Heh heh heh. Let me suggest the Pebble Underfoot feat from Dragon Compendium for you then - it'll make you an even more effective small-sized tripper.
Awesome.
So, let's see:
Smudgy: Yellow Monkey RangerMonk of the Sleeping Tiger School 2/Unarmed Swordsage 1: Weapon Finesse (Sleeping Tiger bonus 1), Combat Expertise (Stongheart bonus), Improved Trip (1st), Pebble Underfoot (flaw), (flaw), Improved Initiative (Sleeping Tiger bonus 2), Swarmfighting (3rd). Explanation: Chuck people about. Pebble Underfoot gives you a +4 to trip critters 2 or more size categories larger than you, which is helpful! For your one free flaw-based feat, there are a ton of options - EWP - Rope Dart (which is a special monk weapon with 15 ft. of reach, finessable, from Dragon #319, p. 73) would be pretty sweet for imitating Scorpion. You could do a Setting Sun trip from 15 ft. away, and if you successfully threw the dude throw him 10 ft. CLOSER - in other words, "GET OVER HERE!" Then you get your free whap with Improved Trip, and when the sorry slob stands up everybody else in the 'zord gets an Aoo. Hoooee - good times! Oooh - another thought for your free feat there - Adaptive Style is something every Swordsage needs for prolonged fights, and you'll want it eventually (but it's FAR less cinematic at this level, of course).
Development: I'd suggest going for a one-level dip into Shadowsun Ninja and the Tomb-Tainted Soul feat, which would let you do some nice in-combat healing. Alternatively, amp up the trippage with Karmic Strike from Complete Warrior and Double Hit + High Sword Low Axe - they attack, you retaliate by hitting twice, tripping, and then smacking them twice on the ground. Good times. A PrC you might want to dip into is the Omatu Master, from Dragon #315 - it's a halfling monk PrC based around tripping. At 1st level, you get to always use your Dex to trip things your size and up to two sizes bigger, AND you get a +4 competence bonus on the check - making you a nightmare for big uglies! Finally, there's Underfoot Combat and Confound the Big Folk - both of which you DESPERATELY want, but which take a while to get access to (and I think you can't actually swing them until 12th or something stupid like that, thanks to skill rank prerequisites . . . grumble).
Callix: Red Rooster RangerWarblade 3: Swarmfighting (Stongheart bonus), Weapon Finesse (1st), Ironheart Aura (flaw), (flaw), (3rd). Explanation: Those last two feats are yours to play with. TWF is a gimme for fueling the nastiness of Stormguard Warrior, and I might be inclined to throw in EWP - Crecent Knife to give yourself even MORE effective attacks - that would give you FOUR attacks, which would be a TON of damage in Punishing stance (1d6 + 1d3 + Str FOUR TIMES PER ROUND - wheee!). On the other hand, you could always go for a nice two-hander and Power Attack, which your Swarmfighting bonus would fuel VERY nicely. A third option would be Leap of the Heavens + Battle Jump and Leading the Charge stance, for making a nasty charger.
Development: I'd like to see the Warblade grow into the 'zord's cannon, dipping Fighter 2 and Lion Totem Barbarian 1 (pounce, baby!) and going into Bloodstorm Blade. If interested, Boomerang Daze from Races of Eberron would make you a TERROR for our enemies, but failing that go for Master Thrower 1, Palm Throw, and chuck unreasonable numbers of Crescent Knives at our foes. If you go for the massive barrage of Crescent Knives, a dip into Crusader for Martial Spirit would mean a LOT of healing for the crew.
Janus: White Ram RangerCrusader 3: Swarmfighting (Stongheart bonus), Weapon Finesse (1st), Combat Expertise (flaw), Allied Defense (flaw), (3rd). Explanation: +3 AC for the team and healing strikes to keep everybody buff. I'm debating on my last feat there - White Raven Defense would add another +1 to everybody's AC, EWP - Rope Dart would give me 15 ft. reach, and Shape Soulmeld - Necrocarnum Shroud would give me a +1 to hit and damage every time one of the 'zord members took damage - in other words, if you hit us with a fireball, I'd get a +1 for every member of the team!
Development: This guy would ultimately become the party mage-killer. Combat Reflexes and EWP - Rope Dart would be supplemented by the Mage Slayer feat, then Thicket of Blades when the chance came up. Disgustingly effective battlefield control - if you move, he slaps you, if you cast, he slaps you, etc. I'd like to get Stand Still in there too, just for shits and giggles (and PWNAGE, of course), and Improved Combat Expertise needs to be included, eventually, so that I can spend FULL BaB on ramping the zord's collective AC through the roof. Might at that point want to think about how to get a touch attack so as to be likelier to hit . . . maybe a dip into Pyrokinetcist for the Flame Whip. Hmmm.
Alternative White Ram Ranger - v. 1.1Crusader 1/Marshal 2: Swarmfighting (Stongheart bonus), Weapon Finesse (1st), Combat Expertise (flaw), Allied Defense (flaw), (3rd). Explanation: This one would give us a couple of options, and could easily just not have Allied Defense and be a totally different Ranger.
- Master of Tactics: Combine this with Island of Blades (which you could grant this Ranger by making his extra level a Swordsage level, mind you, but that would mess up his Swarmfighting and Weapon Finesse) for Cha mod to damage for all allies in the 'zord.
- Over the Top: My personal favorite - combine this with Leading the Charge stance for Cha mod + Initiator level to charge attacks. Everybody charges in, slams a target, then forms the 'zord. Wham, bam, thank you ma'am! I'd be tempted to dip Lion Totem Barb to throw on the ever-popular pounce, too . . . yay fopounce!
Alternative White Ram OR Yellow Monkey Ranger - v. 1.2 Decisive Strike Monk of the Sleeping Tiger School 2/Crusader 1: Weapon Finesse (Sleeping Tiger bonus 1), EWP - Rope Dart (Stongheart bonus), Stand Still (1st), Deft Opportunist OR Combat Expertise (flaw), (flaw), Combat Reflexes (Standard Monk bonus 2), Swarmfighting (3rd).Explanation: Wow. Now that I statted this guy out, he kind of wipes the floor with the other options . . . sheesh. So this would be an ultimate party defender - he'd be able to smack any idiot dumb enough to try coming within more than 15 feet of the 'zord to stop'em dead, deal double damage on his hits, AND he'd heal the party with every strike! This would be particularly nasty if paired with Scorpion's tactic of "GET OVER HERE" - in fact, you could easily swap Stand Still out for Combat Expertise and grab Improved Trip with the other flaw. Wow.
Development: Same thing as the original White Ram - mage killer and battlefield comp-troller.
Blue Ox Ranger Warblade or Crusader 1/Incarnate 2: Shape Soulmeld - Shedu Crown (1st), Swarmfighting (Strongheart), Weapon Finesse (flaw), Talented (flaw), Mindsight (3rd).Explanation: This guy's a bit different. He shapes a Shedu Crown and crown-binds it for Mindsight 100 ft., then acts as the 'zord's telepathic detection array - he can pinpoint enemy locations and instantaneously inform the other Rangers. He also shapes a Necrocarnum Shroud, letting him gain bonuses to hit and damage when anyone in the 'zord is damaged, which makes him a MUCH more effective opponent, and the third slot is open for whatever kind of offensive meld you might want to shape - incarnate weapon for a magic boost, dissolving spittle for the ever-handy ranged touch attack, etc.
Development: Swap incarnate and crusader levels. Maybe play about with PrCs if you feel the need.
I'm trying to make the Rangers all Chinese zodiac animals, and only the silliest ones - it's just flavoriffic. One thing we'll want to consider is how to accommodate for multi-classing penalties, which get SUPER annoying (grrr); ditching them completely would definitely help the rangers out. Gestalt would also be . . . AWESOME . . .
And, I know it's not in-flavor, but we **could** consider playing an evil team of Rangers. Evil bonus feats would help these guys out a TOOOOON.
Any other cool group-boosting class abilities, spells, or powers you can think of - load 'em on! A Cleric could use DMM to persist Bless, I guess, and Divine Minds get some meager party-boosting auras . . . a Crusader/Bard or Warblade/Bard with Song of the White Raven could be extra slick (what with Words of Creation and all), and if you wanted to be able to sing all day (a la my old Casio Keyboad build) you could always make that Ranger a Waforged Scout, who could still qualify for Swarmfighting.
Oh, yeah - we don't all, by the way, HAVE to be Strongheart Halflings - it's just VERY hard to beat that bonus feat on a small-sized character. Some other good possibilities include:
- Whispergnomes: Yep, they're fun. Granted, I'd rather have a bonus feat, but hey, whatever pushes your buttons!
- Jermlaine: Okay, for a tripping Swordsage it's pretty dang hard to beat a +6 Dex, +6 Wis, and tiny size (making Pebble Underfoot's bonus a constant!). Fo' reelz.
- Beguiler: From Shining South. These are pretty much the ultimate small-sized, +0 LA race (maybe I should just say "ultimate +0 LA race"), but they really don't fit the Ranger theme. Shame, really!
- Warforged Scout: They're sexy for all those construct immunities - especially to fatigue, making them excellent all-day bardic singing buffers.
- Dragonwrought Kobod: +3 to all mental stats can be very easily exploited, and makes for a sexy Marshal/Crusader base. Use with the web enhancement version of the kobold.
- Air Goblin: From the Unearthed Arcana portion of the SRD, these guys are goblins the way they SHOULD be - with a +4 Dex to make up for the lousy stat penalties. Definitely worth considering for a Shadow Blade build.
Some templates to consider:
- Feral: Actually worth the +1 LA for pounce, fast healing, AC, etc.
- Mineral Warrior: Slap on a Crusader. Tank tank tank.
- Unseelie Fey: We should ALL really be Unseelie Fey - there's no reason NOT to be. Remove the special vision and wings (they're gravy) - heck, even knock off the DR - and the template's STILL rock solid. The big hits are the Dex up, Cha up, and the special abilities, which are slick as hell - either Cha mod as penalty to enemy saves or a constant Protection From Evil effect. Tizzoight.
- Proto-Creature: For a +0 LA, these guys are hard to beat - +4 Str, +2 Con, -2 Int, -4 Cha, +3 nat AC, rage 1/day, and a +4 to Will saves. If you're not planning to be a braniac, dig out Bestiary of Krynn and apply this template.
- Dragon Vassal: +2 LA, Bestiary of Krynn. On the edge of unusable, but the bonuses are too sweet to pass up: fast healing 5, HUGE Str and Con ups (and a little Dex, I think), big AC ups, and bonuses to all your saves. Groovy.
- Gurik Cha'Al: A template from Bestiary of Krynn for air goblins worth a +1 LA, this grants 1d6 sneak attack, AC ups, strength and con ups, scent, and some other random jazz. Makes for a cool gobbo char, no doubt about it.
- Dark Creature: If you're determined to do a HiPs character, you can't lose with this. Technically, it's better if you can just buy a Collar of Umbral Metamorphosis, but that's a long time to wait.
- Lloth-Touched: Call it "Yondalla-touched" if you want - it really doesn't matter. Not bad for a sneak with some beef to it for a +6 Str and Con.
- Necropolitan: Wouldn't mention it, but there's some slick stuff you can do if you and your friends are all undead. Grab Libris Mortis and get Necromantic Presence and Necromantic Might - now your whole 'zord gets +2 to hit and damage and +4 turn resistance. Supplement with Cleric levels and stuff like Pofane Vigor, and cast party buffs. Everyone will appreciate you.