D&D 5E (2024) How to simply fix the Hunter's mark?

[aco175]

Level 5: you can follow the tracks across plains.

Took me a second. I was first thinking that it would be easier to track across the plains than a marble floor, but then I thought planes, like ethereal and astral, but not the ethical.

 

[mellored]

Took me a second. I was first thinking that it would be easier to track across the plains than a marble floor, but then I thought planes, like ethereal and astral, but not the ethical.

Level 5: you can follow the tracks, no matter what. Even though teleportation and different dimensions.

 

[Mephista]

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

Nah. Its HM but more proactive.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

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.

Should Track Prey be different than Locate Creature?

 

[mellored]

Should Track Prey be different than Locate Creature?

Hmmm...
Could see it either way.

 

[Weiley31]

Remove the Concentration.

 

[fuindordm]

The OP's version is pretty good and I like tying it to a die that scales with level, similar to BM dice or bard dice. But I would like this iconic Ranger ability to:
1. Incentivize ranger-like behavior, such as stalking prey and studying the environment, and
1. Give more noncombat benefits.

Here are some ideas:

• You learn how to effectively read and track your prey. You can spend a turn studying a creature that you can see. choose a creature you can see within 120 feet and mark it as your quarry. For the next hour, you gain a "quarry die" (d6) that you can add to damage rolls against the quarry or d20 tests to interact with it using your skills, such as Stealth, Insight, or Animal Handling. You can only have one quarry at a time. The die size increases at levels __, __, and __.
• At level __ you can also add the quarry die to saving throws against the quarry's special abilities
• At level __ you can use Survival to study the environment of a quarry you are tracking, and lay a trap or an ambush if you overtake it. The quarry must succeed at an Int save (DC = 10 + prof + Wis) or gain a condition (--> list of simple conditions suitable for traps)
• At level __ the quarry die persists for 24 hours
• At level __ you can spend an action to learn any conditions, enchantment, or other effects that make the quarry different from a normal specimen of its kind. For example you can learn that an animal is diseased, charmed, defending its young, exiled from its pack, etc.
• At level __ you can have two quarry targets at the same time.
• At level __ you also add your quarry die to the to-hit roll. If this exceeds 20 after adding the quarry die, your hit becomes a critical hit. You can use this benefit once per short rest.