D&D 5E (2014) Convince me that the Ranger is a necessary Class.

[Corinnguard]

this.

you are a mage.

take feats:
wild shape
animal companion
some armor proficiency

take nature/elemental themed spells.
...

congratulations, you are now a druid.

Another way to do this is to make a Druid leaning subclass for the Wizard that is modeled after Radagast the Brown from LoTR. The School of Biomancy.

According to Wikipedia, Radagast could communicate with animals, had some skill with herbs and had the shamanistic ability to change shape.

 

[Minigiant]

this.

you are a mage.

take feats:
wild shape
animal companion
some armor proficiency

take nature/elemental themed spells.
...

congratulations, you are now a druid.

No I meant my PHB class list would be

1. Artificer
2. Beastmaster
3. Berserker (remained Barbarian)
4. Brawler
5. Chosen (Replacing Paladin and Hexblade)
6. Cleric
7. Fighter
8. Marshal
9. Ranger
10. Rogue
11. Shifter
12. Sorcerer
13. Warlock
14. Weaponmaster
15. Wizard

The D&D druid is a cobbled together mess with no logical reason to look like that. It's a Shapeshifter, Nature mage, and Spirit Priest in a bad blend

 

[Horwath]

No I meant my PHB class list would be

1. Artificer
2. Beastmaster
3. Berserker (remained Barbarian)
4. Brawler
5. Chosen (Replacing Paladin and Hexblade)
6. Cleric
7. Fighter
8. Marshal
9. Ranger
10. Rogue
11. Shifter
12. Sorcerer
13. Warlock
14. Weaponmaster
15. Wizard

The D&D druid is a cobbled together mess with no logical reason to look like that. It's a Shapeshifter, Nature mage, and Spirit Priest in a bad blend

that works.

But, I would just have 2

1. spellcaster
2. martial

 

[Minigiant]

that works.

But, I would just have 2

1. spellcaster
2. martial

No 1/2 caster, 1/3 caster, or nonwarrior rogue?

 

[CreamCloud0]

this.

you are a mage.

take feats:
wild shape
animal companion
some armor proficiency

take nature/elemental themed spells.
...

congratulations, you are now a druid.

i don't hate the idea of feat-based customization, in fact i quite like it, but as a supplemental system to narrow in on specific ideas within an existing array of designed classes, rather than the entire basis of a character creation system. i don't think DnD is ever going to go full feat-based, classes are simply too iconic to identity of the franchise.

 

[Corinnguard]

i don't think DnD is ever going to go full feat-based, classes are simply too iconic to identity of the franchise.

And it would make them too much like Pathfinder 2nd edition with its' plethora of feats (ancestry feats, class feats, multiclass feats, skill feats, etc.)

 

[CreamCloud0]

And it would make them too much like Pathfinder 2nd edition with its' plethora of feats (ancestry feats, class feats, multiclass feats, skill feats, etc.)

I'll take your word for it.

 

[Horwath]

No 1/2 caster, 1/3 caster, or nonwarrior rogue?

halfcaster, multiclass half levels of mage with half levels of martial
1/3 caster, take 1/3rd levels of mage, rest martial
rogue: take more skill/expertise feats instead of more HP, armor, extra attacks.

 

[Horwath]

i don't hate the idea of feat-based customization, in fact i quite like it, but as a supplemental system to narrow in on specific ideas within an existing array of designed classes, rather than the entire basis of a character creation system. i don't think DnD is ever going to go full feat-based, classes are simply too iconic to identity of the franchise.

I mean, in 3.5e we had wizard and fighter as perfect examples of that.
one had no spells and lot of bonus feat slots, other had spells and fewer bonus feat slots.

 

[CreamCloud0]

I mean, in 3.5e we had wizard and fighter as perfect examples of that.
one had no spells and lot of bonus feat slots, other had spells and fewer bonus feat slots.

sure, but they weren't exactly the only classes that existed in that edition were they? and the list of feats the fighter could take were a bunch of fightery things intended to serve as your class features within a theme, the fighter couldn't just take wildshape could they? plus, i suspect many of us don't really want to see the return of excessive feat trees, something i believe was born out of the fighter's 'build it out of feats' design.