Feats for a TWF Ranger?

Question

Trying to find feats that I should focus on for a two-weapon fighting human ranger. I just hit level 2 and I have picked up two weapon fighting, weapon focus (scimitar), and double slice. My strength is 17 and dex is 16 so I will have an 18 strength at lvl 4. Other stats are Int. 11, Wis. 14, Cha. 9, Con 13. I want to focus on DPR so any advice is much appreciated.

Edit: The campaign is going to level 20.

Answer 1

RFC: I will make changes as @Josh provides more insight.

This depends more or less entirely on how awesome your DM is. Style feats are fantastic for the Ranger, but they tend to come at levels later than when you could normally pick up the feats by yourself. If your DM is cool with it, take the feats early, and then switch them out for other feats at later levels as you 'qualify' for them.

Here's a brief table for how I would go with them: # = level, C = class, F = feat from odd level

• 1F: Weapon Focus
• 1R: Two-Weapon Fighting ( you have three feats, I assume you are human )
• 2C: Dual Slice
• 3F: Quick Draw
• 5F: Blind-fight* / Improved Critical ( Scimitar )*
• 6C: Improved TWF
• 7F: Two-Weapon Rend
• 9F: Dodge*
• 10C: Greater TWF
• 11F: Improved blind fight*
• 13F: Hammer The Gap*
• 14C: Two Weapon Rend ( replacing the other ) - Outflank* ( animal companion)
• 15F: Greater Blind fight*
• 17F: Precise Strike* (animal Companion )
• 18C: Quick Draw ( replacing the other )*
• 19F:

As you can see, you end up with a lot of extra feats to play around with (all of the starred ones ). If you choose effective Favored Enemies and Favored Terrains, you will gain great benefit from them as well. I would only take the Blind-Fight tree if you think you will fight in many encounters involving concealment. Improved critical if you don't want to worry about enchanting the sword or getting scabbards of keen edge.

Items: you'll probably want to tailor these a bit better to whichever campaign you're in. There are a couple of 'standard' items that pretty much everyone picks up as they go: Belt of stat +6 for physical trait bonuses, Headband of stat +6 for mental trait bonuses, ring ( or shield ) of Shield, etc. As you play you'll figure out what sort of item's you'll need.

Answer 2

Please, for the love of all the black gods of the Abyss, do not take Weapon Focus. It eats an entire feat slot for a very, very small benefit that would otherwise be spent on almost anything else. Here's some suggestions from my end, as far as feats go:

• Obviously Two-Weapon Fighting and its direct sequels will be your work horses, so make sure to pick those up.

• Double Slice is great. It's wonderfully great, but it's even GREATER if you use a double weapon because that means you can Power Attack with it. Since rangers don't have a lot of bonus damage sources (like Sneak Attack), Power Attack is going to be a must.

• Power attack. See above.

• Step Up and Following Step should be strongly considered because they solve a major problem that TWF has - that is to say, if you move, you can't use your TWF. These two are not necessarily IDEAL, but since most of the things I'd suggest are not PF-specific content I'd advise you to think about them. Note that they don't help if your enemy is using the Withdraw action.

• If you feel you would prefer to use Light Weapons instead of a double weapon (which I do not suggest), then you're going to need to burn the feat tax on Weapon Finesse, then pick up Piranha Strike so that you can Power Attack with light weapons. THANKFULLY, Double Slice takes care off the Str modifier problems already.

• Two-Weapon Rend helps with your 'bonus damage' problem and should be picked up when you can get it.

After that your feats should probably either provide utility or shore up weaknesses in your class or build. The Blind-Fight line can help with that. Combat Reflexes takes advantage of your high Dex and has some sequel feats that can be interesting for you. If 3.5 content is allowed, consider some Martial Study and Martial Stance to pick up Wolf Fang Strike, Assassin's Stance (to gain Sneak Attack) and/or Sudden Leap so that you can move and TWF in the same round. I would suggest Mage Slayer and Pierce Magical Concealment from 3.5 as well, but they don't play nice with your spells, so use at your own risk.

As well, try to AVOID feats like Dodge and Weapon Focus. Improved Critical is much cheaper as the Keen property enchanted directly into your weapons and is thus usually a wasted feat unless you are for some reason starved of cash; if that's the case, then it's a relatively solid choice. Dodge and Weapon Focus, however, provide tiny bonuses in exchange for your irreplacable feat slot and are the definition of being unworthy of the resource expended to pick them up.