Deepbluediver
2012-03-14, 12:02 PM
I bet you all thought I was dead, but no, you're not that lucky :smallamused:
This is the next part of my ongoing project to rejigger the 11 core classes so that they are a little more balanced in terms of both power and versatility. In addition to changing each character class, I've also reworked the functionality of magic and am currently in the process of redoing individual spells, which would be going quicker if I didn't keep getting distracted by other things that also need fixing, like the combat styles.
My goal is to aim for about tier 3, while also not losing the the flavor and fun and individuality of the seperate classes; I'm not certain exactly where I'll end up. Some well-played characters might still feel like low tier 2, and a other poorly built classes might drop to tier 4, but hopefully the difference will be less.
Extended Rant (further explanations can also be found in the spoilered text)
After my last fix, the rogue, where I basically mushed 3 classes together (rogue, ninja, and swashbuckler) I was kind of feeling guilty about doing the same thing to the ranger and the scout, whose similarity has been mentioned once or twice noted occasionaly widely documented.
But then I had an epiphany. One of the biggest issues with melee classes is that they are only good at combat, and sometimes even just one kind of combat. Apparently the core rules considered it fair that it takes the same level of skill to master one particular fighting style as it does to learn every concievable kind of arcane magic. This is like if WotC designed a wizard who could only cast abjuration spells and another wizard who could only cast divination spells and called them two seperate classes. This is the kind of thinking that gives us both the Duskblade, a shadowy-themed melee/magic hybrid, and the Hexblade, a shadowy-themed melee/magic hybrid; anyone who would like to explain the thematic difference to me and why those two shouldn't ALSO be eligible for a mashup can have a cookie.
Because this game is supposed to be, above all else, FUN, I do not plan on restricting wizards to a single school of spells, but that means I also need to find more for some melee classes to do. So I plan to continue happily combining similar melee classes to get the best of both, and hopefully leave behind most of the dross.
Ranger
Stats
A ranger’s primary stats are either Strength or Dexterity, depending on what combat style she favors, and Constitution. A ranger also benefits heavily from wisdom, which makes it easier for her to cast spells, as well as increasing the bonus for her favored enemy class feature.
Alignment
Any.
Hit Points at each level
5+1d5
Class Skills
The ranger’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level
(6 + Int modifier) ×4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level
6 + Int modifier
Table: Ranger & Spells Per Day
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort|Reflex|Will|Special|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th
1st|
+1|+2|+2|+0|Skirmish (1d6, +1AC), Weapon Style Feat, Track|1|-|-|-|-
2nd|
+2|+3|+3|+0|1st Favored Enemy, Wild Empathy, Trapfinding|2|-|-|-|-
3rd|
+3|+3|+3|+1|Weapon Style Feat, Trackless Step, Fast Movement|2|-|-|-|-
4th|
+4|+4|+4|+1|Skirmish (2d6, +2AC), Animal Companion|3|-|-|-|-
5th|
+5|+4|+4|+1|2nd Favored Enemy, Spring Attack, |3|1|-|-|-
6th|
+6/+1|+5|+5|+2|Weapon Style Feat, Flawless Stride|3|2|-|-|-
7th|
+7/+2|+5|+5|+2|Skirmish (3d6, +3AC), Swift Tracker|4|2|-|-|-
8th|
+8/+3|+6|+6|+2|Camouflage, Battle Fortitude +1|4|3|-|-|-
9th|
+9/+4|+6|+6|+3|Weapon Style Feat, Blindsense 50 ft.|4|3|1|-|-
10th|
+10/+5|+7|+7|+3|Skirmish (4d6, +4AC), 3rd Favored Enemy|4|3|2|-|-
11th|
+11/+6/+6|+7|+7|+3|Battle Fortitude +2|5|4|2|-|-
12th|
+12/+7/+7|+8|+8|+4|Weapon Style Feat, Acrobatic Charge|5|4|3|-|-
13th|
+13/+8/+8|+8|+8|+4|Skirmish (5d6, +5AC)|5|4|3|1|-
14th|
+14/+9/+9|+9|+9|+4|Hide in Plain Sight, Battle Fortitude +3|5|4|3|2|-
15th|
+15/+10/+10|+9|+9|+5|4th Favored Enemy, Weapon Style Feat|5|5|4|2|-
16th|
+16/+11/+11/+11|+10|+10|+5|Skirmish (6d6, +6AC)|5|5|4|3|-
17th|
+17/+12/+12/+12|+10|+10|+5|Free Movement, Battle Fortitude +4|5|5|4|3|1
18th|
+18/+13/+13/+13|+11|+11|+6|Weapon Style Feat|5|5|4|3|2
19th|
+19/+14/+14/+14|+11|+11|+6|Skirmish (7d6, +7AC), Blindsight 90 ft.|5|5|5|4|2
20th|
+20/+15/+15/+15|+12|+12|+6|5th Favored Enemy, Battle Fortitude +5, Master Hunter|5|5|5|4|3 [/table]
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
A ranger is proficient with all simple weapons, as well as any 5 martial weapons of her choice.
A ranger is proficient with light armor, but not with shields.
Skirmish (Ex)
A ranger relies on mobility to deal extra damage and improve her defense. She deals an extra 1d6 points of damage on all attacks she makes during any round in which she moves at least 10 feet. The extra damage applies only to attacks taken during the ranger’s turn. This extra damage increase by 1d6 for every three levels gained above 1st.
Rangers can apply this extra damage to ranged attacks made while skirmishing, but only If the target is within one-half of their weapon’s first range increment.
A ranger also gains a +1 competence bonus to AC during any round in which she moves at least 10 ft. The bonus applies as soon as the ranger has moved 10 feet and lasts until the start of her next turn. This bonus also increases by 1 for every three levels gained above 1st.
A ranger loses this ability when wearing heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load. If the ranger gains the skirmish ability from another class, the levels from both classes stack to determine her total bonus.
Weapon Style Feat
At first level, a ranger chooses a bonus feat from any of the following lists; she must still meet the prerequisites for any feat.
Two-Weapons (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12788526&postcount=2) Style
Two-Weapon Fighting
Two-Weapon Defense
Two-Weapon Rend
Improved Two-Weapon Fighting
Greater Two-Weapon Fighting
Two-Weapon Mastery
Projectile Weapons (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12895205&postcount=2) Style
Precise Shot
Manyshot
Rapid Shot
Point Blank Shot
Far Shot
Master Marksman
Two-Handed Weapon Style
WIP
Reach Weapon Style
WIP
Weapon Focus (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12530739&postcount=2) Feats
Weapon Focus
Greater Weapon Focus
Weapon Specialialization
Greater Weapon Specialization
The ranger may select an additional feat for which she meets the prerequisites at 3rd level and every 3 levels after that (6th, 9th, 12th, etc).
I'm working on improving and differentiating the various weapon styles along the following lines: Two-Handed Fighting (pure damage), Sword ‘n Board (defense, obviously), Two-weapon fighting (damage/defense hybrid), Reach (control), and Ranged (damage/defense hybrid, by virtue of being out of melee range).
I’m planning on giving various martial classes options for different styles, with the fighter and possibly the barbarian just getting enough feats to master several of the styles at once.
If none of this works for you, I suggest discussing with your players/DM about replacing these weapons styles with stuff from the Tome of Battle.
Track
The ranger gains Track as a bonus feat at first level.
Spells
Beginning at 1st level, a ranger gains the ability to cast a small number of elemental spells, which are drawn from the ranger spell list. A ranger does not need to prepare spells ahead of time, and may cast any spell she knows spontaneously, like a sorcerer.
Like other spellcasters, a ranger can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day, and gains bonus spells per day if she has a high Intellect score.
What's an "elemental" spell? No, it's not a typo, it's part of my magic fix. One piece is that the natury-types (druids, etc) get a type of magic called elemental, rather than divine. More importantly, every spell now requires a roll in order to cast, and that a caster's Wisdom score adds to that (much like attack rolls and Strength). Given the ranger's low Base Spellcraft Bonus, a decent wisdom score will be a requirement.
Another thing is that half-casters, such as rangers and paladins are getting a 5th level of spells. I've added a list at the end of this post which includes suggestions for 5th level spells and others to add. Most of them are either utility based or thematicaly appropriate.
The ranger would gain bonus spells from intellect, but with both the limited list and the increased number of base spells, I suspect most players won't feel that it's worth the MAD.
Also, due to the limited spell list, rangers can now cast spontaneously. I can picture a druid sitting and meditating to prepare spells for the day, but somehow that just doesn't seem to fit the flavor of a ranger. Plus, again with the limited list and magic nerf, I don't think this will be OP.
Favored Enemy (Ex)
A ranger specializes in hunting down and defeating certain kinds of enemies.
At 2nd level, a ranger may select a type of creature from among those given on Table: Ranger Favored Enemies (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/ranger.htm#favoredEnemy). The ranger gains a bonus on Bluff, Intimidate, Knowledge, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against creatures of this type. Likewise, she gets also gains bonus on attack and spellcraft rolls against such creatures, as well as a bonus to her AC.
This bonus is equal to the ranger’s wisdom modifier, but is capped at a value equal to her number of ranger levels+1.
At 5th level and every five levels thereafter (10th, 15th, and 20th level), the ranger may select an additional favored enemy from those given on the table, and the limit on the wisdom bonus increases by 1. If the ranger chooses humanoids or outsiders as a favored enemy, he must also choose an associated subtype, as indicated on the table. If a specific creature falls into more than one category of favored enemy, the ranger’s bonuses do not stack.
I wanted to make Wisdom more important the ranger, and since this is a key ability, it seemed like the perfect place to do it. I realize the limit on the bonus is kind of odd, but mostly I just wanted to prevent casters (who will all have high Wisdom) from dipping ranger and gaining a huge bonus.
Anyone who is pure or mostly ranger should rapidly outlevel the cap.
Wild Empathy (Ex)
Beginning at 2nd level, A ranger can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check as described in the Player’s Handbook. The ranger rolls 1d20 and adds her ranger level and her Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result.
The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly or hostile.
To use wild empathy, the ranger and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.
A ranger can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but she takes a -4 penalty on the check.
I think the Diplomacy rules as written are not gamebreaking when only use on animals, and with a little DM control it can be useful. For use against humanoid and other NPCs, I recomend The Giant's fix.
Trapfinding (Ex)
Starting at 2nd level, The ranger gets a bonus to her Search and Disable Device skill checks when using them to locate and disarm traps. This bonus starts at +1, and increases by 1 for every 5 ranger levels beyond the first. (+2 at 6th, +3 at 11th, +4 at 16th, etc).
If a character gains Trapfinding from two or more classes, the levels from the classes that grant Trapfinding stack to determine the character’s bonus.
Finding a non-magical trap has a DC of at least 20, or higher if it is well hidden. Finding a magic trap has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.
A ranger who beats a trap’s DC by 10 or more with a Disable Device check can study a trap, figure out how it works, and bypass it (with her party) without disarming it.
I've written up a little skill fix, similar to Pathfinder's in that getting cross-class skills is now actually viable, so anyone who wants should be able to locate and disarm traps with enough devoted effort, thereby eliminating the "need" to have a rogue in every group. Trapfinding now just provides rogues, rangers, and maybe barbarians a little bonus.
Trackless Step (Ex)
Beginning at 3rd level, a ranger cannot be tracked unless she wishes to leave a trail.
Fast Movement (Ex)
Beginning at 3rd level, a ranger gains a +5 ft enhancement bonus to her base land speed. This bonus increases by 5 feet every 3 levels (+10 at 6th, +15 at 9th, +30 at 18th, etc).
A ranger loses this ability when wearing heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.
Animal Companion
At 4th level, a ranger gains an animal companion selected from the following list: badger, camel, dire rat, dog, riding dog, eagle, hawk, horse (light or heavy), owl, pony, snake (Small or Medium viper), or wolf. If the campaign takes place wholly or partly in an aquatic environment, the following creatures may be added to the ranger’s list of options: manta ray, porpoise, Medium shark, and squid. This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the ranger on her adventures as appropriate for its kind.
For a full description of this feature, look here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/druid.htm#theDruidsAnimalCompanion).
A ranger of a high enough level may select from the alternative lists of animal companions, adjusting her effective level as described.
In my druid fix I removed the animal companion because frankly, the druid didn't need it. Even though it only starts at level 4, this is intended to be the full strength version, so that technically a ranger could pick from the first list of alternate companions right when she gets this ability.
Spring Attack (Ex)
Beginning at 5th level, when using the attack action you can move both before and after the attack, provided that your total distance moved is not greater than your speed. Moving in this way does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the defender you attack, though it might provoke attacks of opportunity from other creatures, if appropriate. You can’t use this feat if you are wearing heavy armor.
You are treated as if you had the Spring Attack feat for the purpose of meeting prerequisites.
Another poster helped me understand the benefits of Spring Attack better when commenting on my Rogue fix-thread, and Skirmish works so well with Spring Attack that I really couldn't imagine anyone NOT picking this feat chain. So basically I decided to just give it to the Ranger as a class feature and let players spend their first few feats however they want. You still need to take Dodge and Mobility seperately if you are worried about getting smacked as you hop around the battlefield.
Flawless Stride (Ex)
Starting at 6th level, a ranger can move through any sort of terrain that slows movement (such as undergrowth, rubble, and similar terrain) at her normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment.
This ability does not let her move more quickly through terrain that requires a Climb or Swim Check to navigate.
In areas that have been magically manipulated to impeded motion, a ranger gets a bonus to any check made to move through the area, including skill and ability checks, equal to one-half her ranger level.
A ranger loses this ability when wearing heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.
Swift Tracker (Ex)
Beginning at 7th level, a ranger can move at her normal speed while following tracks without taking the normal -5 penalty. She takes only a -10 penalty (instead of the normal -20) when moving at up to twice normal speed while tracking.
Camouflage (Ex)
A ranger of 8th level or higher can use the Hide skill in any sort of natural terrain, even if the terrain doesn’t grant cover or concealment.
Battle Fortitude (Ex)
Starting at 8th level, a ranger gains a +1 competence bonus on all Saves and Initiative checks. This bonus increases by 1 for every three levels above 8th.
A ranger loses this ability when wearing heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.
Blindsense (Ex)
At 9th level, a ranger gains the blindsense (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm) ability out to 50 ft. This ability functions as described on page 306 of the Monster Manual or on the SRD.
Acrobatic Charge (Ex)
A ranger of 12th level or higher can charge in situations where others cannot. She may charge over difficult terrain that normally slows movement, or past allies blocking her path. This ability enables her to run down steep slopes, vault over ledges and small cliffs, and tumble past debris to get to her target. Depending on the circumstances, she may still need to make appropriate skill checks (particularly jump or tumble checks) to successfully move over the terrain.
Hide in Plain Sight (Ex)
A ranger of 14th level or higher can use the Hide skill even while being observed.
Free Movement (Ex)
At 17th level and higher, a ranger can slip out of bonds, grapples, and even confining spells easily. This ability duplicates the effects of a freedom of movement spell, except it is always active.
Blindsight (Ex)
At 19th level a ranger gains the blindsight (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm) ability out to 60 ft. Her senses become so acute that she can maneuver and fight flawlessly even in total darkness. Invisibility, darkness, and most kinds of concealment are irrelevant, though a ranger must have line of effect to a creature or object to discern it.
Master Hunter (Ex)
At 20th level, a ranger is so legendary a hunter that she gains the Frightful Presence ability. Whenever the ranger charges or attacks, any creature within 30 feet that can see or hear her and shares a type with one of her Favored Enemies must make a saving throw (DC 10+her wisdom modifier) or be shaken for 1 minute. Unlike other Frightful Presence abilities, the ranger affects any Favored Enemy, regardless of whether its HD is higher than hers.
Additionally, a ranger receives DR X/- against attacks made ad spells cast by her Favored Enemies, where X is equal to her wisdom modifier.
Spell List Additions
1st
Cure Minor Wounds, Detect Magic, Know Direction, Light
2nd
Animal Trance, Bane, Blur, Bull's Strength, Faerie Fire, Sleep
3rd
Arcane Sight, Locate Object, Keen Edge
4th
Haste, Heal Animal Companion (like Heal Mount but slightly different, obviously), Nondetection, Slow
5th
Confusion, Cure Critical Wounds, Summon Nature's Ally V, Find the Path, Ironwood, Locate Creature, Legend Lore, True Seeing
Conclusion
I realize that the new abilities run dry a bit past level 10, but frankly I think I'm still doing better than WotC and their 5 dead levels. If anyone can come up with any good suggestions I'd take them under consideration.
This is the next part of my ongoing project to rejigger the 11 core classes so that they are a little more balanced in terms of both power and versatility. In addition to changing each character class, I've also reworked the functionality of magic and am currently in the process of redoing individual spells, which would be going quicker if I didn't keep getting distracted by other things that also need fixing, like the combat styles.
My goal is to aim for about tier 3, while also not losing the the flavor and fun and individuality of the seperate classes; I'm not certain exactly where I'll end up. Some well-played characters might still feel like low tier 2, and a other poorly built classes might drop to tier 4, but hopefully the difference will be less.
Extended Rant (further explanations can also be found in the spoilered text)
After my last fix, the rogue, where I basically mushed 3 classes together (rogue, ninja, and swashbuckler) I was kind of feeling guilty about doing the same thing to the ranger and the scout, whose similarity has been mentioned once or twice noted occasionaly widely documented.
But then I had an epiphany. One of the biggest issues with melee classes is that they are only good at combat, and sometimes even just one kind of combat. Apparently the core rules considered it fair that it takes the same level of skill to master one particular fighting style as it does to learn every concievable kind of arcane magic. This is like if WotC designed a wizard who could only cast abjuration spells and another wizard who could only cast divination spells and called them two seperate classes. This is the kind of thinking that gives us both the Duskblade, a shadowy-themed melee/magic hybrid, and the Hexblade, a shadowy-themed melee/magic hybrid; anyone who would like to explain the thematic difference to me and why those two shouldn't ALSO be eligible for a mashup can have a cookie.
Because this game is supposed to be, above all else, FUN, I do not plan on restricting wizards to a single school of spells, but that means I also need to find more for some melee classes to do. So I plan to continue happily combining similar melee classes to get the best of both, and hopefully leave behind most of the dross.
Ranger
Stats
A ranger’s primary stats are either Strength or Dexterity, depending on what combat style she favors, and Constitution. A ranger also benefits heavily from wisdom, which makes it easier for her to cast spells, as well as increasing the bonus for her favored enemy class feature.
Alignment
Any.
Hit Points at each level
5+1d5
Class Skills
The ranger’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level
(6 + Int modifier) ×4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level
6 + Int modifier
Table: Ranger & Spells Per Day
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort|Reflex|Will|Special|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th
1st|
+1|+2|+2|+0|Skirmish (1d6, +1AC), Weapon Style Feat, Track|1|-|-|-|-
2nd|
+2|+3|+3|+0|1st Favored Enemy, Wild Empathy, Trapfinding|2|-|-|-|-
3rd|
+3|+3|+3|+1|Weapon Style Feat, Trackless Step, Fast Movement|2|-|-|-|-
4th|
+4|+4|+4|+1|Skirmish (2d6, +2AC), Animal Companion|3|-|-|-|-
5th|
+5|+4|+4|+1|2nd Favored Enemy, Spring Attack, |3|1|-|-|-
6th|
+6/+1|+5|+5|+2|Weapon Style Feat, Flawless Stride|3|2|-|-|-
7th|
+7/+2|+5|+5|+2|Skirmish (3d6, +3AC), Swift Tracker|4|2|-|-|-
8th|
+8/+3|+6|+6|+2|Camouflage, Battle Fortitude +1|4|3|-|-|-
9th|
+9/+4|+6|+6|+3|Weapon Style Feat, Blindsense 50 ft.|4|3|1|-|-
10th|
+10/+5|+7|+7|+3|Skirmish (4d6, +4AC), 3rd Favored Enemy|4|3|2|-|-
11th|
+11/+6/+6|+7|+7|+3|Battle Fortitude +2|5|4|2|-|-
12th|
+12/+7/+7|+8|+8|+4|Weapon Style Feat, Acrobatic Charge|5|4|3|-|-
13th|
+13/+8/+8|+8|+8|+4|Skirmish (5d6, +5AC)|5|4|3|1|-
14th|
+14/+9/+9|+9|+9|+4|Hide in Plain Sight, Battle Fortitude +3|5|4|3|2|-
15th|
+15/+10/+10|+9|+9|+5|4th Favored Enemy, Weapon Style Feat|5|5|4|2|-
16th|
+16/+11/+11/+11|+10|+10|+5|Skirmish (6d6, +6AC)|5|5|4|3|-
17th|
+17/+12/+12/+12|+10|+10|+5|Free Movement, Battle Fortitude +4|5|5|4|3|1
18th|
+18/+13/+13/+13|+11|+11|+6|Weapon Style Feat|5|5|4|3|2
19th|
+19/+14/+14/+14|+11|+11|+6|Skirmish (7d6, +7AC), Blindsight 90 ft.|5|5|5|4|2
20th|
+20/+15/+15/+15|+12|+12|+6|5th Favored Enemy, Battle Fortitude +5, Master Hunter|5|5|5|4|3 [/table]
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
A ranger is proficient with all simple weapons, as well as any 5 martial weapons of her choice.
A ranger is proficient with light armor, but not with shields.
Skirmish (Ex)
A ranger relies on mobility to deal extra damage and improve her defense. She deals an extra 1d6 points of damage on all attacks she makes during any round in which she moves at least 10 feet. The extra damage applies only to attacks taken during the ranger’s turn. This extra damage increase by 1d6 for every three levels gained above 1st.
Rangers can apply this extra damage to ranged attacks made while skirmishing, but only If the target is within one-half of their weapon’s first range increment.
A ranger also gains a +1 competence bonus to AC during any round in which she moves at least 10 ft. The bonus applies as soon as the ranger has moved 10 feet and lasts until the start of her next turn. This bonus also increases by 1 for every three levels gained above 1st.
A ranger loses this ability when wearing heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load. If the ranger gains the skirmish ability from another class, the levels from both classes stack to determine her total bonus.
Weapon Style Feat
At first level, a ranger chooses a bonus feat from any of the following lists; she must still meet the prerequisites for any feat.
Two-Weapons (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12788526&postcount=2) Style
Two-Weapon Fighting
Two-Weapon Defense
Two-Weapon Rend
Improved Two-Weapon Fighting
Greater Two-Weapon Fighting
Two-Weapon Mastery
Projectile Weapons (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12895205&postcount=2) Style
Precise Shot
Manyshot
Rapid Shot
Point Blank Shot
Far Shot
Master Marksman
Two-Handed Weapon Style
WIP
Reach Weapon Style
WIP
Weapon Focus (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12530739&postcount=2) Feats
Weapon Focus
Greater Weapon Focus
Weapon Specialialization
Greater Weapon Specialization
The ranger may select an additional feat for which she meets the prerequisites at 3rd level and every 3 levels after that (6th, 9th, 12th, etc).
I'm working on improving and differentiating the various weapon styles along the following lines: Two-Handed Fighting (pure damage), Sword ‘n Board (defense, obviously), Two-weapon fighting (damage/defense hybrid), Reach (control), and Ranged (damage/defense hybrid, by virtue of being out of melee range).
I’m planning on giving various martial classes options for different styles, with the fighter and possibly the barbarian just getting enough feats to master several of the styles at once.
If none of this works for you, I suggest discussing with your players/DM about replacing these weapons styles with stuff from the Tome of Battle.
Track
The ranger gains Track as a bonus feat at first level.
Spells
Beginning at 1st level, a ranger gains the ability to cast a small number of elemental spells, which are drawn from the ranger spell list. A ranger does not need to prepare spells ahead of time, and may cast any spell she knows spontaneously, like a sorcerer.
Like other spellcasters, a ranger can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day, and gains bonus spells per day if she has a high Intellect score.
What's an "elemental" spell? No, it's not a typo, it's part of my magic fix. One piece is that the natury-types (druids, etc) get a type of magic called elemental, rather than divine. More importantly, every spell now requires a roll in order to cast, and that a caster's Wisdom score adds to that (much like attack rolls and Strength). Given the ranger's low Base Spellcraft Bonus, a decent wisdom score will be a requirement.
Another thing is that half-casters, such as rangers and paladins are getting a 5th level of spells. I've added a list at the end of this post which includes suggestions for 5th level spells and others to add. Most of them are either utility based or thematicaly appropriate.
The ranger would gain bonus spells from intellect, but with both the limited list and the increased number of base spells, I suspect most players won't feel that it's worth the MAD.
Also, due to the limited spell list, rangers can now cast spontaneously. I can picture a druid sitting and meditating to prepare spells for the day, but somehow that just doesn't seem to fit the flavor of a ranger. Plus, again with the limited list and magic nerf, I don't think this will be OP.
Favored Enemy (Ex)
A ranger specializes in hunting down and defeating certain kinds of enemies.
At 2nd level, a ranger may select a type of creature from among those given on Table: Ranger Favored Enemies (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/ranger.htm#favoredEnemy). The ranger gains a bonus on Bluff, Intimidate, Knowledge, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against creatures of this type. Likewise, she gets also gains bonus on attack and spellcraft rolls against such creatures, as well as a bonus to her AC.
This bonus is equal to the ranger’s wisdom modifier, but is capped at a value equal to her number of ranger levels+1.
At 5th level and every five levels thereafter (10th, 15th, and 20th level), the ranger may select an additional favored enemy from those given on the table, and the limit on the wisdom bonus increases by 1. If the ranger chooses humanoids or outsiders as a favored enemy, he must also choose an associated subtype, as indicated on the table. If a specific creature falls into more than one category of favored enemy, the ranger’s bonuses do not stack.
I wanted to make Wisdom more important the ranger, and since this is a key ability, it seemed like the perfect place to do it. I realize the limit on the bonus is kind of odd, but mostly I just wanted to prevent casters (who will all have high Wisdom) from dipping ranger and gaining a huge bonus.
Anyone who is pure or mostly ranger should rapidly outlevel the cap.
Wild Empathy (Ex)
Beginning at 2nd level, A ranger can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check as described in the Player’s Handbook. The ranger rolls 1d20 and adds her ranger level and her Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result.
The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly or hostile.
To use wild empathy, the ranger and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.
A ranger can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but she takes a -4 penalty on the check.
I think the Diplomacy rules as written are not gamebreaking when only use on animals, and with a little DM control it can be useful. For use against humanoid and other NPCs, I recomend The Giant's fix.
Trapfinding (Ex)
Starting at 2nd level, The ranger gets a bonus to her Search and Disable Device skill checks when using them to locate and disarm traps. This bonus starts at +1, and increases by 1 for every 5 ranger levels beyond the first. (+2 at 6th, +3 at 11th, +4 at 16th, etc).
If a character gains Trapfinding from two or more classes, the levels from the classes that grant Trapfinding stack to determine the character’s bonus.
Finding a non-magical trap has a DC of at least 20, or higher if it is well hidden. Finding a magic trap has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.
A ranger who beats a trap’s DC by 10 or more with a Disable Device check can study a trap, figure out how it works, and bypass it (with her party) without disarming it.
I've written up a little skill fix, similar to Pathfinder's in that getting cross-class skills is now actually viable, so anyone who wants should be able to locate and disarm traps with enough devoted effort, thereby eliminating the "need" to have a rogue in every group. Trapfinding now just provides rogues, rangers, and maybe barbarians a little bonus.
Trackless Step (Ex)
Beginning at 3rd level, a ranger cannot be tracked unless she wishes to leave a trail.
Fast Movement (Ex)
Beginning at 3rd level, a ranger gains a +5 ft enhancement bonus to her base land speed. This bonus increases by 5 feet every 3 levels (+10 at 6th, +15 at 9th, +30 at 18th, etc).
A ranger loses this ability when wearing heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.
Animal Companion
At 4th level, a ranger gains an animal companion selected from the following list: badger, camel, dire rat, dog, riding dog, eagle, hawk, horse (light or heavy), owl, pony, snake (Small or Medium viper), or wolf. If the campaign takes place wholly or partly in an aquatic environment, the following creatures may be added to the ranger’s list of options: manta ray, porpoise, Medium shark, and squid. This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the ranger on her adventures as appropriate for its kind.
For a full description of this feature, look here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/druid.htm#theDruidsAnimalCompanion).
A ranger of a high enough level may select from the alternative lists of animal companions, adjusting her effective level as described.
In my druid fix I removed the animal companion because frankly, the druid didn't need it. Even though it only starts at level 4, this is intended to be the full strength version, so that technically a ranger could pick from the first list of alternate companions right when she gets this ability.
Spring Attack (Ex)
Beginning at 5th level, when using the attack action you can move both before and after the attack, provided that your total distance moved is not greater than your speed. Moving in this way does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the defender you attack, though it might provoke attacks of opportunity from other creatures, if appropriate. You can’t use this feat if you are wearing heavy armor.
You are treated as if you had the Spring Attack feat for the purpose of meeting prerequisites.
Another poster helped me understand the benefits of Spring Attack better when commenting on my Rogue fix-thread, and Skirmish works so well with Spring Attack that I really couldn't imagine anyone NOT picking this feat chain. So basically I decided to just give it to the Ranger as a class feature and let players spend their first few feats however they want. You still need to take Dodge and Mobility seperately if you are worried about getting smacked as you hop around the battlefield.
Flawless Stride (Ex)
Starting at 6th level, a ranger can move through any sort of terrain that slows movement (such as undergrowth, rubble, and similar terrain) at her normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment.
This ability does not let her move more quickly through terrain that requires a Climb or Swim Check to navigate.
In areas that have been magically manipulated to impeded motion, a ranger gets a bonus to any check made to move through the area, including skill and ability checks, equal to one-half her ranger level.
A ranger loses this ability when wearing heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.
Swift Tracker (Ex)
Beginning at 7th level, a ranger can move at her normal speed while following tracks without taking the normal -5 penalty. She takes only a -10 penalty (instead of the normal -20) when moving at up to twice normal speed while tracking.
Camouflage (Ex)
A ranger of 8th level or higher can use the Hide skill in any sort of natural terrain, even if the terrain doesn’t grant cover or concealment.
Battle Fortitude (Ex)
Starting at 8th level, a ranger gains a +1 competence bonus on all Saves and Initiative checks. This bonus increases by 1 for every three levels above 8th.
A ranger loses this ability when wearing heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.
Blindsense (Ex)
At 9th level, a ranger gains the blindsense (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm) ability out to 50 ft. This ability functions as described on page 306 of the Monster Manual or on the SRD.
Acrobatic Charge (Ex)
A ranger of 12th level or higher can charge in situations where others cannot. She may charge over difficult terrain that normally slows movement, or past allies blocking her path. This ability enables her to run down steep slopes, vault over ledges and small cliffs, and tumble past debris to get to her target. Depending on the circumstances, she may still need to make appropriate skill checks (particularly jump or tumble checks) to successfully move over the terrain.
Hide in Plain Sight (Ex)
A ranger of 14th level or higher can use the Hide skill even while being observed.
Free Movement (Ex)
At 17th level and higher, a ranger can slip out of bonds, grapples, and even confining spells easily. This ability duplicates the effects of a freedom of movement spell, except it is always active.
Blindsight (Ex)
At 19th level a ranger gains the blindsight (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm) ability out to 60 ft. Her senses become so acute that she can maneuver and fight flawlessly even in total darkness. Invisibility, darkness, and most kinds of concealment are irrelevant, though a ranger must have line of effect to a creature or object to discern it.
Master Hunter (Ex)
At 20th level, a ranger is so legendary a hunter that she gains the Frightful Presence ability. Whenever the ranger charges or attacks, any creature within 30 feet that can see or hear her and shares a type with one of her Favored Enemies must make a saving throw (DC 10+her wisdom modifier) or be shaken for 1 minute. Unlike other Frightful Presence abilities, the ranger affects any Favored Enemy, regardless of whether its HD is higher than hers.
Additionally, a ranger receives DR X/- against attacks made ad spells cast by her Favored Enemies, where X is equal to her wisdom modifier.
Spell List Additions
1st
Cure Minor Wounds, Detect Magic, Know Direction, Light
2nd
Animal Trance, Bane, Blur, Bull's Strength, Faerie Fire, Sleep
3rd
Arcane Sight, Locate Object, Keen Edge
4th
Haste, Heal Animal Companion (like Heal Mount but slightly different, obviously), Nondetection, Slow
5th
Confusion, Cure Critical Wounds, Summon Nature's Ally V, Find the Path, Ironwood, Locate Creature, Legend Lore, True Seeing
Conclusion
I realize that the new abilities run dry a bit past level 10, but frankly I think I'm still doing better than WotC and their 5 dead levels. If anyone can come up with any good suggestions I'd take them under consideration.