Trying to build a Ranger/Paladin undead hunter (Archer). I would go crossbow but A)It sucks compared to bow and B)I have a player in a game im running whos already exploring the whole crossbow theme. I dont want my character to seem unoriginal. So far I have this at lvl 5
Unnamed Hero
Half-Elf Paladin (Undead Scourge) 2 Ranger 3
LG Medium Humanoid (elf, human)
Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +11
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Defense
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AC 22, touch 16, flat-footed 19 (+6 armor, +3 Dex, +3 deflection)
hp 50 (5d10)
Fort +9 (+4 vs. hot or cold environments and to resist damage from suffocation), Ref +9, Will +9; +2 vs. enchantments
Immune magic sleep; Resist elven immunities
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Ranged +1 Composite longbow (Str +2) +12/+12 (1d8+8/x3)
Special Attacks favored enemy (undead +2), smite evil (1/day)
Spell-Like Abilities Detect Evil (At will)
Paladin (Undead Scourge) Spells Prepared (CL 0):
Ranger Spells Prepared (CL 0):
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Statistics
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Str 14, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 16
Base Atk +5; CMB +5; CMD 23
Feats Endurance, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Skill Focus (Knowledge [religion]), Weapon Focus (Longbow)
Traits Indomitable Faith, Undead Slayer
Skills Acrobatics +1, Bluff +3 (+5 vs. undead), Climb +0, Diplomacy +9, Escape Artist +1, Fly +1, Heal +7, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +8 (+10 vs. undead), Knowledge (religion) +11 (+13 vs. undead), Perception +11 (+13 vs. undead, +13 while in underground terrain), Ride +1, Sense Motive +7 (+9 vs. undead), Stealth +8 (+10 while in underground terrain), Survival +8 (+10 vs. undead, +10 while in underground terrain, +9 to track), Swim +0 (+4 to resist nonlethal damage from exhaustion); Racial Modifiers +2 Perception
Languages Celestial, Common, Elven
SQ aura of good, combat styles (archery), elf blood, favored terrain (underground +2), lay on hands (1d6) (4/day), track, wild empathy
Combat Gear Wand of cure light wounds, Holy water (4); Other Gear Elven chain, +1 Composite longbow (Str +2), +1 Ghost touch Arrows (10), Arrows (60), Cold Iron Arrows (50), Silver Arrows (10), Pharasma, Portrait book, Sharpened stake, 206 GP, 5 SP
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Special Abilities
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Aura of Good (Ex) The paladin has an Aura of Good with power equal to her class level.
Detect Evil (At will) (Sp) You can use detect evil at will (as the spell).
Elf Blood You are counted as both elven and human for any effect relating to race.
Elven Immunities +2 save bonus vs Enchantments.
Elven Immunities - Sleep You are immune to magic sleep effects.
Endurance +4 to a variety of skill checks. Sleep in L/M armor with no fatigue.
Favored Enemy (Undead +2) (Ex) +2 to rolls vs Favored Enemy (Undead).
Favored Terrain (Underground +2) (Ex) +2 to rolls vs Favored Terrain (Underground).
Lay on Hands (1d6) (4/day) (Su) You can heal 1d6 damage, 4/day
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Point Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Rapid Shot You get an extra attack with ranged weapons. Each attack is at -2.
Smite Evil (1/day) (Su) +3 to hit, +2 to damage, +3 deflection bonus to AC when used.
Track +1 Add the listed bonus to survival checks made to track.
Undead Slayer +1 weapon damage vs. undead.
Wild Empathy +6 (Ex) Improve the attitude of an animal, as if using Diplomacy.
At lvl 5 against an undead he has +14/+14 1d8+11 against an undead within 30 ft. Next feat i will take will probably be Deadly aim.
Now I am wondering about wether or not I should go for 6 lvl in Ranger to gain Improved Precise shot much earlier or if I should forfeit Ranger at lvl 4 and only take Paladin lvls after.
Another question i have been asking myself is Are there any undead slaying specific feats out there? For Rangers or paladins?
What magical items are a must for undead hunters?
And finally do you have any ideas on how to make this built better?
+1 Alexander.
The Inquisitor was created for the exact purpose of this type of character. If you really want Lay On Hands then by all means, but multiclassing in this sense is much less effective and IMO matches the flavor less.
EDIT: Personally I prefer this layout.
I completely forgot the inquisitor existed. But looking at it I dont see why I would want that. In any case the inquisitor is a team player, this character would be more of a loner. Paladin will toughen up his saves in a few levels and weapon bond will take care of giving him Bane on his arrows. Couple that with a Holy bow and ouch
Inquisitors are one of the most epic solo adventurers. Hence their Solo Tactics ability (which was, let's be honest, an ability meant to promote the lackluster Teamwork feats).
Still, you need allies. If you dont have allies then you cant rebound your feats on them. Loner means works alone.
i'd say just play a straight ranger if you're averse to inquisitor, honestly--especially since you'll shoot it down over the waste of half of a class feature, as compared to tacking on paladin (a primarily CHA class that you either dip 2-3 or go all the way) with ranger (a WIS class, if i remember correctly). it's not as if there's archetypes that replace solo tactics/the bonus teamwork feats.
The problem with a Ranger/Paladin is you are going to need asinine stats to pull it off. you need STR for damage, DEX for skills and to hit with the bow, CON for HP, WIS for ranger class abilities, and CHA for paladin class abilities. That leaves INT as your only dump stat. If you want any skills that is going to hurt. The inquisitor gets the same amount of skills as a ranger but gets even more bonuses than a ranger. Even with a low INT you are going to come out way ahead on the skills as an inquisitor.
The inquisitor is also a lot more powerful when it comes to spells. His buffs are going to last longer and his spells will be able to penetrate spell resistance a lot better. Getting 0 level spells may not seem like a big deal but one of those is detect magic which is almost required for any kind of investigation . He can also detect any alignment not just good. Detect evil is good for spotting enemies, but does not allow you to verify allies.
Judgments allow you a lot more flexibility in combat than either the ranger or the paladin. Whatever you need you can have with a judgment. Also by mulitclassing you are weakening both smite evil, and favored enemy. Instead of one really powerful ability you end up with two weak ones.
By the time you get your weapon bond the inquisitor has second judgment 4 times a day. You also have 3rd level sells including daylight. You are one level away from 4th level spells including death ward. Also next level you get Stalwart which means if you make your save you can completely ignore most SOS or SOD spells.
No inquisitor, i dont like the flavor. It is not what im looking for. I've already said that, why must i repeat it. My Wis is already set at 12 wich gives me acces to spells up to lvl 2. I dont plan on taking more then 6 lvls in Ranger so this is perfect. I can also make him a skirmisher and be fine with having tricks 3-4 times a day instead of bad spells. This is a 25 point buy, his stats are pretty good as is. He's an archer type with high AC. In other words i can dump CON to 10 easy. What i wont EVER do is dump INT. Skills are way too important. Im asking if anyone has any idea to help my Ranger/Paladin character.
Have you thought divine hunter. No ranger.
Trying to build a Ranger/Paladin undead hunter (Archer). I would go crossbow but A)It sucks compared to bow and B)I have a player in a game im running whos already exploring the whole crossbow theme. I dont want my character to seem unoriginal. So far I have this at lvl 5
** spoiler omitted **...
My Inquisitor of Saranrae (Valor Inq) started to raise her hand then lowered it and slowly turned around... /sadface
Definitely get the Ghost Touch quality on weapons (and armor). Holy would be my next thought, but since I'm at work I can't reference anything to see if that would just be doubling up.
Between your paladin abilities and ranger stuff you shouldn't have a problem laying down the pain.
So I went ahead and lvl him up to lvl 10 to see what happens. I am now convinced that Ranger/Pal is the way to go, feel free to prove me worng by submitting a built. I am dispointed that no one has actually offered any answers to my questions but,as they say, c'est la vie
Van Riesling
Half-Elf Paladin (Undead Scourge) 4 Ranger 6
LG Medium Humanoid (elf, human)
Init +5; Senses low-light vision; Perception +19
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Defense
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AC 22, touch 18, flat-footed 20 (+7 armor, +5 Dex)
AC 25, touch 18, flat-footed 20 (+7 armor, +5 Dex, +3 deflection)(smite)
hp 100 (10d10)
Fort +12 (+4 vs. hot or cold environments and to resist damage from suffocation),
Ref +14,
Will +11; +2 vs. enchantments
Immune magic sleep, disease, fear; Resist elven immunities
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee Earth breaker +14/+9 (2d6+12/x3)
Ranged Final Rest(+1 holy comp longbow) (Str +3) +17/+17/+12 (1d8+5+2d6 vs. Evil/19-20/x3)
Ranged Final Rest(+1 holy comp longbow) (Str +3) +20/+20/+15 (1d8+13+2d6 vs. Evil/19-20/x3) When smiting
Ranged Final Rest(+1 holy comp longbow) (Str +3) +24/+24/+19 (1d8+17+2d6 vs. Evil/19-20/x3) when smiting Undeads
Special Attacks favored enemies (humans +2, undead +4), smite evil (2/day)
Spell-Like Abilities Detect Evil (At will)
Paladin (Undead Scourge) Spells Prepared (CL 1):
1 (1/day) Protection from Evil
Ranger Spells Prepared (CL 3):
1 (2/day) Bowstaff, Gravity Bow
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Statistics
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Str 16, Dex 20, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 16
Base Atk +10; CMB +11; CMD 31
Feats Clustered Shots, Endurance, Improved Precise Shot, Manyshot, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Skill Focus (Knowledge [religion]), Weapon Focus (Longbow)
Traits Indomitable Faith, Undead Slayer
Skills Acrobatics +4, Bluff +3 (+5 vs. humans, +7 vs. undead), Diplomacy +14, Escape Artist +4, Fly +4, Heal +10, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +12 (+14 vs. humans, +16 vs. undead), Knowledge (religion) +15 (+17 vs. humans, +19 vs. undead), Perception +19 (+21 vs. humans, +23 vs. undead, +21 while in underground terrain), Ride +4, Sense Motive +12 (+14 vs. humans, +16 vs. undead), Stealth +15 (+17 while in underground terrain), Survival +12 (+14 vs. humans, +16 vs. undead, +14 while in underground terrain, +15 to track), Swim +2 (+6 to resist nonlethal damage from exhaustion); Racial Modifiers +2 Perception
Languages Celestial, Common, Elven
SQ aura of courage, aura of good, combat styles (archery), elf blood, favored terrain (underground +2), ghost touch, hunter's bonds (companions), lay on hands (2d6) (5/day), mercies (mercy [shaken]), paladin channel positive energy 2d6 (2/day) (dc 15, track, wild empathy
Combat Gear Potion of hide from undead, Potion of levitate, Potion of remove blindness/deafness, Potion of Restoration, Lesser, Wand of cure light wounds; Other Gear +1 Ghost touch Mithral Agile breastplate, +1 Ghost touch Arrows (10), Final Rest (Str +3), Arrows (60), Cold Iron Arrows (50), Earth breaker, Silver Arrows (10), Belt of physical might (Str & Dex +2), Bracers of falcon's aim, Chime of opening (10 uses), Efficient quiver (130 @ 19.5 lbs), Pharasma, Portrait book, Vampire slayer's kit, 66 GP, 5 SP
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Special Abilities
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Aura of Courage +4 (10' radius) (Su) You are immune to Fear. Allies within aura gain a morale bonus to saves vs Fear.
Aura of Good (Ex) The paladin has an Aura of Good with power equal to her class level.
Clustered Shots Total damage from full-round ranged attacks before applying DR
Detect Evil (At will) (Sp) You can use detect evil at will (as the spell).
Elf Blood You are counted as both elven and human for any effect relating to race.
Elven Immunities +2 save bonus vs Enchantments.
Elven Immunities - Sleep You are immune to magic sleep effects.
Endurance +4 to a variety of skill checks. Sleep in L/M armor with no fatigue.
Favored Enemy (Humans +2) (Ex) +2 to rolls vs Favored Enemy (Humans).
Favored Enemy (Undead +4) (Ex) +4 to rolls vs Favored Enemy (Undead).
Favored Terrain (Underground +2) (Ex) +2 to rolls vs Favored Terrain (Underground).
Ghost touch Enhancement and armor bonus count against incorporeal creatures.
Hunting Companions (1 rounds) (Ex) Grant half favored enemy bonus to allies in 30' as move action.
Immunity to Disease You are immune to diseases.
Immunity to Fear (Ex) You are immune to all fear effects.
Improved Precise Shot Ignore AC bonuses and miss chance from anything less than total cover/concealment.
Lay on Hands (2d6) (5/day) (Su) You can heal 2d6 damage, 5/day
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Manyshot You can shoot two arrows as the first attack of a full attack action.
Mercy (Shaken) (Su) When you use your lay on hands ability, it also removes the shaken condition.
Paladin Channel Positive Energy 2d6 (2/day) (DC 15) (Su) Positive energy heals the living and harms the undead; negative has the reverse effect.
Point Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Potion of Restoration, Lesser Add this item to create a potion of a chosen spell.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Rapid Shot You get an extra attack with ranged weapons. Each attack is at -2.
Smite Evil (2/day) (Su) +3 to hit, +4 to damage, +3 deflection bonus to AC when used.
Track +3 Add the listed bonus to survival checks made to track.
Undead Slayer +1 weapon damage vs. undead.
Wild Empathy +9 (Ex) Improve the attitude of an animal, as if using Diplomacy.
I would drop the ranger levels completely and do a paladin/cleric mix instead.
I understand the impulse to go ranger to pick up favored enemy but it's really not all that needed and the rest of the class features suffer for the multiclassing. Hunter's bond is weak and you'll often be outside of the 30 ft range as an archer. favored enemy is nice but you've already got smite evil and that gives you better bonuses. As a plus it's usable against all evil creatures. The bonus feats are great since archery is a feat intensive build but they are not irreplaceable.
I'd build like this:
Human Cleric 6 (evangelist of Imodedae (sun domain)), Paladin 4 (warrior of the holy light, oath of vengeance)
Stats Str 10 Dex 17 Con 10 Wis 14 Int 12 Cha 14
Even if your character concept is focused on destroying undead you're going to be facing a lot of non undead monsters. This build gives you some versatility to be useful in all situations while still having a definite "kicking undead ass" feel.
Going cleric instead of ranger loses-
Favored enemy
Good reflex save
Hunter's bond
2 bab points
You gain-
Channel energy (useful against hordes of weak undead and bolstered by the sun domain)
Spells, as a 6th level cleric you're casting better than a 10th level ranger or paladin and with a bigger list. (also useful for using items)
Domain spells and orisons
A solid support ability, between your spells and your inspire courage ability you are able to bolster your allies against everything not just undead
Extra smite uses, Since you get the channel from your cleric levels you can take oath of vengeance and warrior of light to boost your smites per day
The extra smite and inspire courage bonuses should make up for the lose of bab and the loss of favored enemy. the spells make up for the lose of the pretty much useless hunter's bond. The reflex save isn't a big deal since you have a good dex and will be out of melee for the most part. feat wise you pick up the standard archer feats and maybe lingering performance and quick channel. overall you end up with a character who can seriously harm undead while still having solid utility in every fight. A lot of your abilities are limited so you will have to think a bit tactically but you have enough uses/versatility that this shouldn't be a big issue. If going to level 20 I'd go for a split of pal 8 and cleric 12
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For Von Helsing, if there ever was an Inquistor, he's it. Seems like the model for it:
"Grim and determined, the inquisitor roots out enemies of the faith, using trickery and guile when righteousness and purity is not enough. Although inquisitors are dedicated to a deity, they are above many of the normal rules and conventions of the church. They answer to their deity and their own sense of justice alone, and are willing to take extreme measures to meet their goals.
Role: Inquisitors tend to move from place to place, chasing down enemies and researching emerging threats. As a result, they often travel with others, if for no other reason than to mask their presence. Inquisitors work with members of their faith whenever possible, but even such allies are not above suspicion."
As to race, Assimar would give you advantages against undead not the least of which is the ability boost in wisdom and charisma. But I can't imagine Von Helsing as an Assimar.
I'm thinking of making an Assimar straight Paladin with a vow against Undead....then...I got the idea of adding a dip of arcane and making him a Dragon Disiple. Is that illegal? Tasteless? or some other form of "Just No!"???