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Judging__Eagle
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### Bitter killers of everything (aka. Rangers)

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Post by Judging__Eagle » Thu Oct 02, 2008 6:10 am

Rangers are... balanced
That's hilarious, but it's true.
The PHB ranger can hold their own against challenges of their CR all the way through the game.
Of course, this is done through very specific builds (archery + hiding), but it does work. The problem is that most people want to use swowdz, and rangers can't. As a result when someone want to play a quiet guy that clubs people to death with a 15" rusted nail or chops them up with a silver machete can't accomplish that in a manner that is acceptable.
Ranger
"The golem flexes at the joints in its arms and legs, right? I can break it no problem. Pass me a sledge-hammer and let's get the Artifact of Mass Resurrection that it's guarding. Just don't get in front of me when I'm channeling my Bear companion spirit, it wouldn't be pretty."
Playing a Ranger: You have a goal. It involves doing things. Sometimes killing things is part of it, so you've learned some basics on ending the existence of things. At the same time, you know that getting into fights will get you killed, so you've learned how to avoid what fights you can. Sometimes it involves moving through places with no nearby towns, inns or even roads, so you've learned how to get around in places that most people aren't familiar with.
Alignment: Rangers tend towards lawful; usually they have a specific goal that they are moving towards. Staying with a specific goal tends to make a person able to stick to what they say they wanted to do.
Rangers also tend to not be good. They tend to stick to pre-determined goals and are not unwilling to commit ungood acts towards furthering their goals completion. For many rangers, the goal justifies any method used to acheive it.
Races: Races that live in or by unexplored or uninhabited territory, Races that can live in isolation from others of the same species. Pretty much any race could have rangers, so long as individuals of the species are able to travel apart or alone from the bulk of their race's society.
Starting Gold: As Ranger.
Starting Age: As Ranger.
Hit Die: d8
Class Skills: The Ranger's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Craft (Int)
Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex) Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all skills individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skills/Level: 6 + Intelligence Bonus
BAB: Good (1/1), Saves: Fort: Poor; Reflex: Good; Will: Good
Level Benefit

1. 1 Know Your Foes, Ranger Lore, Killing Knowledge, Track, Spiritual Communion, Spell Casting
2. 2 Unencumbered Attack +1
3. 3 Great Fortitude, Totem
4. 4 Companion Spirit [Animal, Vermin, Magical Beast, Fey]
5. 5 Wild Empathy, Totem
6. 6 Swift Tracker,
7. 7 Companion Spirit [Giant, Humanoid, Ooze], Totem
8. 8 Unencumbered Attack +2
9. 9 Woodland Stride, Totem
10. 10 Evasion
11. 11 Totem
12. 12 No sheild to hide behind, Unencumbered Attack +3
13. 13 Companion Spirit [Dragon, Aberration, Outsider], Totem
14. 14 Universal Empathy, Improved Communion
15. 15 Totem
16. 16
17. 17 Totem
18. 18
19. 19 Totem
20. 20

Know your foes: A Ranger mus know their enemies in order to stop them from being in the way of their goals.
As an Immediate action a Ranger can Identify enemies by making a lvl check against a a DC of 10 + the creature's racial CR (that is, CR before any class levels).
This identification check garners the exact same information as an appropriate Knowledge check would. Additionally, the rules from Dead Book (tm) for identifying a Monster's Special Attacks, Special Qualities and Vunerabilities may also be used. The check made to identify a monster's various features are seperate Knowledge checks with the same DC as the Identification check.
Ranger Lore: You may make untrained Knowledge skill checks. You add your Ranger class levels to any knowledge check that you make. If you have at least 1 rank in any knowledge skill you gain the Skill Focus Feat for that Knowledge Skill.
Killing Knowledge: A Ranger's Skill Ranks can help them determine the best way to destroy their enemies. Rangers may add their skill ranks in damage against the appropriate Foes, up to a maximum of their Ranger class levels +3. This bonus damage only applies to BaB derived attacks. This damage is added after all other sources of damage are caclulated on a target and cannot be multiplied by any method.
Below is the list of skills and the enemies that they are effective against.
Note: Some creatures appear under more than one heading. You may only use one skill's ranks to determine bonus damage.
Heal : Humanoids, Giants, Animals, Magical Beasts, Monsterous Humanoids
Knowledge (Arcana): Constructs, Dragons, Magical beasts
Knowledge (Architecture and engineering): Buildings, Bridges, Fortifications, Siege Engines, Mechanical Devices, Constructs
Knowledge (Dungeoneering): Aberrations, Oozes, Vermin*
Knowledge (Nature): Animals, Fey, Giants, Monstrous humanoids, Plants, Vermin, Humanoids
Knowledge (Religion): Undead, Divine Beings, Outsiders (With Alignment Subtype only)
Knowledge (The Planes): Outsiders, Elementals, Any creature with a Planar
*Note: Vermin are usually identified by the Knowledge (Nature) skill; however Vermin in D&D land are not insects in that they have Darkvision, lack Scent and are mindless; all things that are the opposite of real life insects (real life insects rely on light to see, scent to follow trails and not only learn, but some species can be trained).
Spiritual Communion: Rangers are in touch with the worlds between other worlds, and can use this extra persective to give them an extra advantage in thier struggles to acheive their goals.
As a swift action, a Ranger may establish a connection with the spirits that are in their current surroundings. This communion allows the Ranger to re-roll any dice roll that they make, but are then forced to take the result of this new roll. A Ranger is able to maintain this communion as a Non-Action gor a number of rounds equal to their Ranger level.
Track: You can track and gain the Track [Skill] Feat.
Great Fortitude: As the [Combat] feat
Unencumbered Attack: When wearing armour that has an Armour Check Penalty lower than 1/2 their Ranger level, a Ranger gets an extra attack at their highest attack bonus when attacking with ranged weapons or when fighting with one melee weapon in each hand. A Ranger gains more Unencumbered Attacks as their gain in levels.
Companion Spirit: Rangers are in touch with the very spirits of the megaverse. Often these spirits will coalese into a creature to aid the Ranger. A Companion Spirit takes on the form of a creature whose CR is the Ranger's CR-2. If the creature form that the Companion Spirit takes is killed, the Ranger may recall it with a 1 hour ritual.
Wild Empathy: A Ranger may make Diplomacy checks with creatures that cannot normally speak, but are alive (Essentially everything that is not a Construct or Undead, and cannot normally speak). A Ranger may add their class levels and Wisdom modifier to this Diplomacy check.
Woodland Stride: A Ranger is not slowed down by difficult terrain or other effects that make the terrain that they are crossing more difficult to cross
Swift Tracker: A Ranger can move at his normal speed while following tracks without taking the normal -5 penalty. They take only a -10 penalty (instead of the normal -20) when moving at up to twice normal speed while tracking.
Evasion: A Ranger can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If they make a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, they instead take no damage. Evasion can be used only if the Ranger is wearing armour whose armour check penalty is greater than 1/2 their Ranger levels. A helpless Ranger does not gain the benefit of evasion. If the Ranger already has Evasion from an other source, this ability becomes upgraded to Improved Evasion. This ability works like evasion, except that while the Ranger still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks henceforth they take only half damage on a failed save. A helpless Ranger does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
No sheild to hide behind: As long as a Ranger is not using any form of sheild, they may add the enchancement bonus of any weapons that they are currently wielding as a enhancement bonus to their sheild Armour Class.
Universal Empathy: A Ranger's Wild Empathy ability may be used on anything with a charisma score.
Totems
Hide like a Black Panther: Burn your Communion to gain +X to your hide and move silently checks for one round. At level A, you are affected as by the Invisibility spell, at level B as if by Improved Invisibility. at level C as if by the Blink spell, with no miss chance on your own attacks.
Tiger's Ferocity: If you expend your Spirtial Communion, you gain, for one round, the following benefits: Any time you strike in melee, you may initiate a grapple. While in a grapple, you may attack as much as you could as if you weren't in the grapple. While grappling, your armour class is counted as full, while those you are grappling with count as if they are flatfooted. At level A, you count as if all of your extremities and mouths are natural weapons that deal damage appropriate for a creature one size category smaller than yourself. At level B, your
Speed of the Deer: If you expend your Spiritual Communion, for one roung you gain an insight bonus to your speed of +30', and all of your jump checks are divided by 5. Additionally, at level A, you may cast Dimension Door with a caster level equal to your Ranger level, at level B you may cast Plane Shift with a limitation on the target that it can only be yourself and willing creatures.
Eyes of the Eagle: Expend your Spiritual Communion to gain +1/2 your class level to spot and search checks for one round. At level A, you also gain the benefit of the See Invisible spell, at level B you gain the benefit of the Arcane Eye spell, at level C you can the benefit of the True Seeing spell.
Tough as a bear: Expend SC, Gain gain +X AC, At level A, gain DR X/-, at level B gain Fast Healing X, at level C gain Regeneration (only "unaligned natural attacks" (?) deal lethal damage to you
Strong as a bull: Expend SC, gain +X to all Strength-based rolls and skill checks, at level A you may charge through occupied squares, you must make a successful bullrush or overrun attempt to continue moving through an occupied square and can only continue with your charge if the creature is moved out of your way, or is continuing to move out of your way. At level B you may
Brave as a Wolverine: Expend SC, gain a +X bonus to all saving throws, at level A
Jaws of the crocodile:
Relentlessness of the Wolf
Cunning like a Fox
:
Spell List:
0:
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
Added some more abilities, and yeah, it's looking a lot like the fighter and/or monk. A bit of both really. The "fighting styles" scale, but are set in stone (maybe make a list of them? allow selection of them) and are fueled by "combat focus."
Last edited by Judging__Eagle on Thu Dec 18, 2008 12:13 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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Maxus
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Post by Maxus » Thu Oct 02, 2008 7:10 pm

I like the quote.
I'll just reserve this space for comment when you get more of the abilities set out.
He jumps like a damned dragoon, and charges into battle fighting rather insane monsters with little more than his bare hands and rather nasty spell effects conjured up solely through knowledge and the local plantlife. He unerringly knows where his goal lies, he breathes underwater and is untroubled by space travel, seems to have no limits to his actual endurance and favors killing his enemies by driving both boots square into their skull. His agility is unmatched, and his strength legendary, able to fling about a turtle shell big enough to contain a man with enough force to barrel down a near endless path of unfortunates.
--The horror of Mario
Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath. He is a terrible person and a hack at writing and art. His cultural contributions are less than Justin Bieber's, and he's a shitmuffin. Go go gadget Googlebomb!
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Cynic
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Post by Cynic » Thu Oct 02, 2008 7:40 pm

I'm just amused at the B.R.A.E connotation. Rangers -- they be your braahs -- hoorah.
~

> Ancient History wrote:We were working on Street Magic, and Frank asked me if a houngan had run over my dog.

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Judging__Eagle
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Post by Judging__Eagle » Sat Oct 04, 2008 3:32 pm

Maxus,
The quote is how I would try to sum up the class. They kill shit with supreme prejudice, but not b/c they enjoy killing shit. They enjoy completing their goals.
I don't know if they'll turn into a boba fett class though.

> A_Cynic wrote:I'm just amused at the B.R.A.E connotation. Rangers -- they be your braahs -- hoorah.
> ~

I have no idea what this means. At all. Google mentions some islands off of the coast of scotland, golf courses and water collection systems.
Last edited by Judging__Eagle on Sat Oct 04, 2008 3:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Judging__Eagle
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Post by Judging__Eagle » Thu Dec 18, 2008 12:19 pm

Added some more things. I changed the quote a bit Maxus, I hope you don't mind that much.
Some ideas are based on previous discussions and other ranger classes that were put up here (the Spirit Ranger and Ranger Lord).
But this class' mechanics are inspired by elements of the Bards? class, the RoW Fighter and the Dunge. Monk.
I'm trying to go for a mix between Bravestarr (from the cartoon series), and Iri (from the Wayfarer's Moon webcomic, it's very well drawn for web standards, probably good enough for print standards imo, it has a slightly not as "pushed" drawing style that is really popular in many comics though).
I'm debating spell casting over Totems, and I'm leaning more towards Totems, other input would be appreciated.
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zeruslord
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Post by zeruslord » Thu Dec 18, 2008 9:14 pm

I dislike the combination of identification/monster hate and communion with nature, because the flavor is rather jarring. It's like saying "I focused on killing particular creatures and I love nature." This division is actually why Bigode wrote two ranger classes.
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zeruslord
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Post by zeruslord » Thu Dec 18, 2008 9:16 pm

I dislike the combination of identification/monster hate and communion with nature, because the flavor is rather jarring. It's like saying "I focused on killing particular creatures and I love nature." This division is actually why Boolean wrote two ranger classes.
edit: stupid people with 'B' names.
Last edited by zeruslord on Fri Dec 19, 2008 2:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Bigode
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Post by Bigode » Thu Dec 18, 2008 9:27 pm

Wow, I'm being credited with Boolean's work! In fact, I proposed (and tried, BTW, and don't think it ended badly) fusing his 2 classes ... Anyway, you could love nature understood as natural environment and hate everything else. Though I think that between all rangers here, the 2 by Boolean should be one, and JE's and 0's should be one as well. So 2, not 4. But YMMV.
Last edited by Bigode on Thu Dec 18, 2008 9:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

> Hans Freyer, s.b.u.h. wrote:A manly, a bold tone prevails in history. He who has the grip has the booty.

> Huston Smith wrote:Life gives us no view of the whole. We see only snatches here and there, (...)

> brotherfrancis75 wrote:Perhaps you imagine that Ayn Rand is our friend? And the Mont Pelerin Society? No, those are but the more subtle versions of the Bolshevik Communist Revolution you imagine you reject. (...) FOX NEWS IS ALSO COMMUNIST!

> LDSChristian wrote:True. I do wonder which is worse: killing so many people like Hitler did or denying Christ 3 times like Peter did.

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Judging__Eagle
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Post by Judging__Eagle » Fri Dec 19, 2008 12:48 am

I dunno, I sort of like the dichotomy of someone that can both keep in tune with the spirits around them and is going to kill things that get in their way.
I know what it might need, a code of conduct.
There seriously needs to be a ranger who lives in dungeons, guards the aberrations and oozes inside, and wtfpwns the stupid bears and bats that try to enter or prey on her chosen wards.
Also, it's not so hard to imagine someone that knows a lot about creatures in general, wouldn't also be fairly knowledgable in how they can be harmed.
Hell, this class should have built-in healing as well.
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ZER0
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Post by ZER0 » Fri Dec 19, 2008 3:01 am

> Judging__Eagle wrote:Evasion can be used only if the Ranger is wearing armour whose armour check penalty is greater than 1/2 their Ranger levels.

You mean 'lower than', right?
Anyway, I don't see that any of the four classes need a fusion. I could see all four classes being available; different regions/nations/organisations produce different Rangers. Mine and JE's could be the "Eastern Frontier Hunting Rangers" while the Spirit Ranger and Ranger Lord could be the "Western Frontier Guardian Rangers".
I dunno. I think it could work.

> Absentminded_Wizard wrote:

> > 4e PHB, p. 57 under "Target" (bolding mine) wrote:When a power’s target entry specifies that it affects you and one or more of your allies, then you can take advantage of the power’s effect along with your team-mates. Otherwise, “ally” or “allies” does not include you, and both terms assume willing targets. “Enemy” or “enemies” means a creature or creatures that aren’t your allies (whether those creatures are hostile toward you or not). “Creature” or “creatures” means allies and enemies both, as well as you.

> Yes, according to 4e RAW, you are your own enemy.

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Bigode
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Post by Bigode » Fri Dec 19, 2008 3:21 am

I just think the pairs have little internal difference. But that's not automatically unfeasible, true.

> Hans Freyer, s.b.u.h. wrote:A manly, a bold tone prevails in history. He who has the grip has the booty.

> Huston Smith wrote:Life gives us no view of the whole. We see only snatches here and there, (...)

> brotherfrancis75 wrote:Perhaps you imagine that Ayn Rand is our friend? And the Mont Pelerin Society? No, those are but the more subtle versions of the Bolshevik Communist Revolution you imagine you reject. (...) FOX NEWS IS ALSO COMMUNIST!

> LDSChristian wrote:True. I do wonder which is worse: killing so many people like Hitler did or denying Christ 3 times like Peter did.

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Judging__Eagle
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Post by Judging__Eagle » Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:05 am

I just realized how best to scale the totems.
Create Greater Totems that include magical beasts, vermin, oozes, giants. Then create Supreme Totems for things like celesitals, fiends, dragons, constructs.
I'm not sure where to fit undead though. Zombies are chump change at level 1, since you can seriously kite them with just a polearm + readied action to run if it gets close; then just wait for it to charge. While liches and Nightcrawlers can make you have a bad day.
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