The Tinker Ranger

[Yunru]

Bonus Proficiency: Beginning when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with Tinker's Kit.

Companion Construct: Starting at 3rd level, you craft yourself a construct to accompany you on your adventures. Choose a Beast or construct with a maximum CR of 1/2 to craft. As you level up, the maximum CR increases, to a CR of 1 at 5th level, a CR of 2 at 9th level, a CR of 3 at 13th level, and a CR of 4 at 17th level. You can reconstruct your companion, either if it dies or to change it's form, with eight hours of tinkering. You companion always has the highest maximum hit points possible, is a construct, and has immunity to poison damage and the poisoned and charmed conditions.

The construct obeys your commands as best as 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 construct where to move (no action required by you). You can use your action to verbally command it to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Help or Multiattack action. Once you have the Extra Attack feature, you can make one attack yourself and you can command the construct to take an Attack or Multiattack action.

Companion Upgrade: Starting at 7th level, you can integrate new hardware into your companion, giving it the benefit of an Ability Score Improvement (or a feat). You can reapply this feature, replacing your previous choice, when you construct a companion or with an hour of tinkering.

Companion Independence: Beginning at 11th level, once per round you don't need to use your action when command you companion to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Help or Multiattack action.

Companion Spellcore: Starting at 15th level, whenever you cast a spell with a range of self, you can choose to instead apply the spell to your companion construct.

Additionally, when you cast a spell, you may channel it through your companion construct. Your construct is treated as having cast the spell, and maintains concentration separately from you for spells that require it.


Homebrew Index (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?581718-Personal-Homebrew-Index)

[JNAProductions]

We have a homebrew forum (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?15-Homebrew-Design) specifically for this stuff.

[Yunru]

Already requested a move after poking around a bit.

[Yunru]

Thank you kind mod for the move!

[JNAProductions]

Okay, critique time.

Out and about, but overall it’s a little too powerful.

[Yunru]

Out and about, but overall it’s a little too powerful.

That's... sparser than I'd hoped.
Where exactly do you feel it's overpowered, if it's more than a general sense?

[JNAProductions]

I’ll give more detail when I’m home-about 8 or 9 hours.

But yeah, minion is too powerful. Also dual concentration

[Potato_Priest]

That's... sparser than I'd hoped.
Where exactly do you feel it's overpowered, if it's more than a general sense?

It's basically the same as the beastmaster ranger, except you get a way better animal companion. Thus, comparing it to the closest thing around (the beastmaster) it's definitely overpowered. One almost wonders why you don't just reskin the beastmaster to fit this more mechanical theme.

A beastmaster ranger at level 5 can command their wolf to make one attack, by forgoing one of theirs. The Tinker Ranger can command their brown bear to make two attacks for way more damage, by forgoing one attack of their own.

At level 11 the beastmaster ranger can command their wolf to make two attacks, by forgoing one of theirs. The Tinker Ranger can command their Polar Bear to make 2 attacks without forgoing anything.

At level 13 the beastmaster ranger can command their wolf to make 2 attacks, by forgoing one of theirs. The Tinker ranger can command their giant scorpion tomake 3 attacks without forgoing anything.

[Yunru]

It's basically the same as the beastmaster ranger, except you get a way better animal companion. Thus, comparing it to the closest thing around (the beastmaster) it's definitely overpowered. One almost wonders why you don't just reskin the beastmaster to fit this more mechanical theme. Because the beastmaster is underpowered and deserves to be shunned.


A beastmaster ranger at level 5 can command their wolf to make one attack, by forgoing one of theirs. The Tinker Ranger can command their brown bear to make two attacks for way more damage, by forgoing one attack of their own.A beastmaster can make their wolf make one attack while adding your proficiency to it's attack and damage rolls. A tinker can make their brown bear make two attacks for roughly equivalent damage.


At level 11 the beastmaster ranger can command their wolf to make two attacks, by forgoing one of theirs. The Tinker Ranger can command their Polar Bear to make 2 attacks without forgoing anything.A level 11 beastmaster can forgo an attack to have their wolf make two attacks. A tinker can forgo nothing to have their Polar Bear make two attacks, for roughly half the damage.

Basically you seem to be forgeting the massive boosts a Beastmaster's pet gets.

[Potato_Priest]

A beastmaster can make their wolf make one attack while adding your proficiency to it's attack and damage rolls. A tinker can make their brown bear make two attacks for roughly equivalent damage.

A level 11 beastmaster can forgo an attack to have their wolf make two attacks. A tinker can forgo nothing to have their Polar Bear make two attacks, for roughly half the damage.


Firstly, the brown bear deals roughly equivalent damage to the wolf per attack, sure, but it still gets twice as many. Sorry if you thought I meant to say that the brown bear dealt more/attack.

The polar bear deals only slightly less damage than the wolf ( I don't know where you got half, the wolf's damage is just 7+4 prof bonus=11, only a one point difference in attack bonus) with the same number of attacks, but it does it for free, which makes a huge difference.

[Yunru]

Firstly, the brown bear deals roughly equivalent damage to the wolf per attack, sure, but it still gets twice as many. Sorry if you thought I meant to say that the brown bear dealt more/attack.

No, the Brown Bear does roughly equivalent damage to the boosted wolf per turn.

A brown bear (the most damage dealing of all CR 1 beasts) does an average of 19.5 damage with a +5 to hit. At let's say 50% hit rate, that's 9.75 damage.

A boosted wolf does an average of 10 damage with a +7 to hit. At the same hit rate, that's 6 damage, or 8.4 with Pack Tactics. Of course, the Wolf also prones.

Edit: Also, a Beastmaster's companion will continue to get better even if you multiclass out of Ranger.

[patrickborrelli]

I'm having a hard time reconciling the concept of a Ranger with that of an Tinker...a ranger, living on the outskirts of civilization, guardian in the wilderness, constantly on the move..but somehow has a workshop somewhere, and the tools and metalworking and chemistry skills to build a clockwork creature. I guess it is possible, just seems hard to reasonably backstory.

Is a bit overpowered, and the

You can reconstruct your companion, either if it dies or to change it's form, with one hour of tinkering.

is a real stretch...maybe repair minor damage in an hour, but reconstructing or changing its form is more likely in the days to weeks range.

[Yunru]

I'm having a hard time reconciling the concept of a Ranger with that of an Tinker...a ranger, living on the outskirts of civilization, guardian in the wilderness, constantly on the move..but somehow has a workshop somewhere, and the tools and metalworking and chemistry skills to build a clockwork creature. I guess it is possible, just seems hard to reasonably backstory.

Is a bit overpowered, and the


is a real stretch...maybe repair minor damage in an hour, but reconstructing or changing its form is more likely in the days to weeks range.

Magic is the answer to all of the above!
There is no chemistry, there is magic.
There is no workshop, there is magic.
There is no days to weeks, there is magic!
:P

[clash]

At level 11 the polar bear has +7 to hit and is dealing 1d8 + 5 and 2d6 + 5 damage and has only 42 hp.
The ranger at level 11 presumably has +9 to hit and is dealing say 1d8 + 7 damage(dueling) twice

If the ranger hits at ~ 65% the polar hits at around 55% for a total of 12 + 15 ~ 27 dmg

An equal level fighter with dueling will have +9 to hit and deal 1d8 + 7 damage 3 times for 22.5 dmg so it is probably over-tuned a bit.

[Yunru]

At level 11 the polar bear has +7 to hit and is dealing 1d8 + 5 and 2d6 + 5 damage and has only 42 hp.
The ranger at level 11 presumably has +9 to hit and is dealing say 1d8 + 7 damage(dueling) twice

If the ranger hits at ~ 65% the polar hits at around 55% for a total of 12 + 15 ~ 27 dmg

An equal level fighter with dueling will have +9 to hit and deal 1d8 + 7 damage 3 times for 22.5 dmg so it is probably over-tuned a bit.

Hmmm... Imma swap it to Archery because that way AC isn't a split thing for the ranger.

The Construct deals an average of 21.5 at +7.
The Ranger deals an average of 19 at +11.
The Tinker's output is roughly 19+(0.6*21.5) = 31.9

The Fighter deals an average of 28.5 at +11.

If we assume the Fighter used their spare ASI to take Sharpshooter (damn you lack of damage boosting feats!), we can add +6 to the Fighter, bringing it to roughly 34.5.
A little close for comfort, yes, if we don't consider the Polar Bears lackluster survivability.

I think more the problem is that Polar Bears have an offensive CR of 4, and a defensive CR of a measly 1/8.

I'm going to venture into the realm of guestimate (due to lack of playtesters, mostly), and say that the Polar Bear won't be in every other fight due to dying. At level 11 a monster could kill a Polar Bear in a round. If we thus half the companion's output we get the Tinker doing 25.45 damage (although this is the lower threshold).