Trickery
2019-07-16, 11:24 PM
This is a work-in-progress Revision of the Ranger class.
The Ranger class lacks a clear identity. I believe this is because it tries to be too many things. The class is simultaneously a fighter, a rogue, and a druid. it's simultaneously a hunter, a warrior, a wanderer, a spell caster, and a tamer of beasts. As a result, the Ranger either has effective features that make it overpowered when combined (Revised Ranger), or it has ineffective features that make it too weak (PHB Ranger). Regardless, it has far too much to write on its character sheet, and its features are complex and unwieldy.
This homebrew simplifies the Ranger class through two design choices:
The Ranger gains a Path at level 2. These Paths replace Ranger Archetypes and significantly affect play from there on.
The Ranger gains Aptitudes at levels divisible by 3. Like Warlock Invocations, the Ranger chooses the features it wants from these.
Because of these changes, players are given many options to choose from when building their Ranger. They can select exactly those features they want to build the type of Ranger they wish to play.
For those interested, the original thread where I hashed all of this out (and am still discussing it and figuring out what the Ranger should do) is here: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?592457-Ranger-Class-Fantasy.
LevelFeatures
1Track, Terrain Feature, Hunter's Mark
2Fighting Style, Path
3Aptitude*2
4ASI
5Extra Attack, Hunter's Mark Upgrade
6Aptitude
7Land's Stride, Path Feature
8ASI
9Apititude
10Camouflage
11Hunter's Mark Upgrade, Path Feature
12Apititude, ASI
13Lightning Reflexes
14Feral Senses
15Apititude, Path Feature
16ASI
17Hunter's Mark Upgrade
18Apititude
19ASI
20Foe Slayer
Unchanged: Hit Dice, armor, weapons, saving throws, skills
Skills: two instead of three
Tools: herbalist kit
Track: you become proficient in Survival (if you already had this skill, choose another). You also add twice your proficiency bonus to Survival checks. Finally, you have advantage on Survival checks made to track a creature.
Terrain Feature: you hail from one of the following terrains and gain the related feature (shamelessly stolen from https://thinkdm.org/hfh/revised-ranger-2018/).
Arctic - You gain resistance to cold damage and cold weather does not impede your travel.
Coast - You gain a swim speed equal to your speed and can hold your breath for a number of minutes equal to 5 + your Constitution modifier (minimum of 5 minutes).
Desert - You gain resistance to fire damage and hot weather does not impede your travel.
Forest - You become proficient with the Perception skill (choose a different one if you already have it) and add +5 to your Passive Perception checks.
Grassland - Your speed increases by 10 feet.
Mountain - You gain a climb speed equal to half of your speed.
Swamp - You gain resistance to poison damage and advantage on saving throws versus poison.
Underdark - You learn Undercommon and do not suffer disadvantage on perception checks made in dim light. Additionally, you have advantage on Investigation checks made to find hidden doors or passages.
Urban - You become proficient with the Stealth skill (choose a different one if you already have it) and have advantage on saving throws versus disease.
Hunter's Mark: as a bonus action, you mark a target. While this target is marked, you always know where it is located relative to yourself (for example, fifty feet to the right). Also, your successful attacks deal 1d6 bonus damage to this target. The mark ceases to be active after one day, if the target dies, or if you mark another target.
At level 5, the bonus damage increases to 1d8.
At level 11, the bonus damage increases to 1d10.
At level 17, the bonus damage increases to 1d12.
Fighting Style: unchanged.
Path: you choose a Ranger Path to follow for the rest of your career. This path informs the type of Ranger you are, whether Warrior, Wanderer, or Beast Lord.
Aptitude: Rangers train special skills depending on their environment and specialties. Choose two aptitudes from the Ranger Aptitudes list. You gain an additional aptitude every three levels.
Land's Stride: you ignore difficult terrain and your movement speed increases by 10'. Additionally, you and your group are not slowed by difficult terrain while traveling and can move stealthily at a normal pace.
Camouflage: while outdoors, you can spend one minute creating camouflage for yourself or another creature that is large or smaller. While the camouflaged, the target has advantage on stealth checks while they remain in the same kind of terrain that the camouflage was made from.
Lightning Reflexes: after spending so much time in the wild, your reactions are as honed as a wild animal's. You gain advantage on Initiative rolls. Any time you fail a Dexterity saving throw, you can reroll the saving throw one time and must use the new roll.
Feral Senses: unchanged, but gained at 14.
Foe Slayer: when you use Hunter's Mark on a target, you may upgrade it to Foe Slayer. In addition to the normal effects, your attacks against the target have advantage and that target has disadvantage on saving throws versus your spells. Once you've used this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can do so again.
The Beast Lord is a Ranger who speaks to beasts as easily as he speaks to humans. This path forges a special relationship with a beast of the wild. That beast becomes the Ranger's companion until it dies or is dismissed.
You gain the ability to speak with beasts.
Choose a beast that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower. You may either find this beast in the wild or call it to yourself as an 8-hour ritual. This beast becomes your companion.
Add your proficiency bonus to the beast’s AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills in which it is proficient. Its hit point maximum equals the hit point number in its stat block or four times your ranger level, whichever is higher. Like any creature, it can spend Hit Dice during a short rest to regain hit points.
You forge a mental link with your companion. This mental link allows the two of you to communicate telepathically over any distance. You control it through this mental link, but that control will be difficult until you grow more adept at using this feature. The beast is especially difficult to control in the heat of comb
Your companion moves on your initiative. It behaves as you command it, even when you are incapacitated, and it can be commanded to take any action that it is capable of doing. However, you cannot command it to attack. Instead, any time you could make an attack, you can have your companion make one attack instead.
Your companion's attacks benefit from your Hunter's Mark feature.
If you are incapacitated, your companion still acts as you direct it and regains its ability to attack.
Level 7: Magical Beast: your companion's attacks become magical. Additionally, the magic infusing your companion allows you to change its size. You can change your companion's size to tiny as an action, or revert it back to its previous size as an action. This does not affect its other stats in any way.
Additionally, you are becoming more adept at controlling your companion in combat. You can spend a bonus action to order your companion to make one attack. Your companion can also make one attack when you spend your bonus action to set Hunter's Mark. Additionally, if you and your companion are both adjacent to a creature and attack that creature, you each have advantage on your first attack against that creature each turn.
Level 11: Mental Mastery: you have mastered mental control over your companion. You no longer need to expend a bonus action for it to take the attack action. If you do expend your bonus action to give this command, your companion can make two attacks.
Additionally, as an action, you may take direct control over your companion. Your body becomes incapacitated as your consciousness moves into its body. While doing say, you see through its eyes and gain its senses. Your companion gains the benefit of your extra attack feature and can spend its bonus action to make two attacks. It also has advantage on Wisdom and Intelligence saving throws while you are inhabiting it. This works over any distance and even across planes of existence. You can dismiss this effect as an action.
Level 15: Shared Existence: the line between you and your companion blurs. You may choose for spells affecting you or your companion to also affect the other. Additionally, when one of you takes damage, you may choose to divide that damage evenly between the two of you.
This Ranger is one with nature. He knows every path and understands the will of nature's creatures. A Wanderer is never lost.
You gain Spellcasting based on the normal PHB Ranger spell list. Additionally, you learn two Druid cantrips of your choice. Your spellcasting ability is Wisdom.
You gain the ability to speak with beasts and plants.
When you make an attack with a weapon, the weapon counts as magical. You may choose to use your Wisdom modifier in place of the attribute you would normally use for the attack and damage rolls.
Level 7: Enhanced Track: if any creatures have passed through your current area within the last hour, you can magically see the paths that they took from that location. If you choose to track one of these creatures, you know what type of creature you are tracking. Additionally, this feature lets you see the path your own life has taken, enabling you to always find your way back to a place you have been before.
Level 11: Speak with Nature: You have advantage on Charisma checks when interacting with beasts or plants, and you may use your Wisdom modifier instead of your Charisma modifier for these checks. You also learn two Druid spells of 4th level, each of which you may cast once per day without expending a spell slot.
Level 15: Commune With Nature: you may cast the Druid spell Commune with Nature as a ritual. You also learn two Druid spells of 5th level, each of which you may cast once per day without expending a spell slot.
The warrior hunter is much like a fighter who specializes in battles in the wild. Unlike the Fighter. this type of Ranger is seldom seen on an open battlefield. However, he is often found hunting down powerful creatures in dense forests, deep caves, or even in the Underdark.
Favored Enemy: your Hunter's Mark is upgraded to Favored Enemy. It no longer requires your bonus action to apply, but you may only apply it once on your turn. As a bonus action on your turn, you may make one weapon attack against the marked target. Additionally, you have +2 to your AC and Saving Throws versus the marked target.
You gain two Hunter's Strikes. You may make a Hunter's Strike as a bonus action on your turn. If the strike calls for a saving throw, the DC is 8 + your proficiency bonus + your strength or dexterity modifier (your choice). You have two uses of your Hunter's Strike feature which replenish on a short rest.
Hunter's Strikes:
Ensnaring Strike - the next target you hit with an attack must make a dexterity saving throw or be restrained for one minute. The target can spend its action on its turn to make a Strength saving throw to break free, ending the effect on a success.
Zephyr Strike - you immediately take the Dash and Disengage actions. Your next attack this turn deals a bonus 1d8 thundering damage if it hits.
Whirlwind Strike - your next attack may be made against any number of targets within 10' of you if it's a melee attack or against all targets within 10' of a point within your range if it's a ranged attack.
Lightning Strike - the next time you hit with a weapon attack, the attack does lightning damage and you may choose for it to jump to another target within 10' of the first, and a third target within 10' of the second. The attack must still beat a target's AC in order to hit that target, though a miss will not stop it from jumping to the next target.
Head strike - the next time you hit with a weapon attack, it deals 1d8 extra damage. The target has disadvantage on its concentration save, if any, against this attack and has disadvantage on its next attack before your next turn.
Hurling Strike - the next target you hit with an attack must make a Strength saving throw or be hurled up to 15' in a direction of your choice. If affected, the creature lands prone. If the space is occupied, the occupant must make a strength saving throw or also be knocked prone.
Gut Strike - the next target you hit with an attack must make a Constitution saving throw or be sickened. The sickened target has disadvantage on attack rolls and has its movement speed halved for one minute. The creature may repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Level 7: Armor Breaker: your weapon attacks overcome all forms of damage resistance. If the target of your Hunter's Mark has temporary hit points, your attacks deal an extra Hunter's Mark die worth of damage versus that target until the temporary hit points are consumed. Additionally, you learn a new Hunter's Strike.
Level 11: Swift Strikes: when you use your Favored Enemy feature to make one weapon attack as a bonus action, you may make two weapon attacks instead. Additionally, you learn a new Hunter's Strike.
Level 15: Improved Favored Enemy: your Favored Enemy feature improves. You now have +4 to your AC and Saving Throws versus the marked target. Additionally, you learn a new Hunter's Strike.
Cat's Eyes: you gain Darkvision out to 120' and have advantage on Perception checks that rely on sight.
Vanish (requires proficiency in Stealth): you gain expertise in Stealth. If you are hiding at the start of your first turn in combat, you may choose to remain hidden even after making attacks this round.
Rabbit's Feet: your movement speed increases by 10'. When you take the Dash or Disengage action, you may make one attack as part of the action.
Curing herb: as a bonus action, you touch a creature, curing one poison or disease afflicting it. You may instead choose to suppress the effects of a curse on that target for eight hours. You may use this a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, minimum 1, and regain all unspent uses when you finish a long rest.
Healing herb: as a bonus action, you touch a touch creature, healing it for your Ranger level in HP. You may use this a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, minimum 1, and regain all unspent uses when you finish a long rest.
Spider Venom: as a bonus action on your turn, you coat your weapons in spider venom. The next creature you hit with a weapon attack must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your strength, dexterity, or wisdom, your choice). On a failed save, the creature is poisoned for one minute. 1/Short Rest.
The Ranger class lacks a clear identity. I believe this is because it tries to be too many things. The class is simultaneously a fighter, a rogue, and a druid. it's simultaneously a hunter, a warrior, a wanderer, a spell caster, and a tamer of beasts. As a result, the Ranger either has effective features that make it overpowered when combined (Revised Ranger), or it has ineffective features that make it too weak (PHB Ranger). Regardless, it has far too much to write on its character sheet, and its features are complex and unwieldy.
This homebrew simplifies the Ranger class through two design choices:
The Ranger gains a Path at level 2. These Paths replace Ranger Archetypes and significantly affect play from there on.
The Ranger gains Aptitudes at levels divisible by 3. Like Warlock Invocations, the Ranger chooses the features it wants from these.
Because of these changes, players are given many options to choose from when building their Ranger. They can select exactly those features they want to build the type of Ranger they wish to play.
For those interested, the original thread where I hashed all of this out (and am still discussing it and figuring out what the Ranger should do) is here: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?592457-Ranger-Class-Fantasy.
LevelFeatures
1Track, Terrain Feature, Hunter's Mark
2Fighting Style, Path
3Aptitude*2
4ASI
5Extra Attack, Hunter's Mark Upgrade
6Aptitude
7Land's Stride, Path Feature
8ASI
9Apititude
10Camouflage
11Hunter's Mark Upgrade, Path Feature
12Apititude, ASI
13Lightning Reflexes
14Feral Senses
15Apititude, Path Feature
16ASI
17Hunter's Mark Upgrade
18Apititude
19ASI
20Foe Slayer
Unchanged: Hit Dice, armor, weapons, saving throws, skills
Skills: two instead of three
Tools: herbalist kit
Track: you become proficient in Survival (if you already had this skill, choose another). You also add twice your proficiency bonus to Survival checks. Finally, you have advantage on Survival checks made to track a creature.
Terrain Feature: you hail from one of the following terrains and gain the related feature (shamelessly stolen from https://thinkdm.org/hfh/revised-ranger-2018/).
Arctic - You gain resistance to cold damage and cold weather does not impede your travel.
Coast - You gain a swim speed equal to your speed and can hold your breath for a number of minutes equal to 5 + your Constitution modifier (minimum of 5 minutes).
Desert - You gain resistance to fire damage and hot weather does not impede your travel.
Forest - You become proficient with the Perception skill (choose a different one if you already have it) and add +5 to your Passive Perception checks.
Grassland - Your speed increases by 10 feet.
Mountain - You gain a climb speed equal to half of your speed.
Swamp - You gain resistance to poison damage and advantage on saving throws versus poison.
Underdark - You learn Undercommon and do not suffer disadvantage on perception checks made in dim light. Additionally, you have advantage on Investigation checks made to find hidden doors or passages.
Urban - You become proficient with the Stealth skill (choose a different one if you already have it) and have advantage on saving throws versus disease.
Hunter's Mark: as a bonus action, you mark a target. While this target is marked, you always know where it is located relative to yourself (for example, fifty feet to the right). Also, your successful attacks deal 1d6 bonus damage to this target. The mark ceases to be active after one day, if the target dies, or if you mark another target.
At level 5, the bonus damage increases to 1d8.
At level 11, the bonus damage increases to 1d10.
At level 17, the bonus damage increases to 1d12.
Fighting Style: unchanged.
Path: you choose a Ranger Path to follow for the rest of your career. This path informs the type of Ranger you are, whether Warrior, Wanderer, or Beast Lord.
Aptitude: Rangers train special skills depending on their environment and specialties. Choose two aptitudes from the Ranger Aptitudes list. You gain an additional aptitude every three levels.
Land's Stride: you ignore difficult terrain and your movement speed increases by 10'. Additionally, you and your group are not slowed by difficult terrain while traveling and can move stealthily at a normal pace.
Camouflage: while outdoors, you can spend one minute creating camouflage for yourself or another creature that is large or smaller. While the camouflaged, the target has advantage on stealth checks while they remain in the same kind of terrain that the camouflage was made from.
Lightning Reflexes: after spending so much time in the wild, your reactions are as honed as a wild animal's. You gain advantage on Initiative rolls. Any time you fail a Dexterity saving throw, you can reroll the saving throw one time and must use the new roll.
Feral Senses: unchanged, but gained at 14.
Foe Slayer: when you use Hunter's Mark on a target, you may upgrade it to Foe Slayer. In addition to the normal effects, your attacks against the target have advantage and that target has disadvantage on saving throws versus your spells. Once you've used this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can do so again.
The Beast Lord is a Ranger who speaks to beasts as easily as he speaks to humans. This path forges a special relationship with a beast of the wild. That beast becomes the Ranger's companion until it dies or is dismissed.
You gain the ability to speak with beasts.
Choose a beast that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower. You may either find this beast in the wild or call it to yourself as an 8-hour ritual. This beast becomes your companion.
Add your proficiency bonus to the beast’s AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills in which it is proficient. Its hit point maximum equals the hit point number in its stat block or four times your ranger level, whichever is higher. Like any creature, it can spend Hit Dice during a short rest to regain hit points.
You forge a mental link with your companion. This mental link allows the two of you to communicate telepathically over any distance. You control it through this mental link, but that control will be difficult until you grow more adept at using this feature. The beast is especially difficult to control in the heat of comb
Your companion moves on your initiative. It behaves as you command it, even when you are incapacitated, and it can be commanded to take any action that it is capable of doing. However, you cannot command it to attack. Instead, any time you could make an attack, you can have your companion make one attack instead.
Your companion's attacks benefit from your Hunter's Mark feature.
If you are incapacitated, your companion still acts as you direct it and regains its ability to attack.
Level 7: Magical Beast: your companion's attacks become magical. Additionally, the magic infusing your companion allows you to change its size. You can change your companion's size to tiny as an action, or revert it back to its previous size as an action. This does not affect its other stats in any way.
Additionally, you are becoming more adept at controlling your companion in combat. You can spend a bonus action to order your companion to make one attack. Your companion can also make one attack when you spend your bonus action to set Hunter's Mark. Additionally, if you and your companion are both adjacent to a creature and attack that creature, you each have advantage on your first attack against that creature each turn.
Level 11: Mental Mastery: you have mastered mental control over your companion. You no longer need to expend a bonus action for it to take the attack action. If you do expend your bonus action to give this command, your companion can make two attacks.
Additionally, as an action, you may take direct control over your companion. Your body becomes incapacitated as your consciousness moves into its body. While doing say, you see through its eyes and gain its senses. Your companion gains the benefit of your extra attack feature and can spend its bonus action to make two attacks. It also has advantage on Wisdom and Intelligence saving throws while you are inhabiting it. This works over any distance and even across planes of existence. You can dismiss this effect as an action.
Level 15: Shared Existence: the line between you and your companion blurs. You may choose for spells affecting you or your companion to also affect the other. Additionally, when one of you takes damage, you may choose to divide that damage evenly between the two of you.
This Ranger is one with nature. He knows every path and understands the will of nature's creatures. A Wanderer is never lost.
You gain Spellcasting based on the normal PHB Ranger spell list. Additionally, you learn two Druid cantrips of your choice. Your spellcasting ability is Wisdom.
You gain the ability to speak with beasts and plants.
When you make an attack with a weapon, the weapon counts as magical. You may choose to use your Wisdom modifier in place of the attribute you would normally use for the attack and damage rolls.
Level 7: Enhanced Track: if any creatures have passed through your current area within the last hour, you can magically see the paths that they took from that location. If you choose to track one of these creatures, you know what type of creature you are tracking. Additionally, this feature lets you see the path your own life has taken, enabling you to always find your way back to a place you have been before.
Level 11: Speak with Nature: You have advantage on Charisma checks when interacting with beasts or plants, and you may use your Wisdom modifier instead of your Charisma modifier for these checks. You also learn two Druid spells of 4th level, each of which you may cast once per day without expending a spell slot.
Level 15: Commune With Nature: you may cast the Druid spell Commune with Nature as a ritual. You also learn two Druid spells of 5th level, each of which you may cast once per day without expending a spell slot.
The warrior hunter is much like a fighter who specializes in battles in the wild. Unlike the Fighter. this type of Ranger is seldom seen on an open battlefield. However, he is often found hunting down powerful creatures in dense forests, deep caves, or even in the Underdark.
Favored Enemy: your Hunter's Mark is upgraded to Favored Enemy. It no longer requires your bonus action to apply, but you may only apply it once on your turn. As a bonus action on your turn, you may make one weapon attack against the marked target. Additionally, you have +2 to your AC and Saving Throws versus the marked target.
You gain two Hunter's Strikes. You may make a Hunter's Strike as a bonus action on your turn. If the strike calls for a saving throw, the DC is 8 + your proficiency bonus + your strength or dexterity modifier (your choice). You have two uses of your Hunter's Strike feature which replenish on a short rest.
Hunter's Strikes:
Ensnaring Strike - the next target you hit with an attack must make a dexterity saving throw or be restrained for one minute. The target can spend its action on its turn to make a Strength saving throw to break free, ending the effect on a success.
Zephyr Strike - you immediately take the Dash and Disengage actions. Your next attack this turn deals a bonus 1d8 thundering damage if it hits.
Whirlwind Strike - your next attack may be made against any number of targets within 10' of you if it's a melee attack or against all targets within 10' of a point within your range if it's a ranged attack.
Lightning Strike - the next time you hit with a weapon attack, the attack does lightning damage and you may choose for it to jump to another target within 10' of the first, and a third target within 10' of the second. The attack must still beat a target's AC in order to hit that target, though a miss will not stop it from jumping to the next target.
Head strike - the next time you hit with a weapon attack, it deals 1d8 extra damage. The target has disadvantage on its concentration save, if any, against this attack and has disadvantage on its next attack before your next turn.
Hurling Strike - the next target you hit with an attack must make a Strength saving throw or be hurled up to 15' in a direction of your choice. If affected, the creature lands prone. If the space is occupied, the occupant must make a strength saving throw or also be knocked prone.
Gut Strike - the next target you hit with an attack must make a Constitution saving throw or be sickened. The sickened target has disadvantage on attack rolls and has its movement speed halved for one minute. The creature may repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Level 7: Armor Breaker: your weapon attacks overcome all forms of damage resistance. If the target of your Hunter's Mark has temporary hit points, your attacks deal an extra Hunter's Mark die worth of damage versus that target until the temporary hit points are consumed. Additionally, you learn a new Hunter's Strike.
Level 11: Swift Strikes: when you use your Favored Enemy feature to make one weapon attack as a bonus action, you may make two weapon attacks instead. Additionally, you learn a new Hunter's Strike.
Level 15: Improved Favored Enemy: your Favored Enemy feature improves. You now have +4 to your AC and Saving Throws versus the marked target. Additionally, you learn a new Hunter's Strike.
Cat's Eyes: you gain Darkvision out to 120' and have advantage on Perception checks that rely on sight.
Vanish (requires proficiency in Stealth): you gain expertise in Stealth. If you are hiding at the start of your first turn in combat, you may choose to remain hidden even after making attacks this round.
Rabbit's Feet: your movement speed increases by 10'. When you take the Dash or Disengage action, you may make one attack as part of the action.
Curing herb: as a bonus action, you touch a creature, curing one poison or disease afflicting it. You may instead choose to suppress the effects of a curse on that target for eight hours. You may use this a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, minimum 1, and regain all unspent uses when you finish a long rest.
Healing herb: as a bonus action, you touch a touch creature, healing it for your Ranger level in HP. You may use this a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, minimum 1, and regain all unspent uses when you finish a long rest.
Spider Venom: as a bonus action on your turn, you coat your weapons in spider venom. The next creature you hit with a weapon attack must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your strength, dexterity, or wisdom, your choice). On a failed save, the creature is poisoned for one minute. 1/Short Rest.