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Khrysaes
2015-11-29, 09:49 AM
Hello, I made an account just to post on here.
So some of my classmates and I will be starting a 5e game soon, and after asking the DM, he said he may allow home brew at his discretion of course.

So I wanted to play a hunter, At first I imagined a lycanthropic or Shifter hunter, running around killing things with his bare hands and claws. I wanted something otherwise VERY low magic, and more about tracking and ambushing.

Unfortunately that seems to be all up the rogues ally more. And while lycanthropes aren't horribly overpowered, the clarity on their rules for player characters is lacking. Shifters in the Unearthed Arcana are likewise underwhelming.

So I went looking up ranger variants and modifications to try and get something more of what I want.

Wizards has posted 3 options I found for rangers. Sorry, I don't have enough posts to make links.

5 level Spirit animal one found here: media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/DX_0907_UA_RangerOptions.pdf

This one still has to much of a mystical aspect. It doesn't present any features past level 5, even though it does mention them. And it removes spell casting but doesn't explain how it fixes Primeval Awareness. It grants Skirmisher's Stealth, which has an aspect redundant with Vanish, albeit more limited, and Ambuscade seems incredibly powerful for level 1.

An archetype found Here: media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/02_UA_Underdark_Characters.pdf

It's okay.. not great, not horrible. I think rangers should get Wisdom proficiency anyways, what with their many wisdom related checks and class features. I think that its features are like an under powered Hunter's ones. With the exception of the spells. Underdark scout only is effective in the first round, also has a lot of overlap with vanish. Stalker's flurry is only useful if you miss, but only if you miss, and multi attack seems like it would be better. Stalker's Dodge is a bit like uncanny dodge. though one halve's damage and one reduces the chance of taking any at all.

Lastly, Spell less Ranger dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/modifying-classes

A bit of a better take on a spell less ranger in my opinion, still has to much mystical aspect with Call Natural Allies. Although someone made a humorous comment about it using Mating calls, and that the animal(s) rush towards the ranger to get their freak on. I greatly enjoy the Poultices for healing and Combat Superiority for utility. However what I think is missing is proficiency with Herbalism Kit and a mention towards what you do if you don't wish to make poultices with herbs gathered, or if you are in a locale that isn't conducive towards making the poultices.

None of these really fit my goal of finding a hunter/tracker/forager that pounces on its targets from its unawares.

So I mixed and matched and came up with my own version. Here it is, please be honest. How balanced do you think it is? My only regret on its.. compilation is that I think I chose to many combat options, disregarding one role play option entirely, and one utility option from the Spell less ranger which would have been useful. If there was overlap in a skill, I tended to just merge them together. I also made a couple abilities weaker to compensate.

Khrysaes
2015-11-29, 09:51 AM
reserved for later use
Spell Less Ranger


Level
Feature


1
Hunter's Quarry, Natural Explorer


2
Fighting Style, Combat Superiority


3
Archetype, Poultices


4
Ability Score Improvement


5
Extra Attack


6
Hunter's Quarry and Natural Explorer Improvement


7
Ranger Archetype Improvement


8
Ability Score Improvement, Land's Stride


9
Skirmisher's Stealth


10
Natural Explorer Improvement, Hide in Plain Sight


11
Ranger Archetype Feature


12
Ability Score Improvement


13
Ambuscade


14
Hunter's Quarry Improvement, Stalker's Flurry


15
Ranger Archetype Feature


16
Ability Score Improvement


17
Relentless


18
Feral Senses


19
Ability Score Improvement


20
Foe Hunter

Khrysaes
2015-11-29, 10:02 AM
Please Pardon The Formatting
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10 per Ranger level
Hit Points at 1st level: 10 + constitution modifier
Hit points at higher levels: 1d10(or 6) + your constitution modifier per ranger level after first.
I would LOVE 2d6, but I feel that would get shut down quick.

Proficiencies:
Armor: Light Armor, Shields
Weapons: Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons
Tools: Herbalism Kit
I am considering restricting the use of some of the stealthier abilities to being in light armor, if necessary

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

Equipment: You start with the following equipment in addition to the equipment granted by your background.
Leather Armor
(a) two shortswords or (b) two simple melee weapons or (c) A martial weapon and a shield
(a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
A longbow and a quiver o f 20 arrows

JNAProductions
2015-11-29, 10:07 AM
You've given the Ranger two strong saves. It should only have one.

Khrysaes
2015-11-29, 10:13 AM
Only the added or changed class features. Please read each one because while most are cut and paste, I made minute changes for scaling purposes or whatnot.
As a bonus action you choose a creature you can see within range and mark it as your quarry. Until the effect ends you deal 1d6 extra damage to the target whenever you hit it with a weapon attack. In addition you have advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom(Survival) check you make to find it. If the target drops to 0 hit points before the effect ends, you may use a bonus action on a subsequent turn of yours to mark a new creature.
Hunter's Quarry lasts up to 1 hour and requires Concentration. Beginning at 6th level you may use this twice between rests, in addition you may maintain your concentration for up to 4 hours. At 14th level you may use Hunter's Quarry 3 times between rests, and Hunter's Quarry can last for 8 hours.
You regain any expended uses of this ability from a short or long rest.

Combat Superiority:At 2nd level, you learn maneuvers that are fueled by special dice called 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 three superiority dice, which are d4s. 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 calculated as follows:
Maneuver save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice)
Improved Combat Superiority: At 10th level, your superiority dice turn into d6s. At
18th level, they turn into d8s .

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 used lose their potency.
You may choose to save herbs instead of immediately creating poultices. Harvested herbs last for a number of days equal to your Wisdom Modifier, before losing 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).
At 5th level 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.

Beginning at 9th level, you combine speed and stealth in combat to make yourself hard to pin down. You are difficult to detect even if you attack or otherwise take actions that would normally reveal your presence.
At the start of your turn, pick a creature you are hidden from. You remain hidden from that creature during your turn regardless of your actions or the actions of other creatures. You may use the Hide action as a bonus action on your turn if you fulfill the conditions needed to hide. In addition, you cannot be tracked by non magical means.

Rangers strike first and strike hard. Beginning at 13th level, when you roll initiative, you gain a special turn that takes place before other creatures can act. On this turn, you gain a +10 bonus to your speed. If you use the attack action this turn, you can make one additional attack.
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 turn.

Starting at 14th level, you have the ability to ensure that your attacks count. If you miss with an attack during your turn, you may immediately make an additional attack. You can gain one additional attack during your turn with this ability.

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

Change the effect from “an attack made against one of your favored enemies.” to “an attack made against the creature marked with your Hunter's Quarry.”

Skirmisher's Stealth, Ambuscade, and Stalker's Flurry I may set the requirement to be wearing Light or No Armor.
Combat Superiority, I haven't decided how I want to handle multi classing with Fighter I'm thinking you get whichever Superiority Dice is highest, and whichever grants the most, but they don't stack. You could gain additional maneuvers from multi classing though, in which case I may switch Poultices and Combat Superiority in order of attainment

Khrysaes
2015-11-29, 10:14 AM
You've given the Ranger two strong saves. It should only have one.

What do you mean 2 strong saves?

JNAProductions
2015-11-29, 10:15 AM
Strong saves are common and very important saves: Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom.

Weak saves are less common and less important: Strength, Intelligence, and Charisma.

Classes have one of each kind of save.

Khrysaes
2015-11-29, 10:35 AM
Strong saves are common and very important saves: Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom.

Weak saves are less common and less important: Strength, Intelligence, and Charisma.

Classes have one of each kind of save.

weird how the Spirit animal one has dex and wis. but okay
any other thoughts? to much combat focus? to strong?

Also the question.

In the PHB, hunter has its multi attack, particularly Whirlwind Attack. '
You can use your action to make a melee attack against any number o f creatures within 5 feet o f you, with a separate attack roll for each target.

Then Extra attack, Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Does this mean you can attack twice for every creature within 5 feet of me?

sajro
2015-11-29, 10:55 AM
Yeah the Spirit Animal one from Unearthed is a weird class, especially because of the two "good" saves, as no class in the PHB have that.

And for the whirlwind: No
Whirlwind states: You use your action to make a single attack against all enemies within range.

And extra attack requires you to take the Attack Action, which you do not when you use the whirlwind, there you are taking your special Whirlwind action.

Khrysaes
2015-11-29, 11:01 AM
Changed Save Proficiency Wisdom to Strength.

Any other thoughts or comments on the class? feedback is definitely helpful