Ranger Stormlord

[Sun Wukong]

I have been thinking about some possible builds to do, builds that round out into something in the early epics. It is a long road to reach level 30, especially if you spin off to create new characters at every whim, and for a while I have been thinking of rolling a Ranger Stormlord. Something that could work just fine as a "Ranger 12/Stormlord 10" and finish up "Ranger 20/Stormlord 10"

For example:

A Half-Orc

Ability scores:

Code: Select all

STR: 18 + 7 (Ability increases) + 5 (Great Strength) = 30
DEX: 14
CON: 14 +1 (BGTSCC custom change)
INT: 10
WIS: 14
CHA: 6

///// I am thinking of swapping INT and CHA though... But that might be awkward with stormlord's number of skill points. Funny how pure ranger would not really care for -2 int penalty! I guess it explains Drizzt so much...

Skills:
Max=> Spot, Survival, Heal, rest goes into lore skills, and maybe either diplomacy or intimidate. Must have at least 4 ranks in Spellcraft. (Might just go 5 or 10, or 15. Depends.)

Feats:

Code: Select all

Level 1: Able Learner
Level 3: Weapon Focus (Spear)
Level 6: Northlander Hewing
Level 9: Monkey Grip
Level 12: Great Fortitude
Level 15: Practised Spellcaster (Ranger)
Level 18: Brutal Throw
Level 21: Great Strength I
Level 23: Great Strength II
Level 25: Great Strength III
Level 27: Great Strength IV
Level 29: Great Strength V

As for one handed damage, with Northlander Hewing on:

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10 (Spear) 
+ 4 (EB) 
+ 10 (Strength) 
+ 14 (Northlander Hewing) 
+ 1d8 (Blades of Fire) 
+ 1d8 (Shock Weapon) 
+ 1d8 (Sonic Weapon) 
+ 3d6 (Extended Storm Avatar) 
= 62~ 
(Limited to three attacks per round)

Then throwing damage:

Code: Select all

1d4 (Mundane 7 gp stack of darts)
+10 (Strength)
+ 1d8 (Shock Weapon) 
+ 1d8 (Sonic Weapon)
= 21.5~
(43~ with manyshot) 

Spellbook:

Code: Select all

Level 1, 4 slots: Blades of Fire <><><>, Embrace the Wild <> 
Level 2, 4 slots: Cat's Grace <>,  Halo of Sand <>, Bear's Endurance <>, Curse of Impending Blades <> 
Level 3, 3 slots: Skin of the Cactus <>, Aid <>, Mass Curse of Impending Blades<> 
Level 4, 3 slots: Freedom of Movement <>, Lesser Aura of Cold <><>

Any thoughts? Any comments? What creatures would be worthy enough to be considered favored enemies by a Talassan?

(Rangers come with free shield proficiency.)

[YourMoveHolyMan]

Tough call on 20 ranger, no bane of enemies

[metaquad4]

Ranger 11/Stormlord 10/Assassin 9, maybe? You'd need an item to cast ranger spells at ranger 11 (or have a higher wisdom). AB would be janky, but, you could just not use manyshot.

Besides assassin, another combo is elemental archer 5 and fighter 4.

Ranger 12/Stormlord 10/Fighter 4/Elemental Archer 4 is doable, with your ranger 12/Stormlord 10 base.

Fighter 4 nets you ranged weapon supremacy. Elemental Archer 4 gives +1 damage and +2 AB. Elemental Archer 5 gives another +1 damage and the possibility of elemental storm. Assassin 9 nets HiPs and 5d6 Death Attack (which interacts well with manyshot, if you can land it with HiPs).

Or Ranger 21/Stormlord 9, as well. Which would forgo storm avatar.

For favored enemies:

PvE:
Undead, Giants, Dragon, Outsider, Human, Abberation, Reptilian Humanoid, Monsterous Humanoid

For PvP:
Human, Elf, Outsider (All Planetouched), Gnome, Halfling, Orc, Half Orc, Half Elf.

I'd suggest outsider, at the very least. Human, is another good choice. Giants are quite common. Undead includes several dungeons and bosses, as well as many events historically. Abberation is mostly if you are delving into the UD.

Outsider, Human, Giant, Undead. And elf!

[Sun Wukong]

Tough call on 20 ranger, no bane of enemies

Actually it was pretty easy one to make, I did not even include the +5 from Favored Enemies in those damage calculations. But I went for ranged combat style instead of two-weapon fighting, and one-shot is kind of something you can skip. (Even with the Stormlord weapon crits.)

Ranger 11/Stormlord 10/Assassin 9, maybe? You'd need an item to cast ranger spells at ranger 11 (or have a higher wisdom). AB would be janky, but, you could just not use manyshot.

I am more concerned with dispels with that build as I intend to make use of the +9 AC I can get from spells. +5 Natural Armor and 1d4 piercing damage on attackers from Skin of the Cactus, and +4 Deflection AC from Halo of Sand. Neither have funny special effects as an added bonus. Not to mention that it would allow me to free item slots for stuff that increase skills or just provide bonuses to my saves, and make use of any +2, +3, or +4 strength item I happen to manage to scour up.

Or Ranger 21/Stormlord 9, as well. Which would forgo storm avatar.

Storm Avatar gives immunity to both knockdown and ranged damage, then a movement speed buff on top of that 3d6 electrical damage. It's duration should also be 2*HD rounds.
So I am not sure if 2d6 damage against favored enemies kind makes up for it.

[metaquad4]

Regarding the assassin build and dispels, HiPs can allow you to avoid them if you see them happening.

[Sun Wukong]

That is true, but it is easier to just pummel through the opposition as well.

[blacksoft]

I have been thinking about some possible builds to do, builds that round out into something in the early epics. It is a long road to reach level 30, especially if you spin off to create new characters at every whim, and for a while I have been thinking of rolling a Ranger Stormlord. Something that could work just fine as a "Ranger 12/Stormlord 10" and finish up "Ranger 20/Stormlord 10"

For example:

A Half-Orc

Ability scores:

Code: Select all

STR: 18 + 7 (Ability increases) + 5 (Great Strength) = 30
DEX: 14
CON: 14 +1 (BGTSCC custom change)
INT: 10
WIS: 14
CHA: 6

///// I am thinking of swapping INT and CHA though... But that might be awkward with stormlord's number of skill points. Funny how pure ranger would not really care for -2 int penalty! I guess it explains Drizzt so much...

Skills:
Max=> Spot, Survival, Heal, rest goes into lore skills, and maybe either diplomacy or intimidate. Must have at least 4 ranks in Spellcraft. (Might just go 5 or 10, or 15. Depends.)

Feats:

Code: Select all

Level 1: Able Learner
Level 3: Weapon Focus (Spear)
Level 6: Northlander Hewing
Level 9: Monkey Grip
Level 12: Great Fortitude
Level 15: Practised Spellcaster (Ranger)
Level 18: Brutal Throw
Level 21: Great Strength I
Level 23: Great Strength II
Level 25: Great Strength III
Level 27: Great Strength IV
Level 29: Great Strength V

As for one handed damage, with Northlander Hewing on:

Code: Select all

10 (Spear) 
+ 4 (EB) 
+ 10 (Strength) 
+ 14 (Northlander Hewing) 
+ 1d8 (Blades of Fire) 
+ 1d8 (Shock Weapon) 
+ 1d8 (Sonic Weapon) 
+ 3d6 (Extended Storm Avatar) 
= 62~ 
(Limited to three attacks per round)

Then throwing damage:

Code: Select all

1d4 (Mundane 7 gp stack of darts)
+10 (Strength)
+ 1d8 (Shock Weapon) 
+ 1d8 (Sonic Weapon)
= 21.5~
(43~ with manyshot) 

Spellbook:

Code: Select all

Level 1, 4 slots: Blades of Fire <><><>, Embrace the Wild <> 
Level 2, 4 slots: Cat's Grace <>,  Halo of Sand <>, Bear's Endurance <>, Curse of Impending Blades <> 
Level 3, 3 slots: Skin of the Cactus <>, Aid <>, Mass Curse of Impending Blades<> 
Level 4, 3 slots: Freedom of Movement <>, Lesser Aura of Cold <><>

Any thoughts? Any comments? What creatures would be worthy enough to be considered favored enemies by a Talassan?

(Rangers come with free shield proficiency.)

How did it go?

[Sun Wukong]

It is okay, and the high damage per hit does disrupt enemy spellcasters.