Best Favored Enemy picks?

[pabelfly]

I have a build that would greatly benefit from the bonuses that Favored Enemy offers (Solitary Hunting ACF, Improved Favored Enemy feat plus lots of attacks per round).

The build will be in a custom campaign from level 11 onwards, focused on fighting a mix of neutral and evil enemies. Apart from this, there are no specific lists of enemies that are more typical in the campaign. I currently have eight levels in Ranger in the build.

Given these conditions, what do you think the best picks for Favored Enemy would be? My initial impression is to pick Arcane (since arcane caster covers a bunch of enemies, including a lot of Dragons), Magical Beast and Outsider (Evil) at Ranger 10, but I'd be interested in hearing other suggestions and opinions.

[Zanos]

I think Undead is the single most populated creature type across 3.5, so it's usually a good bet unless your know your DM doesn't run them.

[Forrestfire]

The best choices really depend on if you're allowed to take the Uthgardt Barbarian tribal enemy option from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. If you are, then taking that (it's "favored enemy: evil creatures") alongside Arcane Hunter gets you a phenomenally strong baseline, and you can pick from stuff to shore up the holes. Otherwise, magical beasts, outsider (evil), undead, and animal are often good picks (alongside arcanists, which you should take anyway). Aberration is quite good as well. In a lot of campaigns, humanoid (human) is also good due to them being a common default.

I wrote an extensive guide for the ranger that you might find useful; you can find it here (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?659159-Ranger-The-Cooler-Paladin-%96-A-Handbook-for-D-amp-D-3-5-s-Most-Redheaded-Stepchild), or if you want just the full table of favored enemy options, here's a link to the table of ratings I made (https://hexdrake.support/ranger_handbook/#c2-fe-list).

[pabelfly]

The best choices really depend on if you're allowed to take the Uthgardt Barbarian tribal enemy option from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. If you are, then taking that (it's "favored enemy: evil creatures") alongside Arcane Hunter gets you a phenomenally strong baseline, and you can pick from stuff to shore up the holes. Otherwise, magical beasts, outsider (evil), undead, and animal are often good picks (alongside arcanists, which you should take anyway). Aberration is quite good as well. In a lot of campaigns, humanoid (human) is also good due to them being a common default.

I wrote an extensive guide for the ranger that you might find useful; you can find it here (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?659159-Ranger-The-Cooler-Paladin-%96-A-Handbook-for-D-amp-D-3-5-s-Most-Redheaded-Stepchild), or if you want just the full table of favored enemy options, here's a link to the table of ratings I made (https://hexdrake.support/ranger_handbook/#c2-fe-list).

I don't think I can swing "FE: Evil" since Uthgardt Barbarians are "people" and that, to me, says human, but it was a helpful list. Thanks

[Biggus]

Otherwise, magical beasts, outsider (evil), undead, and animal are often good picks (alongside arcanists, which you should take anyway). Aberration is quite good as well. In a lot of campaigns, humanoid (human) is also good due to them being a common default.

Not much point taking animals if the campaign is starting at level 11, there are only 6 animals ever published in 3.5 with CRs higher than 10.

At mid-high levels outsiders, dragons, magical beasts and undead are the most common enemy types.

[H_H_F_F]

I don't think I can swing "FE: Evil" since Uthgardt Barbarians are "people" and that, to me, says human, but it was a helpful list. Thanks

They are explicitly human, yeah. I think that anything that could be born to a human is fair play though. What's your race?

[pabelfly]

They are explicitly human, yeah. I think that anything that could be born to a human is fair play though. What's your race?

Giant Anthropromorphic Octopus. I don't think it counts and I'm fine with that.

[Forrestfire]

Not much point taking animals if the campaign is starting at level 11, there are only 6 animals ever published in 3.5 with CRs higher than 10.

At mid-high levels outsiders, dragons, magical beasts and undead are the most common enemy types.

That's fair. I tend to like having animal at +2 (either by nabbing it normally or via an enemy spirit pouch) in case I ever run into high-level druidic enemies, dire animals, or dinosaurs, but it's definitely notable that it's not as good here.


They are explicitly human, yeah. I think that anything that could be born to a human is fair play though. What's your race?

It's notable that the Faerûn regional rules explicitly allow you to pick regions that your race doesn't match; race and region are decoupled per the PGtF (though you need to pick and choose only one). Still, it's a bit of a moot point of pabelfly doesn't feel like taking that option.


Giant Anthropromorphic Octopus. I don't think it counts and I'm fine with that.

Absolutely valid. In that case, I'd probably go for undead and arcanists plus something of aberrations, evil outsiders, or magical beasts, and get enemy spirit pouches from the Magic Item Compendium to shore up other more niche options like constructs or animals or humanoid types.

[paladinn]

Giant Anthropromorphic Octopus. I don't think it counts and I'm fine with that.

Any relation to Cthulhu?

[paladinn]

My favorite Favored Enemy concept was the original. Rangers could add their entire level to attacks against any humanoids or giants. I wonder how that could reasonably be adapted to 3.x.

Then there's a PF spell called Instant Enemy, which lets you apply your bonus to any one target. I'd love to see that as a class feature, usable Y times per day.

[pabelfly]

Any relation to Cthulhu?

No idea, I'm only making the character, another person at my table will be playing it.

[Chronos]

Also keep in mind that unless you're making a level 20 character for a one-shot, you don't have to make all of your decisions at once. Maybe right now, there's no predominant enemy type in the campaign, but then it eventually comes to light that illithids are masterminding everything behind the scenes, or one particular dwarf who was supposed to be a one-off boss escaped and is now plotting revenge, or whatever. If that happens, pick your later favored enemies as appropriate.

[Doctor Despair]

I don't think I can swing "FE: Evil" since Uthgardt Barbarians are "people" and that, to me, says human, but it was a helpful list. Thanks

A 2-level dip into Stalker of Kharash or Harper Paragon would also get you Favored Enemy: Evil.

[Troacctid]

The most common of the core favored enemies in Dungeon Magazine are humans, followed by undead. Humans are a very common foe in published adventures.

[pabelfly]

A 2-level dip into Stalker of Kharash or Harper Paragon would also get you Favored Enemy: Evil.

True, but that puts me two levels behind on getting Greater Multiweapon Fighting and I lose two feats on top of that. It can be a worthwhile dip for a bunch of builds but not in this instance. Thanks for the suggestion though.