Rangers gain a talent at every even level and may select talents from the list below.
Some talents have prerequisites, most commonly a minimum class level or a class feature. If a talent’s prerequisite lists a class feature, then the ranger must possess that class feature to gain that talent (meaning he must be of sufficient level and must not have taken an archetype that trades away that feature).
Each talent can be taken only once unless otherwise stated.
The Ranger Talents
2nd-Level Talents
Ambush Tactics (Ex)
Prerequisite: Favored enemy.
When a ranger catches a favored enemy flat-footed, he deals 1d6 precision damage to that enemy. This is similar to a rogue‘s sneak attack ability.
A ranger may select this ability more than once. Each time he does, the precision damage he deals to his favored enemies increases by +1d6.
Armor Expertise (Ex)
This talent grants a stalking slayer Armor Proficiency (medium) as a bonus feat. In addition, he also reduces the armor check penalty of any light or medium armor he wears by 1 (to a minimum of 0) and offsets the speed reduction for wearing medium armor by 5 feet. At 10th level, he can move at his normal speed while wearing medium armor.
Defensive Hunting (Ex)
Prerequisite: Favored enemy.
The ranger becomes skilled at predicting his favored enemies’ every move. He adds half his favored enemy bonus (minimum 1) as a dodge bonus to his AC and CMD when attacked by one of his favored enemies.
Devious Strike (Ex)
Prerequisite: Favored enemy, Ambush Tactics ranger talent.
The ranger learns one rogue talent that is triggered by a rogue’s sneak attack ability. He must meet and prerequisites of the selected talent using his ranger level as his rogue level and his ambush tactics dice in place of sneak attack dice.
A ranger may select this ability more than once. Each time he does, he gains a new rogue talent as described above.
Enemy Focus (Ex)
Prerequisite: Favored enemy.
The ranger selects one of his favored enemies. The bonus against that favored enemy increases by 2.
Mechanical Expertise (Ex)
The ranger gains the Rapid Reload feat and may use it with all crossbows.
Monster Lore (Ex)
The ranger adds his Wisdom modifier in addition to his Intelligence modifier when making skill checks to identify creatures and their abilities and weaknesses.
Natural Grace
The ranger gain Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat.
Slowing Strike (Ex)
Prerequisite: Favored enemy.
A favored enemy damaged by the ranger’s weapon attack has its speed halved for 1d4 rounds. A successful Fortitude saving throw negates this effect (DC = 10 + 1/2 of the ranger’s level + the ranger’s Wisdom modifier). Against creatures with multiple types of movement, the ranger must choose which movement type to affect. If the ranger affects a creature’s flight movement, its maneuverability is reduced by one step; if it’s airborne at the time, it falls unless it succeeds at a DC 10 Aerial Acrobatics check. If the ranger targets a creature already affected by this ability, its speed and maneuverability are not further reduced; the ranger may either extend the duration of that effect by 1d4 rounds or choose another movement type to affect (keeping track of the duration of each affected movement separately).
Subtle Senses (Ex)
The ranger gains skill with using the senses of smell and taste. He gains the scent special ability and gains a bonus equal to 1/2 his level (minimum 1) to all Perception checks to identify things by smell or taste (such as a potion or poison) and ignores any penalty for other scents masking the scent of his quarry when tracking by scent.
Survivalist (Ex)
The ranger suffers no harm from being in a hot or cold environment and benefits as if under the effect of endure elements (this is not a magical effect). In addition, the ranger can hold his breath an additional number of rounds equal to twice his level.
Trapfinding (Ex)
The ranger gains the Trapfinding skill specialty and Trap Sense ability of a rogue using his ranger level as his rogue level.
Vantage Point (Ex)
The ranger uses higher ground to his advantage on his projectile attacks. Whenever the ranger has his entire body completely above the body of his enemy, he can ignore all range penalties as if his attack were one range increment closer. This extends the maximum range of his weapon by one range increment.
4th-Level Talents
Aura Tracing (Su)
Prerequisite: Must be able to cast ranger spells.
The ranger learns to recognize the magical auras some creatures produce. The ranger gains detect magic as an at-will spell-like ability using his ranger caster level.
If the ranger possesses the ability to mark a creature as his quarry, he treat’s his quarry’s aura as being one step stronger for determining the duration of its lingering aura. If the aura would be considered stronger than Overwhelming, the ranger can detect it for up to 1d6×10 days.
Combat Adaptation (Su)
Prerequisite: Ranger level 4th.
Once per day as a swift action, the ranger can gain the benefit of a combat feat that he does not possess for 1 minute. He must otherwise meet the feat’s requirements. If a combat feat has a daily use limitation, any uses of that combat feat while using this ability count toward that feat’s daily limit.
The ranger gains one additional daily use this ability for every four ranger levels he possesses, up to a maximum of 5 times per day at 20th level. If the ranger uses this ability again before the duration of a previous use expires, the previous use is immediately dismissed.
Endless Vigor (Ex)
Prerequisite: Endurance feat.
The ranger has trained himself for expeditions and journeys that last months at a time. He gains the benefits of a Long Rest after only 4 hours of rest.
Environment Focus (Ex)
Prerequisite: Favored environment.
The ranger selects one of his favored environments. The bonuses in that favored environment increase by 2.
Natural Explorer (Ex)
Prerequisite: Favored environment.
When traveling through one of your favored environments, you add twice your favored environment bonus to any skill checks made to navigate or avoid becoming lost. When foraging in your favored environment, you add your favored environment bonus to the check and find twice as much food and water as your check result would normally indicate. Finally, if traveling alone (or with others who possess this ability) through your favored environment, you can move stealthily at your normal speed.
Trapper (Ex)
Prerequisite: Ranger level 4th, Engineering 4 ranks.
You gain the Trapmaking (least) ability of the artificer class using your ranger level as your artificer level.
You can gain this ability once for every 4 ranks you possess in the Engineering skill. Each time you do, you advance the strength of trap you can use. You can take this ability a second time at 8 ranks to gain access to Lesser traps, a third time at 12 ranks for Moderate traps, Improved traps at 16 ranks by taking this talent a fourth time, and Greater traps at 20 ranks after taking this talent five times.
8th-Level Talents
Marauder’s Step (Ex)
Prerequisite: Ranger level 8th.
Whenever the ranger uses a full-round action to attack, he may move up to half his speed as a free action before the first attack is made. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal.
10th-Level Talents
Deceptive Hunter (Ex)
Prerequisite: Quarry.
The ranger’s mental focus and insight allows him to better deceive his prey. He receives a bonus to Stealth skill checks equal to half his ranger level but only against checks made by his quarry. He may also apply the same bonus to Deception skill checks made against his quarry or to resist their Insight skill checks.
Hasted Hunting (Ex)
Prerequisite: Quarry.
When making a full attack against his quarry, a ranger may make one additional attack at his full base attack bonus. All attacks must be made against his quarry to gain this extra attack. This does not stack with the benefit of the haste spell or similar abilities.
Inescapable Gaze (Ex)
Prerequisite: Quarry.
Honing his mastery over his senses, the ranger has learned never to allow his prey to escape his sight. As a swift action, while within line of sight of his quarry, the ranger may direct all his focus and attention on his quarry. Until the beginning of his next turn, he always pinpoints the exact location of his quarry and ignores all concealment his quarry may benefit from, as well as any miss chance provided by abilities such as those provided by spells like mirror image. Additionally, he does not suffer a penalty for making ranged attacks against his quarry if it is engaged in melee combat.
Enacting such focus heavily limits the ranger’s capability to attack others while maintaining it. The ranger cannot attack any creature other than his quarry without ending this ability (a free action he may take outside his turn).
Secondary Target (Ex)
Prerequisite: Quarry.
The ranger’s incredible skill with ranged weapons means that even failure is success. Whenever the ranger misses his quarry with a ranged or thrown weapon attack, he may redirect the attack to an enemy within 20 feet of his quarry. He makes an attack roll against the new target, and if successful, hits as if he had targeted them in the first place.
The ranger may use this ability as often as he misses, but once he hits a creature with a redirected attack, he cannot target it again this way until the beginning of his next turn.
Sixth Sense (Sp)
Prerequisite: Quarry.
The ranger is focused on tracking down his quarry, never letting them escape. Once per day, the ranger can cast locate creature as a spell like ability which targets his quarry.
Spell Hunter (Su)
Prerequisite: Quarry.
The ranger has become adept at protecting himself from spells and magic cast by his quarry. When armed with a ranged or thrown weapon, the ranger is considered to be threatening all squares out to 30 feet (or the first range increment of his weapon, whichever is less) but only against his quarry and only when his quarry using its esoteric abilities.
Whenever his quarry casts an arcane or divine spell, eldritch invocation, psionic power, or other esoteric ability that normally provokes an attack of opportunity while within this area, the ranger may make an attack of opportunity against his quarry with a ranged or thrown weapon. If his quarry casts defensively, then it does not provoke an attack.
The ranger may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 1/4 his ranger level + his Wisdom modifier.
12th-Level Talents
Mechanical Prowess (Ex)
Prerequisite: Ranger level 12th, Mechanical Expertise talent.
The ranger increases the critical threat range of all crossbows he wields by one.
20th-Level Talents
A Lifetime of Scars (Ex)
Prerequisite: Ranger level 20th.
Pain is an old friend, and weakness has long been beaten out of the ranger’s body. The ranger gains Damage Reduction X/—, where X is equal to 10 + his Wisdom modifier. This stacks with all other sources of damage reduction.
Master Hunter (Ex)
Prerequisite: Ranger level 20th.
The ranger can always move at full speed while using Natural Lore to follow tracks without penalty.
Once per day per favored enemy type, a range can use a standard action to make a single attack against a favored enemy at his full attack bonus. If the attack hits, the target takes damage normally and must make a Fortitude save or die. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the ranger’s level + the ranger’s Wisdom modifier.
A ranger can instead use this ability to deal an amount of nonlethal damage equal to the creature’s current hit points. A successful save negates this damage.
Seen It All Before (Ex)
Prerequisite: Ranger level 20th.
The ranger has become jaded with time, and is well experienced with all the tricks of his usual prey. The ranger adds his favored enemy bonus as an insight bonus on saves against spells and abilities used by his favored enemies.