Playtest (A5E) Level Up Playtest: Ranger v2

[Morrus]

Welcome to the 7th Level Up playtest document. This playtest contains a second candidate for the game’s ranger class. The survey data indicated that you wanted a spell-less ranger; this is what we’ve attempted to create here. As one of the bigger departures from core 5E, it is especially important that we get feedback on this design.

This class, along with the warlord, has been allocated extra playtest packets; these are the two classes specifically called out in our original broad outlines survey for extra attention, and the two which require the most work to get right.

Download the playtest packet

 

[DeviousQuail]

I like this version better than v1. It feels more intuitive and that'll go a long way toward making LU palatable for my players.

 

[level2janitor]

This definitely seems like an improvement over the previous packet, mostly due to no longer requiring concentration on a core class feature. I particularly don't like natural explorer and favored enemy being here, though. Especially since they seem to be copied exactly from the 5e PHB, with the only change being that you can swap them out on a long rest.

Those two features are generally considered one of the PHB Ranger's big problems - they just don't do enough compared to the core features of other classes; even if you assume they're constantly active, they only provide bonuses to stuff most campaigns just handwave. I don't mind favored enemy as a ribbon feature, though I'd say honestly just rename it "monster lore" or something and have it apply to every monster instead of specific types - especially now that you can swap out that enemy type on a long rest, the ties to a specific type feels especially vestigial. I can't imagine why it still gets a second one at 6th-level.

As for the familiar terrain, all of those bonuses feel pretty meaningless without a specific ruleset for exploration that they're tied to. Does A5E have that ruleset? If so, where is it? Why isn't it in the document? In a vacuum, I have no idea what impact any of these will have in play, but going off of my experience with 5e - where rangers had this same feature for the last five years - that impact is going to be extremely minor, unless the DM bends over backwards to make it useful, in which case it does more to negate exploration challenges than to enhance them.

Those two features plus exploration knacks are also the only things you get at 1st-level, which strikes me as particularly not-thought-out since I'd assume every class should get at least one combat-related feature at 1st-level. These are all ribbon/exploration abilities, and while those are nice, I don't want to get into combat as a 1st-level character and just be a shittier fighter.

There's a lot here I can't really comment on without doing a bunch of cross-referencing with other documents, since the available maneuvers are mostly from other playtest documents, but those I don't really have a problem with. The other content I've seen from A5E is solid, and most of the bad design with this ranger is caused by it borrowing from 5e's badly designed ranger.

 

[Morrus]

As for the familiar terrain, all of those bonuses feel pretty meaningless without a specific ruleset for exploration that they're tied to. Does A5E have that ruleset? If so, where is it? Why isn't it in the document?

It's coming. We're writing the book. If we'd finished the book, we'd publish it. This is a year-long process which we started a couple of months ago. The exploration pillar stuff is a major part of this project.

 

[level2janitor]

It's coming. We're writing the book. If we'd finished the book, we'd publish it. This is a year-long process which we started a couple of months ago.

That's understandable. Does make it hard to judge abilities that directly reference something that isn't out yet, though.

 

[Morrus]

That's understandable. Does make it hard to judge abilities that directly reference something that isn't out yet, though.

Sure. We gotta do what we can when we can. Either that or we present everybody with a 600 page book fait accompli. We've opted for the former.

 

[level2janitor]

That's definitely preferable, and it'll be nice to have a defined ruleset for exploration when it's finished. Do you plan to maybe revise familiar terrain when the exploration ruleset is finished? As it stands, it's just 5e's version copied word-for-word, which I can't imagine could be expected to work smoothly with a new system...

 

[Morrus]

And I'd add that the exploration stuff is going to be a full third pillar. We're working on it right now. It will be as important as combat. A bonus to exploration stuff is as big as a bonus to combat.

 

[tetrasodium]

This is really interesting. It looks like a lot of what I said in the v1 thread still applies & I'm surprised at the interesting changes(in a good/unexpected way).

• hunters target & swift feet are limited to 1/rest & no longer concentration but are still good. Unlocking the old version with a feat or magic item in print might not be a bad thing though.
• Trained accuracy is tied to wis instead of prof bonus. I think that the old version is probably better for the class since they aren't likely to be maxing wis like cleric/druid, so was a bit disappointed but feel like later stuff made up to at last some degree
• Game hunting at 6 is dramatically improved, instead of the second terrain you get an ability that makes you able to fight in viscerally different way with a 1 handed weapon & a net but the net doesn't provoke aoo's or have disadvantage for using in melee. The default net imposes restrained making a 6th level ranger something the whole party notices. I really like the reciprocity that goes with this too,
  
  
• Flash of steel at 9 is amazing as it gives you either volley or whirlwind and more importantly that choice does not cost exertion allowing it to be your default action for a really impressive step up that the party is once again going to notice
  
  
• Trackless hunting at 10 allowing rogue knacks in addition to the fighter/druid ones opened earlier is pretty interesting
• ear to the ground was cleaned up a bit but aside from clarifying out an almost certainly unintended reading by raw it seems the same
• Grub hunter is massively improved for campaigns where it might matter with a great addition of note on terrain & gm discretion. Characters can eat up to 5 as an action per rest making it a little better as a preceptive potion.
• I love the new combat stances.
  • Soldier combat stance becomes cavalier combat stance & goes from giving your mount a piddly +1ac to giving it half your prof bonus in ac.
  • Lancer strike is a neat way of gaining advantage from a mounted charge.'
  • Riding reflexes giving your mount advantage on an unspecified (all) ability checks & saves making for an interesting tool for any build that depends o their mount not being killed by a spell or dumping you because of grease
  • Saddled blows letting you impose one of a few conditions with a failed save when you attack while mounted is interesting AF with the options available.
  • 
    

 

[Faolyn]

General thoughts, as always:

I like the namechange from Soldiering to Spirited Steed. It opens up a lot of interesting possibilities as well as invoking cinematic rangers. Hi-ho, Silver!

Hunter's Target: Does this bonus count as magical, in case your target has resistance or immunity to nonmagical attacks?

Accuracy Bonus: Much cleaner! I like.

Accuracy Reserve: I like this much more than before. This is rather like, but not identical to, the new Rogue Aim action from Tasha's. Do you get to move after you make your attack, or do you have to remain motionless afterwards, like they do? It might be nice if Rangers get to move, since even with their Accuracy Bonus, they're not going to be as damage-dealing as high-level Rogues can be with Sneak Attack.

Game Hunting: I still hope to see a definition of "game" eventually, since I have several different mental images in mind (can I be a Big Game Hunter who goes after bulettes?), but I definitely approve of the change to nets.

Beast Friend: Aww, no more wolfie friends?

I approve of the move away from exertion points in general. However:

Ear to the Ground: This isn't really useful, because it (a) takes a minute where you can't move or do anything, and (b) only has a range of 30 feet. For a full minute of what amounts to doing nothing, I'd expect you to be able to hear the approaching horses of the army from a mile away.

Also, as far as I can tell, blindsight just replaces regular sight. It doesn't give you the ability to see invisible things. Which means that it's sole use is if you're blinded or its dark and you don't have darkvision or a light source, which is unlikely. And tremorsense is not really all that useful, IMO.