Ranger Features: Favored Quarry & Favored Terrain

[Segev]

Ranger is often considered lackluster, and while this is supposedly fixed by the subclasses having more meat to them (with some being better than others), part of what I think makes them disappointing is that their level 1 features that set them apart from other fighter-like classes are focused on the Exploration pillar, but neither that pillar or their mechanics are terribly well-supported by gameplay. A common thing throughout D&D editions has been situational bonuses and perks. Sometimes, these work well, especially if the situation comes up a lot. Favored Enemy and Favored Terrain (in 5e, Favored Terrain was called Natural Explorer) have always been slight problems, ever since they counted as features to balance against other classes, but remained situational, so other classes have more useful features all the time while these remain situational and still not too powerful.

The 5e versions of these are even weaker.

They have flavor, but they amount to ribbons in most cases. Even when they are overwhelmingly useful (e.g. Natural Explorer with a focus on forests in Chult negating much of the risk of travel and exploration), they feel "minor" because they happen in the space that is glossed over, and make it even easier to gloss over rather than feeling like you're engaging the game.

So, I propose the following optional features for the Ranger, either to replace or work along side Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer. The theme I'm working with here is to try to have largely universally-applicable features that are based notionally on the kinds of creatures and terrains you're good at engaging with. Ideally they give unique abilities or unique ways to enable them, but at the least should be useful almost every session.

I am not 100% sure on the balance, and am open to other suggestions, either for tweaks or entirely different feature options for the various entries.

Favored Quarry
(Level 1 Ranger Optional Feature; Enhances or Replaces Favored Enemy)
You choose a type of favored quarry (which must match your Favored Enemy choice(s) if you have that feature): aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, humanoids, monstrosities, oozes, plants or undead. Your study and focus on these creatures has trained you in special talents needed to better pursue such prey. You choose a new Favored Quarry at 6th and 14th level. If you also have Favored Enemy, you must choose the same type(s) for both features at these levels.

• Aberrations: You have Resistance to Psychic damage. When you roll a saving throw to end an effect, you have advantage on that saving throw.
• Beasts: You become the ultimate predator and most elusive prey in the wilds. You learn pass without trace. It counts as a Ranger spell for you, but does not count against the number of Ranger spells you know. You may cast it once without expending a spell slot, and regain this ability after a long rest. At 5th level of Ranger, you also regain this ability after a short rest.
• Celestials: You learn magic weapon. It counts as a Ranger spell for you, but does not count against the number of Ranger spells you know. You may cast it once without expending a spell slot, and regain this ability after a short rest. If you are wielding the weapon so enchanted, you may maintain Concentration on one other effect while Concentrating on this spell. If you cease to wield or carry the weapon for any reason, and are Concentrating on something else, you must drop Concentration on one of the effects you’re Concentrating on.
• Constructs: Your study of automata and their rigid adherence to orders enables you to understand how their artificial or controlled minds - such as they are - think and make decisions. You can, after a minute of study, attempt Charisma-based skill checks against creatures bound to obey another’s will (such as most constructs) even if you share no language, and even if they would normally be too unintelligent to understand you. Success may result in finding a loophole in their orders or in convincing them that something you want done relates to and falls within their orders, if it is not possible to achieve more normal results from such Charisma checks. In addition, if you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you cannot do less than your proficiency bonus in damage to it. Calculate this after factoring in damage resistances and immunities.
• Dragons: Your dedication to hunting and facing flying creatures with impenetrable hides has given you a preternatural ability to find weaknesses, both mental and physical. You may spend a bonus action to turn a weapon attack you are making into a called shot to a vital or vulnerable spot. The attack has Disadvantage, but if both rolls would hit, it is a critical strike. In addition, when you fail at tracking a creature for any reason, you may make a special Survival check, opposed by either the creature’s Stealth check or Wisdom saving throw. If you succeed, you can track it anyway, despite even impossible conditions, for up to one hour. Once you fail at this with a particular creature, you cannot succeed against that creature until you have successfully tracked it mundanely or met it in person again.
• Elementals: When you make a weapon attack, you may suffuse the weapon with elemental energy. When you do this, choose acid, cold, fire, or lightning. The weapon’s normal damage type is replaced by the selected type. This lasts for only one attack unless you Concentrate on it, in which case it lasts for as long as you Concentrate, up to 1 hour, or until the weapon leaves your hand. You may do this once without expending a Ranger spell slot, regaining the ability after a Short or Long Rest. If you expend a Ranger spell slot, the weapon does an additional d4 of damage for every level of the spell slot expended.
• Fey: You are proficient in Wisdom Saves and have Advantage on saving throws against effects which inflict the Charmed or Frightened conditions. At 10th level of Ranger, you cannot be Charmed or Frightened by fey, and automatically recognize when a creature you can sense by any means is fey.
• Fiends: You learn protection from evil and good. It counts as a Ranger spell for you, but does not count against the number of Ranger spells you know. You may cast it once without expending a spell slot, and regain this ability after a short rest. If you are the target of your protection from evil and good, you may maintain Concentration on one other effect while Concentrating on this spell.
• Giants: Due to your experience dancing about beneath the feet of your favored foes, you have learned to maneuver around all sorts of living obstacles. You can move through other creatures’ spaces freely, without spending extra movement. You still provoke OAs when leaving their reach, however.
• Humanoids: You have proficiency with Disguise kits. Choose two humanoid races (these must be the same as the ones you chose for Favored Enemy if you also have that feature). When you disguise yourself as a member of one of those races, creatures have Disadvantage on any check to penetrate your disguise. You learn comprehend languages as a Ranger spell, and may cast it as a Ritual. It does not count against your number of Ranger spells known. If you choose humanoids a second time (at levels 6 or 14), you also learn detect thoughts as a Ranger spell without it counting against your number of Ranger spells known. If you choose humanoids a third time (at level 14), you also learn tongues as a Ranger spell without it counting against your number of Ranger spells known.
• Monstrosities: The blend of humanoid and bestial characteristics with the strangely mutable nature of your favored foes has lent you an understanding of how to blend your magic across them. You may use any spell which specifies beasts or humanoids as valid targets to target beasts, humanoids, or monstrosities. All other restrictions still apply. At 13th level of Ranger, you gain find greater steed as a Ranger spell, which does not count against your number of Ranger spells known.
• Oozes: You gain resistance to Acid damage. Your long experience with amorphous foes has left you with an almost paranoid perception: you never miss places where amorphous creatures could squeeze through any barrier or container. This can come in handy for sealing places against such creatures, creating prisons for them, or spotting likely trails they may have taken or warning signs of their presence. This also means you automatically detect the places where traps that dispense liquids or gasses dispense them from, though you cannot necessarily tell whether it’s a trap or a place for oozes to squeeze through (or both).
• Plants: Your long experience dealing with creatures that easily blend in with inanimate surroundings lets you ignore the False Appearance ability of creatures such as Blights and Gargoyles. You also gain the False Appearance ability, taking an action to use a combination of clothing and props to appear indistinguishable from a plant as long as you don’t move. This does not hide you; the “plant” is obvious if you don’t take a separate effort to hide, and creatures who witnessed your “transformation” know which “plant” is you.
• Undead: You gain resistance to Necrotic damage, and if Necrotic damage would reduce you to 0 hit points, you instead have 1 hit point, unless the Necrotic damage is enough to kill you outright. Once, when an effect other than failing three death saves would kill you, you may instead be reduced to 0 hp and begin making normal death saves. You regain this ability after taking a long rest.

Favored Terrain
(Level 1 Ranger Optional Feature; Enhances or Replaces Natural Explorer)
You choose a type of terrain, which must match your terrain chosen for Natural Explorer if you have that feature. Your training in your chosen terrain has given you certain talents. You may choose an additional terrain at 6th and 10th level; these must be the same as you choose for Natural Explorer if you have that feature.

• Arctic: You have resistance to Cold damage, and are unbothered by environmental cold.
• Coast: You do not need to expend extra movement to swim, and are proficient with water vehicles. If you are already proficient with water vehicles, you may choose another tool or vehicle proficiency. You do not suffer penalties to attacks in water.
• Desert: You have resistance to Fire damage, and are unbothered by environmental heat.
• Forest: You have Advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) and Wisdom (Perception) checks involving scent.
• Grassland: When you Dash, you gain an additional 10 feet of movement. If you are riding a controlled mount, you may extend this benefit to your it.
• Mountain: You do not need to expend extra movement to climb, and may subtract twice your Ranger level from any damage you take from a fall.
• Swamp: You do not need to expend extra movement to pass through difficult terrain. You have tremorsense that only operates through liquid out to 60 feet.
• Underdark: You gain Superior Darkvision (out to 120 feet). Within the range of your darkvision, you do not suffer any penalties to perception for dim lighting.