Yakk
2020-08-22, 09:35 PM
This is an attempt to make an interesting to play, distinct Ranger. It is compatible with every Ranger subclass I think, except the beast ones (which need rewriting).
There are a few mechanics I introduced:
1. Every ranger gets a pet - a primal spirit in the form of an animal. Its HP scale off Ranger class level, so it is dip-resistant.
2. Inspired by the Class Feature Variants, a concentration-free hunter's mark. I made it 1/day at level 1, then scale to wis/day at level 3, for dip-protection.
This feature continues to scale, with benefits from fighting a HM target increasing with level.
3. Guide, which is a paladin-esque "burn spell slots" ability. It starts with attribute checks, and then scales to saves and attack rolls.
4. More impactful versions of base Ranger abilities. Stalker (harry foes), Strider (mobility), Vanish (undetectable for 1 round), Feral Senses (60' near-blindsight).
5. A capstone that feels solid. This one is about as strong as extra attack on the fighter; you either soak (damage you did to a HM foe) in temporary HP, or if not you get to deal an extra dose of damage next round.
---
Proficiencies, HD, HP, etc are all identical to base 5e Ranger.
Spell Slots per Spell Level
Level
Proficiency Bonus
Features
Spells
Known
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
1st
+2
The Hunt, Primal Companion
2nd
+2
Fighting Style, Spellcasting
2
2
3rd
+2
Conclave, Improved Hunt
3
3
4th
+2
Ability Score Improvement
3
3
5th
+3
Extra Attack
4
4
2
6th
+3
Guide, Strider
4
4
2
7th
+3
Conclave Feature
5
4
3
8th
+3
Ability Score Improvement
5
4
3
9th
+4
Eternal Hunt
6
4
3
2
10th
+4
Stalker
6
4
3
2
11th
+4
Conclave Feature
7
4
3
3
12th
+4
Ability Score Improvement
7
4
3
3
13th
+5
Improved Guide
8
4
3
3
1
14th
+5
Vanish
8
4
3
3
1
15th
+5
Conclave Feature
9
4
3
3
2
16th
+5
Ability Score Improvement
9
4
3
3
2
17th
+6
Hunter's Edge
10
4
3
3
3
1
18th
+6
Feral Senses
10
4
3
3
3
1
19th
+6
Ability Score Improvement
11
4
3
3
3
2
20th
+6
Hunt's End
11
4
3
3
3
2
Feature Descriptions:
The Hunt: You know the spell Hunter's Mark. You can cast Hunter's Mark without using a spell slot, components and without concentration once before completing a long rest.
Primal Companion: You have befriended a primal spirit. It can take the form of either a Beast of the Air or Beast of the Land from https://media.wizards.com/2019/dnd/downloads/UA-ClassFeatures.pdf
The beast uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own, and it adds its proficiency bonus to its AC and attack damage (the base stats assume a proficiency bonus of +2).
You have a telepathic bond with your companion with a range of 1 mile. If it is reduced to 0 HP, it becomes an spirit until revived. You can revive it as a ritual that takes 10 minutes and requires either a spell slot, or 50 gp in special herbs.
You can suspend or resummon your companion as an action; it appears adjacent to you.
While a spirit, your companion is immune to spells and effects, cannot perform actions, and shares your space.
Your companion acts on your turn, and can only take the help, dash, dodge or disengage actions. As a bonus action you can order it to make an attack instead (as described in its stat block).
Fighting Style: At 2nd level, you can learn the Archery, Dueling, Defence, Great Weapon, or Coordinated Assault fighting styles.
Coordinated Assault: When you make a two weapon fighting bonus action attack, you add your attribute bonus to damage, and your primal companion may also make an attack if it is within telepathy range.
Spellcasting: As base 5e Ranger.
Improved Hunt: Starting at level 3, your companion deals extra damage from your Hunter's Mark, and you can now cast Hunter's Mark without components or concentration your wisdom bonus (min 1) times instead of once before taking a long rest.
Guide: At level 6 in this class, when a creature you can see or hear and who can see or hear you or your companion makes an attribute check, you can expend a reaction and a spell slot to grant it a bonus to the roll equal to twice the level of the spell slot expended (max +8). You can do this after you see the roll, but before you know the result.
Strider: Starting at level 6, a Ranger gains a climb and swim speed equal to half of their walking speed. In addition, both the Ranger and its Companion gains 10' movement speed and can ignore all difficult terrain.
Eternal Hunt: Starting at 9th level, when you cast Hunter's Mark, it never requires concentration, and its duration is forever on the initial target. In addition, you can cast hunter's mark on a creature you are tracking or on any creature you or your companion can see, hear or smell.
Stalker: When you make an attribute check that adds your Stealth proficiency modifier, you can add it twice. Creatures making opportunity attacks on you do so at disadvantage. If you or your companion have any cover, concealment or are hidden from a creature, they have advantage on all attacks on that creature until the end of that turn.
Improved Guide: You can expend a reaction and a spell slot when a creature you can see makes an attack roll or a saving throw. That attack or saving throw gains a bonus equal to twice the level of the spell slot expended (max +8). You can do this after you see the roll, but before the result is determined.
Vanish: As a bonus action you and your companion can magically become invisible and undetectable and make a Stealth check with advantage to hide; while Vanished, your footsteps make no vibrations, your scent disappears, you cannot be detected with telepathy, and you make no noise unless you choose to until the end of your next turn. This defeats tremorsense and most forms of blindsight. You can do this once before completing a short rest.
Hunter's Edge: If you have Hunter's Mark on a creature, they suffer a 1d6 penalty to all saves you impose on them, and you have a 1d6 bonus to all saves you make that they impose on you.
Feral Senses: While not both blinded and deaf, you are aware of every creature within 60' of you. In addition, you attacking unseen or hidden foes does not impose disadvantage on your attacks, and being attacked by unseen or hidden foes does not grant advantage on their attacks.
Hunt's End: When you or your companion deal damage to a creature subject to your HM, you gain temporary HP equal to the damage done. (Note: if you already have temporary HP, keep the larger number, don't add them). If you start your turn with temporary HP, you can choose to sacrifice it and gain a bonus to your first Hunter's Mark damage roll on your turn equal to the temporary HP sacrificed.
---
Alternative Class Feature
Primal Protector: Replaces Primal Companion. If you choose this option, you cannot choose the Beast Master Conclave.
Your Primal Spirit doesn't take the form of a Beast. Instead, remains incorporeal and undetectable by anyone except for you, providing advice and protecting you and your allies.
It has a pool of protection HP equal to 2 times your Ranger class level plus your wisdom bonus. When you or another creature takes damage within 30' of you, you can expend your reaction have the pool of protection HP take the damage instead; any leftover damage is applied to the original target. Once the pool of protection's HP is expended, you can no longer use this ability until it refreshes at the end of the next long or short rest.
In addition, once on your turn it can grant you a +1d4 bonus to a damage roll or an attribute check. Starting at level 3, it can also grant a bonus to attack rolls. You can decide if it does this after you see the roll, but before you determine the results.
---
Existing subclasses remain unchanged, except for the beast one (see below), and utility features extended to apply to your primal companion.
L 1 max dpr math:
Round 1 GS is 3d6+3 (8 dpr vs 15 AC)
Round 2 is 4d6+5 (11.2 dpr vs 15 AC)
without HM
3d6+5 (9.1 DPR vs 15 AC)
Max L1 3 round DPR is 30ish (DW vhuman rogue or vhuman hex-monk), which this does not exceed. And level 1 pet is fragile and hard to get back.
Level 5, DW build, R2:
1d6+3+3d8+9+4d6
25.2 dpr vs 16 AC
might be too high.
R1: 2d8+6+2d6 (12.9, unchanged)
No HM: 3d8+1d6+12 (16.8)
Both the Primal Companion and Primal Protector are there in order to give the Ranger an offensive boost at level 1, plus provide a scaling source of "HP soak".
The 4 warrior classes -- Barbarian, Paladin, Fighter and Ranger -- need to have their own way to improve the party's total damage soak. The Fighter has second wind, the barbarian rage, the paladin lay on hands. This Ranger either has the HP pool of its companion, or the protection pool of its protector spirit.
There are a few mechanics I introduced:
1. Every ranger gets a pet - a primal spirit in the form of an animal. Its HP scale off Ranger class level, so it is dip-resistant.
2. Inspired by the Class Feature Variants, a concentration-free hunter's mark. I made it 1/day at level 1, then scale to wis/day at level 3, for dip-protection.
This feature continues to scale, with benefits from fighting a HM target increasing with level.
3. Guide, which is a paladin-esque "burn spell slots" ability. It starts with attribute checks, and then scales to saves and attack rolls.
4. More impactful versions of base Ranger abilities. Stalker (harry foes), Strider (mobility), Vanish (undetectable for 1 round), Feral Senses (60' near-blindsight).
5. A capstone that feels solid. This one is about as strong as extra attack on the fighter; you either soak (damage you did to a HM foe) in temporary HP, or if not you get to deal an extra dose of damage next round.
---
Proficiencies, HD, HP, etc are all identical to base 5e Ranger.
Spell Slots per Spell Level
Level
Proficiency Bonus
Features
Spells
Known
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
1st
+2
The Hunt, Primal Companion
2nd
+2
Fighting Style, Spellcasting
2
2
3rd
+2
Conclave, Improved Hunt
3
3
4th
+2
Ability Score Improvement
3
3
5th
+3
Extra Attack
4
4
2
6th
+3
Guide, Strider
4
4
2
7th
+3
Conclave Feature
5
4
3
8th
+3
Ability Score Improvement
5
4
3
9th
+4
Eternal Hunt
6
4
3
2
10th
+4
Stalker
6
4
3
2
11th
+4
Conclave Feature
7
4
3
3
12th
+4
Ability Score Improvement
7
4
3
3
13th
+5
Improved Guide
8
4
3
3
1
14th
+5
Vanish
8
4
3
3
1
15th
+5
Conclave Feature
9
4
3
3
2
16th
+5
Ability Score Improvement
9
4
3
3
2
17th
+6
Hunter's Edge
10
4
3
3
3
1
18th
+6
Feral Senses
10
4
3
3
3
1
19th
+6
Ability Score Improvement
11
4
3
3
3
2
20th
+6
Hunt's End
11
4
3
3
3
2
Feature Descriptions:
The Hunt: You know the spell Hunter's Mark. You can cast Hunter's Mark without using a spell slot, components and without concentration once before completing a long rest.
Primal Companion: You have befriended a primal spirit. It can take the form of either a Beast of the Air or Beast of the Land from https://media.wizards.com/2019/dnd/downloads/UA-ClassFeatures.pdf
The beast uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own, and it adds its proficiency bonus to its AC and attack damage (the base stats assume a proficiency bonus of +2).
You have a telepathic bond with your companion with a range of 1 mile. If it is reduced to 0 HP, it becomes an spirit until revived. You can revive it as a ritual that takes 10 minutes and requires either a spell slot, or 50 gp in special herbs.
You can suspend or resummon your companion as an action; it appears adjacent to you.
While a spirit, your companion is immune to spells and effects, cannot perform actions, and shares your space.
Your companion acts on your turn, and can only take the help, dash, dodge or disengage actions. As a bonus action you can order it to make an attack instead (as described in its stat block).
Fighting Style: At 2nd level, you can learn the Archery, Dueling, Defence, Great Weapon, or Coordinated Assault fighting styles.
Coordinated Assault: When you make a two weapon fighting bonus action attack, you add your attribute bonus to damage, and your primal companion may also make an attack if it is within telepathy range.
Spellcasting: As base 5e Ranger.
Improved Hunt: Starting at level 3, your companion deals extra damage from your Hunter's Mark, and you can now cast Hunter's Mark without components or concentration your wisdom bonus (min 1) times instead of once before taking a long rest.
Guide: At level 6 in this class, when a creature you can see or hear and who can see or hear you or your companion makes an attribute check, you can expend a reaction and a spell slot to grant it a bonus to the roll equal to twice the level of the spell slot expended (max +8). You can do this after you see the roll, but before you know the result.
Strider: Starting at level 6, a Ranger gains a climb and swim speed equal to half of their walking speed. In addition, both the Ranger and its Companion gains 10' movement speed and can ignore all difficult terrain.
Eternal Hunt: Starting at 9th level, when you cast Hunter's Mark, it never requires concentration, and its duration is forever on the initial target. In addition, you can cast hunter's mark on a creature you are tracking or on any creature you or your companion can see, hear or smell.
Stalker: When you make an attribute check that adds your Stealth proficiency modifier, you can add it twice. Creatures making opportunity attacks on you do so at disadvantage. If you or your companion have any cover, concealment or are hidden from a creature, they have advantage on all attacks on that creature until the end of that turn.
Improved Guide: You can expend a reaction and a spell slot when a creature you can see makes an attack roll or a saving throw. That attack or saving throw gains a bonus equal to twice the level of the spell slot expended (max +8). You can do this after you see the roll, but before the result is determined.
Vanish: As a bonus action you and your companion can magically become invisible and undetectable and make a Stealth check with advantage to hide; while Vanished, your footsteps make no vibrations, your scent disappears, you cannot be detected with telepathy, and you make no noise unless you choose to until the end of your next turn. This defeats tremorsense and most forms of blindsight. You can do this once before completing a short rest.
Hunter's Edge: If you have Hunter's Mark on a creature, they suffer a 1d6 penalty to all saves you impose on them, and you have a 1d6 bonus to all saves you make that they impose on you.
Feral Senses: While not both blinded and deaf, you are aware of every creature within 60' of you. In addition, you attacking unseen or hidden foes does not impose disadvantage on your attacks, and being attacked by unseen or hidden foes does not grant advantage on their attacks.
Hunt's End: When you or your companion deal damage to a creature subject to your HM, you gain temporary HP equal to the damage done. (Note: if you already have temporary HP, keep the larger number, don't add them). If you start your turn with temporary HP, you can choose to sacrifice it and gain a bonus to your first Hunter's Mark damage roll on your turn equal to the temporary HP sacrificed.
---
Alternative Class Feature
Primal Protector: Replaces Primal Companion. If you choose this option, you cannot choose the Beast Master Conclave.
Your Primal Spirit doesn't take the form of a Beast. Instead, remains incorporeal and undetectable by anyone except for you, providing advice and protecting you and your allies.
It has a pool of protection HP equal to 2 times your Ranger class level plus your wisdom bonus. When you or another creature takes damage within 30' of you, you can expend your reaction have the pool of protection HP take the damage instead; any leftover damage is applied to the original target. Once the pool of protection's HP is expended, you can no longer use this ability until it refreshes at the end of the next long or short rest.
In addition, once on your turn it can grant you a +1d4 bonus to a damage roll or an attribute check. Starting at level 3, it can also grant a bonus to attack rolls. You can decide if it does this after you see the roll, but before you determine the results.
---
Existing subclasses remain unchanged, except for the beast one (see below), and utility features extended to apply to your primal companion.
L 1 max dpr math:
Round 1 GS is 3d6+3 (8 dpr vs 15 AC)
Round 2 is 4d6+5 (11.2 dpr vs 15 AC)
without HM
3d6+5 (9.1 DPR vs 15 AC)
Max L1 3 round DPR is 30ish (DW vhuman rogue or vhuman hex-monk), which this does not exceed. And level 1 pet is fragile and hard to get back.
Level 5, DW build, R2:
1d6+3+3d8+9+4d6
25.2 dpr vs 16 AC
might be too high.
R1: 2d8+6+2d6 (12.9, unchanged)
No HM: 3d8+1d6+12 (16.8)
Both the Primal Companion and Primal Protector are there in order to give the Ranger an offensive boost at level 1, plus provide a scaling source of "HP soak".
The 4 warrior classes -- Barbarian, Paladin, Fighter and Ranger -- need to have their own way to improve the party's total damage soak. The Fighter has second wind, the barbarian rage, the paladin lay on hands. This Ranger either has the HP pool of its companion, or the protection pool of its protector spirit.