D&D 5E It's official, WOTC hates Rangers (Tasha's version of Favored Foe is GARBAGE)

[Horwath]

The (phb) Ranger can get expertise in a bunch of skills, but only if they're proficient in them. This is why people wanted Natural Explorer to be changed. A ranger with no extra trained skills from race (which I'd never play personally, see above), may be looking at Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival, so they have expertise on 3 skills in their area and advantage when tracking their favored foe. Outside of that, since they didn't just make that switchable, they've got nothing.

I know I'm looking at 1st level. I know 1st levels aren't really balanced elsewhere (cleric vs druid, fighter vs Paladin), but I think it only grows from there.

there is the problem.
the expertise is highly situational.

if 1st level ranger isn't in favored terrain and/or having favored enemy present, then he has special features of exactly: nothing!

paladin has 5HP healing pool. and divine sense while being also ribbon ability can at least confirm that there is no outsiders or undead nearby. well, most of the time.

and of course, Favored enemy and Natural explorer are so overpowered in comparison to Divine sense and Lay on hands that on 2nd level besides fighting style paladin must get divine smite to bring the power curve back to center and ranger gets "#$% all.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

if 1st level ranger isn't in favored terrain and/or having favored enemy present, then he has special features of exactly: nothing!

This has always been a fundamental problem with the ranger. 2nd/3rd Favoured Enemy was either very good, or completely useless, depending on what the story was.

 

[Horwath]

This has always been a fundamental problem with the ranger. 2nd/3rd Favoured Enemy was either very good, or completely useless, depending on what the story was.

that is why both needs to go.

Or rework them that they give constant benefits.

 

[Xeviat]

that is why both needs to go.

Or rework them that they give constant benefits.

The new Natural Explorer Benefits are OK. I'm not sold on FF.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

The big problems with the melee ranger remain:

They are either MAD (Strength based melee Ranger with Great Weapon)
Have action economy issues (Two Weapon Fighting - and this is a problem of fiddly annoyance which is distinct from whether it is underpowered or not)
Or thematically innappropriate (Rapier + Shield users).

Plus there's the whole nonsense about having to maintain concentration to keep their class features up.

I think the ranger would immediately better if they had con save proficiency instead of dex. Probably they just got dex proficiency because int and cha are both inappropriate for him and that just leaves str as secondary. And maybe they did not want str/con for all fightery type.

A good Idea would be that the ranger autopasses concentration check or gets a bonus versus their favoured foe.

 

[Asisreo]

if 1st level ranger isn't in favored terrain and/or having favored enemy present, then he has special features of exactly: nothing!

This is false. The checks do not have to be made within the favored terrain.

If you're making an investigation check to determine which animal has run amuck in the city, your ranger gets expertise if the species is native to your terrain.

If you're tasked with concocting a medicine with herbs native to your terrain, you get expertise with the herbalism kit.

There are several applications a Ranger can use their favored terrain in outside of their terrain.

 

[Horwath]

This is false. The checks do not have to be made within the favored terrain.

If you're making an investigation check to determine which animal has run amuck in the city, your ranger gets expertise if the species is native to your terrain.

If you're tasked with concocting a medicine with herbs native to your terrain, you get expertise with the herbalism kit.

There are several applications a Ranger can use their favored terrain in outside of their terrain.

yes, all those sharks and tigers looting the city hall are a real menace...

 

[Asisreo]

yes, all those sharks and tigers looting the city hall are a real menace...

Its not all that silly if you think of it. Assuming the Ranger chose a reasonable terrain (coast in the Sword Coast, Forest in Chult), there's likely to be some application.

If its a city in a standard grassland area and the Ranger chose grassland, it would make sense that there'd be horses in the city for carriages and other stuff, right? Horses are native to grasslands and interactions with them may spurn expertise. Rats, too, are common both in the city and grasslands. They can tell quite alot of information from an expert. If they're feces is examined, what they've eaten can be determined. If they're diseased, a Ranger can tell. If they're excited, Rangers can attempt to check up on them.

 

[Helldritch]

Whoa. The memes mocking specific members of the forum are a real BLAST FROM THE PAST holy hell is this 2000 again? I wish!

I found a couple of memes I made to mock you guys back from around then on an old HDD a while back. No I am not going to upload it for you.

Seems like most of the changes they've made in Tasha's, to UA stuff, have landed squarely on the wrong side of "dumb", whether it's removing Fireball from fire druids (I mean for god's sake...) or putting concentration on this already-mediocre ability.

That book is almost utter garbage. Hell, even a lot of the subclasses are reprints of older books. Come on...

 

[UngeheuerLich]

That book is almost utter garbage. Hell, even a lot of the subclasses are reprints of older books. Come on...

Whoa. The memes mocking specific members of the forum are a real BLAST FROM THE PAST holy hell is this 2000 again? I wish!

I found a couple of memes I made to mock you guys back from around then on an old HDD a while back. No I am not going to upload it for you.

Seems like most of the changes they've made in Tasha's, to UA stuff, have landed squarely on the wrong side of "dumb", whether it's removing Fireball from fire druids (I mean for god's sake...) or putting concentration on this already-mediocre ability.

You can´t make an ability that stacks with everything at level 1 that has no concentration. I am glad you are not designing the game.
Yes, maybe remove concentration at level 6 would have been a good idea, but giving 1d6 per attack at level 1 that (I repeat myself) stacks with everything... no thanks.
Edit: and there is more new stuff than reprint. Xanathar also had reprints and was received well...