Rangers favored enemy

[12 Hatch]

To provide a bit of extra incentive to avoid powerpicking FE: Human, perhaps a small smattering of ranger items could be added that require pure ranger and FE: X enemy.

For example, a mighty spear enchanted by the Githyanki to impale illithid, usable only by pure rangers with FE: Aberration, or an enhanced poacher's bow used to cut down Stargazers that requires pure ranger and FE: halfling.

[AKMatt]

When the ranger change is made, have a script check if it's FE: human or FE: anything else.  Gives you +1/2 lvls for non-human FEs, +1/3 levels for human, probably will see like a 5% shift toward other favored enemies.

[Ebok]

It comes down to these simple questions, what will you fight the most? What levels will you fight them? Will they be consistently dangerous throughout your career?

If you outgrow your FE because you can no longer find them in dangerous amounts or dangerous levels, then the ability isn't worth it. You don't take a level 1 feat that you wont use past level 3. Especially not on an ability that is game changing. Ab 1/3 levels is that much more of the most important number on your character sheet.

[Joe Desu]

This is only my thinking and nothing to do about others choices.

I can only imagine that someone chooses FE human so that they can use it in PvP. I never consider making a PC to PvP but to at least survive a quest more often than the PC before that. As there are few humans to fight in quests, I can't imagine taking it.

I would consider an evil ranger to potentially pick FE Human. This is on track as a killer that they are. How many PC's are made that used to chase after escaped bandits that needed to be taken down? I suppose I see FE as killing and not just catching and returning to jail for example.

My one Ranger on EFUA was an undead hunter from the beginning and then chose orcs for his second FE due to the Ymph having many of them about. That made sense to me and I had never imagined taking FE human till I read some forum notes about it.  Who'd a thought ...

[Seanzie]

In all honesty, rangers don't make good pvpers(blah blah blah, it's my opinion) but having favored enemy makes it a lot of fun to go hunting whatever your FE is. Say it's goblins. You could just go out in small parties hunting for your enemy. It makes it good for adventuring, and intrigue.

[Pup]

When I played my ranger on the new server, he had FE: Animals because he was a "beastmaster" build.  I was laughed at oocly for not choosing humans.  It not only made sense IC, but also mechanically when I was trying to AE a Dire Cave Bear or Ymphian Sabre Tiger and didn't hit it on the first try (as rare as that was! XD).

I will also sort of reiterate Howland's mention that if you choose something other than FE: (Bleh), the Dms will notice, and appreciate it.

[Kinslayer988]

I remembered a dwarf pest exterminator that had FE:Vermin

We had some good lolz

[derfo]

When the ranger change is made, have a script check if it's FE: human or FE: anything else.  Gives you +1/2 lvls for non-human FEs, +1/3 levels for human, probably will see like a 5% shift toward other favored enemies.

I think this would be a good direction to go. Humans are probably the most varied and widespread of the races, I do not really see how someone who specializes in hunting them is just as good as a ranger who specializes in a lot of the other choices.

I would think having humans at even +1/4 levels, other PC races at +1/3, everything else at +1/2, and half-elves at +9/1 would be better.

[Kinslayer988]

half-elves at +9/1 would be better.

Those elven whores

[AceOfSpadesX]

In all honesty, rangers don't make good pvpers(blah blah blah, it's my opinion)

Your opinion is wrong.

As for the nerf on FE: Human, it's probably a good idea.

[Porkolt]

I've never managed to think of a good reason for a PC to have FE human other than the age-old argument of 'manhunter'.

Considering the abundance of rangers with this feat, there are very few manhunters out there.

[FishyBusiness]

Favoured Enemy does not mean, in my eyes- particular hatred. In most cases.

It /can/ mean such, but frankly- what it all is about, is about the ranger excelling in being particularly skilled not only at BASHING THE CRAP out of the chosen FE, but also-
Tracking them.
Knowing their customs.
Knowing their psyche/behaviour.
Studying them.
And most importantly - Understanding them (this does not persay mean to agree with the FE's ways, of course.)

I tend to fall into the whole 'Hatred' bag of FE's when I'm picking FE for my rangers. Into the simple pattern of Race X did something nasty to my PC in the past-> my PC swore to hunt them down, etc. Perhaps it's boring.

And frankly, with the FE: Human, I /can/ picture most of the wilderness/ Old Ways rangers having it. Since humans are the most numerous race in the realms. Since humans stand for the ever-spreading civilization. Burn trees, 'civilize' the wilds, yadda, yadda, yadda. Being a plague.

 Like with the Ziggurat. Aside of the PC's, there's how many human NPC's there? The colony is mostly human. Everyday, when I walk the server as a wilderness PC, I picture once in a while seeing NPC hunters. Seeing NPC farmers. NPC patrols. Perhaps I'm wrong in doing so, but IMO- there is more to this than just picturing the single Armada/Order PC's to represent the whole.

But this said, there needs to be a reason. A backstory reason. Good reason.

And I agree with the nerf.

[Egon the Monkey]

Ebok gets it. In EfU, the most numerous NPC enemies are Orcs, Undead, Animals, Halflings and Humans. You might want to make a ranger with FE: Gnome or FE: Fey, but not only will you rarely if ever get the mechanical benefit, you won't get the RP benefit. You may as well take GSF Enchantment on a sorc whose only Enchantment spell is Daze. That said, unless you have an extreme RP reason for taking two rare favoured enemies, you may as well pick the second as a result of your experience fighing X on Ymph a lot.

What would be good is to explain what races some of the EFU custom mobs (like plant monsters) are, so that people who haven't used Tracking can understand what to build for if you want to make a hunter of them.

[TheImpossibleDream]

Too bad theres no way to change favored enemy so that you have to choose specific races of humans the same way you have to choose varities of reptilian and monsters.

[Anonymous Bosch]

I think this would be a good direction to go. Humans are probably the most varied and widespread of the races, I do not really see how someone who specializes in hunting them is just as good as a ranger who specializes in a lot of the other choices.

I would think having humans at even +1/4 levels, other PC races at +1/3, everything else at +1/2, and half-elves at +9/1 would be better.

Even though I agree that +1/2 is likely OP I don't see the logic in giving humans preferential treatment here.  Humans aren't as different from one another as a cockatoo and a great lizard.   +1/3 round the board seems like a decent bonus without going nuts.