Ranger Class perks

[Pentaxius]

As a Follow up to a discussion we had on IRC last night, I'm offering a couple of suggestions for class perks concerning the ranger class. As I understand it, the scripting part is not the most challenging aspect, but it is rather find concepts for perks which fit the setting and are balanced. I'm proposing here a short list of backgrounds for rangers.

General change

Only pure rangers can choose a background. If they do so, the Ranger favorite ennemy ability is changed in the following way :

Rangers receive a +1 AB bonus vs. their favored enemies, which doesn't scale with their level. This is to balance the fact they recieve potent perks as they progress on their path. (and to deter the so tempting and so common FE human in favor of more diversity)

In this way, multiclass ranger remain competitive by keeping the old favorite ennemy scaling.

Backgrounds

Oak Warden.
L1 +2 discipline. +1 magical damage while using a club or a quarterstaff
L5 Barkskin 1/day on self with CL 10
L8 3/day Oak stance (As long as you do not move, gain +2 dodge AC and +4 CON, and on-hit : entangle DC 14 while using a club or a quarterstaff)

Wild Fang.
L1 Exotic weapon : Fangs (Kama). Use poison (on Fangs only). When equipped with two Kamas, they acquire the ''Keen'' property.  
L5 Venom immunity, 2 random poison spawn each reset.
L8 Venom blood (Damage shield of 1d4 Acid + poison 1d2 STR DC 14).  

Spore keeper.
L1 : Immunity to Cloud of bewilderment, Mind fog, stinking cloud.
L5 : Cloud of bewilderment 2/day, Stinking cloud 2/day
L8 : On-hit confusion (20%, 1 round, will DC 12)  

Wild child.  
L1 INT -2. Animal empathy +4, magic fang 1/day, animal companion CR+1
L5 Enable possession of animal companion,
L8 Awaken/1 day, animal companion CR+2

Grove fletcher.
L1 +1 AB with bows.
L5 Hail of arrows (3/day 5 targets max) +2 magical damage with bows.
L8 Living arrow (Arcane eye (in this case ''arrow'')/1day)

Roaming Defiler.
L1 +2 fortitude, embrace of the Maiden, withered animals don't attack you.
L5 Wither animal (''wither'' a chosen animal. Last until next reset). Your animal companion is replaced by its withered version.  
L8 Horrid aura of the Maiden 1/day (Aura of fear DC 14, comes with green eye-glow, spawns a random ''allied'' withered animal when activated. Lasts until deactivated)

Discuss !

[ThisIsWonderland]

These are pretty powerful. Not just at the L8 point either.

[Paha]

One thing is quite certain, we are not necessarily likely to make normal perks for rangers. They already have things that can be considered such, and giving perks on top of them is too much.

Rather, focus on giving suggestions regarding specific Favore Enemy: Race - choices.

Also epic spells or PrC powerful spells, are -very- unlikely.

[Valo56]

They're great ideas, I especially like the idea of perks for non-sorcs for being H'balans. I agree they're too strong, but we get the basic idea behind these themes.

Perhaps a perk for poachers, granting a bonus to experience and gold gained from selling hides, increased damage against animals or things like hold animal, but with the flipside of making all animals hostile to you regardless of your AE score, so deer will flee, birds will fly away, and even simple boars will charge you on sight.

As rangers are already so strong, even without FE perks, having some drawback to any perk would be needed.

Oak Warden? Vulnerability to fire.
Spore Keeper? -5 vs mind affecting
Wild Child? -2 CHA as well

Just a thought.

As for specific FE: Race suggestions:
Orc - Fire Resistance 5%
Undead - Negative Energy Resistance 5%
Giant - Battle Training vs Giants, maybe at level 8
Reptillian - Extra 5 rounds for holding breath underwater
Aberration - +2 vs mind affecting
Humanoid (Any) - -2 persuade, +2 intimidate
Goblin - Entropic Shield 1/day
Ooze - Immunity to ooze paralysis
Outsider - Dismissal 1/day at level 8? Maybe Magic Weapon instead to bypass DR, or just flat-out bypassing it for outsiders

[Paha]

Fact just being, rangers have so many boons in spells, buffs, dual wield / AE, tracking, other things and FE, that we can't easily balance normal style rogue/fighter/sorc perks to fit rangers.

If we did, we need to cut back somewhere -big- time and it requires more coding.

Things to change different Favorite Enemies is the best way to give certain boons fitting to that race or surrounding it.

Other option is to make perks that are so small and flavorable that they won't give powerful abilities at all, without huge drawbacks on other things.

[Mr Howardson]

I would be more in favor of perks for certain Favored Enemies, but disable the inherent AB bonus that comes with it. For example-

Undead Hunter-
You have always hunted this abomination to life, learning skilled methods to their destruction and acting with the zeal and fury of one whose hatred- or knowledge of this anathema to life, can be diligently applied.

Level 1- Ranger FE for ALL favored enemies are disabled. +1 dodge bonus to undead.
Level 5- Character gains a special ability of +1 positive damage versus undead.
Level 8- The character spawns with a Strong Divine Damage trap once per reset. +1 dodge ac becomes +2 dodge ac versus undead. +1 positive damage becomes +2 versus undead.

Fae Warden
You've always felt a strong attunement to the world of the fae, whether it has brought you tangible joy or the steely sorrow of the Unseelie can be debatable, but regardless- you do not see the world through the same lens as others.

FE FAE required.
Level 1: AB progression Disabled Touch Of The Fae (character randomly sparkles, spawns with Fae powder in their pack once per reset.)
Level 5: Character gains +2 versus mind effecting spells.
Level 8: Character gains 5% chance daze to all weapons, DC 14, one round.

Poacher
Coin, glory, and game are your ultimately glory, and you hunt down the beasts of Ymph with a diligent dedication to earning all three. The animals of the world are your prey and damn the policies to conserve it, you got coin to make.

Requires FE Animal
Level 1- FE AB progression disabled. Gain +1d4 slashing versus animals. -5 AE. Increased reward for skinning animals by 50%
Level 5- spawn with one tanglefoot device per reset.
Level 8- Character gains an extra hide when skinning animals, damage bonus becomes 1d6 slashing, also applies to magical animals now.

Beast Master
Requires FE Animal

Level 1: Disable Ranger AB. +5 Animal Empathy. Gain Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Whip).
Level 5: Animal Companion +1 CR.
Level 8: +2 dodge AC versus animals and beasts. Can tame one beast- one time, and have it become a summoned creature (Must be of equal/lower character level to ranger- so no dominating Saber Tigers.)

Etc...

[Decimate_The_Weak]

The ones mentioned in the OP are very powerful in comparison to fighter, rogue or sorcerer perks. If rangers were to get perks for themselves they should be purely flavorful and not offer much in terms of combat effeciency.

[Paha]

There are few limitations also in their structure. We can't fully remove every aspect of FE.

So building it around FE's giving different kind effects is more desirable.

[RuinedDesires]

Rangers are by no means weak, in comparison to the classes that did get Perks. If anything flavourfull perks that do not give Mechanical bonuses for PvE or PvP could be thought of.

[Decimate_The_Weak]

Stuff like "On hit: Confusion" and "Fear Aura" should definitely only be reserved for outstanding PCs that are genuinely deserving of such powerful traits. Stuff like that I think would be undesirable with the majority of the community if it was accessible to a class/PC not requiring an extraordinary application.

[Adhesive]

Rangers can be very powerful with the scripted boosts they get in this server already. The only gripe I have with Rangers is the low skill-point to class skill ratio they have. 4/level feels to little for the amount of class skills Rangers get.

[Incorrigible]

It doesn't matter what the actual effects are. If the idea is implemented the DMs will adjust it as they see. No real need to nitpick on the suggested perk bonuses. It's the idea and theme that he is trying to represent which counts, and there are some pretty cool ones.

[HungeringShadows]

Rangers don't have perks because they're third in the list of most powerful class in EFU. Actually I'd say they're tied for second place with Barbarian, first place is of course wizard.

Edit: They already have a system that adds flavour to them known as the favoured enemy. Which they're incredibly good at killing. There's also the choice of dual wielding, wielding a two or one handed weapon, going with stealth or using a full plate.

[Blue41]

I sure could've put to use a few more skill points, but that's something else. I definitely support the idea of implementing perks to help the ranger hunt their FE a little bit better: my lycan-hunter had a rough go of it until he managed to get his hands on a silver weapon, and they were scarce even back in efu:a. Having a perk to give him a little boost in denting that dang DR would've been a big help.

Less all-purpose 'good in nature' type perks and more specialized FE perks, personally. Give people an incentive to pick an FE besides human/animal/undead.

[Gotham]

Rangers don't have perks because they're third in the list of most powerful class in EFU. Actually I'd say they're tied for second place with Barbarian, first place is of course wizard.

Edit: They already have a system that adds flavour to them known as the favoured enemy. Which they're incredibly good at killing. There's also the choice of dual wielding, wielding a two or one handed weapon, going with stealth or using a full plate.

Full plate loses alot of perks including runspeed. Dual wielding only works with light armor, which chainshirt does not classify s thanks to NWN.

In practical terms, the best ranger uses a 2hnd weapon or a 1 hand and a shield. Dual wielding can be powerful with the correct build/spell buffs, and archery for anyone but a rogue is mostly a joke.

Perhaps different archetypes would be better, which disable certain ranger benefits in exchange for others. For instance, Woodsman/Warden would be the traditional vanilla EFU scripted ranger. Then you could have Bounty Hunter for hunting/enslaving/capturing other humanoids (and lets face it PVP) but lost other wilderness perks like getting large penalties to animal empathy, and losing the ability to rest without a fire and reduced move speed bonus.

Suggestions:

Warden: Vanilla EFU Ranger

Forager: +2 farming, +2 wilderness survival, +2 Search, druid bonus to foraging plants and herbs, lose medium armor proficiency

Hunter: +2 wilderness survival, +2 Search, +2 lore, free skinning knife, Improved Critical: Spear, -2 animal empathy, lose martial weapon proficiency

Yeoman: +2 Spot, +2 listen, +2 intimidate..something something finish later