professorDM
First Post
I think the ranger holds up just fine in combat, particularly the hunter subclass.
A 1st level ranger with an 18 strength and a greatsword, Horde Breaker, and Great Weapon Mastery can make 3 attacks for 6d6+12 damage in a round, assuming 1) that there is more than one enemy (triggering Horde) and 2) that one of her first two 2d6+4 attacks either crits or kills (triggering the GWM feat).
If she casts Hunter's Mark, she can add a d6 to at least one (and possibly two) of those attacks. That's a solid 7 or 8d6+12 damage in a round, and at first level!
At 5th level, she gets an Extra Attack (4 attacks doling 8d6+16 damage, plus another d6 or three [11d6+16] if she uses Hunter's Mark effectively).
At 11th level, she gets Whirlwind, allowing her to attack as many opponents as are around her. Five opponents means at least 5 attacks and 10d6+20 damage. And while I'm not sure exactly how I'd handle Whirlwind as a DM, insofar as the way it functions in conjunction with Extra Attack, Horde, and GWM's bonus attack, I would be inclined to make it an obvious benefit in crowds, above and beyond what she could already do.
I would definitely allow the GWM's bonus, if it's triggered, above and beyond Whirlwind, and I think I would allow the additionally triggered Horde attack as well. The language of Horde Breaker states that "Once on each of your turns when you make a weapon attack, you can make another attack with the same weapon against a different creature that is within 5 feet of the original target and within range of your weapon." Since Horde triggers off of any "weapon attack" and not off of an Attack action, I would allow it along with Whirlwind. (I would not allow Extra Attack, and for the same reason: it triggers off of the Attack action itself, which Whirlwind has replaced.)
So against five opponents our aforementioned level 11 ranger can make 7 attacks for 14d6+28 damage---plus whatever benefits she may derive from Hunter's Mark (a possible addition of 3d6---giving her a potential 17d6+28 output).
Of course, she's probably already boosted her strength to 20 and more than likely has guaranteed magical weapon damage to add to her totals, so... yeah.
Which ever way you slice it, I think it's clear that the ranger can more than hold her own in combat, particularly against large crowds, even if we're dumb enough to reduce the game and characters to some kind of DPR calculus. Against singular foes I'd imagine the paladin stacks up better, as so many of the ranger's benefits depend on having multiple opponents, and as far as a singular burst of 1-round damage the fighter with his Extra Attacks and Action Surge can possibly do more in one big singular spurt, but the ranger, I think, can clearly handle her own on the front lines.
(If you are fighting a single opponent, by the way, the ranger's damage output is severely reduced. The two attacks at 5th level are about it: paired with Hunter's Mark and the above weapon/strength, that's 6d6+8 per round. Not bad, but she's clearly at her best when she's fighting multiple dudes. I multiclassed my ranger as a level 1 war cleric in order to get the bonus attack(s) per day to help on singular foes---and to help ensure I got an extra attack even when I didn't trigger GWM with a crit or kill.)
...as for the beast master subclass, if I were DMing I'd definitely allow animal companions to attack all by their lonesome. I may consider making the command to attack a bonus action, but only on the first round and never as a full action (unless the player wants to try to give his or her companion particularly involved instructions or something).
A 1st level ranger with an 18 strength and a greatsword, Horde Breaker, and Great Weapon Mastery can make 3 attacks for 6d6+12 damage in a round, assuming 1) that there is more than one enemy (triggering Horde) and 2) that one of her first two 2d6+4 attacks either crits or kills (triggering the GWM feat).
If she casts Hunter's Mark, she can add a d6 to at least one (and possibly two) of those attacks. That's a solid 7 or 8d6+12 damage in a round, and at first level!
At 5th level, she gets an Extra Attack (4 attacks doling 8d6+16 damage, plus another d6 or three [11d6+16] if she uses Hunter's Mark effectively).
At 11th level, she gets Whirlwind, allowing her to attack as many opponents as are around her. Five opponents means at least 5 attacks and 10d6+20 damage. And while I'm not sure exactly how I'd handle Whirlwind as a DM, insofar as the way it functions in conjunction with Extra Attack, Horde, and GWM's bonus attack, I would be inclined to make it an obvious benefit in crowds, above and beyond what she could already do.
I would definitely allow the GWM's bonus, if it's triggered, above and beyond Whirlwind, and I think I would allow the additionally triggered Horde attack as well. The language of Horde Breaker states that "Once on each of your turns when you make a weapon attack, you can make another attack with the same weapon against a different creature that is within 5 feet of the original target and within range of your weapon." Since Horde triggers off of any "weapon attack" and not off of an Attack action, I would allow it along with Whirlwind. (I would not allow Extra Attack, and for the same reason: it triggers off of the Attack action itself, which Whirlwind has replaced.)
So against five opponents our aforementioned level 11 ranger can make 7 attacks for 14d6+28 damage---plus whatever benefits she may derive from Hunter's Mark (a possible addition of 3d6---giving her a potential 17d6+28 output).
Of course, she's probably already boosted her strength to 20 and more than likely has guaranteed magical weapon damage to add to her totals, so... yeah.
Which ever way you slice it, I think it's clear that the ranger can more than hold her own in combat, particularly against large crowds, even if we're dumb enough to reduce the game and characters to some kind of DPR calculus. Against singular foes I'd imagine the paladin stacks up better, as so many of the ranger's benefits depend on having multiple opponents, and as far as a singular burst of 1-round damage the fighter with his Extra Attacks and Action Surge can possibly do more in one big singular spurt, but the ranger, I think, can clearly handle her own on the front lines.
(If you are fighting a single opponent, by the way, the ranger's damage output is severely reduced. The two attacks at 5th level are about it: paired with Hunter's Mark and the above weapon/strength, that's 6d6+8 per round. Not bad, but she's clearly at her best when she's fighting multiple dudes. I multiclassed my ranger as a level 1 war cleric in order to get the bonus attack(s) per day to help on singular foes---and to help ensure I got an extra attack even when I didn't trigger GWM with a crit or kill.)
...as for the beast master subclass, if I were DMing I'd definitely allow animal companions to attack all by their lonesome. I may consider making the command to attack a bonus action, but only on the first round and never as a full action (unless the player wants to try to give his or her companion particularly involved instructions or something).
