Ranger Alternative Class Feature: Foehunter

[Ziegander]

Foehunter Alternate Class Feature
Level: 1st
Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain Favored Enemy (or any later improvements to that feature), or Combat Style (and the later improvements to Combat Style).

Benefit: Once per day, by spending 1 hour contemplating on your hate for a specific creature type you can focus your efforts to eradicating their existence gaining increasing bonuses to help out with such endeavors. When choosing a specific creature type you must choose from the Ranger's list of Favored Enemies.

The first boon granted, from 1st level onward, you gain a +2 damage bonus against your chosen foes. Further, you gain the ability to ignore an amount of Damage Reduction, Natural Armor, and Energy Resistance of his chosen foes equal to 1/2 the damage bonus granted to you by this feature, as well as the ability to ignore such foes' immunity to critical hits.

The second boon granted, from 4th level onward, is the ability to thwart the scent qualities of your chosen foes, as well as increasing your threat range against them by 1. The damage bonus from this feature increases to +4.

The third boon granted, from 7th level onward, is the ability to thwart the blindsense or tremorsense qualities of your chosen foes, but also the ability to ignore the concealment of such foes, even that derived by incorporeality, unless it is total concealment which isn't derived from incorporeality. The damage bonus from this feature increases to +6.

The fourth boon granted, from 10th level onward, is the ability to negate the effects of Fast Healing or Regeneration of your chosen foes each round you deal them damage, as well as increasing your critical multiplier against them by 1. The damage bonus from this feature increases to +8.

The fifth boon granted, from 13th level onward, is the ability to thwart any Divination spells or effects used against you by your chosen foes, acting as though you simply do not exist. The damage bonus from this feature increases to +10.

The sixth boon granted, from the 16th level onward, is the ability to slay your chosen foes with a loathsome strike, anytime you confirm a critical hit against your chosen foes they must succeed on a Fort save (DC 10+1/2 Class Level+Your Charisma modifier) or be slain outright. This can even effect foes normally immune to death effects. Further your threat range against your chosen foes increases by an additional 1. The damage bonus from this feature increases to +12.

The seventh boon granted, from 19th level onward, is the ability to ignore any Blind-Sight or True Seeing qualities or abilities of your chosen foes, as well as increasing your critical multiplier against them by an additional 1. The damage bonus from this feature increases to +14.

[Ziegander]

Swift Foehunter
Prerequisites: Foehunter Alternate Class Feature, Skirmish +1d6/+1AC
Benefit: Your Ranger and Scout levels stack for the purposes of determining the extra damage and bonus to AC granted when skirmishing.
Your Ranger and Scout levels also stack for the purposes of determining the boons and damage bonus granted by your Foehunter Alternate Class Feature.
In addition, your skirmish extra damage applies against any creature you have selected with your Foehunter Alternate Class Feature even if it is normally immune to critical hits or skirmish attacks.
Special: A Scout can select Swift Foehunter as one of her Scout bonus feats.

[Pramxnim]

Very nifty alternate class feature you've got there, at least in terms of crunch. I like the versatility it gives a ranger, but I don't like the fluff. It implies that rangers are world-loathing emos who gather up their hatred every day, each time for a different thing. I also would rather replace the mediocre animal companion instead of the combat styles.

[lsfreak]

Originally Posted by Pramxnim

It implies that rangers are world-loathing emos who gather up their hatred every day, each time for a different thing.

Personally, I'd change it to instead refreshing your memory of strengths, weaknesses, and so on of your chosen foe. Make it more like preparing spells, perhaps even include the requirement of having a personal book/scroll filled with notes from experiences, bestiaries, and the like.

[Ziegander]

Originally Posted by lsfreak

Personally, I'd change it to instead refreshing your memory of strengths, weaknesses, and so on of your chosen foe. Make it more like preparing spells, perhaps even include the requirement of having a personal book/scroll filled with notes from experiences, bestiaries, and the like.

I like this. I'll get on it soon enough.

And about the Animal Companion... I may do this, however aren't there other ACFs that handle switching that out? Ah, right, the Distracting Attack one in PHB2 at the very least.