Ranger 2-Handed Weapon Style?

[eyebreaker7]

Here is some thought as to making a 2-handed weapon using ranger instead of the 2-weapon or archery.

Combat Style bonus feats
2nd = 2-handed weapon fighting style: Weapon Focus with selected type of weapon
6th = 2-handed weapon fighting style Weapon Specialization with selected type of weapon
11th = 2-handed weapon fighting style: Greater Weapon Focus (& the ability to tack Greater Weapon Specialization as a class feat?) with selected type of weapon.

Does the combat style sound like to much?
I'm imagining him with the katana as his chosen weapon so he'd have to take the Exotic Weapon Proficiency to begin with. I was thinking of giving it that as a bonus feat but that would only matter if they wanted to use something not normally usable to a ranger.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Dragon issue 326 p97 had a bunch of new Ranger fighting styles, including a two-handed style. That gave the following bonus feats:
2nd: Power Attack
6th: Improved Sunder
11th: Great Cleave

[Psyren]

Pathfinder has this style already (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/ranger/ranger-combat-styles/#Two-Handed_Weapon) if you're looking for ideas.

[RNightstalker]

I'm imagining him with the katana as his chosen weapon so he'd have to take the Exotic Weapon Proficiency to begin with. I was thinking of giving it that as a bonus feat but that would only matter if they wanted to use something not normally usable to a ranger.

If you're going to be using a katana two-handed, you won't need EWP.

I actually like the idea for a change of pace. Though would Power Attack, Cleave, and Great Cleave more serve the 2-handed style?

As far as it being too much, no. The ranger's combat style line of feats is lacking, and the ranger got nerfed from 3.0 to 3.5. They should've kept the original flavor of the Combat Style counting as TWO feats. One good thing 3.5 did well was to combine Ambidexterity and TWF into one feat.

[eyebreaker7]

Lots of ideas. Thanks!

Not that it matters probably but I found this pic online somewhere and it gave me the idea for:
Shebdel List-Nemon Elf, Drow Ranger ?? Barbarian ???

https://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e350/Valygar_Corthala/elf%20with%20katana_zps6yhztapa.jpg

[bean illus]

Weapon Focus, is a prereq for several things, and i think WS is also. That could allow for certain combos that aren't yet available?

I can't think of any.

[Zaq]

This is honestly pretty weaksauce. If you're worried about it being overpowered, don't be. Not that rangers are OP to begin with in 3.5.

[Rebel7284]

Now I am curious what feats could be given to Rangers to make them good. How about:

2nd: Bonus Fighter Feat
6th: Swift Hunter
11th: Sword of the Arcane Order

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Now I am curious what feats could be given to Rangers to make them good. How about:

2nd: Bonus Fighter Feat
6th: Swift Hunter
11th: Sword of the Arcane Order

That's way too late for Sword of the Arcane Order. A Frostblood Half-Orc who goes Mystic Ranger can gain it as a bonus feat at Ranger 4 (start with Endurance as a racial feat which says if you would gain it later you can pick any feat you qualify for instead, Mystic Ranger gets Endurance at 4th level). If you go with a swift hunter build, your Scout 4 bonus feat can be Endurance, which allows you to again pick any feat you qualify for instead of one from the limited list.

When I was still running 3.5 games, I made it so Favored Enemy is +2 per instance of the class feature against all opponents, with an additional +2 against one chosen enemy type each time it increases. So it's like "Everything" is a valid choice of favored enemy, that one's chosen at 1st level, and that one's increased at every five levels. At 5, 10, 15, and 20 they pick an enemy type and that one's +2 higher than the bonus against everything else. Even then, nobody bothered playing one.

[Rebel7284]

That's way too late for Sword of the Arcane Order. A Frostblood Half-Orc who goes Mystic Ranger can gain it as a bonus feat at Ranger 4 (start with Endurance as a racial feat which says if you would gain it later you can pick any feat you qualify for instead, Mystic Ranger gets Endurance at 4th level). If you go with a swift hunter build, your Scout 4 bonus feat can be Endurance, which allows you to again pick any feat you qualify for instead of one from the limited list.

When I was still running 3.5 games, I made it so Favored Enemy is +2 per instance of the class feature against all opponents, with an additional +2 against one chosen enemy type each time it increases. So it's like "Everything" is a valid choice of favored enemy, that one's chosen at 1st level, and that one's increased at every five levels. At 5, 10, 15, and 20 they pick an enemy type and that one's +2 higher than the bonus against everything else. Even then, nobody bothered playing one.

My thoughts were that you are ignoring prerequisites for these bonus feats, so it's better since you can ignore the stupid organization and worship bits, but you are probably right, that if trying to make Ranger Better, it should come at 6 at the latest.

Anyway, to go back to the original question, I think the dragon magazine version has a pretty good spread of feats. Power Attack and (Great) Cleave are useful and Improved Bull Rush is nice if you want to be a Shock Trooper but Improved Sunder is useless (outside of being a prerequisite for a couple of tactical feats), so should be replaced.

[eyebreaker7]

but Improved Sunder is useless (outside of being a prerequisite for a couple of tactical feats), so should be replaced.

Yea I don't want to break something I'm going to sell or use myself. What I WOULD like is improved disarm :)

[eyebreaker7]

That's way too late for Sword of the Arcane Order. A Frostblood Half-Orc who goes Mystic Ranger can gain it as a bonus feat at Ranger 4 (start with Endurance as a racial feat which says if you would gain it later you can pick any feat you qualify for instead, Mystic Ranger gets Endurance at 4th level). If you go with a swift hunter build, your Scout 4 bonus feat can be Endurance,

Frostblood Half-Orc? Scout? Are they from D&D, Pathfinder or WoW's version of D&D additives? I know the scout is in there but it might not be the one your talking about?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Frostblood Half-Orc? Scout? Are they from D&D, Pathfinder or WoW's version of D&D additives? I know the scout is in there but it might not be the one your talking about?

Frostblood Half-Orc is in the book Dragon Magic, and the Scout base class is in Complete Adventurer. Swift Hunter is a feat in Complete Scoundrel which allows your Ranger levels to advance your Scout class's skirmish class feature.

This may be useful for finding where a given thing in 3.5 edition can be found. (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/arch/lists)

[bean illus]

Now I am curious what feats could be given to Rangers to make them good. How about:

2nd: Bonus Fighter Feat
6th: Swift Hunter
11th: Sword of the Arcane Order

Swift Hunter works only with Scout. How about:

2nd: Bonus Fighter Feat (must qualify)
6th: Bonus Feat (must qualify)
11th: Bonus Feat (must qualify)

Depending on cheese at the table, of course. But 11 levels is a steep price, nor do i think it would break most tables.



When I was still running 3.5 games, I made it so Favored Enemy is +2 per instance of the class feature against all opponents, with an additional +2 against one chosen enemy type each time it increases. So it's like "Everything" is a valid choice of favored enemy, that one's chosen at 1st level, and that one's increased at every five levels. At 5, 10, 15, and 20 they pick an enemy type and that one's +2 higher than the bonus against everything else. Even then, nobody bothered playing one.

I might be able to think of an archer that would make use of that. Extra Favored Enemy? Favored Enemy Arcanist? Mystic Ranger? 50 shots per round with 19-20 x4 from hundreds of feet away with an extra +10ish to everything?

12 levels of Ranger and 8 levels of multiclass (with all sources allowed) and I might be talked into it. It's no Wizard, but it would certainly amp an archer.

[Rebel7284]

Swift Hunter works only with Scout.

That's DM dependent. RAW you can take it with anything that gives the prerequisite skirmish (Halfling Monk substitution levels, for example).
Then it's up to the DM if the calculation is
a. 0 Scout + X Ranger = X Skirmish progression.
b. NULL Scout + X Ranger = NULL Skirmish progression

The nice thing about Ranger feats is that you don't have to meet the prerequisites, and adding some bonus skirmish damage and a touch of AC for the cost of a bonus feat choice would go a long way to make Rangers better, after all, a regular Swift Hunter is considered a SOLID tier 3. This of course assumes a more flexible DM that is willing to go with option a.




How about:

2nd: Bonus Fighter Feat (must qualify)
6th: Bonus Feat (must qualify)
11th: Bonus Feat (must qualify)


In my opinion, this makes Ranger feats so much less cool. Bonus feats are nice, but an advantage to ranger always was bonus feats without qualification! Getting Greater Two-Weapon Fighting with 10 Dex so you could focus on strength was fun, (if not terribly effective since Rangers have few sources of bonus damage)!

[bean illus]

In my opinion, this makes Ranger feats so much less cool. Bonus feats are nice, but an advantage to ranger always was bonus feats without qualification! Getting Greater Two-Weapon Fighting with 10 Dex so you could focus on strength was fun, (if not terribly effective since Rangers have few sources of bonus damage)!

I wasn't proposing removing any other ranger option. You could still take the TWF chain. You just can't take Greater Weapon Specialization at 1st.