Improving a STR Beastmaster Ranger

[Wasp]

Hi everyone

I would like to play a Bugbear(?) Beast Master Ranger with a Wolf Companion and an Owl familiar and would like to ask your opinion on how to do optimize it a little.

Things I want from the character:

Melee more so than Archer
Beastmaster Ranger
Wolf Companion
with Magic Initiate to get Find Familiar for an Owl (or Falcon or similar)

Our rules are: 27 Point Buy, Free Feat on level one, no variant human

My starting point:


Bugbear Beastmaster Ranger (Outlander)

STR 16
DEX 16
CON 13 or 14
INT 10
WIS 12 or 10
CHA 8

Animal Handling, Athletics, Perception, Acrobatics, Survival, Stealth

Magic Initiate (Wizard): Prestidigitation, Minor Illusion, Find Familiar

Any ideas?

Edit: If we focus more on STR and CON instead of DEX - maybe a Mountain Dwarf would be better?

[CTurbo]

Do you have to use the phb version of Beastmaster or can you use the UA Revised version?


I would not take both Athletics and Acrobatics as in most cases they can be used to do similar actions.
I also would not take both Minor Illusion and Prestidigitation as they are both very similar.

[Wasp]

Do you have to use the phb version of Beastmaster or can you use the UA Revised version?
Normally I would have access to UA, but because of the errata it seems the revised version has been "discarded", so I would avoid it.



I would not take both Athletics and Acrobatics as in most cases they can be used to do similar actions.
I also would not take both Minor Illusion and Prestidigitation as they are both very similar.
Thank you! Where would you go instead?

[strangebloke]

Normally I would have access to UA, but because of the errata it seems the revised version has been "discarded", so I would avoid it.

Thank you! Where would you go instead?

I agree with his points. I would recommend (for cantrips) to look at mold earth and control flame. As a bugbear ranger you're going to want to be stealthy. Mold earth let's you slowly tunnel or build a hidey hole grin which to ambush people. Control flames lets you extinguish the enemies torch from range and then fight him in darkness.

For skills, I would recommend insight, medicine, or nature. Just solid, thematic skills.

Lastly, I would drop dexterity down to 14 and use the extra four points of point buy to boost your wisdom to 14 or your Constitution to 16. Dexterity is important, but 14 is enough if it isn't your main attack stat.

For fighting style, s&b and two handed both have their merits. If you aren't taking great weapon master sword and board is generally better.

[Wasp]

Lastly, I would drop dexterity down to 14 and use the extra four points of point buy to boost your wisdom to 14 or your Constitution to 16. Dexterity is important, but 14 is enough if it isn't your main attack stat.

In that case: If I increase Con instead of Dex, maybe a Mountain Dwarf may be better as a race option?

[djreynolds]

Take polearm master and sentinel, let them attack your wolf and make them pay.

The wolf is 5ft in front of you, use that reach.

When the wolf is low on HP have it move back and dodge

[Witty Username]

In that case: If I increase Con instead of Dex, maybe a Mountain Dwarf may be better as a race option?

That would depend if you want the bugbear side features I think, or if bugbear fits what you want your look to be. Half-orc is probably a good one to consider as well.

I guess it would primarily depend on how stealthy you want to be. or if you like powerful build.

[strangebloke]

In that case: If I increase Con instead of Dex, maybe a Mountain Dwarf may be better as a race option?


That would depend if you want the bugbear side features I think, or if bugbear fits what you want your look to be. Half-orc is probably a good one to consider as well.

I guess it would primarily depend on how stealthy you want to be. or if you like powerful build.

Witty has the right of it. Mountain Dwarves are really solid, both for their great stat line and their various other bonuses. But ultimately you shouldn't pick something just because it gives you a nice +1. Go for the cool racial features.

All of the following are solid options:

Goliath
Bugbear
Firbolg
Mountain/Hill dwarf
Half-Orc
Tortle

[GreyBlack]

Hi everyone

I would like to play a Bugbear(?) Beast Master Ranger with a Wolf Companion and an Owl familiar and would like to ask your opinion on how to do optimize it a little.

Things I want from the character:

Melee more so than Archer
Beastmaster Ranger
Wolf Companion
with Magic Initiate to get Find Familiar for an Owl (or Falcon or similar)

Our rules are: 27 Point Buy, Free Feat on level one, no variant human

My starting point:


Bugbear Beastmaster Ranger (Outlander)

STR 16
DEX 16
CON 13 or 14
INT 10
WIS 12 or 10
CHA 8

Animal Handling, Athletics, Perception, Acrobatics, Survival, Stealth

Magic Initiate (Wizard): Prestidigitation, Minor Illusion, Find Familiar

Any ideas?

Edit: If we focus more on STR and CON instead of DEX - maybe a Mountain Dwarf would be better?

Treantmonk did a video on this recently how to make a Beastmaster.

https://youtu.be/GcqyGITBTv8

[Shuruke]

Hi everyone

I would like to play a Bugbear(?) Beast Master Ranger with a Wolf Companion and an Owl familiar and would like to ask your opinion on how to do optimize it a little.

Things I want from the character:

Melee more so than Archer
Beastmaster Ranger
Wolf Companion
with Magic Initiate to get Find Familiar for an Owl (or Falcon or similar)

Our rules are: 27 Point Buy, Free Feat on level one, no variant human

My starting point:


Bugbear Beastmaster Ranger (Outlander)

STR 16
DEX 16
CON 13 or 14
INT 10
WIS 12 or 10
CHA 8

Animal Handling, Athletics, Perception, Acrobatics, Survival, Stealth

Magic Initiate (Wizard): Prestidigitation, Minor Illusion, Find Familiar

Any ideas?

Edit: If we focus more on STR and CON instead of DEX - maybe a Mountain Dwarf would be better?


Fun idea could be
Str ranger , 3 level barbarian dip for ancestral guardian (re flavored as wolves)
Dual wield style allowing bonus action attack. This way u get 2 rage attacks and wolf making attack.

[Makorel]

I would imagine Healing Spirit would be a good spell to keep both yourself and your companion up. If you're open to multiclassing you could forgo Dex entirely in favor for Wisdom and get a level in Life Cleric to gain Heavy Armor and an extra +4 to every time you use the Healing Spirit.

Also ask your DM if you can get your animal friend barding.

[Tanarii]

Personally I prefer Defense S&B for a wolf companion Beastmaster. Your companion attacks are solid, so you can utilize it as your primary method of attacking and do less yourself, and with Breastplate Barding +your proficiency mod on the Wolf and S&B yourself, you both have passable AC.

Str-based 2H weapon Sentinel isn't a bad way to go either, although it gets a little MaD, so putting another feat into PaM might be too much non-ASI investment. But it means you can dish out some damage if you decide to go with an Extra attack for a round.

Either way don't forget you can your Wolf can rotate between front line and protecting squishes, as current hit points demand. Even with sentinel, you don't have to stand next to your wolf, just an ally in danger of being attacked.

[Wasp]

That would depend if you want the bugbear side features I think, or if bugbear fits what you want your look to be. Half-orc is probably a good one to consider as well.

I guess it would primarily depend on how stealthy you want to be. or if you like powerful build.

Witty has the right of it. Mountain Dwarves are really solid, both for their great stat line and their various other bonuses. But ultimately you shouldn't pick something just because it gives you a nice +1. Go for the cool racial features.
I kind of like the monstrous ranger idea. But a Dwarf is unusal enough as well. I only know that I don't want an Elf, Human, Halfling or Gnome.



All of the following are solid options:

Goliath
Bugbear
Firbolg
Mountain/Hill dwarf
Half-Orc
Tortle

Thanks! With the exception of the Tortle I could see all of them as a cool ranger!


Treantmonk did a video on this recently how to make a Beastmaster.

https://youtu.be/GcqyGITBTv8

Thank you, that's very interesting!


Fun idea could be
Str ranger , 3 level barbarian dip for ancestral guardian (re flavored as wolves)
Dual wield style allowing bonus action attack. This way u get 2 rage attacks and wolf making attack.
In that case I would need at least 13 WIS to multiclass out of Ranger though...


I would imagine Healing Spirit would be a good spell to keep both yourself and your companion up. If you're open to multiclassing you could forgo Dex entirely in favor for Wisdom and get a level in Life Cleric to gain Heavy Armor and an extra +4 to every time you use the Healing Spirit.
I think I have to anylyze this a little further. I feel like sacrificing too much just to keep the animal companion alive may be a bit too much!


Also ask your DM if you can get your animal friend barding.
Oh yes, that would be nice!


Personally I prefer Defense S&B for a wolf companion Beastmaster. Your companion attacks are solid, so you can utilize it as your primary method of attacking and do less yourself, and with Breastplate Barding +your proficiency mod on the Wolf and S&B yourself, you both have passable AC.
I like this idea.


Str-based 2H weapon Sentinel isn't a bad way to go either, although it gets a little MaD, so putting another feat into PaM might be too much non-ASI investment. But it means you can dish out some damage if you decide to go with an Extra attack for a round.
And this may do some good with the Bugbear reach if I go that route. So many options...