Ranger Design Idea: Contingencies

[Minigiant]

Yes, it seems like a passive method of using expertise dice.

But I'd hate for rangers to be "You've activated my trap card feature which lets me.." class.

Because you'll have to many at least 20 of these things and there will be synergy.

 

[Stalker0]

But I'd hate for rangers to be "You've activated my trap card feature which lets me.." class.

This kind of feature though would be the perfect way to simulate the "batman" aspect the OP was going for.

We players are not batman, we could not ever be as prepared as he is. The way to mirror that though is with retroactive mechanics.


DM: A minotaur comes through the door!
Ranger: (using ability). My stink bomb trap is set off, and that malder berry is especially pungent to bulls.
DM: The minotaur backs away.
Other players: How did you know a minotaur was coming?
Ranger: Well based on the tracks I saw early, that particular smell in the air I noticed early, and ........


By letting players set the ability after the fact, but saying that the ability was "there the whole time", it lets players model that incredibly intelligent, well prepared archetype

 

[Minigiant]

This kind of feature though would be the perfect way to simulate the "batman" aspect the OP was going for.

We players are not batman, we could not ever be as prepared as he is. The way to mirror that though is with retroactive mechanics.


DM: A minotaur comes through the door!
Ranger: (using ability). My stink bomb trap is set off, and that malder berry is especially pungent to bulls.
DM: The minotaur backs away.
Other players: How did you know a minotaur was coming?
Ranger: Well based on the tracks I saw early, that particular smell in the air I noticed early, and ........


By letting players set the ability after the fact, but saying that the ability was "there the whole time", it lets players model that incredibly intelligent, well prepared archetype

A class with a bunch of after the fact retroactive abilities. That'll make the warlord healing arguments seem calm.

But the idea that a ranger walks around with anit-shark spray and dragonic sleeping pills is funny. The green cloak is a cowl now, huh?

 

[Markn]

Cool concept. One idea I had recently was terrain mastery in the sense that rangers could do things on chosen terrains that no other class could do. For example, terrain mastery in the forest would allow the ranger to move through forests ignoring difficult terrain. Terrain mastery water would allow the ranger to skip across water without sinking as long as he started and ended his turn on land. Basically, the point is the ranger can use terrain to its advantage and ignore the effects of terrain better than any other class and to me this really fits in with the batman concept with always being prepared.

 

[Crazy Jerome]

Another twist that might fit with some of that is to build some options around the ranger causing disadvantage to opponents and/or keying off of opponents that are disadvantaged. The idea is that the rogue looks for advantage to really lay down the hurt, the fighter mixes hurt with good defense, while the ranger is causing trouble for enemies.

For example, instead of Quarry doing more damage, if maintained on a target, it might start by giving the target disadvantage to hit the ranger, and then let the ranger extend that to allies over time.

This also fits in with the ambush flavor, if you key some of the increased options to the target having disadvantage. Catch them in a trap, they are easy to hit, and the ranger pins their hides to the wall with arrows.

Try to track a ranger through his favored terrain, and you have disadvantage to your relevant checks.

For the bad guys, batman is frustrating to fight.

 

[Stacie GmrGrl]

I like these ideas, and I hope they do give the Ranger something their own but not. Fighting styles... I think it was rather lame that the Ranger class got different Fighting Styles and the Fighter got none in 3.x. Isn't the Fighter supposed to be the one getting Fighting Styles?

The Ranger would make more sense as a Background or Specialty.

But... if I were to make a Ranger Class... I'd so be ripping ideas from both Hunters in WoW and the Ranger from Guild Wars 2.