[sarakah]

I think you missunderstand me I did not Intend to imply that the only members of the Orginization were rangers, Of course they have accountants and the like, I just hadn't thought to mention that. I certainly take your suggestion into consideration as i am still fleshing out the world and have not ironed out all the bugs yet. The class was designed to be started at first level and i am not sure how i would adapt that into a prestige class. This is my first attempt to build my own world and any suggestions are apreciated, but please bear in mind that we all have to start somewhere. and this campaign world is still in it's infancy. you raise some valid points however. It is possible to be a member of the ranger class and not belong to the order of rangers but it is rare. as i stated most of the rugged outdoorsey types are barbarians not rangers. I would appreciate hearing any suggestions as to how i could improve what i have, and i look forward to hearing them.

[Rintaran]

Hmm... I'm picking up that I offended you here, and I'm not surprised. I didn't mean to offend. I have an uncanny knack at pointing out flaws and saying it in the bluntest manner possible. Never been much for tact. As for making a Prestige class, its not difficult. You just start off as though you were making a normal class, except pretend they're already about lvl 8, only make 10 levels, and add some prerequisites. Here's my suggestion if you were to make it prestige.

Lvl   BAB   Fort   Ref   Will   Special                      Spells

 1     +1     +0    +2    +0   Evasion, Uncanny Dodge(DTAC)

 2     +2     +0    +3    +0   Vow of Vengence(+2)            +1 lvl of existing class

 3     +3     +1    +3    +1   Uncanny Dodge(flanking)

 4     +4     +1    +4    +1   Trackless Step, Venom Immunity +1 lvl of existing class

 5     +5     +1    +4    +1   Lawless Sight

 6     +6     +2    +5    +2   Uncanny Dodge(+1 vs traps)     +1 lvl of existing class

 7     +7     +2    +5    +2   Vow of Vengence(+4)

 8     +8     +2    +6    +2   Improved Evasion, UD(+2 traps) +1 lvl of existing class

 9     +9     +3    +6    +3   Implacable Foe

10    +10    +3    +7     +3  True Strike(2/day)             +1 lvl of existing class

Prerequisites
Base Attack Bonus: +8
Alignment: Any Lawful
Feats: Track, Point Blank Shot and any two of Mounted Archery, Rapid Shot, Far Shot, Precise Shot
Skills: 5 Ranks of each of the following: Handle Animal, Intuit Direction, Knowledge Nature, Move Silently, Ride, Spot, and Wilderness Lore
Ranger Levels: 8 {Unneeded unless if you want to limit to rangers only}
Special: Must be a member of [organization], normally requires passing a test of some sort

Class Skills and Features are same as you had them except for those that were removed from the list above and the following addition.

Lawless Sight: A [prestige class name] can see a reddish orange aura surrounding people/creatures that are chaotic in nature. This aura also gives the [prestige class name] a +1 to all attack and skill rolls directly concerning this target.




Of course, this still leaves the problem of a ranger class, but I think it might be more appropriate for your organization. Also, if you leave out the one prerequisite I marked, you can have people of other classes as members of the organization and not just rangers, though its harder for them to meet the requirements.

Shadow_Wolf, I can't seem to find your group's ranger class in the downloads section. Looks like it'll have to be put up again.

[sarakah]

No hard feelings. I like your Prestige class, gives me alot to think about. like the Lawless sight bit. Thanks for taking the time to put that together.
Now, if only i could think of a name for the class....

[Rintaran]

That shouldn't be too hard. Just name it after the organization. Or, since they're supposed to be borderguards, you could just call it borderguard.

[david_peek]

From what I've read, the ranger is getting revamped for version 3.5. However, if you aren't planning on picking up those books anytime soon and still want a better ranger, check out Monte Cook's website. He has a beefed up version listed there that looks pretty good.

[SpaceGhoti]

On looking over the ranger class presented in the Player's Handbook, I've noticed not so much that Rangers are underpowered so much as they are not specialized. There really isn't a whole lot of abilities that make a Ranger a terribly unique class. They are, however, I think, one of the best role-playing classes in the book, as they leave a lot of room for you to add in your own abilities and facets, because they are left rather open ended in the rule book. But, if you think like me, they need to be a bit more specialized, as they are basicaly just fighters who get track for free and favored enemies, which, pardon my saying, isn't all that great of an ability given the relatively unpredictable nature of most campaigns I've played in. So, I've heard of the changes that are in plan for the new 3.5 rulebooks, and have just sort of started working on my own system for rangers. Basically, I split it into two classes: Warrior and Archer. The Warrior-Ranger is most closely related to what the ranger currently is, playing a bit more off the dual wielding abilities and combat prowess. The Archer-Ranger is a lighter, extremely mobile fighter. This ranger tends to stay in the shadows and attack without warning from a distance. The basic abilities for each class are as follows. Warriors get more two weapon fighting abilities, similar to those of the Tempest prestige class in Masters of the Wild. I'm also working with a kind of flurry of blows ability for them, similar to the monk ability. Archers basically gain a few rogue-like abilities, playing off there better manuverability and reaction time in combat. They also get Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot in place of Ambidexterity and Two Weapon Fighting. They gain minor rogue skills lke Evasion and Uncanny Dodge, as well as a weak form of sneak attack, and also, a small number of spell like abilities to enhance their ranged combat abilities. They have a slightly higher reflex save than the norm, and may have a decreased hit die, I'm still considering that. The Warrior-Ranger, on the other hand, is a master of melee combat, specializing in fighting with two weapons. He gains the normal ranger benefits of Two Weapon Fighting and Ambidexterity. His two weapon fighting skills increase as he gains levels, as he gains more bonus feats concerning these abilities. They also gain a fury attack, similar to a monk's flurry of blows, which grants them a further increasing number of attacks per round. These are still very much in the works, and open to suggestions. They're just a shot at trying to balance the class out a bit more, and basically exploring the two main paths rangers tend to take in my experience. Sorry if I'm a bit long winded, but it's my first post on these forums, and I like to make a good impression.

[Ephraim]

Take one of the best attributes of a Ranger, Two-Weapon fighting.
At first and second level they would get negatives to their attacks from using two weapons. However, once they get 3rd level and beyond they become one of the best fighters out there.

My 5th level ranger has a poison dagger and a longsword enchanted with 1d4 hp of cold damage. With both of these weapons going at once, he becomes one of the best fighters in the party. Heck, with a potion of haste I can take two attacks and still have time to do multiple other things! The folks in my party are good roleplayers and do not try to rollplay, save a barbarian, but he sucks anyway . There's looking at you Adam.

A ranger gets two extra feats that other classes do not get. I have an elf, but if you were a human, you would be getting four feats at the beginning of your characters "life".

A ranger can then only go up hill.

After recieving spells, a ranger only gets better. The spells can enhance the rangers ability, and change the outcome of an encounter greatly. Ja'Ralin (my ranger) only gets one spells per day, which isn't spectacular, but like someone said, rangers shouldn't be given access to all their spells right away. If someone didn't say that, I did.

That's my two-poorly spoken-cents.