D&D (2024) Ranger 2024 is a bigger joke than Ranger 2014:

[UngeheuerLich]

either Concentration on HM needs to go or having class features that rely on HM needs to go.

Not necessarily. At least the question is at what level concentration has to go. I ma very much oposed to removing it at level 1.

 

[Weiley31]

What they should've done was, if they were so intent on keeping the focus on Hunters Mark, is make it a mix of old and new with it and Favoured Enemy.

What do I mean?
2024 Favoured Enemy: Pick two Creature types. Your 2024 HM effects apply automatically and doesn't need concentration to maintain. (Follow UA Playtest rules where it increases in damage at certain levels or just go 1D6-->1D8-->1D10 at certain class level thresholds)

Against everything else that isn't your two chosen Creature Types? Follow the 2024 Hunter Mark spell ranger rules as shown in the 2024 Ranger.

Your still doing "Hunters Mark" the class, but ya still keep part of the old school aspect of the class and reinforcing how you've studied how to fight certain creatures.

 

[CapnZapp]

Lol

Congratulations your thread is the first complaining about a whole class being useless I've seen!

I mean, given the 2014 ranger that's a saf-ish bet but still, the rules are still months away...

 

[Not a Decepticon]

Lol

Congratulations your thread is the first complaining about a whole class being useless I've seen!

I mean, given the 2014 ranger that's a saf-ish bet but still, the rules are still months away...

You're saing to wait for WotC to screw up the Monk after all too?

 

[Horwath]

Not necessarily. At least the question is at what level concentration has to go. I ma very much oposed to removing it at level 1.

sure, it can stay until level 5 at the latest.

you cannot make a key class feature, spend class resources to improve it, give worse capstone feature in the game keyed to it and have Concentration on it, preventing usage of lot's of spells.

 

[Weiley31]

You're saing to wait for WotC to screw up the Monk after all too?

Always got the UA Playtest(the good one) to fall back on.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

sure, it can stay until level 5 at the latest.

you cannot make a key class feature, spend class resources to improve it, give worse capstone feature in the game keyed to it and have Concentration on it, preventing usage of lot's of spells.

I bet I can...

not that it might be my best idea. But on the other hand, my ranger fantasy is using spells mainly for exploration and maybe healing. I never saw ranger as the buff or debuff class.

So if all the ranger uses in combat is hunter's mark, i am happy enough if they can make use of their spells outtside combat.

Making hunter's mark a concentration class feature is a forceful way of achieving that.

I mean how many people are there that don't want the ranger to cast any spell at all.
That does not mean that the capstone is more than dissatisfying.

But if the ranger spell list and the spells wothing are improved and the bonus action economy is fixed, the ranger is in a great enough spot. Especially when you remember they now have also ritual casting for alarm, beast sense, animal messenger etc.

The 2014 ranger class was never bad in actual play. They had utility, they had enough damage, especially as a bow user. It just felt clunky due to action economy, and their spellcasting was too limited so a lot of cool spells were never used. Even the tasha fixes (favoured foe giving bad hunter's mark as ability) did not sit totally right.

So even though I understand your disappointment, I bet the class will play perfectly fine and way better than 2014 ranger.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Always got the UA Playtest(the good one) to fall back on.

Yeah. That monk won't go through unnerfed. If you want an overpowered class compared to other martials, go for it.
A few pieces will be brought in line. And then it is a very fine class.

 

[Micah Sweet]

either Concentration on HM needs to go or having class features that rely on HM needs to go.

Worth noting here that the idea of HM as keystone to the entire class is just as set in stone and unchangeable as the idea of spells being central to the ranger fantasy, according to WotC.

 

[Micah Sweet]

You're saing to wait for WotC to screw up the Monk after all too?

There's no wait, except to see what they've done. The monk class is also set in stone, just like the ranger. Nothing we can say or do will change the books.