Monster Slaying Reach Ranger!!

[Cathulhu]

Trying to design "the perfect" monster slaying Ranger. To achieve this goal, I am trying to use reach weapons against typically large or larger foes. IN a world of horrible, much larger monsters, it seems polearms are under utilized.

I am also investing in Craft: Alchemy. A lot of the alchemical creations look VERY useful, especially for a magic-lite monster hunter.

reach Ranger:

Human, 20 point buy

STR 15 (17)
DEX 14
CON 14
INT 12
WIS 14
CHA 7

traits:
Alchemical Adept (+2 Craft Alchemy checks)
reactionary

OR (In this case, use UMD instead of Alchemy?)

Clever Wordplay (UMD uses INT)
Dangerously Curious

1 Power Attack
1 Combat Reflexes
(R2) Rapid Shot
3 Quick Draw
5 Deadly Aim
(R6)Manyshot
7 Furious Focus
9 Weapon Focus: Bardiche
(R10)Imp. Precise Shot
11 Imp. critical

OR

1 Combat Reflexes
1 Weapon Focus: Bardiche
(R2)Power Attack
3 Iron Will
5 Skill Focus: Craft Alchemy/UMD
(R6) Furious Focus
7 Toughness
9 Critical Focus
(R10) Great Cleave
11 Imp. Critical

Notable equipment: Bardiche, Breastplate, Composite Longbow, Battleaxe,
wands of Lead Blades, Hunter's Howl, Longstrider
flasks of alchemists fire, thunderstones, flasks of acid

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[Krodjin]

I'd go Half-Orc with Toothy racial trait to gain primary bite attack that does 1.5x STR mod damage and 3:1 power attack.

That way you always threaten and can attack adjacent, doing respectable damage. The loss of the extra feat at 1st level hurts - but you'd be able to make excellent use of Combat Reflexes once you do take it. I'd suggest your 1st level feat be Power Attack.

One feat that is glaringly absent for your concept is Big Game Hunter from the original RotRL players guide. It grants +1 Attack/+2 Damage vs Large or Larger opponents. Although, it may not be permitted in your game which would explain its absence...

I also prefer the Switch Hitter build as you are more well rounded.

[Bardic Dave]

I like the 2nd one. Picking up Great Cleave without the pre-reqs actually makes it worth it. With the first one, you might as well just go ranged.

[Cathulhu]

I could just have a spiked gauntlet... and always threaten.

[Dragonchess Player]

As a suggestion, you may want to consider taking four levels of fighter (phalanx soldier), changing your combat style to weapon and shield (getting Shield Slam and/or Shield Master early), and picking up a mithral (counts as a silver bludgeoning weapon) light quickdraw shield (add bashing eventually). This way 1) you threaten both at reach and adjacent and 2) can use Shield Slam for the free bull rush to push opponents out of adjacent squares to hit them with your polearm at reach.

Quick Draw and a quick draw light shield lets you ready or stow the shield as a free action, making it easy to transition between ranged, two-handed melee, weapon/shield melee, spellcasting, etc. (and the option for extra AC doesn't hurt). Add Improved Shield Bash and Two-Weapon Fighting (through Combat Style; or fighter bonus feats/normal feats with a slightly higher Dex) and you don't have to sacrifice AC or iterative attacks with your polearm to bash with the shield.

Spoiler:

I actually have a dwarf ranger 16/fighter (phalanx soldier) 4 statted up (at 15-point buy). He's rather more focused on dragon-/giant-slaying, tripping, and thrown weapons than what you're looking at, but some of the principles still apply.

I was playing around with concepts and his equipment selection is: mithral prismatic plate, mithral wyrmslayer's shield, ring of protection +4, adamantine dwarven thrower, dragon's doom, +3 cunning huntsman hooked lance, spirit blade, summoner's sorrow, sun blade, four javelins of lightning, gauntlets of the weaponmaster (holds all ten weapons; he actually didn't take Quick Draw to instead pick up the entire the Goblin Cleaver/Orc Hewer/Giant Killer feat chain), gravewatch pendant (will cast barkskin on self), greater belt of mighty hurling, handy haversack, headband of aerial agility (Wis) +4, howling helm, ioun stone (deep red sphere), juggernaut's pauldrons, ring of force fangs, treasure hunter's goggles, tremor boots (will cast longstrider on self), vambraces of the genie (shaitan), vest of the vengeful tracker, voidfrost robe (also has resist energy if needed). He has five ranks in each of the following Knowledge skills to get the full benefit out of the cunning weapon ability on the hooked lance: Arcana, Dungeoneering, Local, Nature, Planes, and Religion.

[jerrys]

i don't really get furious focus - i think you're going to hit with your first attack anyway, and it's the iteratives that need help. I wouldn't take it unless it's a prereq for something (dreadful carnage?).

I guess I like the archer (first set of feats) better, since sometimes it will come up.

You could rearrange it to delay power attack a little if you want, it's not that useful at 1st level.

I'm not sure that alchemical items are really all that useful in the long run (e.g. at level 6 are you really going to want to spend your round throwing a 1d6 vial of something at somebody?) - but, i could be wrong and it's sort of neat so i say go for it if you want it. In terms of just metagaming though, I think UMD is better.

I have heard some guys say "lunge" is good to have so that you have a little more opportunity in terms of when you can full attack and in terms of keeping guys more than 5' away from you (e.g. if you attack a human at 15', he can't 5' step in and full attack you... he has to spend a move to move up (provoking) and then only gets a single attack; or maybe if you are fighting something that has 15' reach). But, i haven't used it personally to know for sure. Maybe I would take it instead of furious focus. Or maybe take toughness instead of furious focus.

There are some races (dwarf?) that get an AC bonus specifically against giants. But, I don't know if that is worth it in this case.

what favored enemies are you going to take? I think it is a hard choice.

[Cathulhu]

the first build is a classic treantmonk style switch hitter, with the addition of combat reflexes. Power Attack is pretty necessary at first level, considering it is your primary method of dealing consistent damage.

I only attempted to utilize alchemy because it A.) was thematically cool, and B.) I didn't realize there was a trait allowing UMD to be keyed off of CHA. I agree, UMD is superior.

Favored Enemies... Probably Human, Monstrous Humanoids, Evil Outsiders, or Undead. Something like that...