Ranger Variants?

[Talya]

I'm designing an NPC for a swashbuckling campaign.

First, the fluff:
He's a drunken Seacliff Dwarf (Stormwrack). No, not your typical dwarven tavern drinker, an actual, honest to goodness alchoholic falling down drunk hiding from a past he doesn't want to remember. However, when it comes to exploring the wild, be it the depths of the dungeon, forest, or sea, he's as competent as they come.

I want him to dual weild dwarven war axes. For flavor, even though it's not optimal. I plan to multiclass him into the Deepwarden PrC (races of stone), which, while very rangerly on its own, adds damage reduction and constitution to armor class (in place of dexterity.)

Here's what I don't need:
Spellcasting
Animal Companion

Things i'd love: some reliable bonus damage, if possible. Not required, but would be nice. I'm thinking power attack, since he's using big weapons and will be strength based (with a dexterity at the minimum 8 on the point buy.)

Suggestions?

Also, where is the list of "Flaws" one can take to add additional feats?

[Dhavaer]

Flaws.

There's a Spellless Ranger variant in Complete Warrior.

[codexgigas]

Complete Champion has two variants that might interest you. The first allows you to swap out spell casting for bonus feats, and the second allows you to swap out your animal companion for a bonus on certain skills while in a natural environment. PH2 also has an animal companion variant; you're automatically considered as flanking whatever enemy you attack. That's generally more useful for an archery-based ranger, though.

Both of the animal companion variants seem a bit lack-luster to me. Both of the spell-casting variants are nice, but the CC one is probably the better if you only plan on dropping a few levels into ranger, which is probably the case, since higher level rangers get access to several nice spells.

[Talya]

Complete Champion has two variants that might interest you. The first allows you to swap out spell casting for bonus feats, and the second allows you to swap out your animal companion for a bonus on certain skills while in a natural environment. PH2 also has an animal companion variant; you're automatically considered as flanking whatever enemy you attack. That's generally more useful for an archery-based ranger, though.

Both of the animal companion variants seem a bit lack-luster to me. Both of the spell-casting variants are nice, but the CC one is probably the better if you only plan on dropping a few levels into ranger, which is probably the case, since higher level rangers get access to several nice spells.

yeah, the feats are really nice. The animal companion substitution, not so much. I might use the "druidic Avenger" variant at half-level to replace the ranger's animal companion. +10' movement, and rage seems like a decent tradeoff.

[Falrin]

Depending on your style;

A few LvLs in Barbarian might fit.

Also: Ask your DM about dex & TWF combined with Con to AC. It's rather weak to have the DW's mains ability be offset by a higher dex to get TWF-feats.

For 2 Dwarven Axes you'll need Oversized TWF, another weak feat.

Ask your DM how this works with:

Power Attack: If you can PA with it as a one-handed weapon this would be very nice. RAW if I'm correct you can't, because you are treating the weapon as light, so no PA.

Dual Strike: And yet another weak feat. Ask your DM if you can do strike on a charge without it anyway.

Leap attack: If your DM allows "standard action TWF hit" & "off-hand one handed PA" this will bring your PA return to -1/+2.

[Jasdoif]

You might be interested in Favored Power Attack, from Complete Warrior. Increases your damage when using Power Attack on favored enemies (in this case, it'd be doing 2-damage-per-1-penalty, base).

There's also the Two-Weapon Pounce feat in PHB II. It's not as good as that one level Barbarian pounce in Complete Champion...but then, we're taking about an NPC here, a dip may be inappropriate. It lets you attack with both weapons on a charge. Heck, it even waives the dexterity requirement for a TWF ranger, although in that case you only get the benefit while wearing light armor or no armor.

[Leon]

More Flaws

Plus many more things

[PlatinumJester]

Complete Mage Varient

Level 1st
Requirements: 1 rank Knowledge Arcana
At first level only you don't choose a favoured enemy but you gain Favoured enemy Arcanists.

It works just like favoured enemy except it works on anyone who can cast arcane spells

[goat]

Considered dipping him a level in drunken master? I'd just ignore the prerequisites, it's flavourful. He's probably going to be carrying around some booze with him, and it's an excellent reason to take a swig before charging in with his axes.

[Talya]

I am the DM in this game, and i'm not relaxing the twf requirements for dex any more than I already have. (I houseruled TWF-ITWF-GTWF to be one feat with the normal TWF dex req (not that of ITWF or GTWF), you get iteratives off TWF with your BAB. Likewise, TWD/ITWD/GTWD are all one feat that grants a flat +3 shield bonus to AC.

Because of how this affects rangers, rangers who choose TWF as their style get TWF at 2, TWD at 6, and dual strike at 11.

Of couse, this also means drunken dwarf doesn't actually need more levels of ranger than it takes to get TWF...although i'm giving him some more. Considering dwarf paragon too...although paragon classes to this lowlife seem wrong.