D&D 5E (2024) Brainstorming ways to fix ranger with new spells.

[Moving Pictures]

So one of the reasons paladin works and rangers don't, is because smites are in addition to weapon attacks. Not replacing them.

So it seems to me the best way to fix rangers is to have spells that add to weapon attacks. Bonus points if it also somehow stacks with Hunter's Mark.

Give rangers herbs they can find.

 

[Minigiant]

Dissonant Whispers, Command, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Misty Step, Mirror Image and Invisibility would all be awesome on a Ranger. I should say are all awesome as I usually have some of these on Ranger's I play.

Then there is rituals like Identify, Comprehend Languages ...

The WIS spells are meh for most rangers.

But most of the buffs were nice. Not vital. PAS and Invisibility are stylish and situational difference.

 

[Horwath]

That just encourage multiclassing and hurt the ranger. Ranger 1/Druid 19 would could attack 10 times with Shillelagh.

We need level 3/4/5 spells unique to the ranger.
Not level 1 spells that scale with slots.

maybe we need to change spellcasting multiclass rules then.
you just have spell slots from your class levels
wizard5/cleric5 instead of 10th level caster slots with 4th and 5th level slots would have
8 1st level slots
6 2nd level slots
4 3rd level slots

in spell points you still lose as you would get 54 SP worth of slots instead of 64 per normal rules.
on the other hand, you would get 18 spell slots total vs 16 with normal rules.

 

[Horwath]

Dissonant Whispers, Command, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Misty Step, Mirror Image and Invisibility would all be awesome on a Ranger. I should say are all awesome as I usually have some of these on Ranger's I play.

Then there is rituals like Identify, Comprehend Languages ...

I would not add all those spells to a ranger, Invisibility and Misty step for sure. others not.
for rituals, I agree.

ranger spell focus:
Terrain altering effects
Terrain avoiding effects
Direct damage buffs/effects. single target or AoE
Beast and plant control/summoning
Avoiding and controling weather.

 

[ECMO3]

I would not add all those spells to a ranger, Invisibility and Misty step for sure. others not.
for rituals, I agree.

ranger spell focus:
Terrain altering effects
Terrain avoiding effects
Direct damage buffs/effects. single target or AoE
Beast and plant control/summoning
Avoiding and controling weather.

For me Rangers need more arcane and explicitly magical focus than their current spell selection allows.