D&D (2024) Potential other "rules expansion" books

[Paul Farquhar]

To some extent, you are correct. Yet, I don't think the rogue scout matches many conceptions of the ranger, if any.

It fits the military scout concept just fine. Not bad for a Hawkeye* either.

Which ranger in literature goes from being the type of person that speaks the secret language of thieves to suddenly (around 3rd level) waking up a wilderness expert?

No one in literature speaks the secret language of thieves at all, unless you count BG1 as literature. But you could always swap it for the secret language of druids - something else that may as well not exist.

*no, not the Marvel one.

 

[Remathilis]

It is unlikely that WotC would return to the kinds of splits it put out in the 3.5 era, but I think setting agnostic, themed books would be interesting. A splat for war and military fantasy, with subclasses for all core classes that support that theme. Same for heists or thieves. Etc.

But WotC is way too invested in its own multiverse to put out any books that would count as "genre guides" without cramming their settings in.

I mean, WotC has decided they want their branding on their books. The 2024 books are dripping with IP characters and art. They have been slapping character names on their "generic" books since Volo's. They decided a while ago that they have these settings tied to specific genres, why not use them to promote those genres?

Eberron is D&D pulp/noir/magi-tek. Ravenloft is D&D horror. Dragonlance is D&D war + dragons. Spelljammer is D&D in space. I suspect Dark Sun will return as D&D sword and sorcery. They have 50 years of IP to pull from, there isn't a reason to not use them.

 

[Reynard]

I mean, WotC has decided they want their branding on their books. The 2024 books are dripping with IP characters and art. They have been slapping character names on their "generic" books since Volo's. They decided a while ago that they have these settings tied to specific genres, why not use them to promote those genres?

Eberron is D&D pulp/noir/magi-tek. Ravenloft is D&D horror. Dragonlance is D&D war + dragons. Spelljammer is D&D in space. I suspect Dark Sun will return as D&D sword and sorcery. They have 50 years of IP to pull from, there isn't a reason to not use them.

I know these days are gone, but I preferred it when the majority of the rule books were not tied to any setting, and there were specific lines for the settings. I hate the infusion of the "multiverse" ::gag:: into everything.

 

[Corinnguard]

Now what it really needs is a spelless ranger...

If you don't mind some additional crunch in your Ranger, there is Level Up's spell-less take on the Ranger.

Ranger | Level Up

a5e.tools

There is also a spell-less ranger from Unearthed Arcana.

Ranger with No Spells (UA) - DND 5th Edition

dnd5e.wikidot.com

Everyone comes to Ranger with a different preconception of what it means, then are disappointed when the D&D class is not a perfect match.

And when this happens, it's a good idea to find a homebrewed version of the class that is better to a particular player's liking. Mine would be Laser Llama's take on the Ranger. His version offers a level of customization where a player can pick and choose from a selection of Knacks in order to meet their own idea of what a Ranger could be.

 

[Corinnguard]

What about a Rules Expansion on the Species in D&D?