D&D 4E Ranger: Beastmaster New Powers

AbdulAlhazred · Nov 3, 2019

Probably need a few tweaks on a couple of these, but none of them seems like it wouldn't work. The Beast Within feels at least paragon, maybe epic though.

Garthanos · Nov 3, 2019

AbdulAlhazred said:
Probably need a few tweaks on a couple of these, but none of them seems like it wouldn't work. The Beast Within feels at least paragon, maybe epic though.

There is an epic destiny that fits it rather tightly I noticed

NotAYakk · Nov 4, 2019

Design notes:

Beast Strike + Ranger Attack 1
At-Will + Beast, Martial
Standard Action + Melee beast 1
Effect: Both you and your beast move their speed. Then you both make a Basic Attack. If you attack the same target, neither you nor your beast adds its attribute bonus to damage, but you gain combat advantage on your attack.

This is a twin-strike like ability. "Don't add attribute if you double-tap a single target" is to keep static bonuses down.

Note that I'm not requiring melee or ranged basic attacks. The "CA" would be free for melee (you'd just flank), but for ranged it wouldn't be.

Twin Strike needs to have a Beast rival in order for the Beastmaster ranger to not be "a ranger, who happens to have a beast".

I intentionally trigger "beast basic attacks" instead of doing beast damage dice all the time; part of this is because raptors using str on powers is dumb and fixing the wording is hard. But by focusing on basic attacks, we also simplify wording for both ranged and melee rangers.

The Beast Within + Ranger Utility 10
Daily + Beast, Primal
Standard Action
Effect: You become a copy of your beast until the end of the encounter. When this effect ends, you replace one of the beasts; you are at your current HP when this happens. Both Beasts act under your control independently. If a Beast is reduced to 0 HP, this effect ends and you replace that Beast immediately. Either beast may take a minor action and cause the effect to end, and you replace the Beast that took the action.

I kicked this up to level 10; it is very paragon. Note that offensively this sort of sucks; two basic beast attacks isn't great.

Defensively, it is a bunch of HP and a bunch of utility. Hence, utility power.

Feral Swipe + Ranger Attack 1
Encounter + Beast, Martial
Minor Action + Melee Beast 1
Effect: Your beast make a Basic Attack. If it hits, the creature is marked by your Beast.

This is an off-hand ranger melee, reworked to be a Beast power. Adding a mark here is the idea that we should lean towards making the Beast a tank.

Unexpected Bite + Ranger Attack 3
Encounter + Beast, Martial
Opportunity Action + Melee Beast 1
Trigger: A creature adjacent to your beast shifts, moves, or makes an attack that doesn't include the beast.
Effect: Make a basic attack on the triggering creature. If it hits, any triggering attack suffers a -5 penalty, and the creature is immobalized until the end of the current turn.

This is the fighter combat superiority/challenge class feature, reworked to be beast-ish, once/encounter.

Instead of static -2 from marking, we get 1/encounter -5.

Finish the Hunt + Ranger Attack 1
Daily + Beast, Martial
Standard Action
Effect: Your beast moves its speed and makes a basic attack. If the creature is reduced to 20 HP or less by this attack, the creature is instead killed. This power is not expended if it doesn't kill the creature.

This one is a bit of a gamble. You have to know you can finish a foe with it, but if so it is a +20 damage attack.

I think it needs more work. Here is an iteration:

Finish the Hunt + Ranger Attack 1
Daily + Beast, Martial
Standard Action
Effect: Your beast moves its speed and makes a basic attack. If the creature is reduced to 20 HP or less by this attack, the creature is instead killed.
Special: This power is not expended if it doesn't kill any creatures.
Sustain Minor: The beast repeats the effect. You may only do this if the beast killed a creature with this power last turn.

Ah, now that is fun, and reminds me of Greymane's HOTS ability.

Now, you tell your Beast to finish something. If it does, you can continue to finish foes every turn until you fail to kill something with it, only spending a Minor action to do so.

Much more fun, and not much stronger.

Reign of Claws + Ranger Attack 5
Daily + Beast, Primal, Stance
Minor Action
Effect: Your Beast enters the Reign of Claws stance until the end of the encounter. While it is in that stance, creatures beginning their turn next to the Beast take damage, and the Beast gains an equal number of temporary HP.

This is Reign of Steel, the Beast version.

Challenging Roar + Ranger Attack 7
Encounter + Beast, Primal
Standard Action + Close Blast 5 (from Beast)
Attack: Beast's attack bonus vs Will
Hit: Pull 5 towards Beast, and the creature takes if it ends the pull adjacent to the Beast.

Come and Get it, converted from a Burst 3 to a Blast 5. I think this is modestly worse.

Bring it Down + Ranger Attack 9
Daily + Beast, Primal
Minor Action + Melee beast 1
Effect: You designate a creature adjacent to your Beast to Bring Down. Until the end of the encounter whenever the creature is hit, your Beast may make as an Immediate Reaction move up to its speed adjacent to it then make a Basic Attack on it.

Revised. The old version was too strong -- a Standard Action in order to get a 3-5x tap for the rest of the encounter.

Now it is a Minor action for a tap/turn in exchange for a reaction. Solid, but not crazy.

...

Beast Harry + Ranger Attack 1
At-Will + Beast, Primal
Standard Action
Effect: Your Beast shifts up to its speed. Then you can make a Basic Attack on a creature adjacent to your Beast with combat advantage. If this attack hits, your Beast gains temporary HP equal to half the damage done and marks the target until the end of your next turn. While marked, if the creature shifts or makes an attack that doesn't include the Beast, the Beast may make a basic attack on the creature as an immediate interrupt.

This is an attempt at another "defender-esque" at-will. It becomes a double-tap if the foe violates the mark, and soaks damage with temporary HP if it doesn't violate the mark.

A bit fiddly. Needs work.

...

OMG, Brawler powers poached for the Beast! Those could be so much fun. The idea of your beast grappling a foe seems so perfect.

Paragon tier Fighter Powers to poach:
Revel in Pain: Gain temporary HP, attack, and move when damaged
Unyielding Avalanche: Start your beast regenerating
Stranglehold: Along with various other "grapple" powers.
Vicious Uppercut: Multiattacks with stuns.
Persistence of Blades : Every round grant an attack to your beast when you miss, and to you when your beast misses maybe

Garthanos · Nov 4, 2019

NotAYakk said:
Design notes:

This is a twin-strike like ability. "Don't add attribute if you double-tap a single target" is to keep static bonuses down.

Note that I'm not requiring melee or ranged basic attacks. The "CA" would be free for melee (you'd just flank), but for ranged it wouldn't be.

Twin Strike needs to have a Beast rival in order for the Beastmaster ranger to not be "a ranger, who happens to have a beast".

I intentionally trigger "beast basic attacks" instead of doing beast damage dice all the time; part of this is because raptors using str on powers is dumb and fixing the wording is hard. But by focusing on basic attacks, we also simplify wording for both ranged and melee rangers.

Hmmmm that was where I was going with this one. (though I was thinking it needed re-thunk)

Garthanos · Nov 4, 2019

NotAYakk said:
OMG, Brawler powers poached for the Beast! Those could be so much fun. The idea of your beast grappling a foe seems so perfect.

Especially Wolves and Bears oh my

AbdulAlhazred · Nov 27, 2019

Yeah, I think that different beasts should get different power sets. I mean, it would require a LOT of powers to be created, which is the downside, but it would be a cool way to make the beast a 'sidecar' that gives you access to another role. The bear is a defender, the cat is a striker, the eagle is a controller, etc. The beast master himself could be tweaked to allow for getting some leaderish traits instead, or perhaps some of the other beasts could be more of a "we don't do much in combat but our friend gets a few leaderish things and we can do some interesting non-combat stuff."

It would work!

Garthanos · Nov 27, 2019

AbdulAlhazred said:
Yeah, I think that different beasts should get different power sets. I mean, it would require a LOT of powers to be created, which is the downside, but it would be a cool way to make the beast a 'sidecar' that gives you access to another role. The bear is a defender, the cat is a striker, the eagle is a controller, etc. The beast master himself could be tweaked to allow for getting some leaderish traits instead, or perhaps some of the other beasts could be more of a "we don't do much in combat but our friend gets a few leaderish things and we can do some interesting non-combat stuff."

It would work!

Swarms of allied beasts providing periodic controller like ability could be possible but challenging.