[3.5] Help me build my Handle Animal Ranger

[AnimeTheCat]

Playground! Assist me please!

I am playing a game starting this weekend (tomorrow evening). It is using information contained on d20SRD.Org only because we won't have our book library available. I'm poling the audience to help me create a Ranger that focuses on the use of the Handle Animal skill to train wild animals that I have improved the nature of using Wild Empathy. I know that I'm going to want a good Charisma for both Handle Animal when Training and when using Wild Empathy.

Using a 32 point buy I came up with the prospect of these stats: 10/14/12/14/12/16

I will be going down the ranged fighting style track.

The backstory that I've come up with for my character is that he's always been more comfortable around animals, even wild ones that scare others, and as such he will make any attempt possible to subdue animals as opposed to kill or harm them. He then nurses them back to health, befriending them, and trains them to assist him.

With that back story in mind, please help me with picking feats, flaws, and other things up to level 12 (which is where I suspect we will stop). I don't know what level we are starting at but I know it will be between 1 and 12.

My thoughts are to play as a human to pick up animal affinity and skill focus handle animal as my human and first level feats. Add non-combatant as a flaw to pick up Self Sufficient and if I'm allowed another flaw take Vulnerable to pick up Skill focus Heal so that I can use the Heal skill on the animals.

With this as a base springboard me. If I can't take any flaws I won't take either of the feats ever, they are for flavor and so that I can mechanically do what I RP want to do. Any assistance is appreciated.

[Thurbane]

I could've sworn there was a Handle ANimal handbook. Closest I can find without a more thorough search is this: Handle Animal Tricks (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?184888)

...I might have been thinking of this: 3.5/PF: Gotta Catch em All: Optimizing Wild Empathy (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?302815)

Hopefully these help you out with your build a bit.

[Darrin]

I could've sworn there was a Handle ANimal handbook.

If I need to do anything with Handle Animal, I usually start with Bubs the Commoner (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=7097263&postcount=38).



My thoughts are to play as a human to pick up animal affinity and skill focus handle animal as my human and first level feats. Add non-combatant as a flaw to pick up Self Sufficient and if I'm allowed another flaw take Vulnerable to pick up Skill focus Heal so that I can use the Heal skill on the animals.

Eh... ok, I understand you've got a solid concept here, but I still don't like taking those "+2/+3" feats. Your Handle Animal skill will go up plenty high enough just with skill ranks as you level up. Getting a feat that makes you better at a skill that you would already be better at after an other level or two doesn't make much sense to me.

However, if you are going to get a feat that gives you a skill bonus, then consider changing your race to Azurin and taking Shape Soulmeld: Riding Bracers. That single feat + 1 essentia gives you a +6 insight bonus on your Handle Animal and Ride checks. If you need more later, Bonus Essentia at 12th level can crank it up to +10. This frees up more feat slots for more interesting things, like Wild Cohort or Natural Bond. You're also going to want to pick up Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot early, as you'll likely be firing into melee pretty often.

So. Let's see:

Race: Azurin
1) Ranger 1. Feat: PB Shot. Bonus: Shape Soulmeld (MoI).
2) Ranger 2. Bonus: Rapid Shot.
3) Ranger 3. Feat: Precise Shot. Bonus: Endurance.
4) Ranger 4.
5) Ranger 5.
6) Ranger 6. Feat: Natural Bond (CAdv). Bonus: Manyshot.
7) Fighter 1. Bonus: Improved Rapid Shot (CWar).
8) Fighter 2. Bonus: Weapon Focus Longbow.
9) Fighter 3. Feat: Woodland Archer (Races of the Wild).
10) Fighter 4. Bonus: Weapon Specialization Longbow.
11) Fighter 5.
12) Fighter 6. Feat: Bonus Essentia. Bonus: Ranged Weapon Mastery (PHBII).

(This assumes multiclass penalties are not enforced. If they are, then you can stagger Ranger/Fighter levels if need be.)

Hmm. Con is not high enough for Shape Soulmeld. Maybe take Wild Cohort at 1st, then Shape Soulmeld at 6th instead of Natural Bond after an ability score increase?

[AnimeTheCat]

If I need to do anything with Handle Animal, I usually start with Bubs the Commoner (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=7097263&postcount=38).



Eh... ok, I understand you've got a solid concept here, but I still don't like taking those "+2/+3" feats. Your Handle Animal skill will go up plenty high enough just with skill ranks as you level up. Getting a feat that makes you better at a skill that you would already be better at after an other level or two doesn't make much sense to me.

However, if you are going to get a feat that gives you a skill bonus, then consider changing your race to Azurin and taking Shape Soulmeld: Riding Bracers. That single feat + 1 essentia gives you a +6 insight bonus on your Handle Animal and Ride checks. If you need more later, Bonus Essentia at 12th level can crank it up to +10. This frees up more feat slots for more interesting things, like Wild Cohort or Natural Bond. You're also going to want to pick up Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot early, as you'll likely be firing into melee pretty often.

So. Let's see:

Race: Azurin
1) Ranger 1. Feat: PB Shot. Bonus: Shape Soulmeld (MoI).
2) Ranger 2. Bonus: Rapid Shot.
3) Ranger 3. Feat: Precise Shot. Bonus: Endurance.
4) Ranger 4.
5) Ranger 5.
6) Ranger 6. Feat: Natural Bond (CAdv). Bonus: Manyshot.
7) Fighter 1. Bonus: Improved Rapid Shot (CWar).
8) Fighter 2. Bonus: Weapon Focus Longbow.
9) Fighter 3. Feat: Woodland Archer (Races of the Wild).
10) Fighter 4. Bonus: Weapon Specialization Longbow.
11) Fighter 5.
12) Fighter 6. Feat: Bonus Essentia. Bonus: Ranged Weapon Mastery (PHBII).

(This assumes multiclass penalties are not enforced. If they are, then you can stagger Ranger/Fighter levels if need be.)

Hmm. Con is not high enough for Shape Soulmeld. Maybe take Wild Cohort at 1st, then Shape Soulmeld at 6th instead of Natural Bond after an ability score increase?

Azurin isn't on SRD so pretty much all of what you said is kind of out unfortunately.

[Darrin]

Azurin isn't on SRD so pretty much all of what you said is kind of out unfortunately.

My sincere apologies. I completely missed that in your original OP.

In that case:

Race: Human
1) Ranger 1. Feat: PB Shot. Bonus: Skill Focus (Handle Animal).
2) Ranger 2. Bonus: Rapid Shot.
3) Ranger 3. Feat: Precise Shot. Bonus: Endurance.
4) Ranger 4.
5) Ranger 5.
6) Ranger 6. Feat: Animal Affinity. Bonus: Manyshot.
7) Fighter 1. Bonus: Greater Manyshot (http://dndsrd.net/psionicFeats.html#greater-manyshot).
8) Fighter 2. Bonus: Weapon Focus Longbow.
9) Fighter 3. Feat: Improved Critical (Longbow).
10) Fighter 4. Bonus: Weapon Specialization Longbow.
11) Ranger 7.
12) Ranger 8. Feat: Power Critical (http://dndsrd.net/divineFeats.html#power-critical) or Improved Precise Shot.

Horizon Walker (http://dndsrd.net/horizonWalker.html) is available after 5th level... you could also do a Horizon Tripper (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?80415-The-Horizon-Tripper-(Core-Melee-Build)) build, maybe with a wolf animal companion.

Is Wild Cohort (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) available?