SangoProduction
2022-01-14, 05:10 AM
So, I was reviewing the Commander class, and they had a terrain specialization feature. It sucked because if you aren't in that terrain, you don't have the class feature. I was commenting on Horizon Walker having a similar deal, but they keep their bonuses regardless of terrain.
Then I actually look up Horizon Walker and immediately became disillusioned with 3.5 design. But hey, Desert specialization makes you immune to fatigue.
So a better example may instead be PTU (Pokemon Tabletop United), which has a Survivalist class that specializes in terrain, who picks a terrain, gain moves and abilities based on it (which they take anywhere), and then gain some terrain-specific bonuses to overcome difficulties of say the specialized terrain. And I think that's actually a good general principle for a specialist design.
And then I thought about Rangers. Because Favored Enemy sucks. Hard. But the same principle can be used for an enemy specialist as a terrain specialist.
I did think that SoP had something like that in Exorcism, but no. Exorcism simply has different effects vs different creature types. No specialization, nor universalization.
So, I think we're a bit on our own here in designing it.
First off, I think the generic bonuses to skills and tracking against favored targets is not implicitly bad. I would simplify it to class level (or some modifier thereof) for each specialized enemy, rather than weird stair-stepping progression. Like 2 + 1/2 CL. Or whatever. And maybe half that as a bonus to attack and AC against them.
And grant automatic recognition of tracks from their favored enemies.
I would get rid of the sub-specializations. A guy specialized in tracking humans isn't going to be suddenly baffled if some lily-livered elf crosses their path.
And that would basically be the generic non-transferable benefit of the specialization.
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So now let's try and define transferable benefits of each specialization. These are going to be basically off the cuff with no regard to balance. And the order...is the order I think of something for it. Feel free to suggest your own.
Dragon seems pretty simple, if uninspired: Evasion. Because... well... dragon's breath.
Similarly, Aberration would have Mettle (evasion for Fort and Will saves), because those guys are weird.
Constructs maybe could grant... Trapfinding and Engineering skill bonus?
Fey would definitely grant something like advantage on Sense Motive checks and grants the skill bonus to saves vs illusions.
Animal... Maybe... On a successful attack, one natural weapon rolls disadvantage on attacks and damage until the end of the ranger's next turn.
Humanoid. Maybe adds an additional 2 crit range on weapon attacks, after all other modifiers, and increase the multiplier by 1? A bit aggressive, but I think that's assumed with human hunters.
Undead? Skill bonus to heal checks, and grants allies and self advantage versus energy drain.
Plants....... Um. They don't suffer nutritional downsides from vegetarian diets? Advantage to save vs poison?
Vermin. They exude a nearly imperceptible film around their body. Those making natural attacks against the ranger make a fort save or be sickened and poisoned.
Ooze... Advantage to perception vs invisible / see-through creatures/objects, and skill bonus to saves vs paralysis?
Magical Beast: Critical hits can inflict targeted Dispel Magic instead of bonus damage.
Outsider: Able to call any known creature's name and have said creature hear you and know your approximate location and situation. ("Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear." IDK.)
Monstrous Humanoid: Racial HD doesn't increase the intimidate DC to demoralize, when insulting a creature's appearance.
And I think that's all of them. I really rather struggled with that. lol. Might have been much easier if it were instead fluffed as gaining some aspect of your enemy, rather than simply hunting them. Would definitely be a very substantial change in flavor. Especially for an Ooze ranger. lol.
Please do feel free to offer your own suggestions for abilities instead.
Then I actually look up Horizon Walker and immediately became disillusioned with 3.5 design. But hey, Desert specialization makes you immune to fatigue.
So a better example may instead be PTU (Pokemon Tabletop United), which has a Survivalist class that specializes in terrain, who picks a terrain, gain moves and abilities based on it (which they take anywhere), and then gain some terrain-specific bonuses to overcome difficulties of say the specialized terrain. And I think that's actually a good general principle for a specialist design.
And then I thought about Rangers. Because Favored Enemy sucks. Hard. But the same principle can be used for an enemy specialist as a terrain specialist.
I did think that SoP had something like that in Exorcism, but no. Exorcism simply has different effects vs different creature types. No specialization, nor universalization.
So, I think we're a bit on our own here in designing it.
First off, I think the generic bonuses to skills and tracking against favored targets is not implicitly bad. I would simplify it to class level (or some modifier thereof) for each specialized enemy, rather than weird stair-stepping progression. Like 2 + 1/2 CL. Or whatever. And maybe half that as a bonus to attack and AC against them.
And grant automatic recognition of tracks from their favored enemies.
I would get rid of the sub-specializations. A guy specialized in tracking humans isn't going to be suddenly baffled if some lily-livered elf crosses their path.
And that would basically be the generic non-transferable benefit of the specialization.
---
So now let's try and define transferable benefits of each specialization. These are going to be basically off the cuff with no regard to balance. And the order...is the order I think of something for it. Feel free to suggest your own.
Dragon seems pretty simple, if uninspired: Evasion. Because... well... dragon's breath.
Similarly, Aberration would have Mettle (evasion for Fort and Will saves), because those guys are weird.
Constructs maybe could grant... Trapfinding and Engineering skill bonus?
Fey would definitely grant something like advantage on Sense Motive checks and grants the skill bonus to saves vs illusions.
Animal... Maybe... On a successful attack, one natural weapon rolls disadvantage on attacks and damage until the end of the ranger's next turn.
Humanoid. Maybe adds an additional 2 crit range on weapon attacks, after all other modifiers, and increase the multiplier by 1? A bit aggressive, but I think that's assumed with human hunters.
Undead? Skill bonus to heal checks, and grants allies and self advantage versus energy drain.
Plants....... Um. They don't suffer nutritional downsides from vegetarian diets? Advantage to save vs poison?
Vermin. They exude a nearly imperceptible film around their body. Those making natural attacks against the ranger make a fort save or be sickened and poisoned.
Ooze... Advantage to perception vs invisible / see-through creatures/objects, and skill bonus to saves vs paralysis?
Magical Beast: Critical hits can inflict targeted Dispel Magic instead of bonus damage.
Outsider: Able to call any known creature's name and have said creature hear you and know your approximate location and situation. ("Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear." IDK.)
Monstrous Humanoid: Racial HD doesn't increase the intimidate DC to demoralize, when insulting a creature's appearance.
And I think that's all of them. I really rather struggled with that. lol. Might have been much easier if it were instead fluffed as gaining some aspect of your enemy, rather than simply hunting them. Would definitely be a very substantial change in flavor. Especially for an Ooze ranger. lol.
Please do feel free to offer your own suggestions for abilities instead.