


0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th


2
-
-
-
-
-


2
1
-
-
-
-


2
2
-
-
-
-


3
2
1
-
-
-


3
2
2
-
-
-


3
3
2
1
-
-


4
3
2
2
-
-


4
3
3
2
1
-


4
4
3
2
2
-


4
4
3
3
2
1


4
4
4
3
2
2


4
4
4
3
3
2


5
4
4
4
3
3


5
4
4
4
3
3


5
5
4
4
4
3


5
5
4
4
4
3


5
5
5
4
4
4


5
5
5
4
4
4


5
5
5
5
4
4


5
5
5
5
4
4








Table: Mystic Ranger archetype


Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
Spells per Day




Save
Save
Save

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th


1st
+1
+2
+2
+0
Track, wild empathy
1
-
-
-
-


2nd
+2
+3
+3
+0
Combat style feat
2
-
-
-
-


3rd
+3
+3
+3
+1
1st favored terrain
3
0
-
-
-


4th
+4
+4
+4
+1
Endurance
3
1
-
-
-


5th
+5
+4
+4
+1
1st favored enemy
4
2
-
-
-


6th
+6 .
+5
+5
+2
Combat style feat
4
3
0
-
-


7th
+7 .
+5
+5
+2
Woodland stride
4
3
1
-
-


8th
+8 .
+6
+6
+2
Swift tracker, 2nd favored terrain
4
4
2
-
-


9th
+9 .
+6
+6
+3
Evasion
5
4
3
0
-


10th
+10 .
+7
+7
+3
2nd favored enemy
5
4
3
1
-


11th
+11 ..
+7
+7
+3
Quarry
5
4
4
2
-


12th
+12 ..
+8
+8
+4
Camouflage
5
5
4
3
0


13th
+13 ..
+8
+8
+4
3rd favored terrain
5
5
4
3
1


14th
+14 ..
+9
+9
+4
Combat style feat
5
5
4
4
2


15th
+15 ..
+9
+9
+5
3rd favored enemy
5
5
5
4
3


16th
+16 ...
+10
+10
+5
Improved evasion
5
5
5
4
3


17th
+17 ...
+10
+10
+5
Hide in plain sight
5
5
5
4
4


18th
+18 ...
+11
+11
+6
4th favored terrain
5
5
5
5
4


19th
+19 ...
+11
+11
+6
Improved quarry
5
5
5
5
5


20th
+20 ...
+12
+12
+6
4th favored enemy, master hunter
5
5
5
5
5




Table: Spells Known


Mystic Ranger


0th
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th


4
2
-
-
-
-


5
3
-
-
-
-


6
4
1
-
-
-


6
4
2
-
-
-


6
4
3
-
-
-


6
4
4
1
-
-


6
5
4
2
-
-


6
5
4
3
-
-


6
5
4
4
1
-


6
5
5
4
2
-


6
6
5
4
3
-


6
6
5
4
4
1


6
6
5
5
4
2


6
6
6
5
4
3


6
6
6
5
4
4


6
6
6
5
5
4


6
6
6
6
5
4


6
6
6
6
5
4


6
6
6
6
5
5


6
6
6
6
6
5

ed209uardo
2015-10-15, 07:58 AM
I guess one can go the even simpler route and just make this 3/4 BAB and 2/3 casting. It would fit more nicely with Pathfinder. I'm just not sure I'd still like it...

Ethereal Gears
2015-10-15, 10:25 AM
I think this looks totally fine, balance-wise, except the spellcasting seems a bit off. I have a strange fondness for classes with 5-level spellcasting myself. It is an interesting balance point, especially when granted to a full-BAB class.

I do have to ask, though, what's the appeal of playing this over a feral hunter (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/hybrid-classes/hunter/archetypes/paizo---hunter-archetypes/feral-hunter)? I do suppose the favored terrains are nice and flavorful, but otherwise, when I think of "a more magical ranger", something like that hunter archetype is exactly what I'm picturing.

That being said, what's the logic behind these guys getting new spell levels faster than a 6-level caster? I mean, even with the diminished class features that seems wonky. I'd give them 0th-level spells at 1st level, 1st-level spells at 2nd level, 2nd-level spells at 5th, 3rd-level spells at 8th, 4th-level at 11th and 5th-level at 14th level.

Just my 2 cp.

Cheers,
- Gears