khachaturian
2017-05-14, 06:58 PM
first of all, i just want to say that this mini-guide dispenses with most conventions of guidewriting, since there are already very good guides already out there, particularly the one from evilanagram. the purpose of this guide is mostly to highlight changes with the unearthed arcana ranger, and also provide another look at ranger spellcasting
the unearthed arcana ranger represents a significant increase in power compared to the player’s handbook version. as far as i can tell, the primary boost in power comes from two features of the natural explorer ability. first, you get advantage on initiative, and second, you get advantage on attack rolls in the first round on creatures that have not yet acted. for martials, this allows you to take full advantage of the sharpshooter and great weapon master feats. the deep stalker conclave makes this even better by giving you an extra attack in that critical first turn.
favored enemy provides a damage boost that is slightly better than what you get from a raging barbarian. it’s pretty good, but not the class-defining ability it was in 3.5.
fighting style
let’s start out by saying that archery is far and away the best style available. class abilities synergize with dex, and the ranger has too many ways to use the bonus action to justify two-weapon fighting. while the extra accuracy from natural explorer can make great weapon master connect a little better, fighters, barbarians, and war clerics are just better at this than you are, and far less squishy. squishy, you say? they have the same d10 as fighters. they can take the defense fighting style. but, it really comes down to the MAD nature of the class. a STRanger wouldn’t have the stats to pump str, dex, and con. while you could multiclass into something like cleric or fighter to get heavy armor proficiency, this starts to get away from the discussion at hand. the ranger class is a primary damage dealer, and without sharpshooter, great weapon master, sneak attack, or smite, even with favored enemy, the damage bonus from duelling isn’t enough to keep up.
feats worth taking
sharpshooter
dex +2
dex +2
crossbow master
alert
lucky
spells
many discussions of spells underestimate the ability to upcast low-level spells, especially in classes that provide a very limited number of spells known. i think that outside of utility and nova, the best spells on the ranger list are first level. second and third levels in particular seem to lack spells that you know you will use every single day. as such, i imagine that hail of thorns and cure wounds will be the main spells you will upcast for those second and third level spells slots. this also means that upcasting hunter’s mark will be less appealing as you will need to break concentration.
level 1
hunter’s mark- the main reason two-weapon fighting doesn’t work is that hunter’s mark is a bonus action to cast and a bonus action to select a new target. because of concentration, doesn’t work as well upcast is you think it might
goodberry- good out of combat healing levels 2-20. at higher levels, you can swap it out for cure wounds if you find that your higher level spell slots are going unused
hail of thorns- it’s unfortunate that this is a concentration spell, competing with hunter’s mark. so it doesn’t really work when cast from a first level slot. much more effective when upcast
absorb elements- you will want this for dragon fights. interestingly enough, the only way for rangers to use reaction other than deep stalker’s dodge at level 15
cure wounds- worse than goodberry using a level one slot. in-combat heals are somebody else’s job. your party is counting on you to put the enemy down. gains some versatility with the ability to upcast
ensnaring strike- has potential against targets with a low str. at low levels, it’s hard to justify using a precious spell slot on something that may not work. maybe better at later levels when you have more spell slots and a better DC
zephyr strike- the standard wisdom for clothy casters is to use the disengage action or tactical teleportation such as misty step when faced with a disadvantageous close-quarters tactical situation. if you do not have crossbow master, this lets you bonus action disengage at the expense of concentration AND gives you advantage on your first attack
fog cloud- situationally useful against ranged attackers, but somebody else in your party should be casting this
level 2
pass without a trace- really great utility buff
spike growth- situationally great against enemies with no ranged options in a relatively open area
level 3
conjure animals- flying snakes aside, most useful as a way of choking up battlefield movement
level 4
freedom of movement- long-lasting, no concentration buff that lets you say nope.
level 5
swift quiver- two extra attacks per turn as a bonus action. on the first round of combat, your deep stalker just did an average of 117.5 damage against your favored enemy, and it lasts a minute. a 9th level disintegration averages 106.5. you also don’t have to worry about pesky legendary saves
you may notice the conspicuous absence of conjure barrage, lightning arrow, and conjure volley.
conjure barrage is a third level spell with a huge area of effect with a 60’ cone. dex save with say, a dc 14. 3d8 damage. a third level spell for you is the equivalent of a fifth level spell for a full caster, so it suffers a little bit from comparison. average 13.5 damage with a relatively easy save for half is probably not worth it. i have rarely been in a situation at that level where enemies that will be significantly affected by this are worth expending resources. most of the time, you would be better off casting hail of thorns from a higher level slot. granted, conjure barrage doesn’t burn your concentration on hunter’s mark and has a wider area of effect, but 60’ cone seldom comes into consideration
lightning arrow- your regular weapon damage using sharpshooter is higher than the average lightning damage even when they don’t make the save. the splash damage is worse than hail of thorns, but with a larger radius
conjure volley- fifth level spell. 40’ radius. 8d8 dex for half. this is your equivalent of a full caster’s ninth level spell, and full casters are going to have a better save dc. this is probably your only fifth level spell for the day, and you do not want to burn it on mooks. this resource is for the big bad with legendary saves. swift quiver is flat out superior
the unearthed arcana ranger represents a significant increase in power compared to the player’s handbook version. as far as i can tell, the primary boost in power comes from two features of the natural explorer ability. first, you get advantage on initiative, and second, you get advantage on attack rolls in the first round on creatures that have not yet acted. for martials, this allows you to take full advantage of the sharpshooter and great weapon master feats. the deep stalker conclave makes this even better by giving you an extra attack in that critical first turn.
favored enemy provides a damage boost that is slightly better than what you get from a raging barbarian. it’s pretty good, but not the class-defining ability it was in 3.5.
fighting style
let’s start out by saying that archery is far and away the best style available. class abilities synergize with dex, and the ranger has too many ways to use the bonus action to justify two-weapon fighting. while the extra accuracy from natural explorer can make great weapon master connect a little better, fighters, barbarians, and war clerics are just better at this than you are, and far less squishy. squishy, you say? they have the same d10 as fighters. they can take the defense fighting style. but, it really comes down to the MAD nature of the class. a STRanger wouldn’t have the stats to pump str, dex, and con. while you could multiclass into something like cleric or fighter to get heavy armor proficiency, this starts to get away from the discussion at hand. the ranger class is a primary damage dealer, and without sharpshooter, great weapon master, sneak attack, or smite, even with favored enemy, the damage bonus from duelling isn’t enough to keep up.
feats worth taking
sharpshooter
dex +2
dex +2
crossbow master
alert
lucky
spells
many discussions of spells underestimate the ability to upcast low-level spells, especially in classes that provide a very limited number of spells known. i think that outside of utility and nova, the best spells on the ranger list are first level. second and third levels in particular seem to lack spells that you know you will use every single day. as such, i imagine that hail of thorns and cure wounds will be the main spells you will upcast for those second and third level spells slots. this also means that upcasting hunter’s mark will be less appealing as you will need to break concentration.
level 1
hunter’s mark- the main reason two-weapon fighting doesn’t work is that hunter’s mark is a bonus action to cast and a bonus action to select a new target. because of concentration, doesn’t work as well upcast is you think it might
goodberry- good out of combat healing levels 2-20. at higher levels, you can swap it out for cure wounds if you find that your higher level spell slots are going unused
hail of thorns- it’s unfortunate that this is a concentration spell, competing with hunter’s mark. so it doesn’t really work when cast from a first level slot. much more effective when upcast
absorb elements- you will want this for dragon fights. interestingly enough, the only way for rangers to use reaction other than deep stalker’s dodge at level 15
cure wounds- worse than goodberry using a level one slot. in-combat heals are somebody else’s job. your party is counting on you to put the enemy down. gains some versatility with the ability to upcast
ensnaring strike- has potential against targets with a low str. at low levels, it’s hard to justify using a precious spell slot on something that may not work. maybe better at later levels when you have more spell slots and a better DC
zephyr strike- the standard wisdom for clothy casters is to use the disengage action or tactical teleportation such as misty step when faced with a disadvantageous close-quarters tactical situation. if you do not have crossbow master, this lets you bonus action disengage at the expense of concentration AND gives you advantage on your first attack
fog cloud- situationally useful against ranged attackers, but somebody else in your party should be casting this
level 2
pass without a trace- really great utility buff
spike growth- situationally great against enemies with no ranged options in a relatively open area
level 3
conjure animals- flying snakes aside, most useful as a way of choking up battlefield movement
level 4
freedom of movement- long-lasting, no concentration buff that lets you say nope.
level 5
swift quiver- two extra attacks per turn as a bonus action. on the first round of combat, your deep stalker just did an average of 117.5 damage against your favored enemy, and it lasts a minute. a 9th level disintegration averages 106.5. you also don’t have to worry about pesky legendary saves
you may notice the conspicuous absence of conjure barrage, lightning arrow, and conjure volley.
conjure barrage is a third level spell with a huge area of effect with a 60’ cone. dex save with say, a dc 14. 3d8 damage. a third level spell for you is the equivalent of a fifth level spell for a full caster, so it suffers a little bit from comparison. average 13.5 damage with a relatively easy save for half is probably not worth it. i have rarely been in a situation at that level where enemies that will be significantly affected by this are worth expending resources. most of the time, you would be better off casting hail of thorns from a higher level slot. granted, conjure barrage doesn’t burn your concentration on hunter’s mark and has a wider area of effect, but 60’ cone seldom comes into consideration
lightning arrow- your regular weapon damage using sharpshooter is higher than the average lightning damage even when they don’t make the save. the splash damage is worse than hail of thorns, but with a larger radius
conjure volley- fifth level spell. 40’ radius. 8d8 dex for half. this is your equivalent of a full caster’s ninth level spell, and full casters are going to have a better save dc. this is probably your only fifth level spell for the day, and you do not want to burn it on mooks. this resource is for the big bad with legendary saves. swift quiver is flat out superior