Playing a 1st level Urban Ranger/Guide, soon to be second level.
My goal in creating my character was to be the party face/lock picker, who took up with Rangers because they helped drive off some criminal elements, while the character was growing up. The roll is to basically fill a bit of what's done by a Rogue.
One draw back to the Ranger is though it has plenty of class skills, it doesn't have as much as a Bard or Rogue, especially with regards to the fact both Bards and Rogues get all knowledge skills as class skills.
I was looking at the detective archetype and think it'd fit with my character background.
I was thinking of a one or maybe two level dip into it.
So far the Pro's are:
(1) Access to spells at 1st level. Bard spells aren't the best, but the Arcane cantrips - light, detect magic, etc. - can be very handy.
(2) By my estimation, everything but Fly and Handle Animals will be become class skills (extra skills from traits included).
(3) Boost Will Saves
(4) Careful Teamwork seems like it would come in handy and hopefully DM will allow it to stack with the Guide's Terrain Bond, which should be in effect with the Urban Ranger's favored communities.
Con's
(1) Lose +1 from BAB
(2) Delay getting Ranger class abilities by one or two levels. Rangers get some good abilities early on and I'd only get them at higher levels that usually take longer to gain the XP to get.
Just wondering, if anyone has any other thoughts or critiques of this idea.
I'd probably take the dip at 3rd level, because I'm going with a ranged build and want Precise Strike at 2nd level.
Character progression would most likely be:
Lvl 1 = Ranger
Lvl 2 = Ranger
Lvl 3 = Detective
Lvl 4 = Ranger or Detective (still trying to decide, if the +4 to illusions is worth another Detective level).
Lvl 5 to 20 = Ranger
One draw back to the Ranger is though it has plenty of class skills, it doesn't have as much as a Bard or Rogue, especially with regards to the fact both Bards and Rogues get all knowledge skills as class skills.
Rogues only get dungeoneering and local as knowledges.
So far the Pro's are:(1) Access to spells at 1st level. Bard spells aren't the best, but the Arcane cantrips - light, detect magic, etc. - can be very handy.
Timely Inspiration, Solid Note, and Unseen Servant are nice spells to have. Timely Inspiration is Verbal only so you could wear medium armor and use it with no problem, the rest are non-combat spells.
(4) Careful Teamwork seems like it would come in handy and hopefully DM will allow it to stack with the Guide's Terrain Bond, which should be in effect with the Urban Ranger's favored communities.
No need to hope, they do stack and there's no reason to think otherwise.
Just wondering, if anyone has any other thoughts or critiques of this idea.
Go for it! You get some wonderful cantrips to play, and even with the hit to BAB, you're still better than the vast majority of classes at hitting.
I assume so for a home game. But for PFS, my default assumption if there's any ambiguity is no. You definitely wouldn't treat your favored community as your favorite terrain if it did work.