Dwarven Urban Ranger switch-hitter, can this concept work?


Advice


I've been wanting to play a Dwarf Ranger switch-hitter for a while now, I've just been looking for the right pbp campaign to come along.

I found one that takes place in an urban setting, so I figured this would be a great opportunity to try it out using the urban ranger archetype.

Starting at level 2, 20 point-buy, core books, APG, ARG, UM, UC, and even the playtest classes are avialable.

17 Str
14 Dex
14 Con
12 Int
10 Wis
8 Cha

Traits: Armor Expert, Adopted (Half-elf) Elven Reflexes (maybe some suggestions to replace Adopted?)

Feats: Power Attack, Rapid Shot(b)
Favored Enemy (Human)

Basically the loose concept is he's a "fixer" who works for whichever noble house pays him the most. I was interested in taking the stealthy edge with him, but I'm not so sure that meshes well with the dwarf, or the switch-hitter for that matter.

Obiviously I would take the archery combat style (based on Treantmonk's guide, but would some of the other specs from the APG work better?) and maybe one of the dwarven weapons (longaxe, longhammer, urgosh) or possibly just greataxe. Would a reach weapon be good for this build?

That's all I have at the moment. The more I think about it, the more I think the dwarf aspect is just bringing this build to it's knees. Prove me wrong?


I tend to stay away from reach weapons with switch-hitting rangers; if they're far enough away that a reach weapon makes sense, they're far enough away that I should use the bow instead.

Rangers make awesome scouts, so the sneaky bit works well -- but again this argues against reach weapons as they're hard to conceal.

What's wrong with the dwarf? With the Longstrider spell you'll have all the movement you could want, and dwarves make combat monsters.....


He's a Dwarf. Please tell me he throws hammers. Throwing hammers provide the most hilarious visual to me, they always put me in a good mood.

Scarab Sages

Why the 12 int and 10 Wis? You don't need the extra skills and Wis adds to the vital Perception skill, will saves, and spellcasting. With a racial bonus to wisdom you shouldn't be tanking it.

A great trait for rangers is Magical Knack (Ranger). Magical Knack increases caster level by two up to your HD. A single classed ranger's caster level is Class Level -3, so Magical Knack will immediately increase your caster level when you gain spells at level 4.


I don't see why this shouldn't work, and work well. The speed penalty doesn't matter for a switch hitter - you're not supposed to move anyway, you're supposed to stand there and full attack. The only thing that's slightly annoying about being a dwarf is that you don't get a bonus feat at level 1 in a fairly feat hungry build.

I would recommend swapping your int and wis scores, as wis is your casting stat as a ranger. As for traits: armor expert doesn't seem like it gets you that much, and you could take reactionary instead of elven reflexes, although I'm not sure I'd bother with either. Personally, I'd opt for magical knack, because it's nice to have a higher caster level, and maybe a will save trait or something like that.


Well the boards just ate the nice long reply I had typed up for this (thanks Paizo) so I'll keep this short.

It seems wise to drop the stealthy aspect, buff the spellcasting aspect, and to not use a reach weapon. I'll swap the Int and Wis and take Magical Knack as well as a greataxe and comp. longbow.


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And throwing hammers!


Given that you don't seem to favour spells (low wisdom) and that the playtest ACG classes are allowed: have you looked at the Slayer? It might strike your fancy. You get rogue talents, some of which you can use to acquire the ranger fighting style of your choice (including the skipping of prerequisites), plus the usual kitbash of some sneak, tracking, and so forth. Two good saves, d10 hit points, full BAB. It's pretty solid.

Liberty's Edge

Greetings, CMIX is a Horc Urban Ranger. CMIX name is pronounce like Kah-mix. Full stat block for CMIX is located in his profile.

CMIX is Pathfinder, and plays in Pathfinder Society games

First, CMIX want to say that he very impress with Urban Ranger archetype and switch hitter style. It leave him most of normal ranger combat stuff, but also give useful urban stuff, and thiefy abilities.

If you are play a campaign in much cities, Urban Ranger is good, cuz it helps you excel at be urban.

Next, CMIX is switch hitter. CMIX is only spend feats on bow stuff. It is always CMIX first plan to shooty shooty things. But, sometimes bad guys get right up on CMIX, and doing 5 foot shuffle is not an option. At those times, CMIX is forced to pull out Masterwork Cold Iron Big Whacky Thing! It is very large axe that does awesome damage, especially when CMIX get critical hit. Remember, CMIX real plan is shoot bow, not use MWCIBWT.

Currently, CMIX has favored enemy human and evil outsider. Human is easy choice, CMIX is metagamer he suppose. Evil outsider is good choice for Season 5 of PFS scenarios, and really why not anyways, right?

CMIX has Absalom as favored community. Also good choice for PFS. Not sure what CMIX will choose at level 8 yet.

CMIX has standard shooty shooty feats, and at level 7, he will choose Clustered Shots, and no longer carry dozen different types of arrows.

CMIX has magic quiver, and plans for several bows with Bane on them (probably each for different types of monster). Bane is just amazing, and CMIX like extra +2 and 2d6 damage!

CMIX regularly adventures with same group of Pathfinders called "Old Dominion." CMIX is responsible for regular damage both near and far, chasing, climbing, stealthing, and thiefy stuff.

In conclusion, CMIX is Urban Ranger switch hitter, and he very happy with it.

Liberty's Edge

CMIX feels need to add that dwarves are short, they smell funny, and are slow.

Liberty's Edge

It it was me, I'd drop Cha to 5. Once you're down below 10, it's only a matter of degree, after all. This'd allow Int 12 and Wis 14.


I know severely dumping a stat is usually frowned upon in the pbp forums, but thanks for the suggestion DMW.

And CMIX. A witty post indeed. You don't want to hear about what my dwarf thinks of orcs, it would probably result in a fight. :)

Liberty's Edge

Sixteenbiticon wrote:

I know severely dumping a stat is usually frowned upon in the pbp forums, but thanks for the suggestion DMW.

And CMIX. A witty post indeed. You don't want to hear about what my dwarf thinks of orcs, it would probably result in a fight. :)

CMIX really is nice guy, except to slavers, so tell away, CMIX not start fight.

On plus side, if dwarf choose humans as favored enemies, you get bonus against horcs like CMIX and also against weakling helfs too! In PFS, you get bonuses against aasimar and tiefling, so that is nice.

Scarab Sages

Urban ranger works very well, but I thought I'd just throw out one more option: Have you considered the Zen Archer monk? They are great Switch Hitters in that they can unarmed strike at low levels if people get close, and shoot them in melee after 3rd level. Dwarves make fantastic Zen Archers and ZA keep fast movement to overcome the 20' move speed. Just a thought.


Yeah, but what is this Zen Archer doing, running around the city? Urban Ranger is just a cool looking visual.


@Vamptastic: You forgot to mention throwing hammers.

@Imbicatus: I hadn't considered it. I do like overcoming the shoddy movement speed. I'll look into it. You don't have a proposed build by chance?

Liberty's Edge

Sixteenbiticon wrote:

@Vamptastic: You forgot to mention throwing hammers.

@Imbicatus: I hadn't considered it. I do like overcoming the shoddy movement speed. I'll look into it. You don't have a proposed build by chance?

Is true CMIX move faster than dwarf, but CMIX rarely move more than 5' in a round. This true even before CMIX get +6 BAB, because Rapid Shot also not allow you get Move action.

Only time is problem really maybe, is if there is guys to run down, or run from. Luckily, Longstrider is Ranger spell!

Probably for dwarf, is more likely need run from guys instead of run down guys, but YMMV.


Yes, the more I thought about it the more I liked the flavor of the urban ranger, and I think for this setting it is more appropriate than a monk. This is the basic character build, but I haven't quite finished the mundane equipment purchasing yet. Thank you for your advice.

@CMIX: Another classic post. I gotta do a pbp with you sometime, hah.

Liberty's Edge

Your skill points don't add up (looking at it, I think you get two more ranks). Nor can I think of any way your disable Device can be two points higher than your Stealth, since you don't get Trapfinding until next level.

Liberty's Edge

Ovain Greybloom wrote:

Yes, the more I thought about it the more I liked the flavor of the urban ranger, and I think for this setting it is more appropriate than a monk. This is the basic character build, but I haven't quite finished the mundane equipment purchasing yet. Thank you for your advice.

@CMIX: Another classic post. I gotta do a pbp with you sometime, hah.

Well, see here the thing. CMIX only allowed to do PFS with Old Dominion friends! However, handler of CMIX have other friends: Branson, Milton, and Parsnip who could be convinced to get involved in a PbP, as long as the PbP was done, or suspended, in time for GenCon.


Imbicatus wrote:
Urban ranger works very well, but I thought I'd just throw out one more option: Have you considered the Zen Archer monk? They are great Switch Hitters in that they can unarmed strike at low levels if people get close, and shoot them in melee after 3rd level. Dwarves make fantastic Zen Archers and ZA keep fast movement to overcome the 20' move speed. Just a thought.

Actually, any archer who can get Point Blank Master is way better than a switch hitter IMO. You don't need to split your focus on two things and can specialize on the vastly superior archery the game offers. Switch hitting is what people want to do when they're thinking of a cool character. Straight archery is what people do when they see how much better archery is than melee in pretty much every way.

On the other side of that coin, all you really need to be effective in melee is power attack, so if it's not too much out of an archery build you can take it, but the archery feats are almost always far better than getting power attack due to how little you melee as time goes on with a ZAM/ranger or any class that picks up PBM early.

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