Ranger Action Flow Chart

[Delgar]

One of my players in my group kindly threw this together to illustrate to the other players in my game how his ranger plays out:

Combat Starts -->


1. Are you a melee-based ranger?
Yes. Seriously? You're not ing with me? Go re-roll as a rogue or barbarian .
No. Take out your bow. Go to Step 2.


2. Is it your turn to act in the initiative?
Yes. Go to Step 8.
No. Let's see if you have Disruptive Strike. Go to Step 3.


3. Do you have the Disruptive Strike Encounter Power?
Yes. Let's see if you like your party members. Go to Step 4.
No. I assume your below level 3. Because if not, you're a . Go to Step 2.


4. Is a character you like about to be hit?
Yes. Let's see if you can make a difference. Go to Step 5.
No. Go back to watching Family Guy. Go to Step 2.


5. Will subtracting twice your Wisdom modifier from the enemy's hit result in a miss?
Yes. Grab your dice, Sunshine, you're using Disruptive Strike. Go to Step 6.
No. Your friend is out of luck. I hope they have a decent Constitution score. Go to Step 2.


6. Did you succeed in your Disruptive Strike?
Yes. Kudos to you,Superhero. Go celebrate with some Cheetos. Go to Step 2.
No. Let's see if you're an elf. Go to Step 7.


7. Are you an elf?
Yes. Good man (or woman). Use your Elven Accuracy Racial power and roll again. Go to Step 6.
No. Your friend is out of luck. I hope they have a decent Constitution score. Go to Step 2.


8. Wake up Sunshine! It's your turn to act. Is your target within range of your bow?

Yes. Determine if you can mark your target as your quarry. Go to step 9.
No. Move your ass up into bow range . Go to Step 8.


9. Is the target the closet enemy to you?
Yes. Mark that er! Go to Step 12.
No. Let's see if you have cool Ranger feats. Go to Step 10.


10. Do you have the Second Shot feat?
Yes. Now we're talking! Go to Step 11.
No. You're out of luck. Go to Step 12.


11. Is the target one of the second closest enemies to you?
Yes. Mark that er! Go to Step 12.
No. Why the did you pick this target again? Go to Step 12.


12. Is the target adjacent to you?
Yes. Let's see who else is around you. Go to Step 14.
No. Let's make sure there are no other enemies to worry about. Go to step 13.


13. Can you shift 1 square away from the target and not be adjacent to another enemy?

Yes. Shift 1 square away from the target. Go to Step 19.
No. Suck it up butter cup! Go to Step 16.


14. Are you adjacent to any other enemies?
Yes. Well sticks. Go to Step 15.
No. Hell yeah! Go to Step 19.


15. Can you shift 1 square away and not be adjacent to another enemy?
Yes. Shift 1 square away from the target. Go to Step 19.
No. Suck it up butter cup! Go to Step 16.


16. Do you have any magic items that boost AC against opportunity attacks?
Yes. Hot damn! Total your AC against opportunity attacks. Go to Step 17.
No. That's OK, you got class features. Provoke an opportunity attack. Go to Step 17.


17. Did you survive the opportunity attack?
Yes. Twin Strike the out of your target! Go to Step 2.
No. Seriously? What are you a 10 CON bitch elf? Go to Step 18.


18. Did your party members raise you from the dead?
Yes. Get back on that horse! Go to Step 2.
No. Yeah, I wouldn't rez your ass either. Go to Step 1.


19. Are you familiar with Twin Strike?
Yes. Good, because you'll be using it right now. Twin Strike the out of your target. Go to Step 20.
No. Look it up. Learn it, love it, and never leave it. Twin Strike the out of your target. Go to Step 20.


20. Is the target still alive?
Yes. Twin Strike it again, noob! Go to Step 2.
No. Good job. Now go loot those corpses.



--> Combat Ends

 

[bargle0]

5. Will subtracting twice your Wisdom modifier from the enemy's hit result in a miss?
Yes. Grab your dice, Sunshine, you're using Disruptive Strike. Go to Step 6.
No. Your friend is out of luck. I hope they have a decent Constitution score. Go to Step 2.

Technically, you have to make the choice to use Disruptive Strike when the attack is announced, before the roll is made.

For that reason, I just wait until the focus fire target attacks. Also, I've got the Battlefield Archer PP (big surprise), so often Combined Fire is used first.

Let me tell you, as an archer ranger, there is nothing quite as satisfying as popping off a Combined Fire when the Artificer uses Greater Magic weapon, following up with an action point round, then dumping Disruptive Strike some time after your round ends. If anything but a solo is alive after that, the DM is cheating.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Lots of smilies. Maybe you should reword and use less offensive terms. Also, there's an infinite loop between 15 and 16. I think 16 should be go to step 17 in either case.

 

[Kzach]

Lots of smilies. Maybe you should reword and use less offensive terms. Also, there's an infinite loop between 15 and 16. I think 16 should be go to step 17 in either case.

Why the should he?

 

[chitzk0i]

Technically, you have to make the choice to use Disruptive Strike when the attack is announced, before the roll is made.

Technically, there's absolutely no rules guidance on when you can no longer declare an interrupt. There is no wording at all that says something like "after step 3 in the attack sequence, you can no longer declare interrupts to steps 1 or 2." If you have a relevant FAQ entry or Customer Service response, then that's something I would be interested in reading.

 

[mkill]

1. Are you a melee-based ranger?
Yes. Seriously? You're not ing with me? Go re-roll as a rogue or barbarian .

Huh? Just because you can't play a decent melee ranger doesn't mean other people can't either.

 

[Stalker0]

if I'm reading it correctly, is it possible to get to step 8?

 

[Delgar]

From Step 2.

if I'm reading it correctly, is it possible to get to step 8?

 

[bargle0]

Technically, there's absolutely no rules guidance on when you can no longer declare an interrupt. There is no wording at all that says something like "after step 3 in the attack sequence, you can no longer declare interrupts to steps 1 or 2." If you have a relevant FAQ entry or Customer Service response, then that's something I would be interested in reading.

From the online rules compendium, in the entry on immediate interrupts, emphasis is mine:

"An immediate interrupt lets you jump in when a certain trigger condition arises, acting before the trigger resolves."

Disruptive strike interrupts the attack, not the hit. Once the attack is resolved in to a hit or miss, the trigger condition for disruptive strike is no longer true.

Don't get me wrong: I loves me some Disruptive Strike. My highest-level LFR character is a ranger with a crossbow & crossbow expertise, so I can reach out and touch someone with Disruptive Strike with relative impunity. However, it is not nearly as powerful as some people believe it to be.

 

[keterys]

D&D suffers a little bit from overloading certain terms (ex: "attack"), but if there is to be any difference between the following triggers...
"When an enemy targets"
"When an enemy attacks"
"When an enemy hits or misses"
"When an enemy damages an ally with an attack"
"When an enemy bloodies an ally with an attack"

All of which are basically used in various ways by different powers...

Then yeah, you should decide a little sooner in the action. Now, a _lot_ of games don't slow things down enough to make that decision before you do "know too much" and really, I'm all for going with whatever plays best at that point.