The Last Ranger Variant You'll Ever Need

[Setzer Gabbiani]

Lvl...BAB................Fort.....Ref.....Will
1.....+1..................+2.......+0......+0
2.....+2..................+3.......+0......+0
3.....+3..................+3.......+1......+1
4.....+4..................+4.......+1......+1
5.....+5..................+4.......+1......+1
6.....+6/1...............+5.......+2......+2
7.....+7/2...............+5.......+2......+2
8.....+8/3...............+6.......+2......+2
9.....+9/4...............+6.......+3......+3
10...+10/5..............+7.......+3......+3
11...+11/6/1...........+7.......+3......+3
12...+12/7/2...........+8.......+4......+4
13...+13/8/3...........+8.......+4......+4
14...+14/9/4...........+9.......+4......+4
15...+15/10/5.........+9.......+5......+5
16...+16/11/6/1......+10......+5......+5
17...+17/12/7/2......+10......+5......+5
18...+18/13/8/3......+11......+6......+6
19...+19/14/9/4......+11......+6......+6
20...+20/15/10/5....+12......+6......+6

Animal Empathy (Cha, exclusive skill), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intuit Direction (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Proffession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Wilderness Lore (Wis)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4+ Int modifier

Spells Per Day:
1st: -
2nd: -
3rd: -
4th: 0
5th: 0
6th: 1
7th: 1
8th: 1/0
9th: 1/0
10th: 1/1
11th: 1/1/0
12th: 1/1/1
13th: 1/1/1
14th: 2/1/1/0
15th: 2/1/1/1
16th: 2/2/1/1
17th: 2/2/2/1
18th: 3/2/2/1
19th: 3/3/3/2
20th: 3/3/3/3

Special:
1st: Track, 1st Favored Enemy
2nd:
3rd:
4th: Feat Tree 1
5th: 2nd Favored Enemy
6th:
7th:
8th: Feat Tree 2
9th:
10th: 3rd Favored Enemy
11th:
12th: Feat Tree 3
13th:
14th:
15th: 4th Favored Enemy
16th: Feat Tree 4
17th:
18th:
19th:
20th: 5th Favored Enemy

Feat Tree: Bonus Feat useable only in light or no armor. Choose Feat Tree From PHB (DM may allow others). Possible Feat Trees include: Dodge, Expertise, Improved Unarmed Strike, Mounted Combat, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, and Two-Weapon Fighting. Once chosen, you cannot change it. Feat Trees with only 3 feats may have one other bonus feat at 4th level, continuing with the Tree at 8th.


Adds just a little power, much more custmizability, and gets rid of the 1st-level munch key.

[Skreem]

However, doesn't this weaken the ranger? As they wouldn't be as powerful as a current ranger until 8th level?!?!

[The_Friendly_Fiend]

I concur with Skreem. This variant does seem a bit light. Maybe you should make spells available at 1st level to compensate?

[Setzer Gabbiani]

Well, I wasn't as much going to more power as customizability. If you put the Feat Trees at level 1/1/9/15 (The minimum levels for getting said feats), it's about the same as the core ranger, plus one feat. One of the big things I was working on was avoiding the Rgr1 "munch level", but that's been replaced with monk lately.

[Skreem]

I agree with you on delaying the feats till 4th, but maybe put 5th as 2 virtual feats from a feat-tree. Then at 10th eithergain additional in same tree, or switch trees? If they switch, they again gain 2 feats, but can never advance in previous tree? Repeat every 5 levels.

It's really awkward.. and I had something MUCH better yesterday, but forgot to hit submit before shutting down :( hence losing it all.
This makes it potentially more powerful in the end (possibly to the tune of 5 extra feats at level 20), but it's a customization choice. I'd have to do some creative thinking to make this logically work in the D&D world... but the mechanics I think balance out.

[Setzer Gabbiani]

I suppose if you took a feat tree with 5 levels you could get another at level 20, but that's a DM call. Point Blank Shot tree, for example.

[Cadogan Trahem]

the problem with the current ranger is not that its weak, its that one level is all you need. It's way too heavy ended (think mace head on a toothpic). This variant spreads out coolness over several levels.

Its a good start.

[Skreem]

Setzer - it's important to determine if the feat-tree advancement is "every 4 levels" or at 4, 8, 12, 16. As this makes a different in extending to Epic levels :)
If it's every 4 levels, then if there WERE extensions (like Dragon Mag's Improved Rapid Shot) to a feat-tree providing 5, 6, or even 7 feats then it could be continually used.

[Setzer Gabbiani]

It wouldn't go past 20. The epic bonus feats all chatacters get take over for that. They still get favored enemy every 5 levels though.

[Skreem]

See... you've given people reason to PLAY a Ranger... but removed the kewlness factor of it in Epic levels. I like the Feat Tree idea, and even keeping with what you have currently, setting it to be every 4th level, and limited to current feat-tree until completion, then new feat tree beginning would make this viable into Epic levels.

[Setzer Gabbiani]

I haven't changed anything from the epic levels. Epic rangers get more favored enemies and bonus feats. You can run the tree into the ground, or take a different path. Either way, all I really did was make it customizable and spread out the feats.