D&D 5E "....as if you were concentrating on a spell"

[Arial Black]

I think the introduction of these abilities is best seen as saying that Concentration is now a general mechanic, not spell-specific. Just imagine "requires Concentration" is put on such abilities, just as it is put on spells.

I'm now convinced that this is the case.

And that's a problem.

On its face, at 3rd level the ability lets you do 2.5 extra damage....per round....if you hit that target at least once in that round. So less than 2 per round given that you might miss.

This is not much at all.

Then...it only lasts for one minute...twice per day.

That makes it worse.

But that's not the real horror.

The real horror is this: while you are benefitting from this less than 2 points per round, it actively prevents you from benefitting from half your other ranger abilities! The vast majority of ranger combat spells are concentration spells, and since Favoured Foe does so little for you that you'll use your spells first, all it really does is give you a tiny boost if you've already run out of slots.

If this was meant to fix the ranger, it failed!

 

[Krachek]

To conclude keep up with initial favored enemy.

 

[Flamestrike]

On its face, at 3rd level the ability lets you do 2.5 extra damage....per round....if you hit that target at least once in that round. So less than 2 per round given that you might miss.

At low level. It does scale as you advance in level, and has a fantastic action economy (free action to use, after you land the hit)

Then...it only lasts for one minute...twice per day.

2-6 times per day. It also scales with proficiency bonus in uses per day.

The real horror is this: while you are benefitting from this less than 2 points per round, it actively prevents you from benefitting from half your other ranger abilities!

No it doesn't 'prevent' anything. You can still use Hunters Mark or whatever on subsequent rounds; it's just if you do, Favoured Foe ends.

Seeing as Favored enemy wasnt doing much anyway for you (advantage on Int checks for lore and a language) that's not a total waste.

It simply gives you an extra option for those times when you're not concentrating on anything, wanna use your bonus action for something else (sending your Beastmaster pet into attack, TWF, firing a second hand crossbow, using some other Bonus action ability or feature like Monster Hunter Rangers 'Hunter eye', find yourself in an AMF or out of spells etc), and want some extra damage.

Rangers didnt (and dont) need extra damage on top of Hunters Mark to be competitive (especially at low to mid level where they're one of the best DPR kings in the game). What they needed (and still to some degree need) is an incentive to stick with the class past around 6th level or so.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The crux of my uncertainty is this: a Pact of the Blade warlock's weapon counts as a magic weapon for the purposes of bypassing damage resistance/immunity, but counting as a magic weapon for one purpose does not make it an actual magic weapon! For example, it won't detect as magic to a detect magic spell.

I would rule that the pact weapon counts as magical because it is magical. It appeared out of thin air after all. It would certainly register to Detect Magic in my game. There is nothing to suggest it does not.

So, does the fact that you lose the effect in the same way you lose concentration on a spell make it an effect that requires your concentration to maintain?


You are not actually concentrating on Favoured Foe, it's just that you lose the mark under some conditions AS IF you were concentrating on a spell

You need to concentrate on favoured foe, you need to concentrate on a spell. There is only one kind of concentration, some spells use it, some other abilities use it.

 

[Arial Black]

At low level. It does scale as you advance in level, and has a fantastic action economy (free action to use, after you land the hit)



2-6 times per day. It also scales with proficiency bonus in uses per day.



No it doesn't 'prevent' anything. You can still use Hunters Mark or whatever on subsequent rounds; it's just if you do, Favoured Foe ends..

I chose my words carefully. I said "at 3rd level".

And since I said "while benefitting" from Favoured Foe it prevents you from "benefitting" from concentration spells, I'm still not wrong. You cannot simultaneously benefit from both.

 

[Flamestrike]

I would rule that the pact weapon counts as magical because it is magical. It appeared out of thin air after all. It would certainly register to Detect Magic in my game. There is nothing to suggest it does not.

It's not 'magical' according to the rules. Neither is the act of summoning it.

Supernatural, yes. But not magical. They're different things in 5E.

It can be summoned in an AMF, it doesn't lose its properties in that AMF, and it doesn't register to detect magic.

 

[Arial Black]

I would rule that the pact weapon counts as magical because it is magical. It appeared out of thin air after all. It would certainly register to Detect Magic in my game. There is nothing to suggest it does not.

I can't stop you homebrewing, but if it were actually magical it would say so. It's actually more words to say it counts as magical than it does to say it is magical. Like they do for every single magical weapon in the DMG.

 

[Flamestrike]

I chose my words carefully. I said "at 3rd level".

And since I said "while benefitting" from Favoured Foe it prevents you from "benefitting" from concentration spells, I'm still not wrong. You cannot simultaneously benefit from both.

No you cant benefit from both simultaneously, but so what? It's not like 3rd level Rangers are lacking in the DPR stakes. Bonus action Hunters Mark, Shoot enemy with Crossbow (maybe with Sharpshooter and Archery style) trigger Colossus slayer. 1d10+1d8+1d6+3 (maybe +10) damage. If Hunters Mark is already active, you're spamming 2 shortsword attacks at a total of 4d6+1d8+6 damage per round.

At 3rd level.

Where it Favored Foe comes in handy:

1) 1st level (no Hunters mark available at that level). It's free damage.
2) Where you're not concentrating on a spell, want to use your bonus action for something else (and plenty of Ranger abilities use that bonus action, in particular Beastmasters and two weapon fighters) and want a bit of extra damage that round.
3) For when Hunters Mark is down and you are out of 1st level slots (or want to hold back and save one). Rangers are not proficient in Con saves, so Hunters Mark can drop a lot, and as half casters they dont have many slots at low levels.

I might want to send my Beast Pet into Help or Attack (or do anything other than Dodge) which uses my Bonus action (so no Hunters Mark). In times like that, where Im not currently concentrating on HM, a free bit of extra damage is nice.

 

[Flamestrike]

I can't stop you homebrewing, but if it were actually magical it would say so. It's actually more words to say it counts as magical than it does to say it is magical. Like they do for every single magical weapon in the DMG.

Magic weapons are (RAW) 'magical'. They detect as such and are shut down in an AMF.

Pact weapons are not (RAW) 'magical' (although they are 'supernatural') nor is the ability to summon them 'magical' (both of which can be done in an AMF).

The game distinguishes between 'magical' effects (spells, items, features that use slots to function such as smites etc) and 'supernatural' effects (dragon breath, constructs moving around, beholders hovering, ghosts existing etc).

The latter dont count as magical, nor do they detect as such.

 

[Umbran]

Supernatural, yes. But not magical. They're different things in 5E.

Where in the 5e rules is "supernatural" defined as "not actually magic"?

3e had that as a keyword on types of abilities - I don't recall that being the case in 5e. So, this sounds like your personal interpretation, rather than a fact of the game for everyone.