sandmote
2019-07-12, 10:08 PM
This page on the Homebrewery (https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/r1FgRdr-B)
This fix focuses on the following areas:
1. Granting an in-combat benefit against favored enemies. It's based on barbarian rage damage to avoid multi class dip bait. The 20th level feature has also changed, to avoid stacking with this. +9 damage against favored enemies would be broken.
2. Stopped the bonuses for favored enemies from depending entirely on the DM/adventure. The new Grudge Foe feature lets a ranger apply those bonuses to targets they don't normally apply to. So the ranger isn't crippled when not fighting favored enemies. I've given the ability at 6th level (just when rangers start to decline horribly in power), and it becomes far less limited at 15th.
3. Improving spellcasting. Primeval Awareness no longer uses spell slots, and rangers get a (much weaker) knockoff of the Wizard's Arcane Recovery feature. So rangers can afford to be slightly more glib with both their Primeval Awareness and spellcasting. Where a paladin's divine smite doesn't get wasted and their Lay on Hands saves slots, rangers get a few extra slots during a day.
4. Reducing reliance on Hunter's Mark. A shorter but stronger alternative, a buff for animal companions, a non-concentration (and more limited) version of Expeditious Charge/Retreat, a mixed combat/utility spell, and a higher level version of Zephyr's Strike are included. Beast Master and Hunter rangers also get a few more spells known (to match with the subclasses from Xanathar's).
5. Buffs for the subclasses' from the player's handbook. I've given both (and my homebrew Faerie Irregular (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?576261-Faerie-Irregular-A-Very-Irregular-Ranger-Subclass-(PEACH))) archetype spells, and written a new version of the Beastmaster's companion (one halfway between the original and the UA revised version).
I have considered changing the way primeval awareness natural explorer works to make it more interactive, but I think that is better approached at the table (and clearer exploration rules). For example, being in favored terrain could give bonuses to setting up and spotting ambushes, letting the ranger find alternate paths to get around foes guarding the path, and getting somewhere faster than following the road lets you. Basically, the feature should let the ranger do certain things better, instead of letting the party automatically cross that environment without any incidents.
To respond to my earlier confusion between primeval awareness and natural explorer, I have buffed primeval awareness without making it as powerful as the UA revision did.
Level
Proficiency Bonus
Features
Favored Enemy Damage
Spells Known
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
1st
+2
Favored Enemy, Natural Explorer
2
2nd
+2
Fighting Style, Spellcasting
2
2
2
3rd
+2
Ranger Archetype, Primeval Awareness
2
3
3
4th
+2
Ability Score Improvement, Natural Recovery
2
3
3
5th
+3
Extra Attack
2
4
4
2
6th
+3
Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer Improvements, Grudge Foe
2
4
4
2
7th
+3
Ranger Archetype Feature
2
5
4
3
8th
+3
Ability Score Improvement, Lands Stride
2
5
4
3
9th
+4
3
6
4
3
2
10th
+4
Natural Explorer Improvement, Hide in Plain Sight
3
6
4
3
2
11th
+4
Ranger Archetype Feature
3
7
4
3
3
12th
+4
Ability Score Improvement
3
7
4
3
3
13th
+5
3
8
4
3
3
1
14th
+5
Favored Enemy Improvement, Vanish
3
8
4
3
3
1
15th
+5
Ranger Archetype Feature, Grudge Foe Improvement
3
9
4
3
3
2
16th
+5
Ability Score Improvement
4
9
4
3
3
2
17th
+6
4
10
4
3
3
3
1
18th
+6
Feral Senses
4
10
4
3
3
3
1
19th
+6
Ability Score Improvement
4
11
4
3
3
3
2
20th
+6
Favored Enemy Improvement, Ultimate Explorer
4
11
4
3
3
3
2
Favored Enemy
Beginning at 1st level, you have significant experience studying, tracking, hunting, and even talking to a certain type of enemy.
Choose a type of favored enemy: aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or undead. Alternatively, you can select two races of humanoid (such as gnolls and orcs) as favored enemies.
You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track your favored enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them. When you make a weapon attack against a favored enemy, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a ranger, as shown in the Favored Enemy Damage column of the Ranger table.
When you gain this feature, you also learn one language of your choice that is spoken by your favored enemies, if they speak one at all.
You choose one additional favored enemy, as well as an associated language, at 6th, 14 and 20th level. As you gain levels, your choices should reflect the types of monsters you have encountered on your adventures.
Primeval Awareness
Beginning at 3rd level, you can use your action to focus your awareness on the region around you. For 10 minutes, you can sense whether the following types of creatures are present within 1 mile of you (or within up to 6 miles if you are in your favored terrain): aberrations, celestials, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead. This feature doesnt reveal the creatures location or number, but you can tell the general direction of those creatures while this effect lasts.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Wisdom modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.
Natural Recovery
Starting at 4th level, you have learned to regain some of your magical energy by attuning to nature. Once per day when you finish a short rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than one quarter your ranger level, and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher.
For example, if youre a 10th-level ranger, you can recover up to two levels worth of spell slots. You can recover either a 2nd-level spell slot or two 1st-level spell slots.
Grudge Foe
Starting at 6th level, you can quickly pick up the weaknesses of those in front of you. You can choose an creature and treat that creature as a favored enemy for one hour (no action required). If the creature's type is that of one of your favored enemies, you instead learn they are a favered enemy, and which type they are. You can do this a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, and regain all uses when you finish a long rest.
Starting at 15th level, you regain all uses of this ability at the end of a short rest.
Ultimate Explorer
From 20th level, you gain the benefits of your Natural Explorer feature in all terrains.
Hunter Fix
Hunter Magic
Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Hunter Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn't count agains the number of ranger spells you know.
Hunter Spells
Ranger Level Feature
3rd Hunter's Mark
7th Moonbeam
11th Plant Growth
13th Hunter's Confinement
17th Hold Monster
Beast Master Fix
Ranger's Companion
At 3rd level, you can empower an animal companion, spending a total of eight hours with one beast. the beast must be no larger than medium, have a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower. Bonding in this manner requires you to concentrate, as if on a spell. If you bond in this way to a second animal, the bond is lost with the first animal to which you were bonded.
When bonded to a beast your companion gains proficiency in two skills of your choice and all saving throws, and adds your proficiency bonus to its AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls. The creature also gains a number of hit dice equal to your ranger level, can spend hit dice to heal during a short rest, and shares all of your favored enemies and grudge foes. It acts on your initiative count, and you may mix your and your companion's actions freely.
Your companion cannot use multiattack, but you may command it to take the attack, dash, disengage, dodge or help action (no action required by you). If you are incapacitated, are absent, do not issue an order, or your companion is deafened, the beast acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself. It never requires your order to make a reaction, such as when making an opportunity attack.
If your animal companion is ever slain, the magical bond you share allows you to return it to life. With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 25 gp worth of rare herbs and fine food, you call forth your companions spirit and use your magic to create a new body for it. You can return an animal companion to life in this manner even if you do not possess any part of its body. Depending on how it died, your companion may choose to refuse to return, and the components of this ritual are wasted.
Beast Master Magic
Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Beast Master Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of ranger spells you know.
Beast Master Spells
Ranger Level Feature
3rd Beast Bond
7th See Invisibility
11th Empower Animal
13th Death Ward
17th Hold Monster
Faerie Irregular Rebalance
Wild Power
Wild power no longer grants and spell slots at the end of a short rest.
Faerie Irregular Magic
Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Beast Master Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of ranger spells you know.
Beast Master Spells
Ranger Level Feature
3rd Color Spray
7th Phantasmal Force
11th Thunder Step
13th Conjure Woodland Beings
17th Swift Quiver
The following spells are added to the ranger spell list. A few new spells are also added.
Ranger Spells
1st level
Guiding Bolt
Pillar of Sand
Rhino's Rush
2nd level
Phantasmal Force
3rd level
Empower Animal
4th level
Hunter's Confinement
Secret Chest
Zephyr Blitz
Empower Animal
3rd-level transmutation
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: touch
Components: S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
At your touch, one beast gains improved abilities and vitality. The beast's attacks are treated as magical for the purposes of damage resistance and immunity, gains a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls, and gains 15 temporary hit points. All of these effects end when the spell does.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the spell doesn't require concentration and grants 25 temporary hit points.
(Druid, Ranger)
Hunter's Confinement
4th-level enchantment
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: 90 feet
Components: V, S, M (A brass ring affixed to a dragon fang, worth at least 50 gp)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
You choose a creature you can see within range and mystically burden it, marking it as your quarry when you do so. Until the spell ends, Your taret's speed is reduced by 5 feet, you deal an additional 2d6 damage to the target whenever you hit it with a weapon attack, and you can choose to force your target to make a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone once on your turn when you deal damage to it. Additionally, you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) checks you make to find your quarry. If the target drops to 0 hit points before this spell ends, you can use a bonus action on a subsequent turn of yours to mark a new creature.
(Ranger)
Pillar of Sand
1st-level transmutation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (a pinch of sand)
Duration: Conc. Up to 1 Minute
A pillar of sand shoots up from the ground. The pillar is a cylinder that has a diameter of 5 feet and a creature that is medium or smaller and is directly above it must make a dexterity saving throw. A creature can choose to fail this saving throw. On a failed save, the pillar lifts the creature up to 20 feet off the ground. If a pillar is prevented from reaching its intended height because of a ceiling or other obstacle, the creature takes 2d6 bludgeoning damage, the pillar immediately dissipates and if the creature falls it lands prone.
The pillar has AC 5 and 10 hit points. When reduced to 0 hit points, the pillar dissapates.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can create 1 additional pillar for each slot level above 1st.
(Druid, Ranger, Wizard)
Reference
The preceding is my take on the spell by Spheredear on the GitPG forums (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?572169-1st-level-5e-spell-pillar-of-sand)
Rhino's Rush
1st-level transmutation
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: self
Components: V
Duration: 1 round
If you move at least 25 feet straight toward a creature and then hit it with a melee weapon attack before the end of your text turn, that target takes an additional 2d10 weapon damage and must succeed on a Strength saving throw with a DC equal to your spellcasting modifier or be knocked prone.
(Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer)
Zephyr Blitz
4th-level transmutation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V
Duration: Conc. Up to 1 Minute
You move like the wind. Until the spell ends, your movement doesnt provoke opportunity attacks.
Once per turn, you can give yourself advantage on one weapon attack roll on your turn. That attack deals an extra 1d6 force damage on a hit. Whether you hit or miss, your walking speed increases by an additional 30 feet until the end of that turn.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the force damage you deal each turn increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 4th.
(Ranger)
This fix focuses on the following areas:
1. Granting an in-combat benefit against favored enemies. It's based on barbarian rage damage to avoid multi class dip bait. The 20th level feature has also changed, to avoid stacking with this. +9 damage against favored enemies would be broken.
2. Stopped the bonuses for favored enemies from depending entirely on the DM/adventure. The new Grudge Foe feature lets a ranger apply those bonuses to targets they don't normally apply to. So the ranger isn't crippled when not fighting favored enemies. I've given the ability at 6th level (just when rangers start to decline horribly in power), and it becomes far less limited at 15th.
3. Improving spellcasting. Primeval Awareness no longer uses spell slots, and rangers get a (much weaker) knockoff of the Wizard's Arcane Recovery feature. So rangers can afford to be slightly more glib with both their Primeval Awareness and spellcasting. Where a paladin's divine smite doesn't get wasted and their Lay on Hands saves slots, rangers get a few extra slots during a day.
4. Reducing reliance on Hunter's Mark. A shorter but stronger alternative, a buff for animal companions, a non-concentration (and more limited) version of Expeditious Charge/Retreat, a mixed combat/utility spell, and a higher level version of Zephyr's Strike are included. Beast Master and Hunter rangers also get a few more spells known (to match with the subclasses from Xanathar's).
5. Buffs for the subclasses' from the player's handbook. I've given both (and my homebrew Faerie Irregular (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?576261-Faerie-Irregular-A-Very-Irregular-Ranger-Subclass-(PEACH))) archetype spells, and written a new version of the Beastmaster's companion (one halfway between the original and the UA revised version).
I have considered changing the way primeval awareness natural explorer works to make it more interactive, but I think that is better approached at the table (and clearer exploration rules). For example, being in favored terrain could give bonuses to setting up and spotting ambushes, letting the ranger find alternate paths to get around foes guarding the path, and getting somewhere faster than following the road lets you. Basically, the feature should let the ranger do certain things better, instead of letting the party automatically cross that environment without any incidents.
To respond to my earlier confusion between primeval awareness and natural explorer, I have buffed primeval awareness without making it as powerful as the UA revision did.
Level
Proficiency Bonus
Features
Favored Enemy Damage
Spells Known
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
1st
+2
Favored Enemy, Natural Explorer
2
2nd
+2
Fighting Style, Spellcasting
2
2
2
3rd
+2
Ranger Archetype, Primeval Awareness
2
3
3
4th
+2
Ability Score Improvement, Natural Recovery
2
3
3
5th
+3
Extra Attack
2
4
4
2
6th
+3
Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer Improvements, Grudge Foe
2
4
4
2
7th
+3
Ranger Archetype Feature
2
5
4
3
8th
+3
Ability Score Improvement, Lands Stride
2
5
4
3
9th
+4
3
6
4
3
2
10th
+4
Natural Explorer Improvement, Hide in Plain Sight
3
6
4
3
2
11th
+4
Ranger Archetype Feature
3
7
4
3
3
12th
+4
Ability Score Improvement
3
7
4
3
3
13th
+5
3
8
4
3
3
1
14th
+5
Favored Enemy Improvement, Vanish
3
8
4
3
3
1
15th
+5
Ranger Archetype Feature, Grudge Foe Improvement
3
9
4
3
3
2
16th
+5
Ability Score Improvement
4
9
4
3
3
2
17th
+6
4
10
4
3
3
3
1
18th
+6
Feral Senses
4
10
4
3
3
3
1
19th
+6
Ability Score Improvement
4
11
4
3
3
3
2
20th
+6
Favored Enemy Improvement, Ultimate Explorer
4
11
4
3
3
3
2
Favored Enemy
Beginning at 1st level, you have significant experience studying, tracking, hunting, and even talking to a certain type of enemy.
Choose a type of favored enemy: aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or undead. Alternatively, you can select two races of humanoid (such as gnolls and orcs) as favored enemies.
You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track your favored enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them. When you make a weapon attack against a favored enemy, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a ranger, as shown in the Favored Enemy Damage column of the Ranger table.
When you gain this feature, you also learn one language of your choice that is spoken by your favored enemies, if they speak one at all.
You choose one additional favored enemy, as well as an associated language, at 6th, 14 and 20th level. As you gain levels, your choices should reflect the types of monsters you have encountered on your adventures.
Primeval Awareness
Beginning at 3rd level, you can use your action to focus your awareness on the region around you. For 10 minutes, you can sense whether the following types of creatures are present within 1 mile of you (or within up to 6 miles if you are in your favored terrain): aberrations, celestials, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead. This feature doesnt reveal the creatures location or number, but you can tell the general direction of those creatures while this effect lasts.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Wisdom modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.
Natural Recovery
Starting at 4th level, you have learned to regain some of your magical energy by attuning to nature. Once per day when you finish a short rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than one quarter your ranger level, and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher.
For example, if youre a 10th-level ranger, you can recover up to two levels worth of spell slots. You can recover either a 2nd-level spell slot or two 1st-level spell slots.
Grudge Foe
Starting at 6th level, you can quickly pick up the weaknesses of those in front of you. You can choose an creature and treat that creature as a favored enemy for one hour (no action required). If the creature's type is that of one of your favored enemies, you instead learn they are a favered enemy, and which type they are. You can do this a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, and regain all uses when you finish a long rest.
Starting at 15th level, you regain all uses of this ability at the end of a short rest.
Ultimate Explorer
From 20th level, you gain the benefits of your Natural Explorer feature in all terrains.
Hunter Fix
Hunter Magic
Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Hunter Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn't count agains the number of ranger spells you know.
Hunter Spells
Ranger Level Feature
3rd Hunter's Mark
7th Moonbeam
11th Plant Growth
13th Hunter's Confinement
17th Hold Monster
Beast Master Fix
Ranger's Companion
At 3rd level, you can empower an animal companion, spending a total of eight hours with one beast. the beast must be no larger than medium, have a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower. Bonding in this manner requires you to concentrate, as if on a spell. If you bond in this way to a second animal, the bond is lost with the first animal to which you were bonded.
When bonded to a beast your companion gains proficiency in two skills of your choice and all saving throws, and adds your proficiency bonus to its AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls. The creature also gains a number of hit dice equal to your ranger level, can spend hit dice to heal during a short rest, and shares all of your favored enemies and grudge foes. It acts on your initiative count, and you may mix your and your companion's actions freely.
Your companion cannot use multiattack, but you may command it to take the attack, dash, disengage, dodge or help action (no action required by you). If you are incapacitated, are absent, do not issue an order, or your companion is deafened, the beast acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself. It never requires your order to make a reaction, such as when making an opportunity attack.
If your animal companion is ever slain, the magical bond you share allows you to return it to life. With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 25 gp worth of rare herbs and fine food, you call forth your companions spirit and use your magic to create a new body for it. You can return an animal companion to life in this manner even if you do not possess any part of its body. Depending on how it died, your companion may choose to refuse to return, and the components of this ritual are wasted.
Beast Master Magic
Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Beast Master Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of ranger spells you know.
Beast Master Spells
Ranger Level Feature
3rd Beast Bond
7th See Invisibility
11th Empower Animal
13th Death Ward
17th Hold Monster
Faerie Irregular Rebalance
Wild Power
Wild power no longer grants and spell slots at the end of a short rest.
Faerie Irregular Magic
Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Beast Master Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of ranger spells you know.
Beast Master Spells
Ranger Level Feature
3rd Color Spray
7th Phantasmal Force
11th Thunder Step
13th Conjure Woodland Beings
17th Swift Quiver
The following spells are added to the ranger spell list. A few new spells are also added.
Ranger Spells
1st level
Guiding Bolt
Pillar of Sand
Rhino's Rush
2nd level
Phantasmal Force
3rd level
Empower Animal
4th level
Hunter's Confinement
Secret Chest
Zephyr Blitz
Empower Animal
3rd-level transmutation
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: touch
Components: S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
At your touch, one beast gains improved abilities and vitality. The beast's attacks are treated as magical for the purposes of damage resistance and immunity, gains a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls, and gains 15 temporary hit points. All of these effects end when the spell does.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the spell doesn't require concentration and grants 25 temporary hit points.
(Druid, Ranger)
Hunter's Confinement
4th-level enchantment
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: 90 feet
Components: V, S, M (A brass ring affixed to a dragon fang, worth at least 50 gp)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
You choose a creature you can see within range and mystically burden it, marking it as your quarry when you do so. Until the spell ends, Your taret's speed is reduced by 5 feet, you deal an additional 2d6 damage to the target whenever you hit it with a weapon attack, and you can choose to force your target to make a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone once on your turn when you deal damage to it. Additionally, you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) checks you make to find your quarry. If the target drops to 0 hit points before this spell ends, you can use a bonus action on a subsequent turn of yours to mark a new creature.
(Ranger)
Pillar of Sand
1st-level transmutation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (a pinch of sand)
Duration: Conc. Up to 1 Minute
A pillar of sand shoots up from the ground. The pillar is a cylinder that has a diameter of 5 feet and a creature that is medium or smaller and is directly above it must make a dexterity saving throw. A creature can choose to fail this saving throw. On a failed save, the pillar lifts the creature up to 20 feet off the ground. If a pillar is prevented from reaching its intended height because of a ceiling or other obstacle, the creature takes 2d6 bludgeoning damage, the pillar immediately dissipates and if the creature falls it lands prone.
The pillar has AC 5 and 10 hit points. When reduced to 0 hit points, the pillar dissapates.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can create 1 additional pillar for each slot level above 1st.
(Druid, Ranger, Wizard)
Reference
The preceding is my take on the spell by Spheredear on the GitPG forums (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?572169-1st-level-5e-spell-pillar-of-sand)
Rhino's Rush
1st-level transmutation
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: self
Components: V
Duration: 1 round
If you move at least 25 feet straight toward a creature and then hit it with a melee weapon attack before the end of your text turn, that target takes an additional 2d10 weapon damage and must succeed on a Strength saving throw with a DC equal to your spellcasting modifier or be knocked prone.
(Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer)
Zephyr Blitz
4th-level transmutation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V
Duration: Conc. Up to 1 Minute
You move like the wind. Until the spell ends, your movement doesnt provoke opportunity attacks.
Once per turn, you can give yourself advantage on one weapon attack roll on your turn. That attack deals an extra 1d6 force damage on a hit. Whether you hit or miss, your walking speed increases by an additional 30 feet until the end of that turn.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the force damage you deal each turn increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 4th.
(Ranger)