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RobD
2015-09-16, 01:01 PM
Like many people on the forums, I wasn't entirely satisfied with the PHB ranger-not so much because I didn't think it was strong enough, it just didn't have the flavor I wanted and it didn't 'work' the way I thought it would.
I read all of the variant ranger stuff coming out of Unearthed Arcana, and while I liked a lot of the ideas presented, no single interpretation really grabbed me (the spell-less version has been the front runner so far).
Anyway, I thought it might be an interesting exercise to try and combine all the variant ideas presented so far as a single class write-up, and was wondering what people thought.

A couple notes:
-At first look through, I'm worried that this class is too strong. I've never been good at rebalancing material, and to be honest, I didn't think the Ranger class was all that weak to begin with. Bear in mind that this is just a first go-through.
-Most of the material comes from the Unearthed Arcana articles, but there are a few abilities here and there that were homebrewed by myself and others, including Chris Perkins; unfortunately, I didn't think to mark who wrote what, so if you see some idea that you came up with, let me know and I'll credit you.
-A couple things didn't make it in, notably "Skirmishers' Stealth". That's more because I'm still don't have a great grasp of how it functions, especially since the stealth rules in this edition are a little...loose. If it were to go anywhere, it would go into the Scout subclass, in place of the "Ghost" ability. I also didn't include variants like the 2d6 hit dice and the two strong saves, because they broke format with the rest of the classes. Of the two, the 2d6 hit dice is the more intriguing to me, and I like the idea of the Ranger being better at healing during short rests...but I'd rather do it in a way that isn't such a departure of the normal rules. I'd rather it be an ability, but this class is already laden with abilities (and a bit front loaded besides), so...not this time.


Ranger


Level
Proficiency Bonus
Features


1st
+2
Natural Explorer, Favored Enemy


2nd
+2
Combat Superiority, Fighting Style, Poultices


3rd
+2
Ranger Archetype, Hunter's Instincts


4th
+2
Ability Score Improvement


5th
+3
Extra Attack


6th
+3
Natural Explorer/Favored Enemy Improvemet


7th
+3
Ranger Archetype feature


8th
+3
Ability Score Improvement


9th
+4
Natural Antivenom


10th
+4
Hide in Plain Sight, Natural Explorer improvement


11th
+4
Ranger archetype feature


12th
+4
Ability Score Improvement


13th
+5
Stalker


14th
+5
Favored Enemy Improvement, Vanish


15th
+5
Ranger archetype feature


16th
+5
Ability Score Improvement


17th
+6
Relentless


18th
+6
Feral Senses


19th
+6
Ability Score Improvement


20th
+6
Adaptable



CLASS FEATURES

HIT POINTS
Hit Dice: 1d10 per Ranger level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10+ your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10(or 6)+your Constitution modifier per ranger level after 1st.

PROFICIENCIES
Armor: light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: Herbalism kit

Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
Skills: Choose three from Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival

EQUIPMENT
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
-(a)leather armor or (b) Hide armor
-(a) two shortswords or (b) two simple melee weapons
-(a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
-(a) a longbow and a quiver containing 20 arrows or (b) a martial melee weapon

NATURAL EXPLORER
You are particularly familiar with one type of natural environment and are adept at traveling and surviving in such regions. Choose one type of favored terrain: arctic, coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, swamp, or the Underdark. When you make an Intelligence or Wisdom check related to your favored terrain, your proficiency bonus is doubled if you are using a skill that you're proficient in.
While traveling for an hour or more in your favored terrain, you gain the following benefits:

difficult terrain doesn't slow your group's travel
your group can't become lost except by magical means.
Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger
If you are traveling alone, you can move stealthily at a normal pace
When you forage, you find twice as much food as you normally would.
While tracking other creatures, you also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area.

You choose additional favored terrain types at 6th and 10th level.

FAVORED ENEMY
Beginning at First level, you have significant experience studying, tracking, hunting, and even talking to a certain type of enemy.
Choose a type of favored enemy: aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or undead. Alternatively, you can select two races of humanoid (such as gnolls and orcs) as favored enemies.
You deal an extra 1d6 damage to your Favored Enemy whenever you hit with a weapon attack, and you have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) and Wisdom (Perception) checks to track or find your favored enemies, as well as Intelligence checks to recall information about them.
When you gain this feature, you also learn one language of your choice that is spoken by your favored enemies, if they speak one at all.
You choose on additional favored enemy, as well as and associated language, at 6th and 14th level. The amount of extra damage increases at these levels as well, by 1d6 (for a total of 3d6 at 14th level).
As you gain levels, your choices should reflect the types of monsters you have encountered on your adventures.
* Note: In my games, this version of Favored Enemy would mean the spell "Hunter's Mark" doesn't exist; however, if you keep it, I'd say its effects do not stack with the effects of Favored Enemy.

FIGHTING STYLE
At second level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
ARCHERY:
you gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
DEFENSE:
While you are wearing armor, you get a +1 bonus to AC
DUELING
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
TWO-WEAPON FIGHTING
When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

COMBAT SUPERIORITY
At 2nd level, you learn maneuvers that are fueld by special dice call superiority dice.
Maneuvers: You learn two maneuvers of your choice, which are chosen from the list of maneuvers available to fighters with the Battle Master archetype. Many maneuvers enhance an attack in some way. You can use only one maneuver per attack.
You learn one additional maneuver of your choice at 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels. Each time you learn a new maneuver, you can also replace one maneuver you know with a different one.
Superiority Dice: You have four superiority dice, which are d8s. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain all of your expended superiority dice when you finish a short or long rest.
You gain another superiority die at 9th level and one more at 17th level.
Saving throws: Some of your maneuvers require your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver's effects. The saving throw DC is
8+your proficiency bonus+your strength or dexterity modifier (your choice).

HUNTER'S INSTINCTS
At 3rd level, your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make with any two of the following skills: Investigation, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival. At 10th level, you can choose another skill proficiency to gain this benefit.


POULTICES
At 3rd level, you can create special herbal poultices that have healing power comparable to some potions. You can spend 1 hour gathering herbs and preparing herbal poultices using treated bandages to create a number of such poultices equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). You can carry a number of poultices at one time equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). The poultices you create cannot be applied by anyone but you. After 24 hours, any poultices that you have not uses lose their potency.
If you spend 1 minute applying one of your poultices to a wounded humanoid creature, thereby expending its use, that creature regains 1d6 hit points for every two ranger levels you have (rounded up).

NATURAL ANTIVENOM
Starting at 9th level, you have advantage on saving throws against poison and have resistance to poison damage. Additionally, you can use one of your poultices to cure one poison effect on the creature you are applying it to, in addition to restoring hit points.

HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT
Starting at 10th level, you can spend 1 minute creating camouflage for yourself. You must have access to fresh mud, dirt, plants, soot, and other naturally occurring materials with which to create your camouflage.
Once you are camouflaged in this way, you can try to hide by pressing yourself against a solid surface (such as a tree, wall, or the ground) that is at least as tall and wide as you are. You gain a +10 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks as long as you remain there without moving or taking actions. Once you move or take an action or a reaction, you must camouflage yourself again to gain this benefit.

STALKER
At 13th level, you can move up to half your speed while Hiding in Plain Sight, but cannot take any other actions without revealing yourself. You must remain pressed against the flat surface you started on.

VANISH
Starting at 14th level, you can use the Hide action as a bonus action on your turn. Also, you can't be tracked by nonmagical means, unless you choose to leave a trail.

RELENTLESS
Starting at 17th level, when you roll initiative and have no superiority dice remaining, you regain 1 superiority die.

FERAL SENSES
At 18th level, you can preternatural senses that help you fight creatures you can't see. When you attack a creature you can't see, your inability to see it doesn't impose disadvantage on your attack rolls against it.
You are also aware of the location of any invisible creature within 30 feet of you, provided that the creature ins't hidden from you and you aren't blinded or deafened.

ADAPTABLE
You may change your favored enemies and terrains as the situation calls for.
By spending an action on your turn, you can designate one creature you can see within 90 feet of you as a Favored Enemy. You gain all of your favored enemy bonuses against that specific creature (with the exception of learning a new language). This effect lasts until you use this ability to designate another creature as a a Favored enemy.
By spending a minimum of 1 hour in any terrain, you may exchange one of your favored terrains for that terrain type.

RANGER ARCHETYPES
This ideal of the ranger has four expressions: The Hunter, The Beastmaster, The Scout, and the Warden.
HUNTER

HUNTER'S PREY:
At 3rd level, you gain one of the following features of your choice:
Colossus Slayer: Your tenacity can wear down the most potent foes. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, the creature takes an extra 1d8 damage if it's below its hit point maximum. You can deal this extra damage only once per turn.
Giant Killer: When a Large or larger creature within 5 feet of you hits or misses you with an attack, you can use your reaction to attack that creature immediately after its attack, provided that you can see the creature.
Horde Breaker: Once on each of your turns when you make a weapon attack, you can make another attack with the same weapon against a different creature that is within 5 feet of the original target and within range of your weapon.

DEFENSIVE TACTICS:
At 7th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice.
Escape the Horde: Opportunity attacks against you are made with disadvantage.
Multiattack Defense: When a creature hits you with an attack, you gain a +4 bonus to AC against all subsequent attacks made by that creature for the rest of the turn.
Steel Will: You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

MULTIATTACK
At 11th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice:
Volley: You can use your action to make a ranged attack against any number of creatures within 10 feet of a point you can see within your weapon's range. You must have ammunition for each target, as normal, and you make a separate attack roll for each target.
Whirlwind Attack: You can use your action to make a melee attack against any number of creatures within 5 feet of you, with a separate attack roll for each target.

SUPERIOR HUNTER'S DEFENSE
Gain one of the following at 15th level:
Evasion: You can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a red dragon's fiery breath or a lightning bolt spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
Stand Against the Tide: When a hostile creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to force that creature to repeat the same attack against another creature (other than itself) of your choice.
Uncanny Dodge: When an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack's damage against you.

BEASTMASTER

ANIMAL COMPANION
At 3rd level, you gain a Beast companion that accompanies you on your adventures and is trained to fight alongside you. Choose a beast that is no larger than Medium and that has a challenge rating of Ό your ranger level or lower (rounded down). Add your proficiency bonus to the beast's AC, saves, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any skills it is proficient in. Its hit point maximum equals its normal maximum or ½ of your HP, whichever is higher.
The beast obeys your commands as best as it can. It takes its turn on your initiative. On your turn, you can verbally command the beast where to move (no action required by you). You can use your bonus action to verbally command it to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action.
While traveling through your favored terrain with only the beast, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
If the ranger releases the beast from service, or the beast dies, you can obtain another one by spending 8 hours bonding with another beast that isn't hostile to you, either the same type of beast as before or a different one.

EXCEPTIONAL TRAINING
Beginning at 7th level, on any of your turns when your beast companion doesn't attack, you can command the beast to take the Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action on its turn with no action required by you.

CALL NATURE'S ALLIES
Starting at 11th level, when you are in an area of your favored terrain, you can call natural creatures from that terrain to fight on your behalf, using your attunement to the natural world to convince them to aid you. The DM chooses beasts appropriate to the terrain to come to your aid from among those that could hear you and that are within 1 mile of you, in one of the following groups:
-One beast of CR 2
-Two beasts of CR 1
-Four beasts of CR ½
-Eight beasts of CR Ό or lower
These beasts approach you from their current location, and will fight alongside you, attacking any creatures that are hostile to you. They are friendly to you and your comrades, and you roll initiative for the called creatures as a group, which takes its own turns. The DM has the creatures' statistics.
After 1 hour, these beasts return to their previous location. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again in the same general area for 24 hours, since the same animals will not repeatedly heed your call.

BEASTLY COORDINATION
Beginning at 15th level, when an attacker that you can see hits your beast companion with an attack, you can call out a warning. If your beast companion can hear you, it can use its reaction to halve the attack's damage against it.

SCOUT

SKIRMISH
At third level, a scout's effectiveness in combat increases by staying mobile. If a scout moves at least 10 feet on his turn, he may add 1d6 damage to all weapon attacks made on his turn. This damage increases by 1d6 whenever he gains a ranger archetype feature (at 7th, 11th, and 15th level). The scout loses this ability when wearing medium or heavy armor, or when carrying a medium or heavy load.

AMBUSCADE
Starting at 7th level, when you roll initiative, you gain a special “surprise round” that takes place before other creatures can act. On this round, you may move up to your normal speed, and take either the Attack or Hide action. You may take a bonus action, but can't use the Cast a Spell, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Help, Ready, Search, or Use an Object actions. If more than one creature in an encounter has this feature, they all act first in order of initiative, then the regular initiative order begins.
If you would normally be surprised at the start of an encounter, you are not surprised-but you do not gain this extra 'surprise round.'

GHOST
At 11th level, the scout has advantage on all Dexterity (Stealth) checks made while in his favored terrain.

SKIRMISH DEFENSE
Starting at 15th level, on any turn a scout moves at least 10 feet, be gains a bonus to AC equal to ½ his proficiency bonus (rounded down). This bonus lasts until the start of his next turn. The scout loses this ability when wearing medium or heavy armor, or when carrying a medium or heavy load.

WARDEN

SPELLCASTING
At 3rd level, the Warden gains access to spellcasting abilities by tapping into the magical essence of nature, much as a druid does. See chapter 10 for general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for ranger spell lists.
Spell known of 3rd level and higher: At third level, you know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the ranger spell list. The Spells Known columns of the Warden table shows when you learn more ranger spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the ranger spells you know and replace it with another spell from the ranger spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
Spellcasting ability: Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your ranger spells.

Spell save DC= 8+your proficiency bonus+
your wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier= your proficiency bonus+
your Wisdom modifier

WARDEN SPELLS KNOWN




—Spell Slots per Spell Level—


Level
Spells
Known
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th


3rd
2
2
—
—
—
—


4th
2
3
—
—
—
—


5th
3
3
—
—
—
—


6th
3
4
2
—
—
—


7th
4
4
2
—
—
—


8th
4
4
3
—
—
—


9th
5
4
3
—
—
—


10th
5
4
3
2
—
—


11th
6
4
3
2
—
—


12th
6
4
3
3
—
—


13th
7
4
3
3
—
—


14th
7
4
3
3
1
—


15th
8
4
3
3
1
—


16th
8
4
3
3
2
—


17th
9
4
3
3
2
—


18th
9
4
3
3
3
1


19th
10
4
3
3
3
1


20th
10
4
3
3
3
2



PRIMEVAL AWARENESS
Starting at 7th level, you may spend a spell slot to sense the presence of abberations, celestials, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead with 1 mile. In your favored terrain, you can sense these presences within a range of up to 6 miles (you may narrow this field down to as little as Ό mile, but only in your favored terrain). The duration of this effect is 1 minute.
Spending more spell slots to activate this ability increases its duration (by one minute per spell slot) and reveals additional information as follows:

2 spell slots: General direction of the nearest presence of each type detected (within range)
3 spell slots: Distance to the nearest presence of each type detected (within range)
4 spell slots: Rough number (Few, 1-3; Several, 4-10; Many, 11-20, or Hordes, 21+) of nearest group of detected presences (within range).
5 spell slots: Highest CR among each type of presence detected.


SPIRIT COMPANION
At 11th level, you gain a spirit companion and the ability to invoke its magical power. You regain your ability to call on your spirit companion in this way when you finish a short or long rest.
Once per day as a bonus action, you can command your spirit companion to materialize as a living creature, chosen when you gain this feature. Your spirit companion manifests as an animal for 1 minute or until your concentration is broken (as if you are concentrating on a spell). You can also dismiss it as a bonus action.
The manifested creature gains a bonus to attack rolls and saving throws equal to your wisdom modifier. It uses the hit points in the animal's stat block or half your hit point maximum, whichever is higher.
The manifested creature takes its turn on your initiative and acts immediately after you. You control its actions mentally.
Bear Spirit: Your Spirit Animal takes the form of a brown bear; it helps to protect you and the creatures closest to you. As a bonus action, you invoke your spirit companion and choose yourself or an ally you can see. The chosen creature gains temporary hit points equal to 2d6+your Wisdom modifier.
Eagle Spirit: Your Spirit Animal takes the form of a giant eagle; it lends its sharp combat senses to you and your companions. As a bonus action, you invoke your spirit companion and choose yourself or a creature you can see. Until the end of your next turn, all attacks made by the chosen creature have advantage.
Wolf Spirit: Your Spirit Animal takes the form of a dire wolf; it lends the strength of its deadly bite to you or one of your companions. As a bonus action, you invoke your spirit companion and choose yourself or a creature you can see. The next time the chosen creature hits with a weapon attack, the target of the attack takes extra slashing damage equal to 2d6+your wisdom modifier.

NATURE'S WARD
When you reach 15th level, you can't be charmed or frightened by elementals or fey, and you are immune to poison and disease.

RobD
2015-09-22, 11:16 AM
Well, I suppose I should take the quiet as a a good indicator that there's nothing wildly offensive about this build.

A question about the warden subclass: do you think its spell progression should be more similar to other spellcasting subclasses? I'm thinking mostly of the Eldritch Knight and Arcane Trickster, whose spells only go up to level 4 and are limited in terms of choice. Should the Warden's spells be similarly limited, or are they fine the way they are (basically full, normal ranger spells, just starting a level later)?

I played a game with a scout build the other night. I'm not very good at optimizing, so I didn't perform as well as I feel the class could have; had some trouble actually getting the skirmish ability into play after getting surrounded by lizardmen, and the lighter AC really hurt. Doesn't help that I rolled poorly most of the night and the lizardmen were rolling really well...
However, when skirmish did come into play, it was effective, and definitely welcome. The Mobile feat wasn't quite as helpful as I initially expected it to be (limiting the effects to only the creature attacked made it hard to run around/through groups of monsters; I guess when I took it I was still in the 3.5 mindset).
The poultices were very useful, definitely came in handy, though I think I need to add language indicating that you can only make poultices once per long rest; otherwise, you could use all of them and create a full bunch all during a short rest.
Favored enemy and terrain didn't come into play (which is the major complaint against these features-that they're niche-but I don't mind, because Ranger has always felt like a very niche role to me).
We were only level 4, so the higher level abilities didn't see any play, but overall, I still feel this is a solid compilation of class abilities.

Artagon
2016-09-01, 02:13 PM
Late to the table, but I do have some feedback for you.

If you are granting Tool proficiency: Herbalism (which I do like..) then you probably shouldn't be granting 3 additional skills. Make it 2 and let them pick up the rest from race and background.

Favored Enemy is too powerful/situational an ability. As an example for you, I'll play a scout ranger with favored enemy. Assuming a short sword for easy math, I have 9d6+modifiers twice per round, because neither scout nor favored enemy is limited to once per round. Compare that to a fighter. On a standard round using a d6 for simplicity, he does 4(d6+modifiers). I'm leaving out battle master and superiority dice because both classes can get them. Clearly the ranger is the winner and is also better at self healing, stealth, survival, etc.

On the subject of Scout (which I love, don't get me wrong), it is significantly better than the Hunter or probably any of the other options. 5e has done a good job of giving us more mobility, so giving a scaling amount of damage that applies on each hit just for moving is far better than +1d8 damage per round from colossus slayer in hunter. I would pick up Mobile and go to town. Just don't get surrounded. Ambuscade is also far more powerful than the other ranger options at that level. This needs to be scaled back to be equivalent to one of the other options.

Because of the additional abilities you grant to the base class in addition to the other abilities you grant in the sub-class, the Warden is too powerful as written and should have the 1/3 spell progression.

I'm not sure I like everything you did with beast master, since you basically side-lined the companion rather than making it the star. I want the Beast Master ala 80s movie.

========
So how to fix?

Scale Favored Enemy damage back to only giving advantage on attack rolls against your favored enemies rather than d6's of dmg.

Scout
Limit the scout damage to +1d6 per attack, increasing to +2d6 at 11th level. I'd also limit it so that it is only useable with ranged or light weapons.
Ambuscade now grants advantage on initiative rolls and +1d6 damage against any creature that hasn't taken a turn in the combat yet. (rogue multi-class anyone?)

Hunter
Pump the damage from colossus slayer to +2d8 at level 11.

Warden
The Warden should be on an Eldritch Knight/Arcane Trickster progression. Pick cantrips from the druid list, the rest of the spells come from ranger list.

Beast Master
Remove Beastly Coordination and move Call Nature's Allies to level 15.
Revert Beast HP to standard PHB. There was no reason to change them.
At 11, give them a second companion. You can command both companions when you use your Action to give commands, or you can use your bonus action to command only one. To me this makes more sense when followed up by 'Call Nature's Allies' at 15. It also gives even more versatility to the beast master, while preserving the max number of attacks that a Beast Master gets in the PHB.