Did WotC give any reason why Rangers didn’t get a level 5 feature in 5.5e/2024?
Fighters got Tactical Shift and Paladins got Faithful Steed. Barbarians still have Fast Movement and Monks still have Stunning Strike.
Is this just another case of them forgetting about, ignoring, or even purposely leaving Rangers behind? I feel like Roving is such a situational buff that adding it in at 5 wouldn’t have been an issue and their Level 6 feature could’ve been a lot better.
Before I get to the features, I’m not asking if you think the Ranger needs this to be viable and I don’t need to hear that this makes it more complicated. I’m just asking for feedback on the features and if the terrain benefits are balanced against each other and make sense thematically. Thanks!
Deft Explorer (Level 2): Added the following benefit: You can heighten your senses and sharpen your knowledge by expending one use of Hunter’s Mark. For the next 10 minutes, you can add your Hunter’s Mark die to any Intelligence (Nature), Wisdom (Medicine), Wisdom (Perception) and Wisdom (Survival) check your make.
See this post to see what changes I made to Hunter’s Mark. I’ve added the feedback of using a spell slot to restore uses of Hunter’s Mark,so it’s a less limited resource.
Favored terrain (Level 3): You have endured the hazards of an environment while you traversed through it, and are now accustomed to those effects. Choose one of the terrains in which you have traveled. You always have the benefits listed, and while you are in that terrain, you have Advantage on Wisdom (Survival) and Intelligence (Nature) checks. Whenever you gain a Ranger level, you can replace your favored terrain with a different terrain. You gain another favored terrain at level 9.
Favored Terrains:
Arctic. You add your Wisdom modifier to Constitution saving throws. You also don’t suffer the effects of extreme cold and aren’t affected by slippery ice.
Coast. You have a Swim Speed equal to your Speed. If you already have a Swim Speed, it increases by 10 feet. Additionally, you have Advantage on saving throws against being knocked Prone, and you can add your Wisdom modifier to Strength (Athletics) checks.
Desert. Difficult terrain doesn’t cost you extra movement and you have Advantage on saving throws against the Blinded condition. You also don’t suffer the effects of extreme heat and cold.
Forest. You can take the Hide action as a Bonus Action, and can do so while you’re Lightly Obscured. Additionally, you can add your Wisdom modifier to Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks.
Grassland. Your Speed increases by 5 feet, and when you have the Prone condition, you can right yourself with only 5 feet of movement.
Mountain. Your hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to your Proficiency Bonus and you have a Climb Speed equal to your Speed. If you already have a Climb Speed, it increases by 10 feet. You are also acclimated to high altitudes.
Swamp. You have Advantage on saving throws to avoid or end the Poisoned and Restrained condition. Additionally, natural Lightly Obscured areas (such as fog or rain) don’t impose Disadvantage on your Wisdom (Perception) checks.
Underdark. You can add your Wisdom modifier to Dexterity (Stealth) checks, and Dim Light doesn’t impose Disadvantage on your Wisdom (Perception) checks.
So I made this homebrew over a year ago, but I figured I should run this by the people who know the Ranger the best. I used the official 5.5e Ranger as a base, with the goal of making it feel more flavorful, more diverse, and with a more unique set of features. https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/mwScbEj5BXNC
To break down the changes and why:
Please let me know what you think!
I just read the Monster Slayer from Xanathar. God, this is perfect. This is it. This is what Hunter's Mark should have been all along.
> Starting at 3rd level, you can focus your ire on one foe, increasing the harm you inflict on it. As a bonus action, you designate one creature you can see within 60 feet of you as the target of this feature. The first time each turn that you hit that target with a weapon attack, it takes an extra 1d6 damage from the weapon.
> This benefit lasts until you finish a short or long rest. It ends early if you designate a different creature.
Boom, no concentration, medium damage. Still worse than Divine Favor, mind you.
I've been trying to remake the Ranger. I have a lot of good ideas but am still working on the capstone. For context, I want to change the advantage on the marked target to an expanded Crit range at 17. Probably 19-20 on unmarked targets and 17-20 on marked.
I also want the abilities to do something even if the target isn't marked.
Level 20: Foe Slayer
You are a grizzled stalker of your target. Your Constitution and Wisdom scores increase 2 and there maximum is now 23. When you score a critical hit on a target marked as your quarry, you can force it to make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure it gains 1 level of Exhaustion. If the target is bloodied, it makes the saving throw at disadvantage.
Rationale: CON and WIS are both decent stars and it doesn't detract if someone wants to play a STRanger. These two stars do a lot less than the star boost for Monk and Barbarian. Monk raises AC by 4, focus save DC but 2, and attacks/damage by 2 along with better saving throws. Barbarian gives +2 AC, 40 more hp, and +2 to attacks and damage along with saves. I've capped it to +1 to spell save DC. 20 hp and slightly better saves by only increasing 2 each. This is my works all the time part.
Even if I give an expanded Crit range, the chance of crtiting on a round with a DW build is 47% Add in the CON save which is usually high, and then some legendary resistances, ice modeled out some fights using a monte carlo simulation and two levels of exhaustion is the median for a 10 round fight.
Is it still too strong?