My son and I are trying to build two Rangers for Gamestorm this weekend to have on hand if we need to play a first level character.
He wants a Two Weapon Fighter and I was thinking of a Natural Weapon fighter. I imagine stat allocation for each would look fairly simple, the differences would be feat selection? We would both prefer to melee primarily but be able to use our Longbow if needed.
We will be either Human or Half Elf.
Any tips and build advice?
Well it's pretty simple to follow the feat picks of whatever style you choose. Dual Talent Human is useful if you want both strength and dexterity to be nice and high, which is useful for everything from ranged attacks to initiative to AC. If Favored Enemy is kind of uncertain and you want more flexibility, the Guide Ranger is a really, really good archetype.
For a TWF Ranger, having at least 15DEX lets you pick up TWF at 1 and then use the first style feat to pick up Double Slice so that you're up and running right away. For TWF I really like using a one-handed weapon and a cestus, since you can use a really good weapon two-handed until it's time to make a full attack with both weapons. Double Weapon also works well for that, but if picking up an exotic weapon anyways, I'd prefer falcata and cestus myself.
A natural attacks Ranger is pretty straightforward, assuming the plan is to maul people with claws all day and not do some kind of weapon/claw thing. The Feral Combat Training feat will allow the use of everything from Brawling armor to style feats as if your claws were unarmed strikes, which is really good for a natural attacks Ranger. If you take a level of Master of Many Styles Monk and then pick up Feral Combat Training, you can cross two powerful combat styles - ideally Dragon Style and something else.
For example, crossing Dragon Style and Dragon Ferocity with the never-used Tiger Claws is actually ridiculously good for a claw-user. You get to make one attack roll for both claws and then add 2xSTR and 2.5xSTR to the two strikes, since both damage rolls are part of your 'first unarmed strike'. You also get a chance to send the enemy flying backwards, and if you have the Tiger Pounce feat you can rush them with another Tiger Claws on the next round. Technically Tiger Claws is also an attack with a one-handed weapon using two hands, so you can arguably get a two-handed Power Attack bonus from it as well... a GM might disagree, but a couple extra points of Power Attack doesn't matter much at that point.
When in doubt, I usually go with a 16,14,14,12,10,8 stat array. In a melee rangers case, maybe:
Str 16+2, 14, 14, 10, 12, 8
You might consider Tribal Scars. Great low level feat.
As to combat feats? Power attack, weapon focus, rending claws, improved natural weapon, rending fury (normal, Improved, and Greater). Basically anything from the combat style plus anything that will get you higher damage. Amulet of mighty fists is probably going to be a given for you.
Mechanically, two-weapon fighting works best when they are the same weapons, to get the most benefit from feats like weapon focus, etc. If you are half-elf, you can use a racial trait to exchange skill focus for exotic weapon - you could do aklys (1d8 plus it can be thrown) or wakizashi (1d6/18-20). Among martial weapons, I prefer short sword, although the Kukri surpases them in at higher levels for who invest in strength and the things like improved crit.
Edit: Also, sawtooth sabres with EWP are superior for TWF.
I don't think unarmed and claw attacks are interchangeable. I don't think martial arts styles add on damage.
Half elf is useful since it can get a ton of will save.
Switch out the skill focus for dual minded for a +2 to all will saves. Elven immunity gives a +2 vs enchantments. With a bit of wisdom for spells and maybe a +1 will trait, you will probably have the best will save at the table.
For TWF- I would not advise a matching pair of weapons (since you are not a fighter- you are not grabbing a ton of weapon focus feats or weapon training), but a pair that gives you options.
You are not a usual TWF user. You do not need high dex, you do not need to rely solely on light weapons, and you can easily get good strength, so take advantage of that
If your light weapon is a cestus or spiked gauntlet, and then grab a 1 handed weapon, you can switch between TWF and 2 handed whenever you want. That means you can get powerful standard action attacks- you can move and still get good damage in (a main concern for most TWF builds)
Another option would be a double weapon. They can be 2 handed or TWFed. In case you feel that you really need the single weapon type.
I don't think unarmed and claw attacks are interchangeable. I don't think martial arts styles add on damage.
Link:Feral Combat Training.
Style feats have Improved Unarmed Strike as a prerequisite and have effects that augment unarmed strikes. It's even been ruled by Paizo that Feral Combat Training lets you apply your Monk Unarmed Strike damage to the natural attack in question.
In fact, if you really want to go crazy with combat styles and claws, you can pick up the Combat Style Master feat and work in a third style feat later on, switching around which styles you're in with seamless free actions. A second level of Master of Many Styles Monk makes it pretty easy to grab something like Crane Style, so that when you're not attacking, you switch from Tiger-Dragon to Crane-Dragon to bulk-up your AC and make counterattacks.
Half elf is useful since it can get a ton of will save.
Yep, or you can use Ancestral Arms for a free exotic weapon. Very nice for TWF with a double sword, or the wonderfully lethal falcata-and-cestus.