Are there 3.5e classes with Ranger-like BAB/Saves but different features?

[47948201]

Looking for a 2-3 level dip (maybe a bit more if it's good, but probably no more than 5ish levels) for a two-handed weapon build. I like that the ranger has full BAB and two good saves, and the skills are nice, but Track/Urban Tracking, Wild Empathy, and ranger's combat styles just don't do it for me. Are there any classes that have the same basic characteristics of a ranger, but features that would be more useful to a brawler? I'm fine with any official 3.5 book, or Dragon magazine, too. A prestige class would also work, and I guess I could look at 3.0 classes, though I'm more comfortable with actual 3.5 stuff.

[Gnaeus]

We were just discussing Deepwarden in another thread. You DO still get track, but full bab, 2 good saves, 6 skill points and con to AC at level 2. 1 feat entry tax.

Swordsage has all but the BAB.

[DrMartin]

there´s a thread called full bab, 6 skill points:

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?594232

[AvatarVecna]

Looking for a 2-3 level dip (maybe a bit more if it's good, but probably no more than 5ish levels) for a two-handed weapon build. I like that the ranger has full BAB and two good saves, and the skills are nice, but Track/Urban Tracking, Wild Empathy, and ranger's combat styles just don't do it for me. Are there any classes that have the same basic characteristics of a ranger, but features that would be more useful to a brawler? I'm fine with any official 3.5 book, or Dragon magazine, too. A prestige class would also work, and I guess I could look at 3.0 classes, though I'm more comfortable with actual 3.5 stuff.

Ranger's chassis, but not ranger's features for the most part? Not going higher than 5th lvl? ACFs are your friends.

"Champion Of The Wild" (from Complete Champion, pg 50) replaces your spellcasting with a lvl 4 bonus feat you meet the prerequisites for from the following list: Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Eyes in the Back of Your Head, Improved Disarm, Improved Favored Enemy, Improved Feint, or Improved Trip. There's other options depending on Fighting Style, but you don't like those so who cares?

"Wild Shape Ranger" (UA, but also SRD (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#ranger)) gives fast movement and wild shape. It's debatable what levels you would gain these - barbarian gains the fast movement at lvl 1, while druid gains Small/Medium Animal "Wild Shape" at lvl 5, but given what's being replaced, it's reasonable to expect a DM might say you gain these abilities at 2nd, 6th, and 11th. That's just as well cuz I'm pretty sure you don't actually want the wild shape, just the speed boost.

"Distracting Attack" (Player's Handbook 2, pg 55) gives away your Animal Companion. In exchange, opponents you successfully hit with a weapon attack count as flanked by you for the purpose of ally attacks. This doesn't affect things that can't be flanked, but it's still quite helpful even if you don't have a rogue in the party.

"Voice Of The City" (Cityscape online (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a)) is effectively "Wild Empathy, but for communicating with people you don't share a language with". Not quite a perfect fit for your concept, but more fitting than talking to wild animals?

Optionally, if you're also not a fan of Favored Enemy for your brawler, you could pick up "Arcane Hunter" (Complete Mage) for "Favored Enemy: Arcanists", or (using the Cityscape link above) you can take "Rival Organization" to pick up "Favored Enemy: Organization Of My Choice".

And there you go. You're a Ranger in nothing but chassis.

[Troacctid]

Anything wrong with just picking the two-handed combat style that gives you Power Attack, Improved Sunder, and Great Cleave?

[Vrock Bait]

Anything wrong with just picking the two-handed combat style that gives you Power Attack, Improved Sunder, and Great Cleave?

Isn’t that Dragon Magazine?

[Maat Mons]

I, too, have often thought that Ranger would be a good class if it weren't for Favored Enemy, Combat Style, and all the nature-themed stuff. Strip that out, replace it with things that aren't dumb, and you'd be good to go.

Since you said Dragon magazine is okay, the best Ranger ACF, in my opinion, is Moon-Warded. Well, okay, it's a group of substitution level, but there are no racial racial requirements. The 2nd-level one gives you Wis to AC in light or no armor.

Unfortunately, most of the ACFs that replace Favored enemy do something sort of like what Favored enemy does. I think the least obnoxious one is probably Favored Environment. Picking "underground" can give a nice spelunker vibe, and pairs well with Trap Expert to give you a skilled dungeon delver or underdark explorer.

I can't find anything to beat out AvatarVecna's Voice of the City suggestion for replacing Wild Empathy. "I will speak to him in the universal language ... of interpretive dance." Or maybe you just overcome the language barrier by speaking louder.

[Troacctid]

I like CC's spiritual connection as a replacement for wild empathy. Lets you speak with both animals and plants.

[47948201]

Lots of good suggestions here! Let's see--for my uses, if I took UA's Urban Ranger as a base, added Dragon Magazine's combat style to take Power Attack (I was hoping for something exactly like this!), and got Arcane Hunter to replace regular Favored Enemies, then I can keep my planned 2-level dip but get some actually useful features.

Wild Shape ranger's fast movement looks tasty, but I'd much rather have Power Attack. Voice of the City seems way cooler than Wild Empathy, but with only two ranger levels, those DCs are gonna be pretty tough to meet, and Spiritual Connection and Moon-Warded sound actually quite useful for pretty much any other time I plan to use Ranger levels, but don't really fit this character. (I looked through some of those other class suggestions, and I'll keep them in mind for future use, but for now racial/campaign restrictions are a slight oof)