D&D 5E It's official, WOTC hates Rangers (Tasha's version of Favored Foe is GARBAGE)

[Don Durito]

You automatically succeed, unless there is no chance of succeeding.

The rules are normally:

Yes. I just said exactly that.

 

[Don Durito]

That's all well and good, but is that fun?

Yes and no.

Might as well ask if getting hit by the monster in combat is fun. Not in the moment no. When you actually overcome the challenge? Yes.

When is it most fun to play a Fighter? When you get through a combat without taking a scratch or when you roll a Crit at the most decisive moment and turn the tide of a battle that looked like it was about to turn into a TPK.

 

[Flamestrike]

A party with a Ranger (Outlander) in Chult:

DM: You move at 10 miles per day because of the difficult terrain of the jung..
Ranger: Nope. We move at normal speed as per the DMG; 24 miles per day.
DM OK then, this is a hexcrawl and you need to make Survival checks or you get los...
Ranger: Nope. I never get lost. I also have a good idea of whats around me (ruins, settlements, terrain features etc) in the local area at all times.
DM: OK, food and water are hard to...
Ranger: Nope. I can feed myself and up to 10 people with no checks required.
DM: OK, screw it, where do you want to go?

 

[Xeviat]

Rogue - Rapier + SA 1d8+1d6+ability mod.
Ranger - Longsword (Two handed or heavy crossbow) 1d10+1d4+ ability mod. Could use a greatsword for more.

Rogue, 2 short swords: 1d6+3, 1d6, +1d6 if one hits
Ranger, 2 short swords: same, but +1d4 if one hits

If ranged, it's shortbow vs longbow.

 

[Flamestrike]

Rogue, 2 short swords: 1d6+3, 1d6, +1d6 if one hits
Ranger, 2 short swords: same, but +1d4 if one hits

If ranged, it's shortbow vs longbow.

Now put them in a one on one fight. Ranger wins due to no SA for the Rogue, more HP for the Ranger, and likely also a better AC.

 

[Don Durito]

A party with a Ranger (Outlander) in Chult:

DM: You move at 10 miles per day because of the difficult terrain of the jung..
Ranger: Nope. We move at normal speed as per the DMG; 24 miles per day.
DM OK then, this is a hexcrawl and you need to make Survival checks or you get los...
Ranger: Nope. I never get lost. I also have a good idea of whats around me (ruins, settlements, terrain features etc) in the local area at all times.
DM: OK, food and water are hard to...
Ranger: Nope. I can feed myself and up to 10 people with no checks required.
DM: OK, screw it, where do you want to go?

Deja vu

 

[Horwath]

Survival DCs should go from 10 to 30.
10 being farmlands 30 being most difficult desert, arctic or deep Underdark.

Outlander should reduce DC by 5, Natural Explorer(that works everywhere) should also reduce difficulty by 5.

That way ranger and background give good boosts for survival and not having auto success in all situations.
Add option that rangers can have expertise in survival at 1st level and 12 wisdom, ranger with Outlander background would reduce DC by 10, and with +5 bonus would beat starting DC 25 with passive score(former take 10).

 

[Flamestrike]

Survival DCs should go from 10 to 30.
10 being farmlands 30 being most difficult desert, arctic or deep Underdark.

Outlander should reduce DC by 5, Natural Explorer(that works everywhere) should also reduce difficulty by 5.

That way ranger and background give good boosts for survival and not having auto success in all situations.
Add option that rangers can have expertise in survival at 1st level and 12 wisdom, ranger with Outlander background would reduce DC by 10, and with +5 bonus would beat starting DC 25 with passive score(former take 10).

Rangers do have expertise in survival at 1st level. While in their favoured terrain.

They also have expertise in medicine, perception, animal handling, insight, and all intelligence checks.

Wood elf Ranger - Skills Perception, nature, survival, stealth, athletics, animal handling - is a pretty standard Ranger and they have expertise in all skills on that list in their favoured terrain (other than Stealth and Athletics).

 

[Horwath]

Rangers do have expertise in survival at 1st level. While in their favoured terrain.

They also have expertise in medicine, perception, animal handling, insight, and all intelligence checks.

Wood elf Ranger - Skills Perception, nature, survival, stealth, athletics, animal handling - is a pretty standard Ranger and they have expertise in all skills on that list in their favoured terrain (other than Stealth and Athletics).

that is why I stated that Natural Explorer should work everywhere. Except expertise part, that should be a few skills that every ranger can pick for themselves.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Now put them in a one on one fight. Ranger wins due to no SA for the Rogue, more HP for the Ranger, and likely also a better AC.

Okay, now put them in a party of four, against an enemy force (you know, like DnD normally does). Ranger does less damage than the rogue, who is not a d10 front-line melee class.

Rangers do have expertise in survival at 1st level. While in their favoured terrain.

They also have expertise in medicine, perception, animal handling, insight, and all intelligence checks.

Wood elf Ranger - Skills Perception, nature, survival, stealth, athletics, animal handling - is a pretty standard Ranger and they have expertise in all skills on that list in their favoured terrain (other than Stealth and Athletics).

Expertise if it relates to their favored terrain.

You are traveling in the mountains, come across a man with a seeping, gangrenous wound. Do you have expertise on the Medicine check? Only if somehow that wound relates to "mountains"

He says he was attacked by Demons, do you get expertise on the Insight check? Only if it relates to "mountains".

Expertise in Religion to figure out what type of demon? Only if it relates to "mountains" which, it pretty much never will.

And that is assuming that your favored terrain is mountains in the first place.