[3.5e/PF] Ranger Prestige Classes?

[HunterOfJello]

I'm looking for a Ranger prestige class that keeps leveling in divine spellcasting and keeps leveling my animal companion. The concept sounds simple, but is there such a class?

I don't care about Favored Enemy that much and i don't really want to keep taking levels in Ranger past 6th, but I don't see any other way to keep leveling up my spellcasting and animal companion. Any help would be appreciated.

[Prime32]

Beastmaster maybe?

If you like your spellcasting, why don't you just use a druid? (with this variant maybe, I dunno)

[Foryn Gilnith]

Lion of Talisid from the Book of Exalted Deeds does so. You'd need 2nd-level spells. It's sort of a copout, but Legacy Champion and Uncanny Trickster would advance ranger class features, including animal companion. But I'm not really sure what you mean by "Ranger prestige class". Full BAB? Lots of skill points? Because if all you want is casting and animal companion, druid works for that.

[true_shinken]

I'm looking for a Ranger prestige class that keeps leveling in divine spellcasting and keeps leveling my animal companion. The concept sounds simple, but is there such a class?

I don't care about Favored Enemy that much and i don't really want to keep taking levels in Ranger past 6th, but I don't see any other way to keep leveling up my spellcasting and animal companion. Any help would be appreciated.

Most Druid classes should work. Why are you even for a prestige class anyway? Just stick to Ranger.

[HunterOfJello]

Most Druid classes should work. Why are you even for a prestige class anyway? Just stick to Ranger.

Because the Ranger is already level 6 and the next few level's class features don't really interest me. Woodland stride, Swift tracker, 2nd Favored Terain, and Evasion over the next 3 levels don't seem worth the effort.

I was just curious if there are other options for rangers to keep their good qualities but switch out some other class features from a PrC. Spellcasting classes do this all the time, so I figured there might be a good example for a Ranger.


~

The Wavekeeper is an example of this. They keep their spellcasting and keep improving their spellcasting. Unfortunately the class is based on an underwater animal companion. =/

[Zeofar]

I'm actually looking for the exact same thing, quite literally. So far, I've just resigned myself to taking Ranger all the way to 20 because I want the Ranger spell list and a good animal companion. I would probably be willing to take Ranger higher than 6, but after a while it seems to lose steam, and the class abilities I care about can be replaced by feats.

[true_shinken]

You could take Sword of Arcane Order, Obtain Familiar and then go into Arcane Hierophant... I guess. Sort of.

[HunterOfJello]

I found one more that's focused on killing abberations.

Gatekeeper Mystagogue (Player's Guide to Faerun)


It requires:
non-evil
2nd-level divine spells
Knowledge (The Planes) 8
Feats: Gatekeeper Initiate, Repel Aberration
Speacial: have to be the rank of Gatekeepr in the Gatekeeper sect

however, it does give 9/10 spellcasting progression and full animal companion progression

[Foryn Gilnith]

Abolisher in Lords of Madness is similar. Requires Knowledge (dungeoneering) 4 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 9 ranks, non-chaotic alignment, and stuff Ranger already gives you. Full animal companion, 8/10 spells, class features that don't do much in most campaigns, and Wildshape.

[Greenish]

Gatekeeper Mystagogue (Player's Guide to Faerun)


It requires:
non-evil
2nd-level divine spells
Knowledge (The Planes) 8
Feats: Gatekeeper Initiate, Repel Aberration
Speacial: have to be the rank of Gatekeepr in the Gatekeeper sect

however, it does give 9/10 spellcasting progression and full animal companion progression

There's a problem: You need to be able to spontaneously cast SNA to qualify for Gatekeeper Initiate.

Also, it's Player's Guide to Eberron.

[Zeofar]

If you were really desperate to take a prestige class, you could always dump your feats into Natural Bond and take a class with divine casting progression. I wouldn't do that, but you know, just in case you were interested.

[Tvtyrant]

Abolisher in Lords of Madness is similar. Requires Knowledge (dungeoneering) 4 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 9 ranks, non-chaotic alignment, and stuff Ranger already gives you. Full animal companion, 8/10 spells, class features that don't do much in most campaigns, and Wildshape.

Also the ability to set Aberrations you fight on fire.

[HunterOfJello]

Abolisher in Lords of Madness is similar. Requires Knowledge (dungeoneering) 4 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 9 ranks, non-chaotic alignment, and stuff Ranger already gives you. Full animal companion, 8/10 spells, class features that don't do much in most campaigns, and Wildshape.

Wow. This is perfect. Especially since it gives Wildshape.

It's better than more levels of Ranger, that's for sure.

There's a problem: You need to be able to spontaneously cast SNA to qualify for Gatekeeper Initiate.

Also, it's Player's Guide to Eberron.

Yeahhh. I noticed that afterwards when looking up Gatekeeper Initiate. It would require another feat to be able to spontaneous summon nature's ally. That does suck.

[Prime32]

Wow. This is perfect. Especially since it gives Wildshape.

It's better than more levels of Ranger, that's for sure.

...again, you want wildshape, a powerful animal companion, and powerful divine spellcasting, and you don't want Favoured Enemy.

Why are you not a druid?

[Morithias]

...again, you want wildshape, a powerful animal companion, and powerful divine spellcasting, and you don't want Favoured Enemy.

Why are you not a druid?

Well for one maybe he wants certain ranger-only special spells. Two maybe his group if he plays one will call him a munchkin and he wants to avoid that. Three, maybe he wants full base attack bonus. Or four, he simply wants to play a ranger, nothing more.

[Prime32]

Well for one maybe he wants certain ranger-only special spells. Two maybe his group if he plays one will call him a munchkin and he wants to avoid that. Three, maybe he wants full base attack bonus. Or four, he simply wants to play a ranger, nothing more.

If it's the first, Druid/Prestige ranger will get the exclusive spells. *shrugs*

[Coidzor]

...again, you want wildshape, a powerful animal companion, and powerful divine spellcasting, and you don't want Favoured Enemy.

Why are you not a druid?

I don't think it's so much "powerful" as "extant" in the case of preserving Ranger casting while PrCing, considering how many ranger PrCs are intent on nixing the casting completely.

[Prime32]

I don't think it's so much "powerful" as "extant" in the case of preserving Ranger casting while PrCing, considering how many ranger PrCs are intent on nixing the casting completely.

Thing is, getting druid casting and picking a PrC which doesn't advance it is equivalent to fully advancing ranger casting.

[true_shinken]

Thing is, getting druid casting and picking a PrC which doesn't advance it is equivalent to fully advancing ranger casting.

I just have to agree.
Doesn't Sentinel of Bharrai, Swanmay or both get animal companion + spellcasting?

[Zeofar]

If it's the first, Druid/Prestige ranger will get the exclusive spells. *shrugs*

I don't see how that would work, myself. It just advances divine casting. It doesn't give access to the Ranger spell list. Also, this isn't just a prestige class; using it involves a fundamental change of how the game works, or you're just giving your players options that they shouldn't have.

Thing is, getting druid casting and picking a PrC which doesn't advance it is equivalent to fully advancing ranger casting.

Maybe in core, but splatbooks will fix this real quick. Complete Adventurer, Complete Arcane, Complete Divine, Complete Mage and others add spells for the Ranger that don't intersect with the Druid casting list. Besides, you also would get a whole bunch of other spells that don't really fit in with the "ranger" concept but would be a self-imposed penalty not to use. Finally, if you care about fluff, Druids and Rangers are actually pretty far apart in many ways. I don't know about the guy who started this thread, but to me, this makes the end result as "Druids are not an option."

Besides, what you're saying is like this:
Q: "I'm looking for a Paladin Prestige Class that will advance my spellcasting, lay on hands, and smite evil but I can't find any. Help?"
A: "Okay, so you want to have buff spells, heal your allies, and do extra damage to evil characters. Why aren't you a Cleric?"

[The Big Dice]

I don't see how that would work, myself. It just advances divine casting. It doesn't give access to the Ranger spell list. Also, this isn't just a prestige class; using it involves a fundamental change of how the game works, or you're just giving your players options that they shouldn't have.

UA suggests allowing the Prestige Base Classes to get access to their unique spells as well as those from the class they took to qualify for the PRC. Which kind of makes up for the fact that you'll be getting a new caster level every other instead of every level.

I find taking a level of Fighter helps with those classes too, gets you the BAB you need a couple of levels faster.

[HunterOfJello]

...again, you want wildshape, a powerful animal companion, and powerful divine spellcasting, and you don't want Favoured Enemy.

Why are you not a druid?

I didn't want to fully explain everything about the character, because most of it wasn't relevant to the topic.

~

The reason the character isn't a druid is because it's a gestalt DMPC cleric//ranger. I already had 9th level spellcasting possibilities from the cleric side and wanted to fill out the character better.

The ranger side gives:

Full BAB
a good reflex save (making all of the saves high)
6 + Int skill points per level (which is 4 more than a normal cleric)
an improved skill list
a slightly higher hit die (since we're using some pathfinder elements)
Archery class features (allowing the character to focus on wisdom instead of dexterity)
an Animal Companion
a few other nice little features like Tracking and Favored Enemy
and a few extra spells to use that aren't on the Cleric spell list


The character was also designed to be useful in fights using Zen Archery along with the ranger Archery combat styles, without being so effective at spellcasting that he took away too much attention from the PCs in the campaign.


If I go into Abolisher on the Ranger side, I will lose a few of the benefits that I chose the Ranger for, but the character is effective enough right now as he is.

[true_shinken]

No need to optimize a DMPC.
I'd just stick with Cleric//Ranger.