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?
Okay, so partly from this thread and mostly from my excellent wife, I have a silhouette of a set of changes and new features to make the Ranger I want to play and DM for.
At level 1, add to Favored Enemy - “When you cast Hunter’s Mark, you can modify the spell to not require concentration and to have a duration of one minute. [1/LR]”
At level 2, Deft Explorer gains - When you cast Hunter’s Mark using Favored Enemy, you can add the d6 to wisdom ability checks with the nature, animal handling, and survival, skills. You must be making the check to interact with the target of Hunter’s Mark, unless you target yourself. If you are your own target, the die is a d4, but has no restriction as to the target of your ability checks to which you can add the die.”
At level 5, you gain Greater Favored Enemy, which lets you modify hunters mark every time you cast it, rather than once per day, and you can make a survival, perception, or nature, check to determine the vulnerabilities, resistences, movement types, and immunities, of your target, as part of the bonus action.
At level 6, add
At level 9, replace expertise with being able to add the hunters mark die to any checks with a ranger skill.
At level 11, you can attack once as per of the bonus action usd to cast or choose a new target of Hunter’s Mark.
Here is where I’d add Wisdom to damage against your HM target, as well. Let the capstone be epic.
Level 13 you no longer have to reduce the duration of Hunter’s Mark when removing concentration via Favored Enemy.
Level 20. Your uses of Favored Enemy are unlimited, and your attacks against your Hunter’s Mark target crit on a 19 or 20.
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Spells
Ensaring Strike loses concentration.
Gain Find Familiar.
Add several new spells that target creatures with certain abilities or strategies, like described in the OP. Designed to be brutal against a specific enemy type but still useful against a wider range, like spellcasters or flying creatures or creatures with breath weapons, or do stuff like rob a creature of a resistance, etc. call each one “[Something] Bane”
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Hunter - Gain Bane spells and faerie fire as extra spells, same number of spells as other Ranger subclasses that have spells. Add a mid level ability to increase the HM damage die.
Beastmaster - gain buff spells that work well for the beast.
