D&D (2024) Ranger Ideas +

[doctorbadwolf]

Okay, by + I just mean don’t derail with arguments about the premise of the thread or the goals of the thread, or about wotc or whatever.

So, I have some ideas for the 2024 Ranger that I want to flesh out, possible for a setting book I’m working on but possibly just for my home games.

First, Hunter’s Mark can be cast without concentration once a day, but it only lasts for 1 minute. At level 5 it becomes “when you cast Hunters Mark with your Favored Enemy feature, you can modify the spell to have a duration of one minute and cause it to lose the concentration keyword.”

At level 11, you can make an attack as part of the bonus action used to cast Hunter’s Mark or to change the target of that spell. Wis mod/LR.

Ensaring Strike loses concentration. (It already has a limiter in the form of repeat saving throws).

Beast Master’s Primal Companion: Each Beast option is like the Summon X spells, having different “aspects” you can choose when summoning it or at the end of a long rest. Land and Sea get Pack Hunter, Behemoth, or Ambush Predator. Air gets Scout, Ambush Predator, and Familiar.

You can spend a level 2+ spell slot when you cast Hunter’s Mark to have a second primal companion or to buff your companion, for as long as the spell lasts. If you do so, the spell has concentration even if cast using Favored Enemy.

buff would just be THP and it deals Hunter’s Mark damage.

Pack Hunter can give advantage against an enemy it hits, and is mobile. Maybe gets to shove or trip when it attacks instead of just straight advantage?

Behemoth has more HP and can be up to Large.

Ambush Predator has strong stealth and hits harder but has less HP.

Scout is very fast and has Evasion and strong stealth, and can help as a bonus action.

Familiar basically acts like a familiar.

Maybe all three get Scout.

I’m also working on a spell that is similar to Booming Blade as a “smite”, where you mark the target and deal a little force damage with the triggering attack, and if it takes the Magic Action or uses a special ability that is magical, before the spell ends, it takes more force damage.
Another spell would hurt you if you move more than half speed or use any movement type other than walking. Spells that target the strategies and abilities of common monsters.

I’d also like to give the Ranger Find Familiar as a spell, and the ability to add wisdom to nature checks.

Any thoughts on these various ideas? If you had to pick just one to develop, which would it be and what would you do with it?

 

[Zardnaar]

I think the main problem is bonus action hunters mark.

Maybe bonus action to cast it reaction to move it. Mixed in with any of your ideas.

 

[Aurel Guthrie]

I think Hunter's Mark without concentration should come into play at level 5 rather than 1 to discourage dipping one level into Ranger to get free damage on every attack on top of whatever spell they're concentrating on.

Tbh I think Hunter's Mark shouldn't be a spell at all but just a Ranger feature that they can expend favored enemy to use, with no concentration attached to it.

I do like @Zardnaar's idea of being able to move it with your reaction.

 

[Zardnaar]

I think Hunter's Mark without concentration should come into play at level 5 rather than 1 to discourage dipping one level into Ranger to get free damage on every attack on top of whatever spell they're concentrating on.

Tbh I think Hunter's Mark shouldn't be a spell at all but just a Ranger feature that they can expend favored enemy to use, with no concentration attached to it.

I do like @Zardnaar's idea of being able to move it with your reaction.

Not mine originally. Can't remember where I saw it.

Wife's playing one currently level 4. Think she's multiclassing out after 5.

 

[Horwath]

1: drop favored enemy

2: add Hunter's focus
As a bonus action you can focus on one target you can see or hear,
you gain advantage on Insight, Perception and Survival checks vs that target
ONCE ON YOUR TURN you deal extra +1d4 damage when you hit the target with an attack. Extra damage is the same type of damage that is the attack.
at level 5, damage is increased to +1d6
at level 9, damage is increased to +1d8
at level 13, damage is increased to +1d10
at level 17, damage is increase to +1d12 and you have advantage on attacks vs the target
at level 20, you can deal damage with ALL attacks you make vs the target

focus lasts until you pick a new target of finish a Long rest.

at 13th level you can focus on up to 5 targets with a single Bonus action or separate until total of 5 targets.
focus lasts for 1 week now.

3: change to Hunter's mark spell
lose the skill boosts,
add: you ignore any disadvantage on attacks vs target and all cover bonuses to AC.
bonus damage stays the same.

 

[Eubani]

WotC could of improved the design of the Ranger by not allowing Danny the intern to design it.

 

[Corinnguard]

Laser Llama designed a concentration-less, non-spell version of Hunter's Mark called Ranger's Quarry.

You focus your senses to hunt as a predator of the wild. Also at 2nd level, you can use a bonus action to mark one creature you can see as your Quarry, gaining the benefits below:

Whenever you damage it with an attack, you deal bonus damage equal to a roll of your Quarry Die, which is a d4.
Whenever you make an ability check to track or locate it, you can add one roll of your Quarry Die to your d20 roll.

These benefits last for 1 hour but end early if your Quarry is slain or if you mark another creature as your Quarry. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. When you have no uses left, you can expend a spell slot to use this feature again.

When you reach 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th levels in this class, both the duration of Ranger's Quarry and the size of your Quarry Die increase, as indicated in the Ranger table.
6th-level: Quarry die is a d6 and Ranger's Quarry lasts about 8 hours.
10th-level: Quarry die is a d8 and Ranger's Quarry lasts about 24 hours.
14th-level: Quarry die is a d10 and Ranger's Quarry lasts about a week.
18th-level: Quarry die is a d12 and Ranger's Quarry lasts indefinitely.

At 5th level, you can't have disadvantage on attack rolls against your Quarry.
The 20th-level capstone for Laser Llama's Ranger does this:

You are a Ranger of mythic skill, rivaling the great huntsmen of legend. At 20th level, whenever you hit your Quarry with a weapon attack, you can immediately end the mark and cause that attack to deal maximum damage instead of rolling. If the attack reduces the creature to 50 hit points or fewer, it must succeed on Constitution saving throw against. your Spell save DC or instantly be reduced to 0 hit points.

 

[aco175]

I have seem other 'fixes' that make Hunter's Mark available every time you swing a sword or shoot a bow. Switching it as a free action or bonus action between swings and such. At some point the idea is to make it a thing and use it on each attack. Just make it a feature like what others are saying a be done with it. It can be like the cleric feature that just boosts their damage to keep up.

I do like the idea of changing some of the spells to target monster abilities. Taking away, or just damaging them if they use the ability, such as fly or polymorph would be cool. I would think about making it into just one spell, or maybe a basic and advanced version though. I would also make it more situational to take away the generic 'humanoid' favored enemy, but I guess it would not be more powerful than other 2nd level spells. It would be cool to take away a monster's resistance to slashing until the next turn.

 

[Theory of Games]

First, Hunter’s Mark can be cast without concentration once a day, but it only lasts for 1 minute. At level 5 it becomes “when you cast Hunters Mark with your Favored Enemy feature, you can modify the spell to have a duration of one minute and cause it to lose the concentration keyword.”

The reason HM is "Concentration, up to one hour" is Rangers can use it to track fleeing targets (Advantage with Perception and Survival to find the target). By removing concentration and dropping it to 1 minute, the spell just becomes another boring DPR bump.

 

[Corinnguard]

Instead of placing a time limit on how long a Ranger can maintain their concentration for the duration of HM, what about bringing back the 3.5e Concentration skill for 5.5e?