Ranger Variant for Council of Thieves?

I've just started a new Council of Thieves campaign and am trying to finalize my character. I initially chose the Urban Ranger, but I've also been looking at the Infiltrator and maybe even just leaving it a straight Ranger and choose urban terrain. What is most beneficial for CoT? (Note: I don't actually want spoilers! Just some input on good choices)

My party:
Aasimar Paladin (front-line, armored + greatsword)
Tiefling Sorceress
Half-orc Barbarian
Half-orc Rogue
Half-elf Cleric of Desna
Elf Bard
Elf Ranger <- me

STATS (rolled and adjusted for race)
STR 15
DEX 18
CON 12
INT 15
WIS 14
CHA 12

First Fav Enemy: Outsiders (Evil)

Planning to choose Archery style and get the animal companion. Also may attempt the Switch Hitter from TreantMonk's guide as I am the last line of defense for our spellcasters.
I'd also really love some input on a good animal companion in this campaign. Thanks in advance!

Urban Ranger will do the best in CoT. There are a very few times when you leave the city and when you do it's only for part of the book that it's in.
Archery is a bad idea to focus on for this AP. Almost every thing takes place in small confined spaces. with there being quite a few other melee characters. Archery can be done but you will have a lot of problems with line of sight / line of effect.
Animal companion really depends on your DM. In a city like west crown there is only one that will not stand out dog. That is how ever one of the weakest animal companions. With most of the AP revolving around subterfuge. Picking a animal companion that stands out is not a good idea depending on your DM. If your DM is not going to exploit a noticeable animal companion small cat, or wolf.

I have not read the AP. I have just played in the AP up till we hade a TPK in book 4.

Thanks for the input!

I'll talk to the GM about the animal companion. I'm considering maybe adding the Falconer archetype as well. Or do you think the bird would also be wasted if the campaign's combat is generally in close quarters?

The Bird will be next to useless for over 75% of the game. Due to the AP taking place in side for a lot of it.

Urban Ranger is one of my absolute favorite archetypes. Man, it's fun. Especially if you give it a different flavor for the urban setting. Be a detective. Or a Zorro. Or Batman. Something like that!

I'm enjoying it so far. I built my character with the lost nobility trait and a background for avenging my father and my family name. Less Batman, more Inigo Montoya looking for the six-fingered man... =D

I'm now looking at maybe the Constrictor snake as my preferred animal companion. A 6'1" female elf with flaming red hair and draped in an enormous python shouldn't look too out of place in Westcrown, right? ...Right??? XD

Any possible input on the constrictor snake? My game was delayed another 2 weeks and I'm left to agonize over the build some more

So is archery style really at a disadvantage in Westcrown? I almost always prefer to deal damage from a distance rather than charge into the fray. =/

Is a reach weapon a better option perhaps?

I'm playing CoT, and our archer ranger isn't having too much of an issue. It is true there are a lot of twists and turns in various parts of the adventure, so LoS is a bit of a problem, but it still helps tons to have a capable ranged attacker.

I had statted out a Switch Hitter Urban Ranger for CoT before our DM decided to switch to Kingmaker for our next AP.

Was planning Power Attack and Improved Overrun for first feats.
I'd hoped to get a Rope of Climbing and employ the Glide spell by 4th Level. He was going to permit a Bat Familiar and grow to a Dire version.

Yeah, it's name was totally gonna be Alfred.

Council of Thieves is a rare opportunity for you to abuse Favored Terrain. You are guaranteed to pretty much always be in the Urban environment. So, how do you take advantage of this?

Why, with the horizon walker prestige class, of course! For this, you need to stay normal ranger for your first 5 levels, because you need Endurance and that first Favored Terrain bonus (Favored Community doesn't count as Favored Terrain for horizon walker abilities).

At level 3, you gain the Terrain Dominance ability. Obviously, you will choose Urban for this. Now, looking at the chart, it doesn't seem that great. You get charm person as a spell like ability 3 times per day. Decent, but nothing worth losing your head over at 9th level, right? WRONG!

The Terrain Dominance ability is incredibly powerful, as it gives you your Favored Terrain bonus as a Favored Enemy bonus against all creatures you encounter that are native to that terrain. If you are a ranger 6/horizon walker 10, your Favored Terrain bonus for urban is +18, giving you a +18 bonus to all attack and damage rolls against all creatures native to the urban environment (and you can make your second terrain dominance Evil-aligned Planes and get a +4 bonus against extraplanar devils as well).

Not only do you get a ridiculous damage boost from this, you also get insane bonuses to Bluff, Perception, and Sense Motive checks, all of which will come into play pretty much every few turns of a session out of combat in this campaign.

I might just have to suggest this to one of my players in CoT. That's too insane to pass up. Thanks, NeoSeraphi!

Oh My! >.> <.< (suddenly afraid her DM will see this and not allow it!)

That's a VERY powerful bonus, and I could get my Handle Animal back as a class skill (hate losing it as an Urban Ranger)

Thanks so much for all the tips, everyone!

I am actually playing an Urban Ranger in Council of Thieves right now. It is a sword and board TWF ranger. If you don't have a rogue in your group it is very useful with trapfinding.

As for a pet Westcrown it is pretty open. Having a more unique pet doesn't stand out too much because there are some interesting pets creatures. Your DM might let you create an collar of alter self that makes the pet look like a dog. I used a small cat because of the many plays and performances in Westcrown, there are plenty of pre-trained pets that can be taken.

You will end up in your chosen terrain most of the time, so expect those bonuses consistently. Some advice.

- Grab imp initiative and with its stacking with chosen Terrain you will be stupid fast.
- Perception is even more important in this campaign than others. You need only look at the title of the adventure path to get a clue.
- Make sure you take some good city skills, stealth, climbing, diplomacy if you have to.

Also keep in mind that this adventure path doesn't go to the same high level as others. Don't create a character that shines only at high level.

The problem is CoT dose not get to that level. This was the first AP written under the pathfinder rule set. They did not know how many encounters it would take to get them to much higher levels. As such CoT ends at around level 13. It is very powerful it takes to long to build up to it.

The problem is CoT dose not get to that level. This was the first AP written under the pathfinder rule set. They did not know how many encounters it would take to get them to much higher levels. As such CoT ends at around level 13. It is very powerful it takes to long to build up to it.

At level 9, when you first get Terrain Dominance, you have a +6 Favored Terrain bonus. So at level 9, you're getting +6 to your attack and damage rolls against all creatures native to the Urban environment, as well as a +6 bonus to Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive and Survival checks against them. This is in addition to the +6 bonus you get to initiative, Knowledge (Geography), Perception, Stealth and Survival checks from the actual Favored Terrain bonus. So...let's count your goodies at level 9.

Against every non-devil enemy you encounter (possibly non-undead, but I would argue an undead is native to the place it was created), you receive:

+6 Bluff
+6 Knowledge
Untrained Knowledge
+6 Perception
+6 Sense Motive
+6 Survival
+6 Attack
+6 Damage

AT ALL TIMES, you also receive

+6 Initiative
+6 Knowledge (Geography)
+6 Perception
+6 Stealth
+6 Survival

So, to sense that tiefling rogue sneaking up on you, you get a +12 bonus to your Perception modifier. As a half-elf rogue with Skill Focus (Perception), the Keen Senses racial trait, and full ranks in Perception, you have a +29 bonus before Wisdom, and then you add your d20 roll to it.

Plus, you can take 3 of that +6 bonus to attack rolls and convert it into 9 MORE damage with Power Attack, giving you a +3 net bonus to your attacks and a +15 net bonus to your damage.

Horizon Walker is a devastating class at any level, not just 16. The +6 bonus to initiative alone is a feat and a half already, and it only grows as you level. The free Double Skill Focus in 3 key skills for CoT (Perception, Stealth and Survival) is also nice.

Finally, you don't get an animal companion with this build. As you are multiclassing out early, there's no point. Instead, you form a bond with your companions, because it's OP as crap!

At level 9, you spend a move action to give all of your allies a +3 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls against a single target for a number of turns equal to your Wisdom modifier. Boom, instant bard. You can do this infinite times per day, and the bonus will only increase every 2 levels, rather than every 5 levels like a bard's does.