Some friends and I were talking about an interesting way to improve the ranger class/ranged damage, primarily for those players that enjoy playing using bows as their main weapon, and would rather NOT swtich to melee when many shot runs out. One very simple solution to this would be a Dex Feat. Make it so that you can choose this feat, to apply your Dex bonus to your ranged damage modifier.

Thier is a very simple reason for this. A ranger that is not following the tempest line, has to split his primary stat points between STR and DEX, leaving little for Con, and then deciding if he wants any at all for INT to get more skill points, or WIS to get more mana. A ranger that has the ability, to choose this DEX feat, could ignore his STR, and max his DEX. He can bump his CON, which everyone in game will agree, that the higher you can get it, the better you are off in the higher levels. The ranger than can decide either to add 4 more points to his CON as his 4th level stat increase's or can max his DEX even higher to get better to hit and damage from his bow. The AC boost from a pure DEX ranger goes up enough, that many AA's would stop running around, if they could avoid or mitigate much of the damage they would be taking.

This feat could be introduced in many ways. It can go into the general options, available to any class, or it could be a choice for rangers at level 2. Those rangers who want to be Tempest Rangers would choose Bow Strength, as their primary stat is going to be STR anyway, as it is the modifier both to hit and damage with Melee weapons. An AA who could choose the DEX feat, instead of Bow Strength gets to raise his CON and build the character in the way they see best.

The DEX Feat, if granted, does not mean that AA's damage would surpass melee classes, or caster classes, it just means that they can have thier highest stat ability, apply both to their to hit and damage modifiers.

If you think about it. A HO Barb, starting with 20 str, applying 1 STR at each of the 4th level bums, and 5 points through their class/racial abilities, and wearing a +6 STR item, will have 35 STR, not including any epic gear, or tomes, or ship buffs. An Elven Ranger, who wants to go AA, CAN NOT start with 20 DEX, if he wants to apply any stat points to STR needed for his bow damage, and if he jacks it up, then his CON suffers greatly.

There is no reason why an Elven AA, should not be albe to choose a DEX build, ignore his STR, for the sole reason of bumping up his damage on his bow. It adds to his reflex skill to make him evade more, and increases his armor class.

I know their are alot of people out there who don't like AA's, and most everyone agrees that the current ranged system allows for AA"s to have great burst damage, but for the other 1 min 40 sec, they should be meleeing. Wearing LA, with low CON makes you squishy. Adding a DEX Feat, in this manner, does not overpower the class, it just enhances it, and allows the AA to do what they want to do, and that is to stand back, and shoot things in the face.