This sound disheartening, but it is not really surprising. 4e balanced pets/summons in a similar manner, IIRC, to preserve the action economy. All this was in response to the numerous problems with pets/summoned creatures had in 3e. What really surprises me is that they went for a 'beast master' sub-class at all, given the history of features like this and all. I realize there is some archetype precedence, from Tarzan to Aqua-man, but I would have thought that a pet would be more the Druid's bailiwick.
D&D 5E Ranger
Well the ranger pet is "balanced" around the idea that the ranger is a 3 attack per action class by 11 like fighters are. Attacks per action tend to have a very high damage output value. Bow rangers and GWF fighters are doing around 20-30 damage per attack on average by the time they hit level 8 or their low teens. Put that into 3 attacks and both classes are doing as much or more single target damage than a wizard spending a 6th level spell slot.
My worry is that I don't see the pet damage scaling up like a Hunter's longbow damage will(Sharpshooter and legendary weapons). This could be fixed by having a pet companion feat that allows normal classes to gain a pet companion and the ranger to upgrade their pet into a larger companion with a base damage that competes with Sharpshooter and Great Weapon Master(though a bit less since the pet can tank).
My worry is that I don't see the pet damage scaling up like a Hunter's longbow damage will(Sharpshooter and legendary weapons). This could be fixed by having a pet companion feat that allows normal classes to gain a pet companion and the ranger to upgrade their pet into a larger companion with a base damage that competes with Sharpshooter and Great Weapon Master(though a bit less since the pet can tank).
I can see how a full animal companion (no actions to activate) will make the class OP, but now how to make the companion good without major changes.
the PF ranger gets the companion at L4, but doesn't get spells until L4, but the companion levels up (As with the druid). likewise the druid gets a companion at L1, but doesn't get wild shape until L4.
In 13th age the animal companion is one of the options for the class (takes 2 slots i think) and again levels up.
In 5e the companion seems to be an afterthought. Hunter looks fine but beastmaster is pretty week until level 7 when the companion attacks twice and you have extra attack. Even then you are limited to a 1/4 CR beast.
My preferred options would be:
Current class Beast can attack if attacked, but without the prof bonus to attack and damage, keep the class as is.
or
Create a new class which has casting similar to the eldritch knight (1/3), maybe as an option, but a beefed up companion which levels with the 'ranger' like in PF or 13th age.
On a non beastmaster note - i wish the hunter ranger which shouldnt be called hunter) could switch between it's different options. Each is so situational, mostly based on what monsters you are fighting - how do you chosoe which!!
the PF ranger gets the companion at L4, but doesn't get spells until L4, but the companion levels up (As with the druid). likewise the druid gets a companion at L1, but doesn't get wild shape until L4.
In 13th age the animal companion is one of the options for the class (takes 2 slots i think) and again levels up.
In 5e the companion seems to be an afterthought. Hunter looks fine but beastmaster is pretty week until level 7 when the companion attacks twice and you have extra attack. Even then you are limited to a 1/4 CR beast.
My preferred options would be:
Current class Beast can attack if attacked, but without the prof bonus to attack and damage, keep the class as is.
or
Create a new class which has casting similar to the eldritch knight (1/3), maybe as an option, but a beefed up companion which levels with the 'ranger' like in PF or 13th age.
On a non beastmaster note - i wish the hunter ranger which shouldnt be called hunter) could switch between it's different options. Each is so situational, mostly based on what monsters you are fighting - how do you chosoe which!!
This is equivalent to an extra attack. Would a feat that allows you to take an extra attack be balanced?
variant
Adventurer
Would it for the ranger? I have no idea about the damage output of the ranger. Don't have the book yet. Something like an extra attack for the fighter is a big deal because of abilities they get that enhance every extra attack they get such as Improved Critical and Action Surge.
What damage does the animal companion do?
evilbob
Explorer
What are these legendary weapons people keep speaking of?
Someone way upthread mentioned that people tend to analyze the ranger a bunch. I think that's true of all classes, honestly, but I think the ranger changed pretty radically from 3.5 to 4.0, and now has changed pretty radically back. It takes time to process this. And some people would probably rather have the 4.0 version, who was a single-target DPR GOD. Glass-cannon, but DPR god. No spells, no animals, just pure, sweet damage.
An example of one from Horde of the Dragon Queen that the PCs find at level 7:
Hazirawn the greatsword
+2 to attack and damage, also does another 2d6 necrotic damage.
Has 4 charges to cast spells(detect evil/good, and detect thoughts)
Anyone damaged needs to make a DC 15 save each round or they can't regen hit points.
+2 to attack and damage, also does another 2d6 necrotic damage.
Has 4 charges to cast spells(detect evil/good, and detect thoughts)
Anyone damaged needs to make a DC 15 save each round or they can't regen hit points.
Figure a champion with GWM and this weapon will be doing 33.6 damage per attack that hits on average.
A ranger with an equivalent longbow and Sharpshooter would be doing 28.5 per target attacked(4.5 + 2 + 5 + 10 + 7). So if you volleyed 4 targets you'd be doing over 100 damage a round. Nailing 3+ targets should be pretty trivial with Volley and Horde Breaker.
Ranger Hunters are absolutely fine as a class. They're basically an AE martial class. Fighters excel at single target action surge burst, paladins are also a single target burst, while ranger DPS scales up real high on large packs.
Ranger Beastmasters are balanced in theory because they trade out a potential 4th or more attack for a consistent 3rd attack at level 11. But the lack of +10 damage feats and the +9 damage from legendary weapons is really going to hurt them. If pet's get legendary collars or something that'd make up for it, but I highly doubt we'll see things like that in the stock game.
Tony Vargas
Legend
We have the fighter for that. Fighter (even just a Champion fighter) + Outlander with plenty of DEX so light armor is a good choice. The 5e fighter is really trying to cover the 4e Fighter, Ranger, and Warlord - 3 classes, 3 different roles, and a dozen or so builds, with, among them, around a thousand maneuver ('exploit'/power) choices - with two sub-classes, one of which is basically choiceless, the other one able to choose from 16 maneuvers. Obviously, it's having some trouble, but the Ranger is probably the one it comes closest to covering, in a basic, high-DPR-from-lots-of-arrows way.
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