Fun fact: "Neutral good hadozee ranger" is also trochaic tetrameter. (Or at least really close to it. Kinda have to fudge the stress on "do." But that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.)
Originally Posted by GarthGarth
NG Hadozee Ranger 6
Spoiler: IntroductionShow
The people of Rashemen have defended their borders against Thay for generations. The bulk of their forces are comprised of their famous berserkers, who have proven themselves a match for the armies of slaves and undead sent against them. But it is not enough to slaughter the fodder - the only true strike against Thay is the death of a Red Wizard. Of course, there are countless warriors (and monks, for some reason), that claim to be experts in this particular field, but true professionals are few and far between. The Wychlaran treasure such individuals, even those who are...unusual.
Spoiler: Ability ScoresShow
Ability Score Modifiers Final Score Strength 14 - 14 (+2) Dexterity 17 +2 (racial) +1 (level 4) 20 (+5) Constitution 14 - 14 (+2) Intelligence 9 - 9 (-1) Wisdom 14 - 14 (+2) Charisma 8 -2 (racial) 6 (-2)
Spoiler: BuildShow
Level Class Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Skills Feats Class Features 1st Ranger 1 (Arcane Hunter, Champion of the Wild) +1 +2 +2 +0 Hide +4, Knowledge (arcana) +1, Listen +4, Move Silently +4, Spellcraft +1, Spot +4 Weapon Finesse Favored enemy (arcanist) +1, Track, wild empathy 2nd Ranger 2 +2 +3 +3 +0 Hide +5, Knowledge (arcana) +1, Listen +5, Move Silently +5, Spellcraft +1.5, Spot +5 Two-Weapon Fighting (B) Combat style (two-weapon combat) 3rd Ranger 3 +3 +3 +3 +1 Hide +6, Knowledge (arcana) +1, Listen +6, Move Silently +6, Spellcraft +2, Spot +6 Exotic Weapon Proficiency (kusari-gama), Endurance (B) - 4th Ranger 4 +4 +4 +4 +1 Hide +7, Knowledge (arcana) +1, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Spellcraft +2, Spot +7, Survival +1 Blind-Fight (B) Animal companion 5th Ranger 5 +5 +4 +4 +1 Hide +8, Knowledge (arcana) +1, Listen +8, Move Silently +8, Spellcraft +2, Spot +8, Survival +2 - Favored enemy (undead) +2, favored enemy (arcanist) +3 6th Ranger 6 +6 +5 +5 +2 Hide +9, Knowledge (arcana) +1, Listen +9, Move Silently +9, Spellcraft +2, Spot +9, Survival +3 Combat Reflexes, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting (B) Improved combat style
E6 Feats:
- Nemesis (arcanist)
- Mage Slayer
- Pierce Magical Protection
- Pierce Magical Concealment
- Improved Favored Enemy
- Stand Still
- Double Hit
- Natural Bond
- Darkstalker
- Iron Will
Spoiler: BreakdownShow
Spoiler: Level 1Show
Hadozee is a cool race with great stat bonuses. Weapon Finesse is one of those feats you have to have, and it's important to get it as early as possible. Favored enemy (arcanist) is great for anyone, with its broad range of applicable targets, but it's especially great for a mage killing specialist.
Spoiler: Level 2Show
Two-Weapon Fighting is a style with both pros and cons, but it offers some particular advantages for us down the road.
Spoiler: Level 3Show
The kusari-gama is a light weapon, for two-weapon fighting and Weapon Finesse, but more importantly, it has continuous reach, which is vital. This prevents enemies from escaping your threatened area just by taking a 5ft step.
Spoiler: Level 4Show
Champion of the Wild kicks in, preventing us from getting spellcasting, but offering a much needed bonus feat. Blind Fighting is a pre-req, but it's not without some value in itself. We also pick up an animal companion - for the time being, a hawk helps with scouting.
Spoiler: Level 5Show
Undead is a nice favored enemy to have, especially if you're going up against Red Wizards. Favored enemy (arcanist) improves here, which is considerably nicer.
Spoiler: Level 6Show
Combat Reflexes is another must have feat, and Improved Two-Weapon Fighting for free is great too.
Spoiler: NemesisShow
Unbeatable detection will really put a crimp in a mage's day, and an extra 1d6 damage on attacks is a great bonus on top of that.
Spoiler: Mage SlayerShow
And here's the feat that it's all about. Spellcasters you threaten can't cast defensively, so they'll take an AoO every time they try to get a spell off, which will hopefully prevent said spell from being cast.
Spoiler: Pierce Magical ProtectionShow
Ooooh, yeah. Make an attack that ignores buffs to AC, then automatically dipels all such buffs. The only (small) problem is that it's a standard action. So instead of charging (or similar), just use your move action to stroll on into melee, then hit them with it.
Spoiler: Pierce Magical ConcealmentShow
Magical concealment effects are another layer in any competent mage's defenses, so ignoring them gets you one step closer to hitting them as if they were a commoner in a robe.
Spoiler: Improved Favored EnemyShow
It's not a lot of damage, but damage is damage, especially when making plenty of attacks.
Spoiler: Stand StillShow
So, there's a small flaw in our setup: a smart mage will, rather than trying to cast spells, just accept some damage from an AoO and use a move action to get out of reach so they can cast freely. Stand Still patches this hole, preventing movement at the cost of some damage.
Spoiler: Double HitShow
This is a seriously underrated feat. Firstly, if a spellcaster makes the foolish mistake of casting while threatened, this lets you force two Concentration checks instead of one. Then there's Stand Still - I'm not sure whether both attacks from Double Hit will do no damage and be added to the DC, or if one will do damage as usual, but either way, it's a win.
Spoiler: Natural BondShow
This turns your animal companion into a real flanking buddy. Our animal of choice is a leopard - we need something stealthy to sneak around with us. Having a flanker is handy for anyone, but it's especially great for us. See, Mage Slayer doesn't just give you an AoO when they cast, it prevents them from casting defensively at all. So everyone in melee with the target will get an AoO.
Spoiler: DarkstalkerShow
Stealth is vital for getting the drop on spellcasters so you can get into melee with them before they can do anything to you. They have all kinds of ways to detect you, so you need Darkstalker to bypass that.
Spoiler: Iron WillShow
Will is our weakest saving throw, and probably the most important one, so this is a bonus well worth getting.
Spoiler: GarthShow
Size/Type: Medium Humanoid
Hit Dice: 6d8 + 12 (42.5 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+5 Dex, +4 armor), touch 15, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+8
Attack: Kusari-gama +11 melee (2d6+8)
Full attack: Kusari-game +9/+4 (2d6+8) and kusari-gama +9/+4 (2d6+7)
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +7
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 6
Skills: Hide +14, Listen +11, Move Silently +14, Spot +11, Survival +5
Spoiler: WhisperShow
Size/Type: Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 5d8 + 10 (32.5 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares), climb 20ft.
Armor Class: 18 (+5 Dex, +3 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+6
Attack: Bite +8 melee (1dd+3)
Full attack: Bite +8 melee (1d6+3) and 2 claws +3 melee (1d3+1)
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +2
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 20, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Balance +13, Climb +11, Hide +10, Jump +11, Listen +6, Move Silently +10, Spot +6
Spoiler: SourcesShow
- Hadozee: Stormwrack
- Arcane Hunter: Complete Mage
- Champion of the Wild: Complete Champion
- Kusari-game: DMG
- Nemesis: Book of Exalted Deeds
- Mage Slayer, Pierce Magical Protection, Pierce Magical Concealment: Complete Arcane
- Improved Favored Enemy: Complete Warrior
- Double Hit: Miniatures Handbook
- Natural Bond: Complete Adventurer
- Darkstalker: Lords of Madness
- Everything else: SRD content