Revised Ranger update

[OB1]

The UA also, and this was another big thing I liked, allowed the companion to noticeably grow in strength. Not just "here's 4 hp every level" but actually increasing it's stats and allowing a companion that has been with a legendary figure t itself be far physically and even mentally superior to others of its kind.

But this is already the case, only the PHB Ranger is able to do it with a new animal with just 8 hours of mystical bonding

Regular Hawk - HP 1, AC 13, Talons +5, 1 dmg, Perception +4
20 Level Ranger Hawk Companion - HP 80, AC 19, Talons +11, 7 dmg, Perception +10

Regular Giant Wolf Spider - HP 11, AC 13, Bite +3, 1d6 dmg, Perception +3, Stealth +7
20th Level Ranger Gian Wolf Spider - HP 80, AC 19, Bite +9, 1d6+6 dmg, Perception +9, Stealth +13

Those both seem like pretty legendary versions of the beasts to me. That said, when I was thinking about it, I realized there is a way to provide more options for the way to play the Beastmaster without needing a revision or errata to the class. Just add some new spells. It seems that since Xanathar's Guide did the expanded Ranger spell list, people's concern about the Hunter Ranger went down.

What if a set of Beast Master specific spells were published? The added bonus here being that even if you are currently playing a Beastmaster you could add these spells when you level up. Here is a first draft of what I think these could look like. Because spells known are such a precious resource to a Ranger, I've tried to make these really worth the cost for a player wanting to beef up their animal companion.

1st Level Ranger Spells
Command Beast - 1 Min, Concentration, Bonus Action, self - When you cast this spell, you gain an additional action that you can use only to command your Beast Companion
Protect Beast - Action, Touch - You touch a beast and it gains 2 times your level in temporary Hit Points

2nd Level Ranger Spells
Revivify Beast - Action, Touch - You touch a beast that has beed dead for less than 1 minute and it returns to life with 1 HP
Alter Beast - Action, Touch, 1 Hour - You touch a beast and it gains one of the following benefits, It's natural weapons become + 1 magical weapons, It's AC increases by 2, the DC of any of it's abilities increases by the caster's proficiency bonus

3rd Level Ranger Spells
Find Greater Companion - 1 Hour Casting time - You call out to the wild to find a new beast companion that can be Large and of a CR equal to 1/4 of your level (rounded down). The beast must be native to the area that you are in and able to reach your location. If you are in your favored terrain, you pick the beast that appears, otherwise the DM chooses from what is appropriate for the area.

4th Level Ranger Spells
Awakened Beast - 1 Hour Casting Time, Permanent Duration - You forge a permanent telepathic bond with your companion. As long as you are on the same plane of existence, you can communicate telepathically as well as see through each others eyes at will. The beast can also add 6 points to it's ability scores, either all to one or split between several. The awakening lasts until your companion is killed. If later brought back to life, the spell must be cast again.
Reincarnate Beast - 1 Hour Casting Time, Permanent - You focus on the spirit of a beast dead for not more than 30 days. The beast is reincarnated, appearing from nearby at the end of the 1 hour casting time.

5th Level Ranger Spells
Heroic Beast - Action, Touch, 1 Hour - You touch a beast and it gains all of the following benefits. 4 Times your level in Temporary Hit points, natural weapons become +3 magical weapons, AC increases by 5, DC of any of it's abilities increase by casters proficiency bonus and it is Hasted per the spell. You also gain an additional action that you can use only to command your beast companion.

Unless... you refuse to call it a problem.

The real question is: can lots of groups handle one player with two characters?

I bet the answer is an unreserved "yes".

Sure, the group I play in (rather than DM) has a "bicycle" character that we roll to see who is playing at the beginning of each session. Our very own "pet" Goliath Barbarian. Of course, he get's added into the encounter math and get's his share of the treasure and xp. Would your PC power level animal companion do the same?

 

[Chaosmancer]

But this is already the case, only the PHB Ranger is able to do it with a new animal with just 8 hours of mystical bonding

Regular Hawk - HP 1, AC 13, Talons +5, 1 dmg, Perception +4
20 Level Ranger Hawk Companion - HP 80, AC 19, Talons +11, 7 dmg, Perception +10

Regular Giant Wolf Spider - HP 11, AC 13, Bite +3, 1d6 dmg, Perception +3, Stealth +7
20th Level Ranger Gian Wolf Spider - HP 80, AC 19, Bite +9, 1d6+6 dmg, Perception +9, Stealth +13

Those both seem like pretty legendary versions of the beasts to me. That said, when I was thinking about it, I realized there is a way to provide more options for the way to play the Beastmaster without needing a revision or errata to the class. Just add some new spells. It seems that since Xanathar's Guide did the expanded Ranger spell list, people's concern about the Hunter Ranger went down.

The problem with fixing it via spells is that those spells still take actions and spell slots, and from a balance perspective it becomes odd to create a "fix" for a class that requires the expenditure of resources on a regular basis.


As for the beasts, I think the revised still comes out ahead for me, because we are talking about a larger portion of the Statblock.

Regular Hawk - HP 1 (1d4-1), AC 13, Talons +5, 1 dmg, Perception +4
STR 5 (-3) DEX 16 (+3) CON 8 (-1) INT 2 (-4) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 6 (-2)

PHB: 20 Level Ranger Hawk Companion - HP 80 (1d4-1), AC 19, Talons +11, 7 dmg, Perception +10
STR 5 (-3) DEX 16 (+3) CON 8 (-1) INT 2 (-4) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 6 (-2)

Revised: 20 Level Ranger Hawk Companion - HP 36 (18d4+0) AC 21 Talons +11 7 dmg, Perception +10, Stealth +11, Sleight of Hand +11, All Saves +6
STR 5 (-3) DEX 20 (+5) CON 10 (+0) INT 2 (-4) WIS 18 (+4) CHA 6 (-2)

So, in this example, the hp math does not favor the Hawk. Low con and low HD, that hurt your HP. However, since the hawk can use their HD per the rules of the PHB ranger, they can recover far better on a short rest. AC and saves are far higher, and the revised Hawk can hide and steal things from enemies via the new skills I gave it. It isn't great in a fight, but 7 damage is pitiful no matter how you cut it.


Regular Giant Wolf Spider - HP 12 (2d8+2), AC 13, Bite +3, 1d6+1 dmg (DC 11 vs poison), Perception +3, Stealth +7
STR 12 (+1) DEX 16 (+3) CON 13 (+1) INT 3 (-4) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 4(-3)

PHB 20th Level Ranger Gian Wolf Spider - HP 80 (2d8+2), AC 19, Bite +9, 1d6+7 (DC 17 vs poison) dmg, Perception +9, Stealth +13
STR 12 (+1) DEX 16 (+3) CON 13 (+1) INT 3 (-4) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 4(-3)

Revised 20th Level Ranger Gian Wolf Spider - HP 152 (19d8+57), AC 20, Bite +9, 1d6+9 (DC 19 vs poison) dmg, Perception +7, Stealth +16, Athletics +9, Intimidation +3/+9, +6 to all saves
STR 16 (+3) DEX 18 (+4) CON 16 (+3) INT 4 (-3) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 4(-3)

This one shows the disparity quite a bit more, and also may I just say, some of the assumptions and math behind these monsters are odd to me. For example, I did not expect spider's to use strength as their primary attack attribute, and figuring out that they have expertise in stealth was a fun little nugget. But here is a monster that is tougher, smarter, faster, and stronger than not only standard versions, but even the beast masters pet. Now, I could see the argument that adding 150 extra hp to the party pool is highly significant, but their damage is still crap, and a DM could easily adjust the game math to account for it.

I guess in the end, maybe I just find the Revised Ranger process more interesting too. Picking new skills and adjusting their base stats gives a feel of growth that simply multiplying and adding numbers doesn't provide. And it allows the ranger to craft more of a story for their pet. It isn't just a hawk, it is a hawk that can hide and steal. It isn't just a spider, it is a spider that grapples and scares. That tiny bit of extra depth makes a big difference in making them seem like far more than their associated species.

 

[OB1]

The problem with fixing it via spells is that those spells still take actions and spell slots, and from a balance perspective it becomes odd to create a "fix" for a class that requires the expenditure of resources on a regular basis.


As for the beasts, I think the revised still comes out ahead for me, because we are talking about a larger portion of the Statblock.

The spells aren't there to "fix" the class, they are there to allow for a different style of play, one that comes at a cost of not being able to do other things you could do with your spell selection. That seems both a fair compromise and a potential solution that could actually be implemented by WotC in a future supplement. Any thoughts to the spells I suggested themselves?

I agree that the UA beasts come out ahead, which is typical for UA material compared to published material. My point was that the PHB Beastmaster beasts are still far ahead of the regular curve and provide a useful tool.

 

[CTurbo]

PHB: 20 Level Ranger Hawk Companion - HP 80 (1d4-1), AC 19, Talons +11, 7 dmg, Perception +10
STR 5 (-3) DEX 16 (+3) CON 8 (-1) INT 2 (-4) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 6 (-2)

Revised: 20 Level Ranger Hawk Companion - HP 36 (18d4+0) AC 21 Talons +11 7 dmg, Perception +10, Stealth +11, Sleight of Hand +11, All Saves +6
STR 5 (-3) DEX 20 (+5) CON 10 (+0) INT 2 (-4) WIS 18 (+4) CHA 6 (-2)

So, in this example, the hp math does not favor the Hawk. Low con and low HD, that hurt your HP.

Put +4 into Con instead of Wis and you just doubled it's hp. Even going +2 Con and +2 Wis increases it's hp by 50%.



I do generally agree with what you're saying though.

 

[CapnZapp]

Sure, the group I play in (rather than DM) has a "bicycle" character that we roll to see who is playing at the beginning of each session. Our very own "pet" Goliath Barbarian. Of course, he get's added into the encounter math and get's his share of the treasure and xp. Would your PC power level animal companion do the same?

Of course not.

I'm talking about an animal companion, not a classed player character (CPC).

This AC is sturdy enough to be able to hold its own in melee, and takes actions independently, but is otherwise significantly less powerful than a CPC.

The point is: nerfing it to be balanced makes it too weak, no frail, to automaton-like. So let it be overpowered.

That does not mean it must be wildly overpowered. It's not exactly the d20 Cohort feat we're talking about, if you played 3rd edition...

Only just OP enough that a sidebar explaining its unbalanced nature is warranted.

 

[Hussar]

But, again, the UA companion does what you want [MENTION=12731]CapnZapp[/MENTION]. It's strong enough not to get killed in combat (and, simply adding 3 death saves to the companion fixes that completely) and deals enough damage that it makes for a decent second attack. Remember, the UA companion is attacking twice per round, typically - once on its turn and once on the ranger's turn. That makes a pretty big difference.

See, I've actually played in groups with the the UA beast master. If it wasn't the top damage dealer in a given fight, it was probably second best. It consistently pumped out very comparable damage to any other martial character.

AFAIC, the class is fixed. Job done. I would suggest that instead of theory crafting, actually TRACK the damage done by your characters for a couple of sessions. I think you'll find that the UA beast master ranger is fine.

 

[CapnZapp]

My apologies - we seem to misunderstand each other.

I don't have any complaints against the UA companion per ser (well, I do, but only that it desperately needs its multiclassing balance design pass)

I do complain about it only being in UA, however. It needs to see print to matter.

More relevant to this thread, however, is how JC is slapping our collective face from his high horse. I hate his smug dismissive talk of secrets as if it was all people needed and was too stupid to find out for themselves.

 

[Eric V]

AFAIC, the class is fixed. Job done. I would suggest that instead of theory crafting, actually TRACK the damage done by your characters for a couple of sessions. I think you'll find that the UA beast master ranger is fine.

I tend to agree. I would have liked it tweaked a bit more, but it's good the way it is. I played one at 9th level, and was fairly middle of the pack, maybe slightly more on dpr. Loved that my companion was sturdy enough, and was worth losing Extra Attack.

 

[Hussar]

My apologies - we seem to misunderstand each other.

I don't have any complaints against the UA companion per ser (well, I do, but only that it desperately needs its multiclassing balance design pass)

I do complain about it only being in UA, however. It needs to see print to matter.

/snip

Why? Why does it need to see print to matter? Are you insisting on AL rules at your home table? If not, then why would it matter in the slightest?

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Why? Why does it need to see print to matter? Are you insisting on AL rules at your home table? If not, then why would it matter in the slightest?

No, because like has already been said, anything in a UA article is not finished material and is still potentially unbalanced. If it works for you and your group, that is fine, but for a lot of us, we only want the finished version of the material to use in our groups.