Erian
2020-11-17, 04:15 PM
I've seen many people complain about the PHB's Ranger being useless (and they do have a point) and about the UA's Ranger being overpowered or not making much sense (seriously, all of that in one level makes it ridiculous).
Let’s try to make the Ranger a viable class, distinct from the Rogue, the Druid and the Fighter. With focus on his own abilities and what defines him. If the fighter's focus is combat, if the Rogue's focus is the sneak and if the Druid's focus is communing with Nature and magic... The Ranger's focus should be to adapt to his environment. No other class focuses on this and they seem to have forgotten it when writing the Ranger.
Regular Ranger = PHB Ranger
Revised Ranger = UA Ranger
Starting with the basics:
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Constitution
This change reflects the Ranger’s survivability.
And the following ones reflect his adaptability:
Favored Enemy:
If we add the +2 damage that the Revised Ranger has, it’s a decent ability.
The groups of types are a bit weird, though.
- I’d add the option to:
At level 6, you get to pick a 2nd Favored Enemy.
So it’d look like this:
You get a Greater Favored Enemy (as the Revised Ranger has, but chosen from any type and you can change it on a Level Up; that’s all the regular benefits, +4 damage and advantage on Saving Throws) and a Favored Enemy (all the regular benefits, +2 on damage and you can change it after a Long Rest).
At level 11, you get to change both after a Long Rest.
Obviously, the GFE and FE don’t stack (so no +6 to damage).
Natural Explorer:
The Revised Ranger’s Natural Explorer is a bit too strong, while the regular Ranger’s is terribad.
So, I propose this fix:
You get the Regular Ranger’s Natural Explorer, but you can change your Natural Environment after 8 hours (which can’t be during a Long Rest, you have to be exploring/fighting for it to count) in the environment and a Short Rest.
At level 6, you get the Revised Ranger’s Natural Explorer's advantage on Initiative.
At level 11 you get the Revised Ranger's full feature (which applies in any environment).
Primeval Awareness:
You get the Revised Ranger’s version, with the following changes:
You DO need to sacrifice a spell slot.
You get this info up to a mile PER SPELL LEVEL of the slot that you’re sacrificing (that is: if you use a level 3 slot, it’s 3 miles). The distance is double for your Favored Enemy (either the GFE or the FE).
Land’s Stride:
You get to choose:
a 30’ Climbing Speed or a 30’ Swimming Speed.
You can change this after a Long Rest.
Fleet of Foot doesn’t make much sense in a Ranger IMO.
Hide In Plain Sight:
The Camouflage should take an action to reapply, as long as you’re in the same environment and you’ve already applied it (out of combat).
Also, you get advantage on Stealth checks as long as you’re in that environment and you've already used the Camouflage.
Vanish:
As written, except you can choose to leave a trail (so that a companion may follow it) but someone that’s not an ally has disadvantage to follow.
Feral Senses:
As written, but if you’re part of the Beast Conclave and your Animal Companion is within 30’ of you you both get advantage on Perception checks.
Foe Slayer:
As the Regular Ranger’s ability. Since you can change your FE, this ability doesn’t need more rework (without being able to swap it, it’s the worst capstone ability ever).
Beastmaster / Beast Conclave:
As per the Regular Ranger’s Beastmaster, but with the following modifications:
At level 7, the Animal Companion can be evolved into a Beast of up to CR1.
Felines (like the Panther/Cat) evolve into Felines (like the Lion, Tiger or Snow Leopard).
Arachnids evolve into other Arachnids (like the Giant Flying Spider or Ice Spider).
Canines (like the Mastiff/Wolf) evolve into other Canines (like the Dire Wolf).
Birds evolve into other Birds (Ravens into Giant Ravens, Hawk/Giant Hawk/Eagle into Giant Eagle
Some Dinosaurs (like the Hadrosaurus) evolve into other Dinosaurs (like the Deinonychus).
In the case where the Animal Companion is not exactly the same type (like the Hawk evolving into Giant Eagle, you can just call it a Giant Hawk and apply the Giant Eagle’s stats)
Other Beasts evolve into similar CR1 beasts. If the animal that you’re using isn’t part of the ones depicted here, it’s up to the DM to pick a valid evolution for it.
You can also make the Animal Companion revert back to the un-evolved form after a Short Rest.
To make it evolve again, a Long Rest is required.
Keep in mind that, if you replace the Animal Companion, you get the non-evolved version. The new Animal Companion (in case you replaced an evolved one) evolves after you gain a new level.
At level 11, the Animal Companion can take the attack action once during its turn (without needing you to order it to do so) against the last target that you gave it. In order to use any other type of action or to assign a new target, it does need an order (as per the Regular Ranger’s written rules).
You can also have a Second Animal Companion (which works exactly as the Regular Ranger’s Animal Companion, including the orders for attacks and is a 1/4 CR or lower beast).
At level 15, you can also have a third Animal Companion (which works exactly as the Regular Ranger’s Animal Companion, including the orders for attacks and is a 1/4 CR or lower beast).
You can choose to evolve any of them (but only one at a time, which is the one that gets the benefits), which requires you to first spend a Short Rest to un-evolve it and then a Long Rest to evolve the chosen one.
If an evolved Animal Companion died and you evolve another one, when it comes back to you it’s not evolved.
You can use your attack action to have all of the Animal Companions use their reactions to attack (but you forego any attacks you could have)
Yes, I'm aware that this sounds a bit like Pokémon.
Gloom Stalker:
The class is mostly fine as-is, but if you are to play outside of the Underdark you’d be mostly useless.
So, Gloom Stalker’s Magic:
At 3rd level: get Darkness as a level 1 spell. It doesn’t block Darkvision, it only blocks light sources (natural and magical up to 1st level) in a 20 feet area for up to one minute with concentration.
At 5th level, you get Darkness and the ability to see in magical darkness.
Hunter:
Defensive Tactics:
You get one of the features. You get an additional one at level 11.
Superior Hunter’s Defense:
You get two of the features.
Monster Slayer:
Hunter’s Sense:
You can do this as a Bonus Action against your Favored Enemy (or GFE)
You also get a limited version of Blindsense, restricted to 10’ and only usable against your FE/GFE.
Slayer’s Prey:
If you damage your Quarry, it substracts the extra damage (1d6) it took from your attacks from its Saving Throws against you on its next turn.
So, with this we’re fixing the action economy of Hunter’s Sense AND we’re also making the Monster Slayer Magic viable (since those have a Saving Throw which won’t likely be very high on a Monster Slayer).
Honestly Horizon Walker is already absurdly better than the rest (except maybe Gloom Stalker).
Just FYI, using Revised Ranger with Gloom Stalker sounds incredible (since many people say “I get Wis and advantage to Initiative”), but you DON’T get multi-attack (read carefully, in the Revised version the multi attack is part of Deep Stalker and the Regular Gloom Stalker doesn’t have it).
Let’s try to make the Ranger a viable class, distinct from the Rogue, the Druid and the Fighter. With focus on his own abilities and what defines him. If the fighter's focus is combat, if the Rogue's focus is the sneak and if the Druid's focus is communing with Nature and magic... The Ranger's focus should be to adapt to his environment. No other class focuses on this and they seem to have forgotten it when writing the Ranger.
Regular Ranger = PHB Ranger
Revised Ranger = UA Ranger
Starting with the basics:
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Constitution
This change reflects the Ranger’s survivability.
And the following ones reflect his adaptability:
Favored Enemy:
If we add the +2 damage that the Revised Ranger has, it’s a decent ability.
The groups of types are a bit weird, though.
- I’d add the option to:
At level 6, you get to pick a 2nd Favored Enemy.
So it’d look like this:
You get a Greater Favored Enemy (as the Revised Ranger has, but chosen from any type and you can change it on a Level Up; that’s all the regular benefits, +4 damage and advantage on Saving Throws) and a Favored Enemy (all the regular benefits, +2 on damage and you can change it after a Long Rest).
At level 11, you get to change both after a Long Rest.
Obviously, the GFE and FE don’t stack (so no +6 to damage).
Natural Explorer:
The Revised Ranger’s Natural Explorer is a bit too strong, while the regular Ranger’s is terribad.
So, I propose this fix:
You get the Regular Ranger’s Natural Explorer, but you can change your Natural Environment after 8 hours (which can’t be during a Long Rest, you have to be exploring/fighting for it to count) in the environment and a Short Rest.
At level 6, you get the Revised Ranger’s Natural Explorer's advantage on Initiative.
At level 11 you get the Revised Ranger's full feature (which applies in any environment).
Primeval Awareness:
You get the Revised Ranger’s version, with the following changes:
You DO need to sacrifice a spell slot.
You get this info up to a mile PER SPELL LEVEL of the slot that you’re sacrificing (that is: if you use a level 3 slot, it’s 3 miles). The distance is double for your Favored Enemy (either the GFE or the FE).
Land’s Stride:
You get to choose:
a 30’ Climbing Speed or a 30’ Swimming Speed.
You can change this after a Long Rest.
Fleet of Foot doesn’t make much sense in a Ranger IMO.
Hide In Plain Sight:
The Camouflage should take an action to reapply, as long as you’re in the same environment and you’ve already applied it (out of combat).
Also, you get advantage on Stealth checks as long as you’re in that environment and you've already used the Camouflage.
Vanish:
As written, except you can choose to leave a trail (so that a companion may follow it) but someone that’s not an ally has disadvantage to follow.
Feral Senses:
As written, but if you’re part of the Beast Conclave and your Animal Companion is within 30’ of you you both get advantage on Perception checks.
Foe Slayer:
As the Regular Ranger’s ability. Since you can change your FE, this ability doesn’t need more rework (without being able to swap it, it’s the worst capstone ability ever).
Beastmaster / Beast Conclave:
As per the Regular Ranger’s Beastmaster, but with the following modifications:
At level 7, the Animal Companion can be evolved into a Beast of up to CR1.
Felines (like the Panther/Cat) evolve into Felines (like the Lion, Tiger or Snow Leopard).
Arachnids evolve into other Arachnids (like the Giant Flying Spider or Ice Spider).
Canines (like the Mastiff/Wolf) evolve into other Canines (like the Dire Wolf).
Birds evolve into other Birds (Ravens into Giant Ravens, Hawk/Giant Hawk/Eagle into Giant Eagle
Some Dinosaurs (like the Hadrosaurus) evolve into other Dinosaurs (like the Deinonychus).
In the case where the Animal Companion is not exactly the same type (like the Hawk evolving into Giant Eagle, you can just call it a Giant Hawk and apply the Giant Eagle’s stats)
Other Beasts evolve into similar CR1 beasts. If the animal that you’re using isn’t part of the ones depicted here, it’s up to the DM to pick a valid evolution for it.
You can also make the Animal Companion revert back to the un-evolved form after a Short Rest.
To make it evolve again, a Long Rest is required.
Keep in mind that, if you replace the Animal Companion, you get the non-evolved version. The new Animal Companion (in case you replaced an evolved one) evolves after you gain a new level.
At level 11, the Animal Companion can take the attack action once during its turn (without needing you to order it to do so) against the last target that you gave it. In order to use any other type of action or to assign a new target, it does need an order (as per the Regular Ranger’s written rules).
You can also have a Second Animal Companion (which works exactly as the Regular Ranger’s Animal Companion, including the orders for attacks and is a 1/4 CR or lower beast).
At level 15, you can also have a third Animal Companion (which works exactly as the Regular Ranger’s Animal Companion, including the orders for attacks and is a 1/4 CR or lower beast).
You can choose to evolve any of them (but only one at a time, which is the one that gets the benefits), which requires you to first spend a Short Rest to un-evolve it and then a Long Rest to evolve the chosen one.
If an evolved Animal Companion died and you evolve another one, when it comes back to you it’s not evolved.
You can use your attack action to have all of the Animal Companions use their reactions to attack (but you forego any attacks you could have)
Yes, I'm aware that this sounds a bit like Pokémon.
Gloom Stalker:
The class is mostly fine as-is, but if you are to play outside of the Underdark you’d be mostly useless.
So, Gloom Stalker’s Magic:
At 3rd level: get Darkness as a level 1 spell. It doesn’t block Darkvision, it only blocks light sources (natural and magical up to 1st level) in a 20 feet area for up to one minute with concentration.
At 5th level, you get Darkness and the ability to see in magical darkness.
Hunter:
Defensive Tactics:
You get one of the features. You get an additional one at level 11.
Superior Hunter’s Defense:
You get two of the features.
Monster Slayer:
Hunter’s Sense:
You can do this as a Bonus Action against your Favored Enemy (or GFE)
You also get a limited version of Blindsense, restricted to 10’ and only usable against your FE/GFE.
Slayer’s Prey:
If you damage your Quarry, it substracts the extra damage (1d6) it took from your attacks from its Saving Throws against you on its next turn.
So, with this we’re fixing the action economy of Hunter’s Sense AND we’re also making the Monster Slayer Magic viable (since those have a Saving Throw which won’t likely be very high on a Monster Slayer).
Honestly Horizon Walker is already absurdly better than the rest (except maybe Gloom Stalker).
Just FYI, using Revised Ranger with Gloom Stalker sounds incredible (since many people say “I get Wis and advantage to Initiative”), but you DON’T get multi-attack (read carefully, in the Revised version the multi attack is part of Deep Stalker and the Regular Gloom Stalker doesn’t have it).