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Gort
2016-05-11, 05:43 AM
I thought it was about time I tender some of my class changes per feedback. I've been looking at 2 Ranger Archetypes, and a change to allow for a spell free Ranger.

Ranger Archetype Ambuscader
Rangers strike first and strike hard. The ultimate skirmisher, you have a special bonus in the first round of combat.

Level 3: When you have your first action. On this turn, you can additionally take either the Dash or Hide action or a Bonus Action. Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19-20.

Level 7: When you have your first action. On this turn, you can additionally take either make one attack, or a Dash or a Hide action or a Bonus Action. Gain the Alert feat.

Level 11: When you have your first action. On this turn, you can additionally take either one Attack action, or a Dodge or a Dash or a Hide action or a Bonus Action.

Level 15: Before initiative is rolled, you can take either one Attack action, or a Dodge or a Dash or a Hide action or a bonus Action. Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 18-20.


Ranger Archetype Beastmaster

You have a good understanding of your beast and can effectively communicate in simple language and gestures with it and any beast of a similar type.
You abilities here refer to animals, that is anything that is a present or past animal in the real world or listed as type 'beast' in the MM. The GM can include additional creatures as beasts at his discretion.

Level 3: 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 1/4 or lower.... Add your proficiency bonus to the beast's AC, attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws as well as to any skills it is proficient in. Its hit point maximum equals its normal maximum or four times your ranger level, whichever is higher. It has the relentless ability if it takes your Ranger level (or 10 damage) or less in one hit.

The beast obeys your commands as best it can. It takes its turn on your initiative, though it doesn't take an action unless you command it to. On your turn, you can verbally command the beast where to move (no action required by you). It will normally along beside you and will make opportunity attacks as appropriate. Or you can ask it to guard a place or being. It will normally fight defensively (Dodge) and not attack. As a bonus action you can verbally command it to take the Help action instead (which could be used to help your next attack). You can use your action to verbally command it to take the Attack action.

While travelling through your favoured terrain with only the beast, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.

If the beast dies, you can obtain another one by spending 8 hour magically bonding with another beast that isn't hostile to you, either the same type of beast as before or a different one.

Level 7: Your beast can automatically Help action and aid on one of your attacks. Or as a bonus action you can command your beast to attack. You can speak with all animals and be understood.
Gain can use the Beast Sense ritual as an ability. This is just something you can do and does not imply any knowledge or skill in magic.

Level 11: Your beast moves, acts and attacks independently as you direct without costing you any actions. You gain a +5 bonus to your animal handling skill. No normal animal will attack you or your party if they are aware of you. You can convince any animal to obey you with an Animal Handling check, if an animal is directly under control of another that will be an opposed check. Take note of the limits of animal cognition. For example you could get a wolf pack to pursue someone, get a mount to throw off their rider, get a lioness to treat a human baby as if it were one of her own, stampede a herd of mammoths into a village, get a bird to carry a message.

Level 15: You gain an additional +5 bonus to your animal handling skill. All animals know you, and respect you as if you were their pack leader, even ones you have just met. They will do what you ask providing they can comprehend what you want. You will need to make an animal handling check only to get them to act in a coordinated way or to against their natural instincts - like get a herd of deer to cooperate with a pack of wolves, stop a company of cavalry that is already charging.
You have a natural ability with the same effect as the Conjure Animals spell cast as a 5th level spell slot once per day. No concentration requirement, you simply call for the animals are providing they are in the general area, but they arrive over then next 10 minutes. They are real animals, not conjured fey. The animals will stay till the next sunrise or sunset, and maybe be called again on another day. These animals gain your proficiency bonus as a plus to attack, damage, AC, saves and the relentless ability as your companion does. If you are in a place without any animals or without the animals you want, the GM may substitute other creatures at his discretion, or have nothing arrive.

GM Tip. Most animals don't understand numbers or the passage of time. Many see colours differently to humans. Many have completely different senses. Many have no memory at all. Most will get distracted and eventually wander away unless the Beastmaster is right there with them. Social animals, longer lived animals, and carnivores tend to be more intelligent. If the player has a complicated request it is just not going to work well.
Consider some examples: If a snake is commanded to attack the fourth woman in a red dress who stops to buy an apple, it just won't understand. It will instead attack the first biped which comes near the place it was told to hide. It may wait for a few hours if it is not too hungry, and it definitely won't remember the instruction tomorrow. A wolf is a lot smarter and might do better, perhaps he might attack the second female who carried an apple, and come back after an hour if he did not find one. A shark would just go hunting in the direction you pointed, immediately forget what he was told, but bite the first thing he found anyway.


Spell Free Ranger
Instead of spell casting gain the following 3 abilities:

Level 2: Trap Maker
Gain the ability to make snare and traps in natural environments, requires time and materials, DC equal to 8 + Wis + prof
Describe it to the GM and he will tell you how long it will take to set up. No limits to the number of traps you can set up, but they will degrade over time and require maintenance.
If the trap does damage it can do up to 1d6 per level of the ranger. The trap can make noise(-1d6), trip(-1d6), entangle(-2d6), restrain(-3d6), affect multiple targets at once (-1d6) etc as per a normal trap, but the GM will reduce the damage of the trap.

Level 2: Deadly Attacker
Gain a damage bonus on attacks against any enemy you have advantage against. 1d6 damage bonus at level 2. 2d6 at 9th, 3d6 at 13th level, 4d6 at 17th level.
Not limited to one attack per turn as the Rogues sneak attack is. Does not stack with the Rogues sneak attack.

At level 6 also gain an additional proficiency bonus on Stealth, Perception and Intuition in all natural environments.

Modify Primal Awareness so it doesn't require a spell slot, instead make it once per day.

Comments
If you still want the ranger to be able to heal, take the Healer Feat or talk to the GM about swapping out Primal Awareness or Favoured Enemy for it.

It was my intention to use these options as variations in combination with the existing ranger. Mostly for my own NPCs, but I'd be happy to offer it to my players.

Thoughts?

Cheers

Final Hyena
2016-05-11, 08:40 AM
The Ambuscader is very similar to the champion, which is not the best archetype however on rangers it's less useful. Also the wording needs cleaning up.

I would recommend giving the Beastmaster's companion magic attacks at level 7.

This is a link to a campaign (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2206783&ty=h) (it's all free) the first link "The Wardens of Telehar Campaign Setting" has a ranger archetype focussed on traps. I think it is a good base for a trap archetype.

Gort
2016-05-12, 05:31 AM
The Ambuscader is very similar to the champion, which is not the best archetype however on rangers it's less useful. Also the wording needs cleaning up.
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I was after a few more classes which aren't that complex to play, a free turn at the start of combat is quite powerful. I envisaged it with the non spell option. I think there is enough there to be interesting.


I would recommend giving the Beastmaster's companion magic attacks at level 7.
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Yeah fair call.