Favored Terrain (Ex)
At 3rd level, a ranger may select a type of terrain from the Favored Terrains table. The ranger gains a +2 bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (Geography), Perception, Stealth, and Survival skill checks when he is in this terrain. A ranger traveling through his favored terrain normally leaves no trail and cannot be tracked (though he may leave a trail if he so chooses).
At 8th level and every five levels thereafter, the ranger may select an additional favored terrain. In addition, at each such interval, the skill bonus and initiative bonus in any one favored terrain (including the one just selected, if so desired), increases by +2.
If a specific terrain falls into more than one category of favored terrain, the ranger's bonuses do not stack; he simply uses whichever bonus is higher.
- Cold (ice, glaciers, snow, and tundra)
- Desert (sand and wastelands)
- Forest (coniferous and deciduous)
- Jungle
- Mountain (including hills)
- Plains
- Planes (pick one, other than Material Plane)
- Swamp
- Underground (caves and dungeons)
- Urban (buildings, streets, and sewers)
- Water (above and below the surface)