Rangers favored enemy

[Nuclear Catastrophe]

I'd like to hear the playerbase's opinion on this somewhat.

I have always seen rangers favored enemy as a very personal, very important choice to their class.  It explains a lot about their background, why they adventure, the choices they make.  

We as DM's get to see what people pick for their favored enemy when they choose Ranger as their class.  I like having a look when I see rangers rolling around.  It gives us as a DM's a bit of an insight into what you're all about.  

However, 99% of the playerbase always seem to pick one specific creature in their favored enemy list, and I'll only give you a single guess as to what creature that is.  

I do believe there should be a rationale behind your favored enemy.  Understand this is my personal opinion, not that of the DM team.  

But right now it is done for one reason and one reason alone.  Mechanical superiority in PvP.

Ultimately it doesn't really matter.  But I am curious to hear some thoughts.

[prestonhunt]

I do believe that there should be some backstory explaining why you've taken FE - Human.  Yes.

[Luke Danger]

There should be rational. In my opinion, it doesn't neccesarily mean they hate that species; it could mean that they're just familiar with it. For example, a ranger who hunts defectors from his human Baron in a human-only nation would probably have FE: Human because he hunts them down a lot.

I played one ranger; Rob Darkspell. His FE's were Undead and Human. Undead is because he hates undead and studied their weaknesses as he saw them as an abberational use of the Weave. That's the traditional hate.
However, he also had FE Human. Mechanically, the reason is obvious; PvP (though I was playing a gimp build on him, lol). I did have what I felt was a very good justification, however. As a talented healer, he would know more about human anatomy than the average joe ranger, having patched himself up and others through it quite often. It would stand to reason that he would learn something from it as he does so; perhaps how to shoot a bit better with his bow (or rather, what to target), or where there's a sensative joint? Thus his second FE.

There has to be justification, but it can't be as flimsy as "oh, he's human, he'd probably know how to hurt another one of them. We naked apes have killed eachother for X thousand years; if we don't know something about it, we're all Eldathans, ain't we?". That's just bad RP.

[Random_White_Guy]

Capricious' ranger Ghost was one of the finest examples of Favored Enemy I have ever seen. Not only killing them but goading them, leaving a mark, pursuing and hunting them at every turn.

A known human murderer could have FE Human in that same regard. A lawman maybe if he lived in a pretty human society, leaving a trail of corpses and more. Etc.

I'd just ask people who have FE Human to make it more...

Flashy?

Showmanship is a lot of feat RP and should be used more.

[Spiffy Has]

Loose ranger powers if they do not show the appropriate HATRED to their chosen race imo

[Relinquish]

The interesting thing is, ranger FE mods truly promotes pure rangers. But as you get to higher levels, where you are already more and more powerful (Especially with some pure classes, based on their bonuses already) The FE becomes overkill, especially in PvP. +4 AB is pretty big.

[Howlando]

I don't think HATRED is necessary. For example, a hunter that ranges the wilds and has FE: Animals seems appropriate. In the past, we've had engineering ranger-multis who studied golems and animatrons and had FE Construct (also appropriate).

But significant and sustained focus to justify whatever you choose is important, in my opinion.

Of course, I don't mind the abundance of FE Humans, as for me it just makes the exception to that stand out all the more.

[Howlando]

The FE becomes overkill, especially in PvP. +4 AB is pretty big.

I suppose it doesn't hurt to mention that it's been on the list to nerf/adjust for months! It will be reduced to +1 per 3 ranger levels eventually. So yeah.

[Twelve]

I currently play a ranger. And have FE: Human.
 
My thoughts... right, wrong or indifferent... FE does NOT mean "hated" it means "favored".
 
My own reasons are part of his back ground, but they are pretty obvious.. self loathing. He has self loathing and major anomosity towards his FE's, that guide his actions.
 
Of course, I was aware of a mechanical advantage regarding humans. And I think with that comes some inherent responsibility. Just because you CAN do something, does not mean you SHOULD.
 
Anyway, all I got without tipping my hand on my current PC overly much.
 
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EDIT:  I respectfully, disagree with the +4 being overpowered. It allows a ranger to not take WF: X Weapon, and be awesome against his favored enemies. It allows that one feat to be used in something else. If you change that, it will be (somewhat) compensated by WF: X weapon and I think you will see more cookie-cutter rangers.

[Blue41]

Favored may as well mean hated, imo. As in, if you are in a new area, hit /c tracking, and see your FE in the list of enemies...that should be the first thing you make a beeline for above all others. An enemy that's at the top of your most wanted list.
 
Why do most rangers pick FE: Human? Mechanics absolutely plays a factor. If you're lucky, it's also justifiable ICly. My Stargazer's favored enemies are Shapechangers and Humans. And while they both make sense given my Gazer's goals and history, I won't say it doesn't feel a bit cheap all the same.
 
Hatred may not have to be the necessity for choosing a FE enemy. But it should impact a little more upon a PC than whenever they decide to enter PvP. A hunter that 'used to hunt humans for his lord but doesn't anymore since he teleported to the Zig' doesn't really need FE: Human, if you ask me.

[Divine Intervention]

My opinions is it can be hatred towards a foe or experience/study in fighting it.  For example, my elf gladiator was a pure ranger with Fe: Elf and Fe:Human.  Elf was to represent his hated and experience in hunting drow whereas his fighting humans in the pits had given him practice against them.

[Egon the Monkey]

The last ranger I played was a pure class with FE: Halflings and Humans. Why? Because these are the two most prevalent races for thieves, and I was playing a merchant. I wanted to be able to spot them sneaking up. Remember FE is more than just AB.

The way I see it, it's what you mostly fight. My insatiably hungry halfling Malarite, Bucky, had FE: Animal as he kept killing, cooking and eating anything that moved. He then took FE: Human as he converted to Malar and spent his time guarding a Cleric against other humans. I'd expect a bounty hunter or soldier to have FE: Human as that's what he mostly faces. You might have a gnome with FE: Kobold for logical RP reasons but he'll rarely use it in a serious fight. IMO FE is similar to Weapon Spec. You wouldn't make a Fighter with Weapon Spec: Halberd then spend all your time using a greatsword because it's a better weapon. Similarly taking two Favoured Enemies that never turn up on EFU seems a waste. Luckily you get another at 5 so it's possible to take a "RP" Enemy and a mechanically useful one.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Felt like a kid with my hand in the biscuit tin getting called on this one.
 
As I came up with the character for my ranger I knew I wanted FE human for mechanical reasons.  Running on the logic I never look for PvP and when I get into it, I lose, I wanted to make a char that would be happier to seek PvP out and decided on something simple and ubiquitous, hunting down those that hunt for any reason other than food.  Being a predominantly human population, I figured these would be human hunters.  

I can see why FE human might be seen as improper, taking the feat before the man hunting and all.  Being restricted to taking the feat at lvls 1 and 5, I decided to go with it early and justify later, rather than let game mechanics restrict me later when I ought to be skilled at hunting humans.

I'd be interested to know what people make of this kind of thinking.  For me, it was an imperfect solution in an imperfect system.

[Caster13]

I'll admit that on one or two of my ranger PCs (actually, I don't think I had that many), I molded my character's story/background to fit the mechanical advantage of FE: Human.

[Talir]

I'm not as much interested myself in whatever backstory you have for taking the favored enemy, as I have for what you do for it now.

Someone who spent his life hunting and killing goblins but has favored enemy human makes as much sense to me as the trained carpenter suddenly excelling as a computer engineer after graduation.