D&D General Beast Master Ranger Should Have A Familiar

[doctorbadwolf]

Reading the familiar feats in Arcana Unleashed, i keep thinking about Rangers and how this is the sort of thing i wanted from the Ranger's animal companion.

Take the primal companions, and make them like the extra options for the chain pact warlock, as additional options for find familiar which should be a ranger spell to begin with.

BMs should get FF as always prepared, and be able to cast it a couple times per long rest for free, with extra options, and the familiar can attack.

The details could go several ways from there, but that would make such a better subclass with such better gameplay.

Thoughts?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I should add, i would personally then follow up with different options to upgrade your companion like the various familiar feats, as well as putting Battle Familiar (and flock of familiars)on the ranger spell list.

Then you would have a customizable companion with a structure that the game uses broadly but that you use differently enough to feel "special".

 

[Horwath]

I would rather have it spend uses of FF to cast Summon beast and at some level, 7ish? to cast summon beast without concentration that lasts 1 minute

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Take the AU feats on any ranger and you are done.

 

[Minigiant]

Level 1: Favored Enemy
You always have either the Ensnaring Strike, Hunter’s Mark, or "Primal Beast" spell prepared. From now on this is your Favored spell. You can cast your favorite spell twice without expending a spell slot, and you regain all expended uses of this ability when you finish a Long Rest.

The number of times you can cast the spell without a spell slot increases when you reach certain Ranger levels.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Reading the familiar feats in Arcana Unleashed, i keep thinking about Rangers and how this is the sort of thing i wanted from the Ranger's animal companion.

Take the primal companions, and make them like the extra options for the chain pact warlock, as additional options for find familiar which should be a ranger spell to begin with.

BMs should get FF as always prepared, and be able to cast it a couple times per long rest for free, with extra options, and the familiar can attack.

The details could go several ways from there, but that would make such a better subclass with such better gameplay.

Thoughts?

I haven’t seen the UA feats but personally I’d rather the ranger just get FF as standard on their spell list, as that’s far closer to what I imagine and desire of a ranger animal companion than any combat focused beast.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The thing is, the D&D Ranger was based on Aragorn, who does not have an animal companion, familiar, or pet of any kind. Trying to shoehorn the Beastmaster (who was more of a psionic barbarian) stuff on to the Ranger chassis was never going to work well. And that’s before Drizzt messed things up up further with his magic item animal companion and his duel wield because he is drow stuff.

But both Dar and Drizzt have combat companions.

 

[Horwath]

Level 1: Favored Enemy
You always have either the Ensnaring Strike, Hunter’s Mark, or "Primal Beast" spell prepared. From now on this is your Favored spell. You can cast your favorite spell twice without expending a spell slot, and you regain all expended uses of this ability when you finish a Long Rest.

The number of times you can cast the spell without a spell slot increases when you reach certain Ranger levels.

or even divine favor. If it's damage part that is needed.

As for tracker part:
new ability for the ranger: Tracker:
as a free action pick one creature that you can sense.
you gain Advantage on Perception, Survival and Insight checks vs the target
the "mark" lasts until you finish a Long rest or you are not on the same plane.

you can have extra mark at levels 5,11,17.
at 7th level mark lasts for 1 week
at 15th level is last until you break it or you are above mark limit and lasts over different planes.

 

[CreamCloud0]

or even divine favor. If it's damage part that is needed.

As for tracker part:
new ability for the ranger: Tracker:
as a free action pick one creature that you can sense.
you gain Advantage on Perception, Survival and Insight checks vs the target
the "mark" lasts until you finish a Long rest or you are not on the same plane.

you can have extra mark at levels 5,11,17.
at 7th level mark lasts for 1 week
at 15th level is last until you break it or you are above mark limit and lasts over different planes.

It never made sense for me that for a spell for a tracking specialist that HM requires you to of already found the thing and have it in your sights to target it.

I would have it target ‘any creature you can see, name or have found tracks of’

 

[J-H]

Favored Enemy
You deal bonus damage to Favored Enemies equal to your wisdom modifier.

No Bonus Action conflict, helps the Beastmaster benefit from +Wis helping both the Beast and damage output. Makes the Ranger feel like a specialist. Online at level 1. Easy.