D&D (2024) Ranger 2024 is a bigger joke than Ranger 2014:

[ECMO3]

Ironically the 2024 can blow through spells fast as Hail of Thorns and Lightning Arrow can both be

1. Triggered on a miss
2. Do not have concentration

So technically anytime a Ranger misses an attack they can just decide that they're arrow explodes in thorns of lightning.

Hail of Thorns is triggered on a hit, not a miss unless I am missing something and it is pretty weak for a 1st level spell.

Lightning Arrow can be situationally useful. It is mediocre generally and there are better ways to use a 3rd level slot as a Ranger most of the time, but you are right it is not concentration and is a significant damage boost, especially if you have 3rd level spell slots you are not going to use.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Yeah, but they usually want class features that either harm another ranger's theme or makes the ranger even blander.

Blander than 'shoot good'?

It's tough to support most of the themes without stripping ranger of all flavor... without creating new spells.

If only there were discrete abilities characters could have that aren't spells...

 

[ECMO3]

That is interesting. But if you did not even use ff more than 2 or 3 times, then over 7 encounters it is probably less than 1 DPR. So going down to hunter's mark makes no difference anyway.

So I am not using it when there is one bad guy left and he has 7 hit points ...... and that is generally when I am not concentrating on something else while hitting the enemy with an attack. In all the Rangers I have played, including probably 20+ to tier 3 or higher, I don't think I ever ran out of Favored foe above 6th level or so. I know I did not run out at high level.

You use it in between concentration spells or depending on what you are concentrating on, you drop concentration on a crit and use it (and then use it again that same turn if you hit again since you are not concentrating on a spell). But that does not come up very often. You also use it if you lose concentration on your turn from something in the middle of attacking.

Hunter's Mark makes a big difference in play because you need to precast it and it uses your bonus action. A lot of the times you use Favored Foe it is spontaneous, not something you plan. As I explained above I have never before had HM on a high level Ranger, but have had Hex and had a free cast as well and in combat I used Favored Foe more often than Hex and found it more useful.

 

[Minigiant]

Hail of Thorns is triggered on a hit, not a miss unless I am missing something and it is pretty weak for a 1st level spell.

Lightning Arrow can be situationally useful. It is mediocre generally and there are better ways to use a 3rd level slot as a Ranger most of the time, but you are right it is not concentration and is a significant damage boost, especially if you have 3rd level spell slots you are not going to use.

You're right.

Hail of the Thorns triggers only on hits.
Lightning Arrow can trigger on hit or miss.

 

[Minigiant]

Blander than 'shoot good'?

"Shoot good" is a direction.

"Chosen a 1st level spell" isn't.

If only there were discrete abilities characters could have that aren't spells...

If only, only
If only, only
If only, only
If only, only, it was nothing at all

 

[Horwath]

Ironically the 2024 can blow through spells fast as Hail of Thorns and Lightning Arrow can both be

1. Triggered on a miss
2. Do not have concentration

So technically anytime a Ranger misses an attack they can just decide that they're arrow explodes in thorns of lightning.

Player: I shoot at the vampire. 10 + 11. 21 is that a hit. Okay 5+3+3+3 damage. I shoot him again. 2. Darn Hail of Thorns save for 7. ITS MY SPELL I DO WHAT I WANT!

Not a very efficient way to use your spell slots but an archer Ranger could get very AOE spammy if they know that the mostly only runs two encounters per long rest.

both spells are horrible

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

Because it always comes down to combat power.

People are mad about Divine Smite becoming a spell because it they can't spam it anymore.

2024 Favored Enemy was an attempt to separate Ranger's Combat Magic and Exploration magic at low levels. They were going to have to make at least a choice for you if they did not create new spells.

The only way they could have allowed for a choice in favorite enemy is for them too have the 13th level ability have different bonuses depending on which spell you chose. However this would still have to limit their spells down to a select few because there's no way they're going to give a bonus for all 13 plus first level ranger spells.

I do like the suggestion I saw for the Ranger's 13th level Relentless Hunter ability to say:
"Taking damage can’t break your Concentration on Ranger spells."

 

[Minigiant]

I do like the suggestion I saw for the Ranger's 13th level Relentless Hunter ability to say:
"Taking damage can’t break your Concentration on Ranger spells."

Sure.
However it's bland and flavorless.
Like why does a Ranger get to ignore the break of concentration of all spells.

The 2024 Ranger is already "Screw flavor, more power". I don't want the ranger to end up being a bland flavorless vanilla blob like the fighter and wizard for "Screw flavor, more power"

 

[ECMO3]

Ok Ranger game report level 1.

Character started as a Ranger, currently level 2 Dragonborn Ranger/Monk (this character will end up being mostly Ranger with a 1-level Monk dip until after level 10 where she will take a few Bards).

D&D Beyond Character Sheet

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Going through the Moathouse in the Village of Homlett (which I played 43 years ago) as a level 1 Ranger. We leveled up 2 hours into the session in the middle of the dungeon, here is all leveled the spells I cast:

We had 7 combats before we leveled up.
1. 3 Giant Frogs (cast free Hunters Mark)
2. 2 Giant Spiders (cast Shield from Magic Initiate)
3. Swarm of Insects
4. Giant Lizard
5. 5 Rats

• Cast Goodberry after combat, ate 5 gave 3 to Cleric

6. 4 Bandits and Bandit Leader (used my last spell slot for shield)

• We did a short rest here
• Hunters Mark expired here

7. Some kind of Ogre thing (we leveled up after this fight, cast 2nd free Hunter's Mark)

Two more combats at level 2 (without a rest):
8. 1 Skeleton and 5 Skeleton Minions
9. 1 Ghoul and 4 Ghoul minions.

I am still concentrating on the second use of HM and I am out of slots. Overall I am pretty happy so far and I did get a ton of use out of Favored Enemy in the first game I played using 2024 rules and characters. Of course this was mostly 1st level and I expect the usefulness will decrease.

 

[Ashrym]

Goodberry still heals 1HP per berry doesn't it?, so that's 20 free heals at 1st level which can be distributed amongst the group, i doubt there'd be much negative feedback from that, (perhaps other than from a few GMs who are finding it harder to keep anyone down, haha)

I imagine players would be saying "why goodberry? why not hunter's mark?" lol