Blog (A5E) Level Up Class Preview: Ranger

The Kickstarter is halfway through! Last week we shared the adept with you. Today, it’s the most frequently requested class of them all — the ranger!

With the ranger, our initial surveys showed a lot of interest in a spell-less class. While the Level Up ranger can do fantastic things in the wilderness — think of Aragorn leading Legolas and Gimli as they chased the orcs in The Two Towers — those things are a product of skill, experience, and knowledge. Their abilities may even sometimes look like magic to the uninitiated, but they are not. The Level Up ranger is the undisputed master of the exploration pillar, with exploration knacks and other features which interact with the journey rules and other aspects of the game.

But we know some people like the spellcasting ranger, and so we have included an archetype (subclass) for that, as well as a rule which enables you to use existing spell-casting ranger subclasses with our new version of the class.

Class Preview: Ranger — Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition (A5E)

The Kickstarter is halfway through! Last week we shared the adept with you. Today, it’s the most frequently requested class of them all — the ranger!

www.levelup5e.com

 

[lichmaster]

I mean effectively it means your party has to take an extra short rest to use the ability early. If you have the time for that go for it, but players won't always have that time AND the herald can still use spells for big healing if they want to.

I don't know, I think it makes sense that is an activity that can be performed as part of a short rest.

 

[Faolyn]

I also just realized that at level 1 a ranger with Wis 16 and Healing Salves can heal more than a 1st level Herald with lay on hands.
Healing for the ranger should be a marginal utility feature, while should be much more prominent for a herald, as the scaling of the features would suggest. But this is not true at the first 2-3 levels (unless of course the herald also burns spells slots for healing)

I'm not seeing the ranger's salve as stepping on anyone's toes--no more than the bard's healing (which I assume is still a thing in A5e) does. I see it almost more as a justification for how the ranger can survive out in the wilderness all alone for so long without magic. Plus, it's optional ability, and many PCs may decide not to take it (especially if there's a herald or cleric in the party).

In rereading the entry, I'm kind of sad that it doesn't scale. It should be like cantrips: 1d4 at 1st level, 2d4 at 5th level, 3d4 at 11th level, and 4d4 at 17th level. And maybe Herbal Bitters should actually remove one level of exhaustion (probably usable 1/long rest per person) at, say, 11th level.

Actually, these could just be new homebrew knacks, since I'm sure that lots of people will be coming up with their own knacks.

 

[Horwath]

I'm not seeing the ranger's salve as stepping on anyone's toes--no more than the bard's healing (which I assume is still a thing in A5e) does. I see it almost more as a justification for how the ranger can survive out in the wilderness all alone for so long without magic. Plus, it's optional ability, and many PCs may decide not to take it (especially if there's a herald or cleric in the party).

In rereading the entry, I'm kind of sad that it doesn't scale. It should be like cantrips: 1d4 at 1st level, 2d4 at 5th level, 3d4 at 11th level, and 4d4 at 17th level. And maybe Herbal Bitters should actually remove one level of exhaustion (probably usable 1/long rest per person) at, say, 11th level.

Actually, these could just be new homebrew knacks, since I'm sure that lots of people will be coming up with their own knacks.

ranger can survive without instant HP regeneration. It would be more thematic for a ranger if those salves help/improve short/long/haven rest healing.

 

[Stalker0]

I don't know, I think it makes sense that is an activity that can be performed as part of a short rest.

If we look at the Short Rest Definition (assuming it hasn't changed in LU): "during which a character does nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds."

I would absolutely consider gathering herbs and making salves more strenuous than any of that, just the grinding of herbs alone is probably putting you over the top there. Now I think what is likely is that other classes will take their short rest while the ranger does their herb thing. Afterall this ranger doesn't seem to have many (if any) short rest recovery abilities, so they likely won't mind forgoing their short rest unless they are very hurt already. But that still means some adventuring has occurred without the ranger having access to their healing.

 

[Faolyn]

ranger can survive without instant HP regeneration. It would be more thematic for a ranger if those salves help/improve short/long/haven rest healing.

There was another thread on the D&D forums that had at least one person insisting that rangers needed magic just to survive. So while I agree with you, there's some people who really want rangers to have access to healing magic.

Plus, this is useful for people who don't use standard long rest full-healing. I like to have people spend HD to regain health after a long rest.

 

[niklinna]

If we look at the Short Rest Definition (assuming it hasn't changed in LU): "during which a character does nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds."

I would absolutely consider gathering herbs and making salves more strenuous than any of that, just the grinding of herbs alone is probably putting you over the top there. Now I think what is likely is that other classes will take their short rest while the ranger does their herb thing. Afterall this ranger doesn't seem to have many (if any) short rest recovery abilities, so they likely won't mind forgoing their short rest unless they are very hurt already. But that still means some adventuring has occurred without the ranger having access to their healing.

The secret reason for Under the Stars is revealed!

 

[Garthanos]

@Stalker0 good points all. These two stood out for me:

I've seen that too, and really hope they have general language in the classes chapter about alternate picks if you gain something you already have.

instant house rule for me.

 

[Xethreau]

Gnolls are still humanoids? I hope they got de-demon-background'ed in the MM, then. I felt they were still kinda too demony in the monster playtest. (My actual hope is that "gnolls" is just a mistake brought over from o5e and you fix it to read, I dunno, elves or something.)

Gnolls evolved from hyenas, but they worship demons who they thank for the transformation. Their connection to demons is clearly cultural.

 

[VanguardHero]

Gnolls evolved from hyenas, but they worship demons who they thank for the transformation. Their connection to demons is clearly cultural.

Traditionally perhaps, but it's kind of an old 'Excuse for all of them to be evil' mindset that is thankfully on its way out the door. Super excited to see them playable in the Zeitgeist book, so at least in that setting looks like there'll be more depth to them.

 

[Faolyn]

Gnolls evolved from hyenas, but they worship demons who they thank for the transformation. Their connection to demons is clearly cultural.

Well, in 5e the transformation is literal, since Yeenoghu can actually turn hyenas into gnolls, as per VGM (and it’s implied they don’t reproduce except through this). So gnolls either need to be full demons or just humanoids who aren’t created and micromanaged by a demon prince.