Playtest (A5E) Level Up Playtest Document #7: Ranger

Welcome to the 7th Level Up playtest document. This playtest contains a candidate for the first 10 levels of game’s ranger class. In our initial survey, you asked us for a spell-less ranger -- so here is our playtest candidate for it!

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What this is​

This is a playtest document. We’d love you to try out the rules presented here, and then answer the follow-up survey in a few days.

What this is not​

This is NOT the final game. It’s OK if you don’t like elements of these rules; that’s the purpose of a playtest document. Be sure to participate in the follow-up survey in a few days. All data, positive or negative is useful.

What we use this for​

Your survey responses help form the direction of the game as it goes through the development process.

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Continue reading...

 

[Minigiant]

Seems pretty on topic... the thread is now the "we really only need one class" thread. The wizard is just a bad fighter with spells!

Where isn't the issue?

People ask for a spell-less ranger and nudge it to a woodsy fighter.

Then other people say the ranger is unnecessary as we already can make woodsy fighters.

The tough part that Morrus and the gang have is creating a ranger that doesn't look like a alternate fighter with some skills and knacks swapped out. The defining aspect of the 5e ranger is it's spells. Swap that out and you have to create a new iconic class features that feels rangery.

 

[tetrasodium]

Where isn't the issue?

People ask for a spell-less ranger and nudge it to a woodsy fighter.

Then other people say the ranger is unnecessary as we already can make woodsy fighters.

The tough part that Morrus and the gang have is creating a ranger that doesn't look like a alternate fighter with some skills and knacks swapped out. The defining aspect of the 5e ranger is it's spells. Swap that out and you have to create a new iconic class features that feels rangery.

I think v2 largely succeeds at th4at

 

[Minigiant]

I think v2 largely succeeds at th4at

I feel it does levels 1-5.
From 6 on, it gets... eh.

To me anyway.

 

[Faolyn]

OK, OK, I'm not going to refuse to buy a product because of the Warlord. I'll just remain skeptical until I see a finished class, plus archetypes.

 

[tetrasodium]

I feel it does levels 1-5.
From 6 on, it gets... eh.

To me anyway.

I'm not sure I agree

This is what the net does in stock core

A ranger can use that to lockdown a large or smaller creature (like a giant or young dragon) using a nonmagical off the shelf 1gp net while still making attacks themselves & giving the party advantage to attack it along with making it attack/dex save at disadvantage. that's huge & really cares out a niche for ranger.

 

[Minigiant]

I'm not sure I agree
View attachment 129905
This is what the net does in stock core
View attachment 129906

A ranger can use that to lockdown a large or smaller creature (like a giant or young dragon) using a nonmagical off the shelf 1gp net while still making attacks themselves & giving the party advantage to attack it along with making it attack/dex save at disadvantage. that's huge & really cares out a niche for ranger.

Giants have +5 to Str and +8 to hit or better. Throwing a net on a giant is just sacrificing your bonus action to waste one of their massive axe atta...

Oh.. yeah. Giants are huge size this immune to nets. Hence my point that while cool, the A5E ranger doesn't really scale.

 

[tetrasodium]

Frost Giants have +6 to Str and +9 to hit. Throwing a net on a giant is just sacrificing your bonus action to waste one of their massive axe atta...

Oh.. yeah. Frost Giants are huge size this immune to nets.

Not all giants are size huge & it's not like you couldn't have magic or specialized net for size huge baddies. There are a ton of creatures size large & smaller though

Edit: even if you restrict it to size medium & large of type giant you still have a good number of giants. looking outside the giant subtype & you have a massive number of creatures

 

[Faolyn]

Giants have +5 to Str and +8 to hit or better. Throwing a net on a giant is just sacrificing your bonus action to waste one of their massive axe atta...

Oh.. yeah. Giants are huge size this immune to nets. Hence my point that while cool, the A5E ranger doesn't really scale.

For the record, Large giants include ogres, trolls (except for dire trolls), ettins, oni, ogrillons, and crab folk.

And a creature can only attempt break out of the net on its turn, until which, attack rolls made against it are made at advantage. Even if it breaks out right away, it still sacrifices an action and potentially gives the rest of a party an easy attack against it.

And as @tetrasodium suggests, there's a possibility of reinforced nets, either magical or not (chain nets?). I'm not sure a Medium creature could handle a net made for a Giant creature without resorting to building a trap, but there's still options here.

 

[Minigiant]

Not all giants are size huge & it's not like you couldn't have magic or specialized net for size huge baddies. There are a ton of creatures size large & smaller though

Edit: even if you restrict it to size medium & large of type giant you still have a good number of giants. looking outside the giant subtype & you have a massive number of creatures

The point was that the class doesn't scale. Level 6 is when a 5th edition character starts to truly exist the next tier of play. It is when you can toss huge monsters, deadly spellcasters, and invulnerable does at the group. It is when characters are supposed to be noticeably fantastic.

However the loss of spells, to me, has tilted this class closer to being a fighter in a green hood as fantastic survivalism isn't front and center and combat stays alone in the foreground against next level threats. If anything, a ranger should be better at fighting giants at these levels.

 

[ART!]

I just want to say that i started D&D eons ago playing a lot of rangers, but haven't played them in years and years because they got...weird, and spellcast-y. I'm very interested in Level Up, and this version of the ranger makes me happy.