General Prestige Class : Prestige Ranger
The prestige ranger navigates the dark forests, craggy mountains, or desert wastes of her homeland with unparalleled skill. She becomes one with nature while remaining a deadly hunter.
Most prestige rangers are former druids, though some multiclass in barbarian, fighter, or rogue. Some replace druid levels with cleric levels, selecting the Animal domain. If your campaign uses the wilderness rogue (described earlier in Unearthed Arcana), that class also provides a good starting point for a would-be prestige ranger.
NPC prestige rangers are typically loners, trusting few but themselves while on the hunt. Some form loose affiliations of like-minded individuals, occasionally relying on each other for assistance in dire times.
Compared to the standard ranger, the prestige ranger gives up immediate access to some of her iconic abilities (such as favored enemy) by having to qualify for the class, but has a much wider selection of spells.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Prestige Ranger, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Skills: Knowledge (nature) 2 ranks, Survival 4 ranks
- Feats: Endurance, Track, and either Rapid Shot or Two-Weapon Fighting.
- Base Attack Bonus: +4.
- Spellcasting: Must be able to cast calm animals as a divine spell.
Class Skills
The prestige ranger's class skills are Climb, Concentration, Craft, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Jump, Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (nature), Listen, Move Silently, Profession, Ride, Search, Spot, Survival, Swim, and Use Rope.
Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All the following are class features of the prestige ranger class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: As the standard ranger in the Player's Handbook.
Animal Companion (Ex): At 1st level, a prestige ranger gains an animal companion. This is identical to the standard druid ability of the same name.
If a prestige ranger already has an animal companion from another class, the character's prestige ranger levels stack with those class levels for purposes of determining the companion's abilities.
Favored Enemy (Ex): As the standard ranger ability of the same name.
Wild Empathy (Ex): As the standard ranger ability of the same name.
If a prestige ranger already has the wild empathy ability from another class, the character's prestige ranger levels stack with those class levels when making animal empathy checks.
Bonus Feat: At 2nd level, a prestige ranger gains either Manyshot or Improved Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat. She must have the Rapid Shot feat to select Manyshot as a bonus feat, and she must have Two-Weapon Fighting to select Improved Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat. However, the ranger need not have any of the other normal prerequisites for the bonus feat selected.
At 7th level, a prestige ranger gains either Improved Precise Shot or Greater Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat. She must have the Manyshot and Rapid Shot feats to select Improved Precise Shot as a bonus feat, and she must have Two-Weapon Fighting and Improved Two-Weapon Fighting to select Greater Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat. However, the ranger need not have any the other normal prerequisites for the bonus feat selected.
Woodland Stride (Ex): As the standard ranger ability of the same name.
Camouflage (Ex): As the standard ranger ability of the same name.
Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): As the standard ranger ability of the same name.
| Prestige Ranger | Hit Die: d8 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells |
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +2 | +0 | 1st favored enemy, animal companion, wild empathy | - |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +3 | +0 | Bonus feat, woodland stride | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +3 | +1 | Swift tracker | - |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +4 | +1 | - | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +4 | +1 | 2nd favored enemy | - |
| 6th | +6 | +5 | +5 | +2 | - | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
| 7th | +7 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Bonus feat | - |
| 8th | +8 | +6 | +6 | +2 | - | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
| 9th | +9 | +6 | +6 | +3 | Camouflage | - |
| 10th | +10 | +7 | +7 | +3 | 3rd favored enemy | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
| 11th | +11 | +7 | +7 | +3 | - | - |
| 12th | +12 | +8 | +8 | +4 | - | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
| 13th | +13 | +8 | +8 | +4 | Hide in plain sight | - |
| 14th | +14 | +9 | +9 | +4 | - | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
| 15th | +15 | +9 | +9 | +5 | 4th favored enemy | - |
Source: Unearthed Arcana