Two Ranger Questions...

[Shatner's Comma]

Hi All,

Two questions regarding my 3rd Level Ranger currently involved in a RotRL campaign.

The first relates to ability scores. Our GM was incredibly generous, and let us roll 4d6 for abilities, letting us slot these in as needed. I decided to build a Garuda-blooded Aasimar Ranger (I've always wanted a ranger with wings...); here are his current stats:

Str: 16
Dex: 18 (16 +2 racial)
Con: 13
Int: 11
Wis: 18 (16 +2 racial)
Cha: 10

With level 4 approaching (barring some gruesome death within Thistletop), I find myself debating where to put my ability point. The optimizer in me knows that I should put it into Dex, but I find myself leaning towards Int (to get the extra skill point), or even Con. I've read through the ranger guides and some dedicated threads, but everyone always suggests Dex. Just interested in seeing where this goes.

Secondly, I chose a Lucerne Hammer for my melee weapon (blunt damage comes in handy). There's a younger guy at the table who says that the choice is ridiculous and makes no sense from a role playing perspective (despite me having one of the more elaborate character backgrounds at the table). I mean, what young, archery-focused ranger wouldn't want a little bit of extra space between them and their foes if they have to enter melee? Am I crazy? Why wouldn't it make sense?

Anyways, thanks in advance!

[Zhayne]

Dex powers your offense, your defense, and a lot of your skills. Dex is very important for you. As an archer, you shouldn't often get into the thick of things, so CON is less important.

I see no problems with your choice of weapon. I would suggest that you ask him, directly, why he says that. Either that, or just shrug and say 'That's, just, like your opinion, man'.

[Corvino]

My only concern with weapon choice would be that you're only likely to enter melee when an enemy closes with you. Using a Lucerne Hammer means you straight up need to use your 5-foot step or move action before attacking in melee, which can be restrictive.

Fortunately you have decent Strength. It would be pretty easy to carry both a Lucerne Hammer and say, a Greatsword, depending on how close enemies get and what types of DR you have to overcome.

[Simon Legrande]

For the reason Corvino mentioned, my last archer ranger carried a Greatclub. If you want some versatility, maybe get your Str up to 18 and grab Power Attack somewhere. Otherwise, if archery is going to be the sole focus, you're best served by raising Dex.

[Shatner's Comma]

Thanks for the insights.

This ranger is pretty much archery focused, the melee weapon was mostly for the first couple of levels when my arrows hit a little light, aside from having a blunt damage option.

I will likely stick with raising Dex rather than Int; I just always feel like I never have enough skill points.

@Zhayne... That was his response when I asked him directly, and I pretty much left it at that.

[lemeres]

The only way I see a Lucerne hammer messing with roleplaying is that it looks silly slung over your shoulder while you are shoot arrows.

But that is a problem I find with all polearms and spears. And that is largely just a personal aesthetic preference. Heck, I vaguely dislike the idea of having a bow over your shoulder too while you hit thing with melee weapon (at least visually; I like seeing characters actually being able to use both)

Anyway, in actual use, it seems perfectly fine to me. It is a weapon meant to stab and smash, and it is a medieval can opener, which made it popular in Europe as armors became more developed. What kind of inconsistencies does he find with this?

[Shatner's Comma]

@lemeres: the only response I could get was that it "made no sense from a role playing perspective". He could not elaborate further.

To me, it makes perfect sense; Latimer's adoptive father (he was abandoned by his Shoanti birth parents) was a retired member of Turtleback Ferry's guard. When his parents asked him to take their goods to the market in Sandpoint, he grabbed what was available. If I am not mistaken, having back story is a central component of role playing.