Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Squidmaster 01-17-06, 06:50 PM	One of my players has expressed interest in playing a TWF elven ranger from my Tanglewood Forst region. My understanding is that TWF rangers tend not to be effective without a lot of PrC modification, and I'd like this guy to be useful of course. My prestige class list is limited for flavor reasons and also due to book limitations. You can find the list here (http://www.themosmillers.org/faithsandempires/classes.html#prestige). As a side note, if you think you have a class that would fit my world that isn't on this list, mention it and I'll take a look. Some of the prestige classes have been renamed to suit my world: Tree-top Champion = Duelist, with a few skill modifications Fleet Runner of Elsharra = Fleet Runner of Ehlonna Thanks for your input.
Xeraph 01-17-06, 07:01 PM	Maybe he would be better of being a Scout. The Scout baseclass is great. Smack Track on that guy and you have a better ranger than the ranger. Also as a DM you should consider giving the Scout the skill Disable/Device (Traps) since it is otherworldly strange that they dont have that skill. But Rangers doesnt suck aslong as you mulitclass. A Ranger 2/ Fighter 2/ Swashbuckler 3/ Monk(Carmandine)2/ Dervish 10/ xxx 1 isgreat. Hmn, Radical Taoist has a variant Ranger thats meant to rival spellcasters in power. It could be a sound choice if you can find it.
swanyusd 01-17-06, 07:06 PM	It seems to me that the darkwood stalker PrC, which is included in that particular region, would be a nice fit for your character. It is (apparently) common knowledge that rogues typically make great TWFs because of their ability to sneak attack. Darkwood stalker is simply a sneak-attacking ranger, and thusly would fit nicely for your character. Naturally, he would have to have init or be flanking, but it fits. He also won't get quite as many feats, so many a few level (2-4) in fighter to get those appropriate fighter feats, such as weapon focus, oversized two-weapon fighting(Complete Adventurer, makes normal weapons such as 2 longswords = 2 light weapons).
Virall 01-17-06, 07:23 PM	untrue. with a capable player a straight TWF ranger is a versatile and capable melee character. but a prestige class can either help or severely hurt what a ranger is capable of. Just my own personal opinion.
Squidmaster 01-17-06, 07:38 PM	I'd like to get a sense of your reasoning, Virall. I assume you're talking about feat selection that meshes with the fighting style. Have an example?
Eital 01-17-06, 08:58 PM	I'm a huge fan of rangers, and trust me, unless you want to do tons of damage each turn, a ranger can prove to be one of the most versatile classes in the game; start TWF, take a few feats for ranged combat (Point blank shot, precise shot, rapid shot, etc... and a few fighter levels, if needed), maybe also Quick Draw, and, with a good selection of skills, you've got yourself a very useful character, that can fight in the front or from the rear; that's a good scout, with good mobility, etc. etc... If Exalted is an option, there are one or two great PrCs in the VoP. Or, you can go the roguish way and add a few sneak attacks to do a little more damage. Somebody mentioned the Scout; personally, I prefer to take a few levels of Scout, if any, just to add some nice tricks to my ranger. Bear in mind that this is no min/maxed build, it's just a fun character to play (unless you want to be the envy of the party's fighter when it comes to deal damage... :p)
Squidmaster 01-17-06, 11:02 PM	I'd consider adding the scout to my class list for my world, but I don't own that book at this point, and I am skeptical about adding a class that essentially treads on another without having the reference sitting next to me. I also don't have the BoED. I would prefer to use those classes in a context that used more ideas from the book than just the classes as well. I feel that proper use of that book requires pretty careful thought beforehand. My concern is that a really versatile ranger can easily end up as a really useless ranger in combat situations. I've watched characters play something that they built without an eye towards both combat and noncombat situations, and I've seen those players bored during fights, or envious of characters really kicking butt. I don't think a ranger has to do bucket loads of damage, but if the ranger is doing 8-15 per round with arrows or dinky TWF damage compared to everyone else having some niche they can fill to do more, the player will be unhappy, and I want to avoid that.
FabulousRex 01-17-06, 11:36 PM	Well, 2WF isn't the end of the world for the Ranger, they just have to be smart and careful with their feat and weapon choices. Make sure the Ranger has access to multiple forms of extra damage on each of his 2 weapons. Flaming, Shocking, Psychokinetic, etc. Every little bit helps when it's multiplied by alot of attacks. Also make sure he picks wise Favored Enemies. Things that pack alot of Damage Reduction should be high on the list, as they really tend to hurt light weapon wielding 2WFers. Barring that, you could pick up the Player's Guide to Eberron. There is a fantastic Elven Ranger 2wf PrC called the Reverant Blade that has a rare combination of power and great fluff.
Squidmaster 01-18-06, 03:20 PM	I'll see if I can get a look at that PrC. It sounds suitable for my game and fills a nice niche. So, can I get some specific build ideas, or at least feat selection ideas? Are you finding success with TWF through favored enemy bonuses and feats (not counting equipment), or are you relying on smaller numbers lots of times per round?
Squidmaster 02-02-06, 11:39 PM	I added a boatload of new PrCs to my game after perusing other people's books. If you'd care to take a stab at a TWF ranger that includes those, follow the link in my initial post. Thanks!