Hello Minmaxers! This is my first publicly posted Homebrew Project. Please PEACH or leave a comment telling me if you liked it or not.
Without any further ado, I introduce you formally to Project Wild, my take on the Ranger. Before I go any further, I would like to explain my thoughts behind the revisions below. Firstly, I am firm believer that martial classes need a hug. Secondly, I dislike being railroaded into any one build, unless that’s the build I already wanted to play. For me, the more options, the better. Thirdly, I am tired of this stereotype for the Ranger.
I would prefer something more like this.
But that’s not quite right either.
Huh. Well what if I tried to combine ALL the stereotypes about the Ranger into one giant class? While this will make creating Prestige Classes for the Ranger more difficult, I am confidant that I can make a base class so good, they won’t need them anymore. So that’s what I have done. Please let me know what you think.
The Ranger
A Ranger with the Reach Weapon Art of War and a Wilderness focused set of Paths"You can run for a long time, but you can't hide foreverRelyb-Arn, Elven Ranger
Rangers are a unique breed. Born stronger, faster, and smarter than all other predators, Rangers know how to survive. Be it city or forest, a Ranger can find his way and make his way anywhere. No matter how hard the fight he will walk away to fight another day, taking the better part of valor. Discretion. Rangers walk the world waiting for the one day they will receive their true calling, when they shrug off the mantle of the mundane and assume their true heritage, power over the world unmatched by anyone who has and will ever walk the earth. But until that day a Ranger is a deadly foe, willing to do whatever is necessary to continue waiting.
An excerpt from "The Life of King Telcontar"Making A RangerAbilities: Most Ranger value Strength above all, as it determines their effectiveness in combat. All Rangers value Constitution, as extra hit points are essential to any front line martial character. All value Dexterity highly, and some to the exclusion of Strength. These are the ranged weapon focused Rangers, who can be very successful if they choose their Paths and Arts correctly. Charisma allows a select few abilities to last longer, but for the most part it is a dump stat. Those that plan on taking the Path of Kings should consider investing in it. Wisdom will help a Ranger throw off harmful effects by boosting his Will save as well as his spellcasting, if the takes the Path of the Divine.
Races: Elves, Dwarves, and Drow all make excellent Rangers. They all bring weapon proficiencies to the table and two of them have boosts to Dex, which is always a boon. Humans make great Rangers because they make great anythings.
Alignment: There are no alignment restrictions to becoming a Ranger, besides being awesome. Most Rangers are chaotic but a few are lawful. These are usually the lone hunters, tracking down criminals. As far as good and evil go, slightly more Rangers are good than evil if only because the races that usually become Rangers are generally good.
Starting Age: As PHB Ranger
Starting Gold: As PHB Ranger
The ranger class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), 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), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Not much here except the addition of Tumble. I have no idea why It wasn't in there to begin with.
The Ranger
Level | Base
Attack
Bonus |
Fort
Save |
Ref
Save |
Will
Save |
Special |
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +2 | +0 | Tracker, 1st Path | |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +3 | +0 | Hunter Training |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +3 | +1 | Art of War | |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +4 | +1 | 2nd Path |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Hunter Training |
| 6th | +6/+1 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Naturally Skilled, Uncanny Dodge, Defense of the Wild |
| 7th | +7/+2 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Natural Selection |
| 8th | +8/+3 | +6 | +6 | +2 | Hunter Training, 3rd Path |
| 9th | +9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +3 | Art of War |
| 10th | +10/+5 | +7 | +7 | +3 | Naturally Skilled, Evasion |
| 11th | +11/+6/+1 | +7 | +7 | +3 | Hunter Training, 4th Path, 3rd Tier Paths Unlocked |
| 12th | +12/+7/+2 | +8 | +8 | +4 | Improved Natural Selection, Improved Uncanny Dodge, Improved Defense of the Wild |
| 13th | +13/+8/+3 | +8 | +8 | +4 | Naturally Skilled |
| 14th | +14/+9/+4 | +9 | +9 | +4 | Hunter Training, 5th Path |
| 15th | +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +9 | +5 | Improved Evasion |
| 16th | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +10 | +10 | +5 | Art of War |
| 17th | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +10 | +10 | +5 | Hunter Training, 6th Path |
| 18th | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +11 | +11 | +6 | Supreme Defense of the Wild |
| 19th | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +11 | +11 | +6 | Naturally Skilled |
| 20th | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +12 | +12 | +6 | 7th Path, Hunters Training, Peerless Predation |
Weapons and Armor Proficiency: The Ranger gains proficiency with Simple and Martial weapons, as well as light and medium armor, and shields. He may also choose a number of Exotic Weapons equal to his Intelligence modifier with which to be proficient. This does not change if his Intelligence modifier decreases at a later time but does if his inherent Intelligence score increases for any reason.
Gave the Ranger the ability to diversify. Lassos? Sure. Greatbows? Why not.
Every Ranger gains the Track and Urban Track feats as bonus feats.
The PathsThough every Ranger makes his own way through life, many choose to follow in the paths of others who have come before them. At every level listed on the table above where a Ranger receives a new Path, he can choose to either continue in a path he has already begun, or tread down a new one. Each time he follows the same path more than once, he unlocks the next tier of abilities granted by that path. A Ranger can only take the last tier in a path once he has reached 11th level. A Ranger may only take three Paths total. After he has started three he must advance those already started.
DN (Design Notes)This is the new core ability of the Ranger. With the paths they can now emulate as many of the original PrCs and variants as I could remember. I will update with more paths if anyone can remind me of any others. Each one is relatively balanced against the first ten levels or so of the class it was to emulate.
1st: A Ranger who is born with the ability to inspire men and, as a result of taking this path, learns to influence them, spurring them to new heights, to a greater degree. The ranger learns two Minor Auras, as T.G.Oskar’s Marshal. He may only project one of them at a time, and the effects stack with all other Auras. In addition, Diplomacy is now a class skill for him.
The Retooled Marshal can be found here.2nd: A Ranger who begins to understand the workings of man’s inner mind gains the ability to inspire courage in all those around him, and cower those who would strive against him. He gains one more Minor Aura and a Major aura from the Marshal’s list, as well as the Frightful Presence ability, described below.
[indent]Frightful Presence (Ex) This special quality makes the Ranger’s very presence unsettling to foes. It takes effect automatically when the Ranger performs some sort of dramatic action (such as charging, attacking, or calling out to his allies to rally). Opponents within range who witness the action may become frightened or shaken. The range is 30 feet, and the duration is usually 1d6 rounds. This ability affects only opponents with fewer Hit Dice or levels than the Ranger has. An affected opponent can resist the effects with a successful Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 Ranger’s HD + Ranger’s Cha modifier). An opponent that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to that same Ranger’s frightful presence for 24 hours. All fear attacks are mind-affecting fear effects.[/indent]
3rd: A Ranger who finally unlocks the secrets of man’s morale achieves stunning success very quickly. He gains the Leadership as the feat on pg 106 of the DMG, with the following changes. His followers trickle in over the next 4 weeks, 1/16 of them showing up the first week, 3/16 the next, 5/16 the next, and 7/16 the last. His Cohort arrives with in a week of gaining this ability. He also learns a Greater Aura and one more of each of the other two. (NOTE: Your DM may want the change this ability to remove Leadership, if so, it is recommended that he grants a moral bonus equal to the number of paths he has taken total to Attack rolls, AC, (1/2 to Saves), and 4*as much in temp HP to all allies who are within 120 feet of him. This stacks with all Auras)
1st: A Ranger who seeks to be more in tune with his wild side gains the ability to Shapeshift as a Druid of his level with the Druid Variant “Shapeshifter” in the PHBII, as well as a Druids Animal Companion. Any item or feat that affects Wildshape works on a Ranger’s shapeshift as well. Class features that affect Wildshape do not affect a Ranger’s Shapeshift unless specified otherwise.
2nd: A Ranger who continues to roam the wilds gains the Druid’s Wild Empathy class feature and can always provide sustenance from the wild, and only has to rest 4 hours while in natural terrain for any abilities that require a full nights rest. His bond with his companion has also strengthened significantly. Once per day he can cast Heal as a cleric of his level (Even if such a cleric could not normally cast heal). In addition, once per week with an hour of meditation a Ranger can cast True Resurrection upon his animal companion. With a great deal of effort, he can also awaken his companion. With a ceremony that takes a whole day to complete, his animal companion receives the benefit of the Awaken Animal spell with no XP cost, but is treated as the animal companion of a Druid three levels lower.
3rd: A Ranger who has embraced his wild side even more than most gains several powerful abilities. While in a natural location, he receives +10 circumstantial bonus to his base speed and Woodland Stride feature of the Druid class. In addition, all ability bonuses received from his Shapeshift ability are multiplied by 1.5.
1st: A Ranger who embraces his anger and learns to channel it gains the Rage class feature of a Barbarian as many times per day as you have tiers in this path. He also gains DR 2/- that stacks every time he takes a tier in this path.
2nd: A Ranger who continues down the path of anger gains a permanent class bonus to Strength equal to 2* the number of tiers you have in this path. He also gains a bonus to all Melee Weapon damage rolls equal to 4* the number of tiers you have in this path.
3rd: A Ranger who finally becomes one with the power of anger gains Berserkers Indomitability.
[indent]Berserker’s Indomitability (Ex): A Ranger who has advanced this far in the path of blinding anger has learned how to resist unusual and startling attacks with exceptional force of body. If he makes a successful Reflex or Fortitude save against an attack that normally would have a lesser effect on a successful save (such as any spell with a saving throw entry of Reflex half or Fortitude partial), he instead completely negates the effect. An unconscious or sleeping Ranger does not gain the benefit of Berserkers Indomitability. If the Ranger gains Evasion and Improved Evasion, he can instead reroll a failed reflex save when this ability would come into effect. This rerolling effect can only occur once for a failed save; it does not continue ad infinitum. Evasion and Improved Evasion still function as normal.[/indent]
1st: A Ranger who takes this path learns how to move like the wind, and gains a 10 foot competence bonus to his base speed for as many tiers as he has taken in this Path. He also gains the ability to take an extra attack when he full attacks as many times per day as he has tiers in this path.
2nd: A Ranger who continues along this path gains the Skirmish feature of a scout (Xd6s extra damage and +X bonus to AC), with x being equal to the number of tiers he has in this path.
3rd: A Ranger who ventures even further along this path gains the Improved Skirmish feat and the ability to make an attack at any point during his movement if he chooses to move and attack in the same round.(Yes, with swift action movement or other hijinks, he can make a full attack along his movement, divided up as he wishes)
1st: A Ranger who hates those he hunts with an unusual passion or feels they should be eliminated gains the ability to enter a trance of Pure Hatred. While in this stance all numerical bonuses he receives specifically against Hunted foes are doubled. This includes spell effects(like Bane weapon or another specific spell) and his Hunted bonuses. While in this stance every creature who is not one of his Hunted Foes that attack him gain a bonus equal to the Ranger’s Hunted Bonus’s against him. It takes a swift action to enter the stance of Pure Hatred. He can also track his targets while moving at his normal speed.
2nd: A Ranger who continues to hunt a few particular creatures gains improved senses against them. He can now track favored enemies as if he had the scent ability and he gains Blindsense out to 60 feet, as well as Blindsight to 30, and Tremorsense to 15 but these abilities only function against them. He can also track his targets while running.
3rd: A Ranger who truly understand his prey and how to detect them and eliminate them as quickly as possible gains double the range of all the senses he had before (Range 60 becomes 120, 30 becomes 60, etc..) as well as the ability to defeat the magic that protects them, if it exists, and their very will. As an attack action, a Ranger can make an attack roll, and if it hits, deal damage equal to his total number of paths taken to their Spell Resistance or Damage Reduction for the next round. This damage regenerates at a rate equal to the creatures HD every round. If they don’t posses Spell Resistance or Damage Reduction, the ranger can take an attack action that, if it hits, deals his Charisma modifier (Minimum of 1) as a penalty to their wisdom score for one round. If the penalty would drop its wisdom score below 1, the creature cannot take actions for 1 round.
1st: A Ranger who follows in the path of a god gains the ability to cast a very limited number of divine spells. He gains the ability to cast the first Tier of spells as the table below indicates. He prepares spells every day as a cleric and receives bonus spells as one (Every time there is a 0 on the table he only receives bonus spells granted by a high spellcasting stat to cast). He draws his spells from the Ranger Spell list, except that every time he gains a new spell level, he can choose a number of spell with the total level sum equal to the level he gained the ability to cast from the Cleric or Druid spell list. His primary casting stat is Wisdom. In addition Spellcraft is now a class skill for him.
2nd: A Ranger who continues to follow in the path of the gods unlocks the ability to cast even more divine spells as well as grant himself a sacred or profane bonus on Saves equal to the number of total Paths he has taken 2/day. This bonus has a duration of his Cha modifier(Minimum of 1 round).
3rd: A Ranger who reaches the pinnacle of his path to devotion gains even more spellcasting ability, as well as the ability to request metamagic from his deity when he prepares spells. He may request any metamagic to be applied to any spell he can cast, provided that he can prepare it in the higher spells slot and that the total amount of metamagic levels he requests is no more than 3 and contains no more than two 0 level metamagic effects. This metamagic effect is granted by the god he follows and thus no metamagic reducers he may have affect it. No metamagic effect can be applied to a spell that it would not qualify for regularly. He may also not have any more than three spells affected by metamagic per day. (For example a 20th Ranger could request a 1st level spell with a +2 metamagic effect applied to it and prepare it in a 3rd level spell slot as well as a 4th level spell with a +1 metamagic effect applied to it and prepared in a 5th level slot.)
Level|Tier Required|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th
1st |1 | 0
2nd |1 | 0
3rd | 1 | 1
4th | 1 | 1
5th | 1 | 2
6th | 1 | 2 | 0
7th | 1 | 2 | 1
8th | 1 | 2 | 1
9th | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0
10th | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1
11th | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1
12th | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1
13th | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0
14th | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0
15th | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1
16th | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2
17th | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0
18th | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0
19th | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0
20th | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1
1st: A Ranger who is taught the hard way about life on the streets quickly picks up the basics. He gains Improved Initiative or his Wisdom modifier to Initiative (whichever is higher) if he already has Improved Initiative, with a max of no more than 1/2 his current Initiative Bonus from other sources (For example, if a Ranger has a bonus of +6 from his Dexterity modifier, items, and the Improved Initiative feat, he can add no more than +3 of his wisdom modifier to his Initiative Bonus) In addition, if the Ranger ever gains the Improved Initiative feat he also gains his Wisdom modifier to his Initiative Bonus, as outlined above. In addition, Intimidate is a class Skill for him. He may use the skill as a swift action.
2nd: As a Ranger continues to prowl the streets and learn the dirtier side of fighting he becomes even better at hitting where it hurts. He gains Powerful Strike dice, which deal 1d4 extra damage per 3 ranger levels on each attack if his opponent is flat footed or otherwise denied his dex bonus to AC. This damage is not considered precision damage and can be used at any range, with any weapon.
3rd: When the Ranger finally realizes that the only way to win in a street fight is to forget about everything except the opponent, he learns how to take more damage than usual. He receives Temporary HP when in an urban environment equal to 2* his ranger level, and a bonus to attack and damage equal to the total number of paths he has taken as well. The Temporary HP refreshes completely after 5 rounds if it is expended. He rerolls any 1s rolled for his Powerful Strike dice.
1st: A Ranger who studies the natural predators of the wild knows that no hunt is complete without the stealthy approach before the final kill. He embraces the shadows and strives to live in them. He gains the Darkstalker feat as a bonus feat. He also gains the ability to become invisible for one round as a swift action (as Swift Invisibility) as many times a day as he has Ranger levels.
2nd: Further down this Path the Ranger gains the ability to hide without need for any shadows, even in plain sight while in natural terrain. He is also undetectable by any non magical senses other than vision in the form of a spot check.
3rd. Truly blending with the shadows the Ranger gains the ability to Hide in Plain Sight(Ex) at any time, regardless of terrain or being observed. He is also immune to any divination spells, spell like abilities, or effects. This includes scrying(as Mind Blank). If a Ranger has been hiding(rolling move silently or hide checks) for five rounds he becomes immune to any and all mind effecting spells or spell like abilities as he blends seamlessly with the shadows, even his mind becoming a dark void.
A Ranger learns how to combat specific creatures by learning as much about them as possible. At 2nd level and every three after he picks a subtype of creature, as the original PHB ranger. This helps him in many ways. He gains a perfection bonus equal to 1/2 his ranger level on any checks (skill or ability) made regarding or against that creature type, damage rolls, as extra damage for the purpose of overcoming all types of damage reduction. He gains a perfection bonus equal to 1/3 his ranger level on attack rolls, to his armor class for any attacks made against him by his chosen subtype, and to his caster level for the purpose of overcoming Spell Resistance against 1 subtype (Each race counts as a subtype) each time he receives this feature.
This ability replaces Favored Enemy and any items that affect Favored Enemy should affect Hunter Training. They effects scale together so you are not forced to choose one thing to be good at, instead, you can have an even repertoire.
Through out a Rangers travels in both rural and urban areas he picks up quite a few impressive tricks with weapons. A Ranger gains an Art at the 3rd, 9th and 16th levels. He chooses one from the list below . If he so desires, he can instead chooses two feats he qualifies for from the fighter or general feat list to receive as bonus feats.
The new and improved combat mastery, only now you not only get something nice, you can diversify. Everything should scale now, instead o gaining new feats you now get slowly improving bonuses to things important to the combat style.
Two Weapon fighting
A Ranger who learns to fight with two weapons does so with great skill, surpassing those who use a single blade easily. He gains the Two Weapon Fighting feat, even if he does not meet the perquisites. Every time his BaB improved enough for him to qualify for an additional attack he gains the next Two Weapon Fighting feat that corresponds, effectively giving him the ability to take as many attacks with his offhand as with his man hand IN ADDITION to being able to take feats that require advanced Two Weapon Fighting feats as a perquisite. He also gains the ability to Rend when he hits with both weapons for an additional number of d6s equal to the number of Arts he has. He also adds an additional competence bonus to his attacks with weapons while wielding a weapon in each hand equal to 1/4 of his BaB and a shield bonus to his AC equal to the number of attacks he can make(Yes this means haste and the like give an additional boost to AC).
Two Handed fighting
A Ranger who learns to swing one weapon with all the power in his limbs gains the Power Attack feat as a bonus feat. He also deals bonus damage equal to his class levels in the Ranger class when he charges. While wielding a weapon in both hands and using the Power Attack feat, the ranger adds +3 to his damage roll per -1 penalty he takes to his attack rolls, rather than +2/-1. He may ignore a penalty to his attack roll from Power Attack equal to the number of paths he has taken.
One Handed fighting
A Ranger who finds perfection in fighting with one hand empty and a blade in his other gains a competence bonus to attack equal to his base reflex save and a competence bonus equal to twice his intelligence modifier (Minimum of 1) to damage. He also gains a Dodge bonus to his AC equal to his intelligence modifier (Minimum of 1, capped at the number of Ranger Levels he has). These bonus's only function when he is wielding a single one handed weapon in one hand and nothing in the other, including bucklers. He receives the Combat Expertise feat as a bonus feat (regardless of his meeting the requirements for the feat).
Reach weapons
A Ranger who prefers to keep his enemies away from himself realizes that this is not always possible and threatens all squares within 5 foot as well as 10 feet away when wielding a reach weapon. He also learns to unleash a massive amount of attacks on those surrounding him and receives the Whirlwind Feat as a bonus feat regardless of him meeting the requirements with the following addition. Once per encounter he can make an additional attack against every enemy he attacks with this feat at -10 penalty. This ability only function when the Ranger is wielding a reach weapon in both hands.
Unarmed
A Ranger who learns a thing or two about unarmed combat understands how to make his punches hurt. All his unarmed attacks now count as armed attacks for all purposes (including weapon enhancement) and deal bludgeoning damage equal to a long sword of his current size. He can never be disarmed of his unarmed attacks. He deals bonus damage equal to twice his constitution modifier on his unarmed attacks. He receives the feat Snap Kick as a bonus feat, even if he would not normally meet the requirements. Being a Ranger, and not a Monk, he realizes that he needs to know more, and gains an understanding of how his body and that of his opponent flow. Once per encounter a Ranger with this Art can use an attack action to either knock out his opponent and end the fight quickly, or at least earn a respite. He makes a touch attack against an enemy and if he hits, the enemy must succeed on a Fortitude save, even if this enemy is immune to effects that require fortitude saves, as a Greater Slaying Arrow. The DC is equal to 10+ 1/2 the Rangers HD+his Strength bonus. If the enemy fails the check he is stunned for 1 round and sickened for 1d6 rounds. If he makes the save he is instead sickened for 1d4.
Ranged Sniper
A Ranger who seeks to eliminate his targets at range learns to fire his weapons with greater accuracy the farther they are away from him by entering a trance. His weapons have their ranges increased by 50%, he can shoot though all weather effects and natural miss chances with no penalty, and whenever he attacks a creature with a magical miss chance they roll a Caster level check against his attack roll. If he wins, he suffers no penalty. In addition, with a Swift action, a Ranger can enter into a Snipers stance, subtly adjusting his vision and posture. He no longer takes penalties for firing beyond his weapons range, and can see everything within its range well enough to distinguish objects. Instead, he gains a bonus to his attack roll equal to what the penalty would have been and instead takes the penalty x1.5 to his Armor Class. This stance ends after a number of successful attacks equal to twice the number he receives from having a high BaB have hit a target.
Ranged Rapid Fire
A Ranger who likes to turn everything that looks at him funny into a pincushion is guided by his instincts and muscle memory alone. When doing so, he may make one extra ranged attack in a round at her highest base attack bonus, but this attack takes a -2 penalty, as does each other attack made that round. This penalty applies for 1 round, so it also affects the attacks of Opportunity the Ranger might make before his next action. When a Ranger reaches 5th level, the penalty lessens to -1, and at 9th level it disappears. A Ranger must use a full attack action to strike with a flurry of arrows. In addition, if he hits with more than one ranged attack in a row, the next attack’s base weapon damage is multiplied by the number of consecutive attacks. He also gains a bonus to ranged weapon attack and damage rolls equal to his dexterity modifier (This doubles his to hit from dexterity unless he somehow has applied another stat modifier, in which case they stack). Weather effects no longer affect his ranged weapon attacks.
Thrown Weapons
A Ranger who finds the idea of throwing small sharp objects realizes that by achieving a better form, he can throw farther and faster. His range increments on thrown weapons are now doubled, he deals double base damage within the first range increment, he no longer suffers the ill effects or weather effects with his thrown weapons, and his thrown weapons are treated as if he had the entire Weapon Focus Feat line with them as soon as he qualifies for them with his BaB.(This effect stacks with Weapon Focus line)
Natural Attacks
A Ranger who chooses to use the gifts nature provides as his primary offensive armament gains the Multiattack feat as a bonus feat. He also may add his full strength bonus to damage rolls made by their secondary attacks and 1.5 times to their primary attacks damage rolls. If he could already add 1.5 times their strength bonus to damage they instead add double their strength. He gains the ability to choose, one material and one alignment as a swift action that lasts until he changes it, for his natural attacks to count as. He may choose differently for each attack or the same for all. Additionally, for each additional attack he would receive for have high BaB after the first he increases the damage die for his natural attacks by one step. Finally, he gains a competence bonus to all his natural weapon attack rolls equal to the number of paths taken.
Charging
A Ranger who finds glory in bringing the fight to his enemy gains the special ability Pounce(Ex). He may now make a full attack at the end of every charge he makes.
A Ranger is graced by Nature and his own experiences. At 6th, 10th, 13th and 19th levels he can choose two skill tricks he qualifies for and gains a competence bonus equal to the number of times he has received this ability to one skill of his choosing each time he receives this ability. He may not select the same skill twice. The skill must be on his class skill list.
This was a last minute ability I thought up to help fill dead levels. I think that allowing a Ranger to get better at a few skills is a nice boost, and it certainly helps the image of the Ranger I hoped to provoke.
Starting at 6th level, a Ranger can react to danger before his senses would normally allow his to do so. He retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to
AC if immobilized. If a Ranger already has uncanny dodge from a different class (a
rogue with at least two levels of barbarian, for example), he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.
I felt that all Rangers needed to be quick on their feet, and not as easy to be snuck up on.
Rangers focus on the strike, the final blow, the silent kill, and the moment of sanguine perfection. But in order to better achieve those goals they must guard themselves with vigilance. To this end each Ranger chooses a type of defense and sticks with it, content to hone his skills in other areas, only occasionally sparing a thought towards better protection.
Light Armor A Ranger who chooses to wear light armor can move faster than normal for his race. He gains a +5 class bonus to his base speed and a +1 Dodge bonus for each time his Defense of the Wild ability improves while wearing Light Armor.
At 12th level the Ranger gains the ability to evade the touch of those who seek to harm him. While wearing Light Armor the Armor bonus provided from base armor applies to his Touch AC. (Enhancement bonuses to armor class do not apply, nor do armor modifications, feats, or anything else that changes the armor class bonus provided by the armor).
At 18th level the Ranger gains ability to wield light shields as if they did not exist. He suffers no drawbacks for wearing a light shield, he does not need to dedicate a hand to hold it nor take a penalty on attack rolls if he uses both hands to attack with a weapon.
Medium Armor A Ranger who chooses to wear medium armor can ignore the armor check penalty of any medium armor he wears to a ratio of 1 point per Path he has. He also gains DR 1/- that stacks with any other DR he may have for each time his Defense of the Wild ability improves while wearing Medium Armor.
At 12th level a Ranger gains the ability to add the ignored armor check penalty he has to checks to resist being tripped, bull rushed, feinted, and as a bonus to AC against AoO’s while wearing Medium armor.
At 18th level a Ranger can treat any light or heavy shield he wears as a buckler for purposes of wielding weapons in two hands. Feats that effect bucklers do not work on Medium shields due to this ability.
I thought that the ranger was missing an element of balance in that it focused solely on attack. I addressed that by offering two options that I think fit the Ranger stereotypes while not providing anything major yet still useful. There is no unarmored Defense because no Ranger is dumb enough to forfeit the protection of solid steel or leather.
At 7th level a Ranger has survived long enough that he has passed the first of Natures tests and gains Immunity to natural poisons and diseases.
At 12th level a Ranger has passed all of Natures tests and gains Immunity to all poisons and diseases.
Druids get this, so why shouldn't Rangers? They both spend just as much time in the wilderness...
A Ranger of 10th level or higher can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save (such as the Flame Strike spell), he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a Ranger is wearing armor he is proficient with or no armor. A helpless Ranger (such as one who is paralyzed) does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Evasion is good stuff. Not much to see here.
A Ranger of 12th level or higher can no longer be flanked; he can react to opponents on opposite sides of him as easily as he can react to a single attacker. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the character by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target does Ranger levels.
If a character already has uncanny dodge (see above) from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead, and the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.
Still reading? Awesome! Now move along.
At 15th level, a Ranger’s evasion ability improves. He still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks such as a Flame Strike spell, but henceforth he takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless Ranger (such as one who is paralyzed) does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
Nothing that hasn't already been said to say here.
At 20th level the Ranger has become the ultimate predator. He is the top of every food chain and a certified Bad Ass. He gains an final progression of a Path in addition to the 7th he is due to reflect his mastery of the ways he has tread before. This final progression can be taken in any of the Paths, regardless of if he has already started three or not. If it is taken in a Path he has already started but not finished he automatically gains the rest of the Tiers, regardless of his having met the 2nd tier or not. A Ranger who has reached such an epic level gains the Outsider (Native) subtype as he evolves to hunt anything in the multiverse.
This is a complete turnaround from the previous ability and something I think I like more. The Ranger no longer counts as a mere mortal but neither is he divine. He is something more primal, something stronger. He also gets another Path to dabble in anything he may like or finally gain three full tiers.
: Thank you TravelLog, for all your help and ideas for class features. Thanks and credit to T.G. Oskar for allowing me to use his Marshal in my class, under the Path of Kings. And Thank you to all the other homebrews on this forum, you have all inspired me more than you know.
Change log1.0 Class Posted
1.1 Minor edits
1.2 Larger scale edits made from PEACHing, clarifications mainly, and removal of bonus feats.
1.3 Changes to Arts, Paths, still revising based on peaching
1.4 Minor edits changing Path wordings
1.5 Beefed up Path of fleet Hunter and Blinding Anger as well as wording changes.
1.6 Added 18th level ability, cleared up Hunted wording and added to it, cleared up wording in paths and beefed up Arts. Moderate revisions.
1.7 Major changes to Hunted bonuses, Arts, Paths, Capstone revisions, and general restructuring.
