D&D 5E Ranger Rating Thread

[Iry]

1. Beast Master (with the new beast rules)
2. Hunter
3. Gloom Stalker
4. Horizon Walker
5. Swarm Keeper
6. Fey Wanderer
7. Monster Slayer

1-3 are pretty close. 4-5 are middle ground. 6-7 are downright weak.

One word: Concentration.

Also, not helping track people like the UA version.

 

[Bacon Bits]

I don't see how 2.5/3.5/4.5 extra damage per round, on only one hit per round, is something so strong that should require concentration to balance it out. And on top of that, very limited uses per day to balance it out.

Because without concentration you can cast Hunter's Mark for +1d6, use Favored Foe for +1d4, and whatever your level 3 ability is for another +1d6 or so. And if you say it doesn't work with Hunter's Mark, then you just give people yet another reason to go Hexblade Warlock, except this time for Hex. That means a 5th level ranger gets two attacks at 2d6 or 1d8 ranged, and the first attack every round that hits deals a bonus 2d6+1d4 damage, with a much easier restriction to meet than sneak attack.

The problem isn't even that it's so much better than what the other classes are doing. It's that it's much better than anything else you might do as a ranger. It's the agonizing eldritch blast problem. It's clearly the best option so you've really got to hunt to find something better, and anything better is probably too cheesy to feel fair.

I can understand maybe at the low levels, but past Lv. 6 I really don't see how it would be remotely overpowered with concentration gone. All it's doing at that point is preventing the Ranger from considering the spells on its list (quantifiably more than half its current list) that also require concentration.

Managing concentration is part of the action economy for most classes. It's like attunement for ongoing abilities, and you've got to manage it. That's not Favored Foe's fault, and it doesn't go away if Favored Foe isn't concentration.

I'm not a huge fan of PCs being able to lose concentration from damage. I'd rather abilities had shorter durations of 3-5 rounds but concentration was much harder to break (at least for PCs) but that's not the way the game works now.

Class features competing directly with each other is an example of Bad Design 101. A well designed class has features that complement each other and synergize with each other.

You mean like spells using the same slots? Multiple abilities using bonus actions? Limited selection for cantrips? Feats that work for ranged combat or melee combat but not both? Fighting styles limiting you to one style? Classes limiting you to one set of abilities? The game is full of forks in the road.

A class is not supposed to represent a single build. That is not it's purpose, nor is it the goal of designing a class-based RPG. I've heard it said that a game can be defined as a set of interesting choices. Choice needs to preclude alternatives or it's not a choice. You'd just have it all then.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Its' shunted out to 6th level though, so it's not something one can just dip to get.

Seeing as Paladins at that level gain +Cha to saves in a 10' radius (wow) it seems about on par.

Yeah, that's what I meant by "but is less abusable for multiclassing."

 

[Gladius Legis]

Because without concentration you can cast Hunter's Mark for +1d6, use Favored Foe for +1d4, and whatever your level 3 ability is for another +1d6 or so.

So, yeah, again, 2.5 extra damage over what you could do before. I don't see the problem.

And I've already suggested that the concentration requirement can stay until 6th level to discourage multiclass dipping.

And if you say it doesn't work with Hunter's Mark, then you just give people yet another reason to go Hexblade Warlock, except this time for Hex. That means a 5th level ranger gets two attacks at 2d6 or 1d8 ranged, and the first attack every round that hits deals a bonus 2d6+1d4 damage, with a much easier restriction to meet than sneak attack.

I never suggested explicitly making it not work with Hunter's Mark. But if I did, I'd also explicitly add Hex to the list of things it doesn't work with.

Managing concentration is part of the action economy for most classes. It's like attunement for ongoing abilities, and you've got to manage it. That's not Favored Foe's fault, and it doesn't go away if Favored Foe isn't concentration.

It doesn't go away, no, but at least it restricts the list of things that use concentration only to actual spells, rather than a class feature that is clearly set up to be a staple (and whose class capstone only works with said feature).

You mean like spells using the same slots? Multiple abilities using bonus actions? Limited selection for cantrips? Feats that work for ranged combat or melee combat but not both? Fighting styles limiting you to one style? Classes limiting you to one set of abilities? The game is full of forks in the road.

A class is not supposed to represent a single build. That is not it's purpose, nor is it the goal of designing a class-based RPG. I've heard it said that a game can be defined as a set of interesting choices. Choice needs to preclude alternatives or it's not a choice. You'd just have it all then.

But using Favored Foe should not be a choice you have to make. It forces the Ranger to make choices no other class has to make. Other classes have choices to make regarding spells, or fighting styles, or subclasses. No other class makes you choose between using a base feature and your spells.

Also funny you mention multiple abilities using bonus actions, because bonus action congestion has always been a problem only for the Ranger, and no other class.