So
now it’s time to try something different and tougher to build, an Elf
Ranger. The difficulty here is that
rangers have numerous roles they can fill.
Looking at some other systems we can find that Rangers have the
following features/tropes: Animal companion,
bow and arrow use, favorite enemies, good survival and tracking abilities, two
weapon fighting and spell casting. The
agony of choice in DRev puts quite a few limits on gaining access to all these
features, particularly the spell casting ability. But let’s see how close we can get to these
tropes in this build. I’ll look at more
focused Ranger-like builds later on.
Again
the first 10 levels will be covered.
The
* will indicate talents from the DRev Book of Magic and the Elf is from this
book.
Your
cool title/quote: Elvan Versatile Ranger “The wild is my
battlefield”
Race: Elf (Verdant version,
Dexterity as their primary ability).
Class/Path: Adventurer/Scout
Your
Role: You serve as versatile mid-range fighter
switching between melee and ranged attacks.
You have an animal companion to assist you in controlling the
battlefield. You have a minor
specialization in hunting wild creatures as well as serving as the party’s life
line in the wilderness.
Ability
Array (including Elf starting adjustment): Str 13, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 10, Wis
14, Cha 10
Ability
Increases over time: At level 4 increase Dex by +1 (18) and Str +1
(14); level 8, Dex +2 (20); level 12, Dex +2 (22); level 16, Dex +2 (24); level
20, Dex +2 (26)
Skills: Focus on Handle Animal, Knowledge (Nature),
Stealth and Survival. Ranks in Athletics
and Acrobatic will help you move through the wild. Ranks in perception will help in spotting
danger and have good synergy with your path and racial bonuses. Ride can be taken if you wish to take a
mount.
Level
1 (including racial): Talents:
Child of the Wild* (Fey racial talent, automatically obtained), Expedition
(Scout talent), Favored Enemy-Animal and Vermin (Scout talent). Feat:
Dabbling* (Guidance, Minor Resistance, Purify Food and Drink taken as
spell-like powers). For proficiencies,
you will be specifically proficient with Short Swords and Short Bows (using the
Scout trade-in proficiency ability).
Level
2: Feat: Point Blank Shot (Shots feat tree)
Level
3: Talent:
Expert Tracker (Scout talent)
Level
4: Feat: Two-Weapon Fighting
Level
5: Talents:
Favored Enemy-Plant and Ooze, Favored Enemy-Improved
Level
6: Feat: Precise
Shot (Shots feat tree)
Level
7: Talent:
Awesome Pet (Scout talent)
Level
8: Feat: Two-Weapon
Fighting-Defense
Level
9: Talent:
Extraordinary Expedition, Skirmisher 1d4 (Scout talents)
Level
10: Feat: Precise
Shot-Improved (Shots feat tree)
Recommended
Equipment:
>>Level
1: Standard Adventurer's Kit, a short
bow and 20 arrows, a pair of short swords, two daggers, and buckskin armor (57
GB left over for other essentials). Your lower strength may force you to remove
a few items from the standard adventurer’s kit.
>>Weapon
Improvement: Improving your short bow with TIER modifications, especially an
enhancement bonus and the infinite shots prominence. Your preferred paired weapons is most likely
going to be short swords, so having both with decent enhancement bonuses is a
must. Getting a dagger or short sword of
slaying for one your favorite enemies is also a good idea. You may consider taking the antipathical
weapon taint for this weapon to reduce its cost.
>>Armor
Improvement: You are limited to very
light armor to gain your full dexterity modifier to AC. You should obtain Buckskin armor with a
decent enhancement rating and making it Mithral before reaching level 20 to
allow your full dexterity modifier. This
can represent animal skins that have been hardened by quickly dipping them in
Mithral or some new strange hide from some unknown creature.
>>Other
Magical Equipment: The wondrous item
efficient quiver is a perfect fit for this character and aids in keeping your
carrying capacity in check. A fetish of
camouflage, concealment, or unseen can enhance your ability to become the
sneaky ranger that’s hard to spot and hard to hit.
>>Modern
weapon considerations could include a rifle to replace your short bow; a
hunting rifle or AK-Trail rifle is a good choice for this. You may also want to get a few high-tech
arrows as well.
>>Your
Pet: The most important thing is to make
sure you get a pet using the companion rules from the DRev Monster Manual. A good choice is a Caine: Big Dog at level 2. When you reach level 5, you should take a
Caine: Wolf-Like or even a second Big Dog.
Build up one of your pets with the Alpha Pet template by the time you
reach level 7 and continue to improve it as you gain levels.
Playing
your character (feat and talent break down):
Expedition
is taken at level 1 to ensure to provide you and your allies with early bonuses
against the wilderness before spells or expensive equipment might be available
to counter it. By level 9, you can
provide special bonuses against powers that cause fatigue and exhaustion that
are being used by enemies. These talents
also aid you and your party to travel overland for longer periods of time.
Favored Enemy is added for the classic
flavor of a ranger. Animals, Plants,
Ooze, and Vermin where taken to represent “natural” creatures a hunter may
often encounter, with animals and vermin being more common at lower levels. You
may change these choices based on input from your GM or what you feel fits your
character background. You usually focus
all of your attacks on a favored enemy first while in combat or try to set up
ambushes to get a surprise round of combat against them.
The Dabbler feat was taken at level 1 to
help flesh out the ranger’s slightly mystical nature; otherwise you will have
to rely on skill and training throughout your career and not magic.
In combat you usually open with your
short bow and then move into melee using two-weapon fighting to finish off
weaker foes. Feats for this combat style
are taken over your career, with the intent to gain the Two-Weapon Fighting
feat achievement and the Pinpoint Target feat achievement later on.
Your Big Dog or Wolf can be used to
harass enemies while you hit them from afar with your bow. Their Pack Tactics
feature and the Awesome Pet talent stack nicely, allowing you to gain
significant bonuses as long as they stay adjacent to you while engaging in
melee combat.
DRev
Background Ideas
Roll
or Pick one
1: You are a wanderer. You travel to see the world for its own sake
or wish to participate in any great hunt you can find. You may also serve as
contract trapper moving as your prey migrates.
2:
You are from the Grey Alliance. You help
secure borders and go on covert raids for the alliance.
3:
You are from the Dominion of Strath-Can.
The wilds of Canada are a vast place full of secret Elven
communities. You may be spy sent out to
gather information on other regions or may have had your community wiped out by
an enemy you are now seeking retribution against.
4:
You are from Texas. You patrol a wide area as a cowhand or sheriff, though
usually for a local land lord rather than a big military complex. You are also more likely to be using a gun
rather than a bow.
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