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

[Sir Brennen]

WOTC made a crappy ranger but too many approach the class like a fighter. Probably because WOTC built a bad ranger so no one knows what a ranger is supposed to do.

Ranger should just be a fighter subclass.

There. I said it.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

Hot take: people that complain about the Ranger would complain about ANY Ranger from WotC. It's just a meme now.

That’s true as far as I’m concerned. D&D’s Ranger makes no sense, never made any sense and will probably never make sense.

 

[NotAYakk]

Not really.
The ranger's biggest issue is that people don't play it how its archetype is supposed to be played. No one reads the ranger class description.

The ranger is not great at that archetype but neither are other classes. Save for the Bard and Druids everyone sucks at rangering.

The problem is many see it as an alternative fighter or variant paladin. The ranger fails at that.

WOTC made a crappy ranger but too many approach the class like a fighter. Probably because WOTC built a bad ranger so no one knows what a ranger is supposed to do.

The thing is, the ranger sucks at "rangering", and it is incompetent at combat. Being strictly dominated by other classes is not a requirement for them to be a ranger.

There is nothing about "rangering" that states "classes who ranger must suck at combat".

As evidenced by the Bard and Druid. Both of whom ranger better than the ranger.

Or the rogue. The rogue isn't a great combatant (especially at level 1), but it isn't dominated, there are scenarios where they are better at some aspect of fighting than the fighter.

... Ok, I'm wrong. The level 1 ranger can in one scenario I found deal 6% more DPR than a level 1 fighter (Attack using DW a high AC foe with advantage, at most 2 foes per day).

 

[Kurotowa]

This seems fine to me, it even gets better as you level up. Maybe it could have been per short rest so that you'd have more chances to spread the damage around, but otherwise it seems fine.

This version seems fine to me. The fact that unlike HM it can't be reapplied means it fills a different role. HM is just fine for tearing through a pack of lesser monsters because it can bounce from one to the next. This is more about having some extra kick on the single target boss type encounters.

 

[cbwjm]

This version seems fine to me. The fact that unlike HM it can't be reapplied means it fills a different role. HM is just fine for tearing through a pack of lesser monsters because it can bounce from one to the next. This is more about having some extra kick on the single target boss type encounters.

It also doesn't use a bonus action which allows it to fit more seamlessly with two-weapon fighting rangers. I was thinking it was more for a boss fight, I'd like it to be a little more useable though. Might houserule it to short rests.

 

[cbwjm]

The thing is, the ranger sucks at "rangering", and it is incompetent at combat. Being strictly dominated by other classes is not a requirement for them to be a ranger.

There is nothing about "rangering" that states "classes who ranger must suck at combat".

As evidenced by the Bard and Druid. Both of whom ranger better than the ranger.

Or the rogue. The rogue isn't a great combatant (especially at level 1), but it isn't dominated, there are scenarios where they are better at some aspect of fighting than the fighter.

... Ok, I'm wrong. The level 1 ranger can in one scenario I found deal 6% more DPR than a level 1 fighter (Attack using DW a high AC foe with advantage, at most 2 foes per day).

Hey, the ranger is great at rangering as long as it sticks to a very, very specific environment...

From what I've seen of rangers in combat though they are very competent in combat. This was a hunter-ranger so maybe the other subclasses aren't as good.

 

[Don Durito]

Is there a good reason to make this concentration?

Seems incredibly clunky as it's not a spell. What exactly are you concentrating on?

Well, at least it doesn't take a bonus action to activate. That's something I guess.

 

[Don Durito]

_

 

[Minigiant]

Ranger should just be a fighter subclass.

There. I said it.

No it shouldn't.

That the problem. The ranger fulfill a group of archetypes. Unfortunately half the community wants to play a fighter who wears green and brown but get mad when told to "play a fighter then".

The thing is, the ranger sucks at "rangering", and it is incompetent at combat. Being strictly dominated by other classes is not a requirement for them to be a ranger

Not really. The ranger is a decent ranger. It should be better.

The problem is the bard and druid are overpowered and the base exploration subsystems fall apart outside of traps and exposition.

 

[NotAYakk]

This version seems fine to me. The fact that unlike HM it can't be reapplied means it fills a different role. HM is just fine for tearing through a pack of lesser monsters because it can bounce from one to the next. This is more about having some extra kick on the single target boss type encounters.

But it is worse than HM at doing that?

At level 5+ if you are using your bonus action to attack you are getting 3 taps/round. At 60% accuracy 5% crit rate, HM does 6.8 damage per round for you. At 2 taps it does 4.6. d6 foe does (8% crit 94% hit) 3.6 damage per round.

Losing a bonus action attack costs you about 5 damage.

Round 1: -4 total damage from using HM.
Round 2: -0.8 total damage from using HM.
Round 3: +2.4 total damage from using HM.
Round 4: +5.6 total damage from using HM.

On a big monster that lasts more than 2 rounds, this is worse than HM at doing damage.

And if you can't use your bonus action (you aren't DW, PAM or XBE) to tap, then HM is never behind Foe in dealing damage.

I mean, it is more casts of something in the same league as HM. But it isn't really better at the HM job than HM is. You'd use this because it is there, and disposable.

The best use I can think of using it for is to use it after lightning arrow lands or similar. Then throw it away as a disposable thing if you have any other use for concentration whatsoever. It dealt a few points of damage. That was greater than 0 damage. Good for you, you remembered you had it.

If tomorrow you forgot you had it the game will pretty much go the same.