Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Skyscraper" data-source="post: 6759048" data-attributes="member: 48518">Thanks for the comments and shares, and for the discussion.As concerns the two ranger fixes proposed in the UA articles: I find the first fix to bring the ranger a bit too close to the fighter, with the manoeuvers. I like that the fighter has exclusivity over that interesting mechanic and I feel that it doesn't distinguish the ranger enough to give him that as what then becomes its defining power. The second UA article brings the flavor of the ranger into the realm of the shaman as I noted above, and this is not a flavor I wish for the ranger to have.As for the ranger replicating spells with herbs and poultices as suggested by @<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/member.php?u=93321" target="_blank">Psikerlord#</a>, while the idea is interesting and flavorful, it is not what I would be looking for. For one thing, it brings the ranger closer to an herbalist/alchmist. I understand that the flavor of the ranger picking herbs in the wild is somewhat distinctive, but the result remains a potion-maker and it's not what I'm hoping. My own take does have a bit of that with (1) a healing power and (2) a neutralize poison power; but I wish to orient the ranger elsewhere.The idea of making the ranger a rogue spineoff would also not be to my liking, although I understand the impulse. The sneak attack remains a distinguishing element of the rogue, and for the ranger to have that, it both works against distinguishing the ranger and the rogue.One important point I did not mention initially in this thread, is that the animal companion would not be limited in its actions or attacks: the ranger can order it to act whenever he wants.Without spells, the ranger looses Hunter's Mark. However, damage output would be mitigated by the animal companion being able to attack each round.The companion would be slightly weaker than the one presently in the PHB, since it only gets the proficiency bonus from the ranger at level 6; and it increases in hit points by a value of 1d4 + CON-mod per ranger level after the third. My idea is that I don't want the companion to steal the show. With strong bonuses and hit points comparable to some PCs, the companion would become a very strong ally and I wish for the companion to be the wearker among the party members. That's why I downgraded the animal companion a bit.So my take on the ranger provides him with the following defining powers:1) animal companion that is active at all times2) Hunter's abilities and fighting style that give the ranger some distinctive battle orientation3) wilderness-oriented powers that are already defined in the PHB4) some additional powers such as faster overland movement, minor healing, and increased damage vs. favored enemy, that to me hit on ranger artchetypical flavorsHopefully, this would make the ranger distinctive in flavor from the other classes, and an interesting spell-less ranger to play.</blockquote>

Verification