D&D (2024) How to simply fix the Hunter's mark?

[Horwath]

Easy, just stea... err, borrow it from SW5E:

RANGER’S QUARRY​

Scout: 1st, 5th, 9th, and 17th level
You learn how to effectively read and track your prey. Once on each of your turns, you can choose a creature you can see within 120 feet and mark it as your quarry (no action required). For the next hour, you gain the following benefits:

• Once per turn, when you hit the target with a weapon attack, you can deal 1d4 additional damage to it of the same type as the weapon’s damage. This die changes as you gain scout levels, as shown in the Ranger’s Quarry column of the scout table.
• You have advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) check you make to find it while it’s on the same planet as you.

You can only have one creature marked in this way at a time. Beginning at 5th level, you can use your reaction to mark a creature when it enters your line of sight, provided it is within range of your Ranger’s Quarry.

The duration increases to 8 hours at 9th level and 24 hours at 17th level.

Star Wars 5e

sw5e.com

 

[aco175]

Would it just be simpler to just give the ranger (+1d4) damage? If you can mark a target on each of your turns, you would just mark the one you are attacking, right?

I might be game for something like this but limit it like rage for barbarians. You get it a certain amount of times per day but you can mark new targets as the old one dies for the 1 minute or 10 minutes. Make it 1d6 damage that scales to 2d6 at 5th/9th level and 3d6 at 9th/17th. The tracking and other stuff can remain and get longer as well if the mark escapes.

 

[Horwath]

Would it just be simpler to just give the ranger (+1d4) damage? If you can mark a target on each of your turns, you would just mark the one you are attacking, right?

I might be game for something like this but limit it like rage for barbarians. You get it a certain amount of times per day but you can mark new targets as the old one dies for the 1 minute or 10 minutes. Make it 1d6 damage that scales to 2d6 at 5th/9th level and 3d6 at 9th/17th. The tracking and other stuff can remain and get longer as well if the mark escapes.

why limit it to X times per day?

it's poor mans sneak attack with fewer limitations.

 

[Amrûnril]

The current version seems more flavorful to me than this one. By concentrating on a specific target, you gain additional damage each time you hit them.

With this version, the targeting is easy enough to be essentially automatic, so it becomes a fairly small and generic once per turn damage bonus.

The OP doesn't specify, though, what issue the proposed change is trying to solve. Clarifying this goal would be helpful in evaluating the effectiveness of potential changes.

 

[mellored]

Why no action required? They fixed dual weapons to not need a bonus action.

So I'm not sure what this is trying to fix.

Unless you just want a non-magical ranger. Then I would still use a bonus action, but scale it.

Hunt Prey.
As a bonus action you select a target you can see or see the tracks of. You deal 1 extra damage against it and advantage to track.
This last until you use this feature again. The target is then immune to this feature for 24 hours.
The damage increases as you level, to 1d4 at level 5, 1d6 at level 11, and 1d8 at level 17.

 

[aco175]

why limit it to X times per day?

it's poor mans sneak attack with fewer limitations.

To me, it seems that this is a power of some sort that forces the ranger to concentrate and get in tune with nature or whatever. When you need to super-focus, you should not be able to do it on anyone anytime. This is likely why I would boost the damage so it is a few times per day like rage.

 

[Charlaquin]

Why no action required? They fixed dual weapons to not need a bonus action.

Well, they fixed it in an early UA, and then un-fixed it again when they debuted the weapon mastery system, so they could make fixing it a mastery ability instead of a normal feature of the game.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

[Mephista]

Eh. Doesn't scratch what I think needs to be fixed about the spell. I want the spell to be usable as a tracking bonus before you get close to the target.

 

[mellored]

Eh. Doesn't scratch what I think needs to be fixed about the spell. I want the spell to be usable as a tracking bonus before you get close to the target.

That sounds like a different spell than "Hunters Mark".

More like "Track Prey" (ranger)
1 minute, ritual.
Target: some tracks.
Duration: 24 hours (concentration)
You study some tracks and can follow them over land, even if they cross hard surfaces such as a marble floor. If a creature is hidden from you, you can track their location but still can't see them.
At higher level: at level 2, you can follow the tracks though water.
Level 3: you can follow the tracks though the air.
Level 4: you can follow the tracks even if they are magically hidden.
Level 5: you can follow the tracks, no matter what. Even though teleportation and different dimensions.