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<blockquote data-quote="Mephista" data-source="post: 6543359" data-attributes="member: 6786252">This is a problem.&nbsp;&nbsp; Everything that the Ranger wants to do involves a bonus action.&nbsp; &nbsp; Use Hunter Marks or Entangling Strike or any of the various arrow spells?&nbsp;&nbsp; Bonus action.Use Shield Master feat?&nbsp; Bonus actionDual Wielding?&nbsp; Bonus action.&nbsp;&nbsp; Use a pet?&nbsp; Bonus action.We are very quickly moving into the &quot;Ranger is only good as an archer&quot; territory, which is an issue with how good the Fighter is with a bow.&nbsp; &nbsp; Iconic rangers involve one of three weapon styles - the Aragorn (sword and board), the Drizzt (dual wielding), and the Archer.&nbsp;&nbsp; Both the Beastmaster and the Hunter subclasses need to allow all three styles to function.&nbsp;&nbsp; Two of those three styles require bonus actions for using the weapon, and the Archer needs bonus actions for the archery spells.&nbsp;&nbsp; I am beginning to really think that fixing the Beastmaster isn't enough.&nbsp;&nbsp; The entire class needs to be revamped.&nbsp;&nbsp; Or turned into a vamp.&nbsp; Undead ranger... mmm.....More seriously.&nbsp;&nbsp; The only way to fix the Beastmaster is to completely decouple it from the Ranger's action economy, then keep the damage from the animal companion roughly equal to the damage from the Hunter class.&nbsp; &nbsp; The Druid's and Conjurer's summons don't take up her action.&nbsp; The Necromancer's undead don't.&nbsp; &nbsp; Dominated monsters don't.&nbsp;&nbsp; The Chain Warlock's familiar kinda does, but only for the attack action, which is strangely decoupled from the familiar taking any other action, like the Help action.The Beastmaster's rules are completely and utterly inconstant with how every other &quot;pet class&quot; operates.&nbsp;&nbsp; And that's always going to hurt it compared to everyone else.&nbsp;&nbsp; I would make the Healing of the Beast come from the Ranger's own spell slots.&nbsp;&nbsp; I am of the opinion that Hunter Marks should be a thing for the Hunter class (hey! the name fits!), so the Beastmaster should be saving slots for being all Archery or healing the pet.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Mephista, post: 6543359, member: 6786252"] This is a problem. Everything that the Ranger wants to do involves a bonus action. Use Hunter Marks or Entangling Strike or any of the various arrow spells? Bonus action. Use Shield Master feat? Bonus action Dual Wielding? Bonus action. Use a pet? Bonus action. We are very quickly moving into the "Ranger is only good as an archer" territory, which is an issue with how good the Fighter is with a bow. Iconic rangers involve one of three weapon styles - the Aragorn (sword and board), the Drizzt (dual wielding), and the Archer. Both the Beastmaster and the Hunter subclasses need to allow all three styles to function. Two of those three styles require bonus actions for using the weapon, and the Archer needs bonus actions for the archery spells. I am beginning to really think that fixing the Beastmaster isn't enough. The entire class needs to be revamped. Or turned into a vamp. Undead ranger... mmm..... More seriously. The only way to fix the Beastmaster is to completely decouple it from the Ranger's action economy, then keep the damage from the animal companion roughly equal to the damage from the Hunter class. The Druid's and Conjurer's summons don't take up her action. The Necromancer's undead don't. Dominated monsters don't. The Chain Warlock's familiar kinda does, but only for the attack action, which is strangely decoupled from the familiar taking any other action, like the Help action. The Beastmaster's rules are completely and utterly inconstant with how every other "pet class" operates. And that's always going to hurt it compared to everyone else. I would make the Healing of the Beast come from the Ranger's own spell slots. I am of the opinion that Hunter Marks should be a thing for the Hunter class (hey! the name fits!), so the Beastmaster should be saving slots for being all Archery or healing the pet. [/QUOTE]

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