Race and the Ranger

fire, or water) once per day . She gains all the elemental's special attacks and special qualities when she does so, regardless of ability type (that is, she gains the supernatural and spell-like abilities of the elemental as well as extraordinary ones) . She also gains the elemental's feats and racial skill bonuses for as long as she maintains the wild shape while retaining her own creature type (humanoid in most cases). At 18th level, she can assume elemental form three times per day .

Choosing a Wild Shape

Beginning at 5th level, the druid gains the ability to use wild shape . During her career, a variety of choices present themselves as she masters larger and smaller forms, and eventually she can assume the form of a dire animal or an elemental . The array of options can be downright bewildering .

The primary consideration in selecting an animal form is what you want it for . Here are some factors a druid should consider when approaching this decision .

Detecting : Because the druid can use the extraordinary abilities of the form chosen, she can gain blindsight as a dire bat or a porpoise . Most animals have low-light vision, and a few (such as the snake and the owl) also have racial Spot or Listen bonuses .

Escaping : The one of the best way to escape a troubling situation through wild shape is to take to wing as a hawk or an eagle . The fly speeds of those creatures are 80 and 60 feet respectively, and that's usually fast enough to escape from an advancing army or a land-bound monster. The owl, despite its popularity, doesn't fly especially fast (only 40 feet) . In a dungeon, or against some airborne foes, the cheetah or horse may be a more appropriate choice . A light horse has a respectable land speed of 60 feet; the cheetah moves only 50 feet normally but can also travel 500 feet in a sprint (see the cheetah entry in the Monster Manual) . Escape doesn't always require fast movement, though-a high-level druid can use wild shape to take the form of a Tiny animal and use the Hide skill to avoid enemies .

Fighting : Wild shape can make the druid a formidable opponent. Until 8th level, when she can use wild shape to become a Large animal, her best choices are the wolverine, black bear, or leopard, with three attacks each . Of these, the black bear offers the highest Strength score and the leopard the highest AC . The wolverine's rage ability grants it the same Strength bonus as the black bear, plus a few additional hit points. The form of a constrictor snake might also prove very useful, especially against enemy spellcasters .

For an 8th-level druid, the polar bear reigns supreme with its Strength score of 27 . The heavy horse is weaker in combat but a lot less conspicuous, if that's a concern . The only other options worth considering are the big cats-lions and tigers-whose pounce and rake abilities are a fair trade for the polar bear's higher strength . The tiger is uniformly tougher than the lion, but both can hold their own in combat . Finally, reach provides a significant advantage in a fight, and the druid can gain that in the form of a Large viper.

At 12th level, the druid can use wild Shape to become a dire animal. As a dire bear with a Strength of 31, she can do 30 or more points of damage in a single round. The dire lion is her second-best choice .

When the druid reaches 15th level, the dire tiger becomes available, but the dire bear may still be a better decision . The dire tiger's Huge size makes it easier to hit than the dire bear, and the addition of pounce and rake attacks may not entirely compensate for that disadvantage .

At 16th level, the druid gains a significant new option-elemental form . This allows the druid access to all the special abilities of the chosen elemental, including whirlwind, drench, vortex, push, and burn . Because of its high Strength score, the earth elemental is probably the best choice, though the water elemental has a better AC . If AC is not a factor, however, the dire hear is still a better fighter than any elemental simply because of its higher strength .

Impressing Foes : Bears, lions, and elementals impress the local populace and frighten even veteran mercenaries. A DM may allow a +2 circumstance bonus on intimidate checks for a druid using an impressive form .

Impressing Other Animals : The druid usually relies on her Animal Empathy skill to calm hostile or hungry animals and reassure them that violence is not necessary. The druid who takes the time to use wild shape to assume the target animal's form often has an easier time in this negotiation, even though she doesn't gain the ability to speak with the creature directly . To represent this advantage, the DM may allow the druid a +4 circumstance bonus on Animal Empathy checks made against an animal whose form she has assumed .

Scouting: Avian forms are good for scouting, but don't overlook subterfuge as an option . An old story tells of a druid who learned all her enemies' plans when she assumed the form of a heavy horse and served a day as the steed for the commander of the evil army . Most people pay little attention to horses, livestock, or passing frogs, and the druid can profit from that .

Training Animals : The training process becomes much easier if the druid can simply assume the animal's form and demonstrate the behavior or action she wants . The DM may allow the druid a +4 circumstance bonus on her Handle Animal checks when she uses wild shape in this fashion .

Traveling: Because of their good fly speeds, birds are the obvious choices for travel . Should travel by ocean, sea, or river be an option, the dire shark moves at an impressive speed (90 feet) that even the eagle cannot match . At 15th level and higher, the druid should seriously consider the form of an air elemental for travel because of its incredible fly speed (100 feet) .

THE RANGER IN PERSPECTIVE

"You could just as easily get a shark to give up Swimming as you could get a ranger to Stay at home ."

-Soveliss

Despite his association with the forest, the ranger cannot be described as "rooted ." Too great an attachment to