TheUser
2019-03-30, 12:29 PM
Saw a post on facebook talking about making the Ranger a fighter subclass, thought I'd give it a shot and see what results it produces.
Essentially an EK with Druid spells instead and more of a focus on skills than spells with later features. So instead of granting disadvantage on saves or having access to cantrips it has more of a skill expertise focus.
Since there would be no ranger spell list, hunters mark, and swift quiver aren't required anymore either (you're a fighter, you get 4 attacks at 20 anyway!)
Probably not balanced but I really like the way it looks on paper at the moment.
Link here:
https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/HJWcMSZad4
If you don't want to follow the link here's the features listed as well
Attuned to Nature
At level 3 your strengthened connection with the natural world begins to manifest. You gain proficiency in Wisdom(Survival) checks, if you are already proficient in this skill, it improves to expertise, adding double your proficiency bonus. You have advantage on these checks when travelling in the wilderness.
Additonally, you gain the ability to cast spells. See chapter 10 for the general rules of
spellcasting and chapter 11 for the druid spell list.
* You gain spell slots as though you were a druid equal to one third your fighter level. Rounding up if you are not multi-classed.
* You prepare spells from the druid spell list with Wisdom as your spellcasting ability.
* You may prepare a number of spells from the druid spell list equal to your proficiency bonus + one third your Fighter level rounded up.
* The maximum level of druid spells you can prepare is equal to your fighter level divded by six, also rounded up.
* You can change your prepared spells when you finish a long rest.
Skilled Hunter
Beginning at level 7 your mastery of survival skills improves. You gain proficiency in Dexterity(Stealth) and Wisdom(Perception) checks. If you are already proficient in a given skill, you gain expertise instead. Lastly, you may make any one of these checks or a Wisdom(Survival) check using a bonus action.
Hide in Plain Sight
Starting at 10th level, after spending 1 minute preparing and donning camouflage derived from your surroundings you may attempt to hide even when only lightly obscured in the wilderness. You may also attempt to hide by pressing yourself against a natural surface remaining motionless. You cannot begin to make this second kind of attempt while observed by an enemy. If your natural surroundings change substantially, you must spend another minute on a new set of camouflage. Like if you were to transition from the woods to a cave.
This feature improves at level 15 allowing you to attempt hiding even while being observed by an Enemy.
Feral Senses
By level 15 your senses have improved to superhuman levels, either out of extreme training or a supernatural development from constant exposure to the natural world, enhancing your body.
* You can see up to 1 mile away with no difficulty, able to discern fine details as though looking at something no more than 100 feet away from you. Additionally, dim light doesn't impose disadvantage on your Wisdom(Perception) checks.
* Your hearing allows you to discern the location of any creature within 30ft of you, suffering no disadvantage to attack rolls against them even while hidden or invisible, so long as they have a heartbeat.
* Your sense of smell becomes so keen, even poisons designed to be odourless and tasteless are quite obvious. A creature's personal scent can even be acquired by your keen nose. As an action you can pick up the scent of a creature by interacting with them or one of their personal items (clothing, hair brush, favourite doll) or a bodily excretion (like blood, sweat or feces). After doing so you immediately know the creature's type, and when applicable, race, sex, and relative age. In some cases you can even discern the relative health and well being of the creature (like if it's been poisoned or is diseased). Knowing the smell of a creature allows you to track its trail effortlessly if it's less than a week old as well as the creature's physical interactions with objects and people, the more exposure, the longer scent remains.
These abilities are not considered magical.
Foe Slayer
After reaching 18th level, when using the attack action on your turn against a creature from which you are hidden, you may make all attacks that are a part of that action at advantage instead of just the first.
Also, you cannot be tracked by non-magical means unless you choose to leave a trail.
Discussion:
Favored Enemy has to go.
It's not a healthy mechanic. It removes agency from the player in that you are praying the DM pits you against your favored enemy, either over-performing when you are or feel like you under-perform when you don't. GET RID OF IT.
The main goal is to trim a lot of the fat in the ranger class. Primeval Awareness and Land's Stride are terrible anyway (gone), and Natural Explorer is a bloated ability that can be boiled down to "advantage on survival checks" and get rid of the specific terrain nonsense (for the same reasons that Favored Enemy is bad) the specifics just detract from the freedom a DM would have anyway. The goal is simplicity and I feel this accomplishes that goal for the most part (with the exception of the level 15 Feral senses feature).
Hide in Plain Sight in its current iteration in the PHB sucks and needed some love, improving more at level 15.
Foe Slayer is currently a bad capstone in the PHB so much so that I have completely reworked it while throwing in the Vanish feature at 18.
I'm ever so slightly certain the level 15 Feral Senses feature is too bloated but I like it regardless.
Essentially an EK with Druid spells instead and more of a focus on skills than spells with later features. So instead of granting disadvantage on saves or having access to cantrips it has more of a skill expertise focus.
Since there would be no ranger spell list, hunters mark, and swift quiver aren't required anymore either (you're a fighter, you get 4 attacks at 20 anyway!)
Probably not balanced but I really like the way it looks on paper at the moment.
Link here:
https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/HJWcMSZad4
If you don't want to follow the link here's the features listed as well
Attuned to Nature
At level 3 your strengthened connection with the natural world begins to manifest. You gain proficiency in Wisdom(Survival) checks, if you are already proficient in this skill, it improves to expertise, adding double your proficiency bonus. You have advantage on these checks when travelling in the wilderness.
Additonally, you gain the ability to cast spells. See chapter 10 for the general rules of
spellcasting and chapter 11 for the druid spell list.
* You gain spell slots as though you were a druid equal to one third your fighter level. Rounding up if you are not multi-classed.
* You prepare spells from the druid spell list with Wisdom as your spellcasting ability.
* You may prepare a number of spells from the druid spell list equal to your proficiency bonus + one third your Fighter level rounded up.
* The maximum level of druid spells you can prepare is equal to your fighter level divded by six, also rounded up.
* You can change your prepared spells when you finish a long rest.
Skilled Hunter
Beginning at level 7 your mastery of survival skills improves. You gain proficiency in Dexterity(Stealth) and Wisdom(Perception) checks. If you are already proficient in a given skill, you gain expertise instead. Lastly, you may make any one of these checks or a Wisdom(Survival) check using a bonus action.
Hide in Plain Sight
Starting at 10th level, after spending 1 minute preparing and donning camouflage derived from your surroundings you may attempt to hide even when only lightly obscured in the wilderness. You may also attempt to hide by pressing yourself against a natural surface remaining motionless. You cannot begin to make this second kind of attempt while observed by an enemy. If your natural surroundings change substantially, you must spend another minute on a new set of camouflage. Like if you were to transition from the woods to a cave.
This feature improves at level 15 allowing you to attempt hiding even while being observed by an Enemy.
Feral Senses
By level 15 your senses have improved to superhuman levels, either out of extreme training or a supernatural development from constant exposure to the natural world, enhancing your body.
* You can see up to 1 mile away with no difficulty, able to discern fine details as though looking at something no more than 100 feet away from you. Additionally, dim light doesn't impose disadvantage on your Wisdom(Perception) checks.
* Your hearing allows you to discern the location of any creature within 30ft of you, suffering no disadvantage to attack rolls against them even while hidden or invisible, so long as they have a heartbeat.
* Your sense of smell becomes so keen, even poisons designed to be odourless and tasteless are quite obvious. A creature's personal scent can even be acquired by your keen nose. As an action you can pick up the scent of a creature by interacting with them or one of their personal items (clothing, hair brush, favourite doll) or a bodily excretion (like blood, sweat or feces). After doing so you immediately know the creature's type, and when applicable, race, sex, and relative age. In some cases you can even discern the relative health and well being of the creature (like if it's been poisoned or is diseased). Knowing the smell of a creature allows you to track its trail effortlessly if it's less than a week old as well as the creature's physical interactions with objects and people, the more exposure, the longer scent remains.
These abilities are not considered magical.
Foe Slayer
After reaching 18th level, when using the attack action on your turn against a creature from which you are hidden, you may make all attacks that are a part of that action at advantage instead of just the first.
Also, you cannot be tracked by non-magical means unless you choose to leave a trail.
Discussion:
Favored Enemy has to go.
It's not a healthy mechanic. It removes agency from the player in that you are praying the DM pits you against your favored enemy, either over-performing when you are or feel like you under-perform when you don't. GET RID OF IT.
The main goal is to trim a lot of the fat in the ranger class. Primeval Awareness and Land's Stride are terrible anyway (gone), and Natural Explorer is a bloated ability that can be boiled down to "advantage on survival checks" and get rid of the specific terrain nonsense (for the same reasons that Favored Enemy is bad) the specifics just detract from the freedom a DM would have anyway. The goal is simplicity and I feel this accomplishes that goal for the most part (with the exception of the level 15 Feral senses feature).
Hide in Plain Sight in its current iteration in the PHB sucks and needed some love, improving more at level 15.
Foe Slayer is currently a bad capstone in the PHB so much so that I have completely reworked it while throwing in the Vanish feature at 18.
I'm ever so slightly certain the level 15 Feral Senses feature is too bloated but I like it regardless.