Unearthed Arcana For Ranger fans. Does the UA article ‘fix’ the Ranger for you?

[cbwjm]

Pretty much, yes.

Only thing wrong now really is that lousy capstone, but I understand it's a lower-priority fix being it's Lv. 20.

Although it still needs another option eventually if people aren't using the favoured enemy base class feature.

 

[Gladius Legis]

Although it still needs another option eventually if people aren't using the favoured enemy base class feature.

Well, the text for the UA Favored Foe explicitly refers to the enemy you tag with the Hunter's Mark from this feature as your "favored enemy," so the capstone can still work in that sense.

 

[AtomicPope]

We've been using the UA for Beastmaster Rangers. The only thing we changed was we kept Spell Sharing. Other than that, it vastly improved the Beastmaster. The campaign reached 20th level months ago, and they're getting their 2nd boon. We probably have another year left of play before it wraps up. The only level 20 character that didn't multiclass was the Ranger. That makes the UA changes all the better. A player gets a great character they wanted to play, and it can keep up with multiclass builds.

 

[Parmandur]

The creature stat blocks that don't feel like traps was a brilliant move. The new options don't objectively overshadow the originals, but they are more relevant to a lot of games (boni to the Exploration rules are invalidated if the table hand-waves exploration rules).

 

[cbwjm]

Well, the text for the UA Favored Foe explicitly refers to the enemy you tag with the Hunter's Mark from this feature as your "favored enemy," so the capstone can still work in that sense.

Oh okay, I missed that even though I read over it a few times. At least it still works even if it could maybe do with an upgrade.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The creature stat blocks that don't feel like traps was a brilliant move. The new options don't objectively overshadow the originals, but they are more relevant to a lot of games (boni to the Exploration rules are invalidated if the table hand-waves exploration rules).

In my group we are using all the “replacements” as “enhancements” for the ranger, bc the phb versions are basically ribbons, but otherwise we are into it.

I’m not 100% on the beast stats HP levels, but being able to get them up with a 1st level spell slot helps. I haven’t compared their likely hp at a given level to the average and “high average” damage for appropriate CR monster abilities and spells, especially AoE spells, so I won’t be able to make a call until I do that.

If it can survive average at-level AoE damage or single turn of attacks amount of damage, then it’s probably good to go.

I’d still just give it Con mod per level, though.
And make the HP scale by total level, not ranger level. It isn’t balanced to scale by ranger level. It just makes it the only feature that actively loses power when you multiclass, rather than just failing to get stronger along with the challenges.

MC as a caster, and your spells don’t lose power. They just don’t scale up to meet greater threats. MC as a BM Ranger, and you eventually effectively lose the ability to use your subclass in combat at all. Not great.

 

[Charlaquin]

Deft Explorer is excellent. Removing exhaustion on a short rest is pretty overpowered in my opinion, and I wish you could take Canny more than once if you wanted to, but I think both of those are likely to be addressed in the next step of development. Favored Foe is almost exactly what I want out of a Favored Enemy type feature, except letting you maintain it without Concentration is too dippable. I would make it require Concentration and leave out the Wis mod uses /short rest limitation. Just let the ranger cast it as a 5th level spell at-will. The new fighting style, spells, and spell versatility are fine, I guess, if you like spellcasting Rangers. Not my thing, personally. Primal Awareness is... Better than Primeval Awareness, I guess, but giving the ranger more spells really isn’t the fix I’d have hoped for. I didn’t have any problem with Hide in Plain Sight, and I really don’t like Fade Away, but it’s good to have the option there for people who want an alternative to HiPS. The new beast companion options totally fix the Beastmaster. It’s exactly what the subclass needed.

 

[Ashrym]

I like it, but I think free castings from awareness spells was going to far, and I would level-gate some of the options differently.

I was fine with the standard version, tbh, but this looks good.

Pretty much, yes.

Only thing wrong now really is that lousy capstone, but I understand it's a lower-priority fix being it's Lv. 20.

Well, the text for the UA Favored Foe explicitly refers to the enemy you tag with the Hunter's Mark from this feature as your "favored enemy," so the capstone can still work in that sense.

I was under the impression the capstone applied to the favored foe, making the capstone better.

 

[ScuroNotte]

The PHB version is horrendous. These modifications are a step in the right direction, but the class still needs more work.

Deft Explorer is great, though I would have preferred expertise in 2 skills (why give it to the barbarian).
Also I would have added the proficiency to the initiative roll and advantage on attacks before other creature have attacked as a choice (with caveat it was attainable at 6th level or kater).

Primal Awareness. Extra spells are ok. Would have preferred something more thematic as the Ranger is supposed to excel in perception ie spotting/tracking their prey. I would have thought giving an ability that negates a penalty in tracking at a fast pace and moving at a fast pace would have been more beneficial and thematic.

Fade Away. Seems more like a subclass feature. And only once per long rest makes it less useful than Hide in Plain Sight.

 

[Gladius Legis]

I was under the impression the capstone applied to the favored foe, making the capstone better.

It makes it more widely applicable, yes. Which I suppose translates to "better." I still feel like a capstone should be more than a middling DPR boost that's nothing even close to the Fighter's or Barbarian's, though.