Sword Coast Legends Survey; Plus Ranger Feedback Results!

Interesting stuff on the ranger.

But a whole survey on Sword Coast Legends. Hm. I don't even know what it is, really. And said as much when I answered.

 

[renevq]

I like the 5e Ranger, both thematically (the best at this in any edition IMO) and in-vivo play. It is the absolute best class in the Exploration pillar of the game, and a well thought out ranger will absolutely crush it in exploration-heavy campaigns like OotA. That being said, it is a bit lacking in the combat department, although with a little optimization it can be brought up to snuff. I liked the latest UA subclass (Deep Stalker); it emphasizes the ambush aspect of the ranger, giving up a bit of DPR for a bit more Alpha striking capability (although, TBH, I am a bit biased towards since it favors the way I like to play), and the bonus spells known mitigate a major problem in that area.
Other fixes I would make would be:
- Make Hunter's Mark a Class Ability, and add extra damage if the target is a favored enemy.
- Detach Primeval Awareness from spellcasting, making it function more like the Paladin's Divine Sense.
- Fix the pet issue with a spell a-la Find Familiar/Steed. Make it a ritual for Rangers without needing to have the feat, and subsequent uses of the spell could be used to raise the pet when killed. A subclass or spells could be used to buff it.
- Like another poster said above, more flavorful/thematic spells that play to the Ranger's strengths.
- Somehow fix the level 20 capstone... it's not a bad ability, but not capstone worthy, either mechanically or thematically.

 

[Zaran]

Not to sound overly snide, but maybe they just need to make a Drizzt class and roll on since it is clear that is what a lot of people are looking for in a Ranger. There are obviously other models in Lord of the Rings since that is where it is derived from, woodsmen survivalists and in real life Rangers as well, but the survey seems to suggest that isn't what people are looking for and ultimately they need to cater to what people who want to play the class that says "Ranger" on their character sheet the most.

Drizzt wouldn't be a beastmaster ranger. His animal companion is a powerful magic item. He's probably be a colossus slayer or something.

 

[Dire Bare]

I feel sorry for whoever goes thru the Sword Coast Legends survey. I know mine was particularly brutal.

But on Metacritic.com the game has a 62 metascore (and 55 from users): http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/sword-coast-legends So the bashing of it is entirely justified.

They ask "what would make you want to play SCL" in the survey. I listed a bunch of things, but I don't expect most of them to become part of the game since it would need an overhaul so extensive as not to be fiscally viable.

A 55-62% rating on a game (or anything) isn't a game being trashed or failing, it is very much what they call "mixed reviews", pretty much equally good and equally bad. Which is the same place the game is at on Steam, last I looked a week ago.

Of course, the publisher would like that score to be much higher. And savvy gamers would more likely make a purchase if that score were much higher. But 55% is hardly "this game sucks" and more, "some like it, some really don't".

 

[Mercule]

Then what distinguishing feature would a ranger have?

Because it's not wilderness survival, it's not bows, it's not TWF....

Actually, it is wilderness survival -- or just survival in general. With awareness (including tracking) being part of that.

The Ranger should be the hardest class to kill. Not necessarily in terms of raw damage; that seems to be the Barbarian's schtick. But, the Ranger should be good enough at fighting to pose a threat in a stand-up fight. They should be good enough at hiding to escape or to ambush. They should be perceptive enough to be hard to surprise. They should be good enough at tracking to always have you looking over your shoulder. They should have enough hit points to live long enough to realize they need to disengage and try a different tactic. They should never need to worry about finding food or water (under normal circumstances). And, they should be able to tend to themselves well enough to recover on the move.

How do you do that?
- A fighting style, per PHB, gives them some combat chops.
- Stealth on the class list gives them, well, stealth.
- Perception on the class list, same.
- Survival on the class list goes towards the tracking and food.
- The 2d6 HD from the UA variant gave them toughness. It also perfectly handled their ability to tend to themselves with minimal rest. Although I hate the 1d8 HD idea from 3.5, I could be persuaded that 2d4 worked fine, given the synergy with recovery during a short rest. I don't think that 2d6 is unbalanced, though.
- Natural Explorer adds some boosts and flavor to round it out.

That gives you your core Ranger. Everything else is a sub-class.

- Beast Master: I always saw this as a Druid, but what the heck, leave it as a Ranger archetype.
- Spellcasting guardian: Make it an archetype. Personally, I think the idea of Ranger praying for spells is stupid. They get spells by learning lore about the wilderness and are closest to Bards in their approach to magic. Other people disagree. Some people doen't like spells for Rangers at all. Definitely sounds like an "opt-in".
- March warden: Like Favored Enemy? Have a campaign it works in? Fantastic! If you're a closeted genocidal maniac, take this archetype.

Also note, as far as intruding on the Barbarian's territory goes, the Ranger was here first. When in doubt about schtick, the Ranger always wins the coin toss against the Barbarian.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

I think if you want a combat able pet class in 5e it needs to be a class, not a subclass. Whether the ranger is that class is a matter of debate, but at this point, there doesn't seem to be a lot of consensus around anything else and since "there must be a ranger in 5e", this seems to be the simplest path.

 

[Zaran]

I can't wait to see the survey results of this months. "For the most part, everyone is happy and enjoying Sword Coast Legends and we are going to add Gnomes!"

 

[OB1]

I still think that the main problem with the Beast Master Ranger is people's expectations of the class, not the class itself. Her companion is meant to add utility, not combat ability. Used as a scout/drone the companion is a powerful tool, especially in the exploration pillar of the game where it can help to both prevent and set up ambushes. Mixed with the right selection of spells that utility can be even further grown.

And Hunter's Mark is not necessary for every ranger build. Sure it's great for a Hunter focusing on single enemy attacks, but outside of that there are far better choices to be made with the limited selection of spells and slots.

 

[Dire Bare]

Drizzt wouldn't be a beastmaster ranger. His animal companion is a powerful magic item. He's probably be a colossus slayer or something.

Sure, technically, you're right.

But Drizzt fits the theme to a "T". Survivalist, twin weapon fighting, excellent archer, and beast companion. Drizzt is the quintessential D&D ranger, even before the advent of the much-maligned "Drizzt-clone"! The only "innovation" Salvatore did was Drizzt's race! (that sounds like a criticism, totally not meant as a criticism)

Mechanically, Drizzt's companion is separated out from his class (or, using 5E rules, I imagine it would be) and comes in the form of a powerful, unique, "signature" magical item. G-Cat (no way I'm trying to spell her name)!

While I wouldn't want default animal companions handled this way in the rules (as powerful magic items), having the companion rules separate from the class would be perfect, IMO.

 

[Minigiant]

.
- Somehow fix the level 20 capstone... it's not a bad ability, but not capstone worthy, either mechanically or thematically.

If rangers had a "bane" spell that gave them an extra favored enemy, then the 20th level capstone's not so bad.

That's how my NPC evil ranger lord works.

Beast Companion too weak? Create a spell that boosts beasts.

Melee rangers too soft? Make a spell that costs melee weapons with hallucination inducing plant toxin.

Rangers can't hide well? Make a spell that covers their body with natural camo.

 

[AverageCitizen]

I think the Ranger needs to get more of its features from its subclasses than other classes do.



The base class has all the wilderness survival stuff and little else. One subclass gets druid spells, one gets fighter maneuvers, and one gets a powerful animal companion.

Everyone is getting real snarky with "ranger fans are basic" and "they just want drizzt" when really, all I want is this.

As for the people who say that anyone can do nature stuff, that is BS, because as soon as they put X into a Ranger class feature it is, by implication, no longer a legitimate use of a Wisdom check. Rangers and Barbarians both have access to some cool survival stuff that I like that I can't get with a fighter.