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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ashrym" data-source="post: 7853781" data-attributes="member: 6750235">I disagree that the PHB version is horrendous.  It has many situational benefits and that might make it  awkward but never horrendous.Deft Explorer replaces Favored Terrain and favored terrain gives expertise equivalence in more that 2 skills.  It's double proficiency bonus for any INT or WIS skill in which the ranger is proficient in that terrain.  The current favored enemy and favored not only doubles proficiency but it also gives advantage on lore checks and survival used for tracking favored enemies.Favored terrain and favored enemy excelled in spotting and tracking the ranger's prey the way it is.  It allows high bonus in checks, gives more precise information, allows full movement while continuing to be stealthy when tracking, and allows the ranger to remain alert (not denied perception checks) per the engaged in other activities while tracking.  Those things are lost in the UA changes.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />People complained about all those benefits as campaign specific but a ranger with forest, grassland, and mountain covers most typical settings.  Not having bonuses against the favored enemy is more common.  I'm more likely to keep favored terrain and trade in favored enemy for favored foe given the choice on a ranger.  Being more universal is better in that aspect (IMO) and it meshes better with the capstone.There is a trade off in specialization versus broader application in the UA changes.  They smooth out the situational applications but I don't think a person should expect the best of both worlds here.  Either go more general with UA or more focused with PHB.  It's meant to be an alternative, not a buff.Barbarians are getting 2 skills because they are also not getting the bonus languages and they are giving up advantage on DEX saving throws from danger sense.  Saving throw bonuses are more beneficial than skill bonuses.  5e applies that initiative benefit and senses to barbarians born to the wild while rangers are just visiting.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />Primal Awareness adds spells because the intent is the ranger is to the druid as the paladin is to the cleric.  If that's not your flavor then that is unfortunate but the design intent is the design intent.  What you described from it can be found in favored terrain benefits.  Primeval Awareness has it's uses but costs limited spell slots and is also extremely situational.  I'd take primal awareness as it is in a heartbeat the way it is.  If you like the "excels at tracking and hunting enemies" then primeval awareness might be more your thing because it's used in conjunction with ability checks to make the most of it's abilities, although it tends to be more oriented to the favored enemy ability.Fade Away demonstrates it's meant to be limited in use like Hide in Plain Sight. The ability to hide without being obscured is meant to be limited.  I really like the flavor of hide in plain sight but requirements for it to be used makes it very situational.  Fade away is a lot more practical the vast majority of the time.  I'd probably keep hide in plain sight anyway.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />D&D is like a box full of chocolates.  When you start digging through to see what you like you might find out you have allergies.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />I'm not sure I see "because fighters and barbarians do moar damage" as a need here.  The captones are more reflective of defining traits of the classes and that's kind the where barbarians and fighters are.  It's not like a hit bonus once per turn is a bad ability, and better given that if the ranger ever doesn't need it a small damage boost is the backup.I see a capstone that suddenly becomes reliable instead of situational.  That's huge improvement in my mind.  Let fighters and barbarians have their damage.  Rangers have their spell benefits.Definitely.  I cannot agree enough that fade away is far more practical in it's application.You might not, but the general design is if an ability is there and really good it goes in at 2nd level to match giving up the 19th level ASI (put at 19th instead of 20th on purpose).  There was a general push to make dipping a significant trade off in 5e.  Apparently it was considered enough of an issue to implement in general so it's worth considering in changes, IMO.Given the lack of games in that tier delayed access to abilities is still the more common deterrent, and 2 levels is still bigger deterrent than 1 level.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />That's much better.  It would probably work with just a free once per long rest at every interval rangers get a new favored enemy, tbh.  Hunter's mark for free is an upgrade over favored enemy because all favored enemy gave was skill benefits and languages.Favored foe is a bit overboard as an alternative ability, in comparison.  Definitely a better choice.</blockquote>

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