D&D 5E Ranger's favored enemies and spells.

[Salamandyr]

I'm hoping when the final version of the ranger has something more than favored enemy-dragons (archer) and favored enemy-brutes (dual wielding). Even using the current paradigm, I could easily see a favored enemy-giants (two handed weapons) just off the top of my head; I'd also love to see them work in a type of favored enemy type that provides an animal companion just off the top of my head. And it seems to me that these sorts of broad favored enemy mechanics can allow one easily to pick a fighting style that "happens" to be especially good against certain enemies. One ranger might be good at dual wielding because he hates orcs and fights them all the time, while another might be a born archer which just happens to be especially applicable to creatures like dragons.

So for me it seems the way they're going actually opens up options.

In reply to Dausuul, I think one of the differences between the ranger and the fighter is that the fighter should be a "specialist" with every weapon, while a ranger should only approach (not exceed, or even match...approach) the fighters skill with one or two weapons.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I'm gonna be cantankerous and say that combining favored enemy and fighting style was brilliant.

I think it's worth making the distinction between "favored enemy gives you abilities" and "if you want to be good at killing dragons, you have to kill them with bows."

It's a good idea to tether favored enemies to abilities. Someone who fights dragons should pierce DR and resist elements and maybe even enchant attacks. They should be brave to resist the fear and agile to resist the melee attacks. They should be able to bind wings and blunt fangs.

It's not so much a good idea to tether favored enemies to equipment. Someone who fights dragons doesn't need to use a bow. These are two different things.

 

[Salamandyr]

I think it's worth making the distinction between "favored enemy gives you abilities" and "if you want to be good at killing dragons, you have to kill them with bows."

It's a good idea to tether favored enemies to abilities. Someone who fights dragons should pierce DR and resist elements and maybe even enchant attacks. They should be brave to resist the fear and agile to resist the melee attacks. They should be able to bind wings and blunt fangs.

It's not so much a good idea to tether favored enemies to equipment. Someone who fights dragons doesn't need to use a bow. These are two different things.

OK, let's be clear here. Nothing about the ranger's favored enemy ability as it's now written says "if you want to be good at killing dragons, you have to kill them with bows."

There is exactly one ability in the favored enemy list that is equipment (actually attack type) dependent. In the case of dragon slaying..."hunter's volley", which is a really nice special ability that works well, whether you are fighting dragons or not. And while it's nice, it's not such a game breaking thing that you're losing anything if you choose to attach the dragon in, say, melee. In fact, the 15th level ability works, regardless of what kind of weapon you're using.

And of the two abilities, Hunters Volley and Slayer's Hands, Slayer's Hands is basically useless against soloes, draconic or otherwise. Not to mention how useful a bow would be to a guy trying to kill a giant flying lizard

As it stands right now, this idea that favored enemy dictates your weapon choices is dramatically overstating things.

 

[Minigiant]

It's less that "favored enemy dictates your fighting style" as "current rangers are too weak to pass up the bonuses".

As for ranger fighting styles, rangers feel more like very focused adapters. They survive by metagaming to what they encounter. if anything, their favored enemy would shift them to overall styles like high damage brute or lurker with good saves than actual weapon styles.

 

[I'm A Banana]

In the case of dragon slaying..."hunter's volley", which is a really nice special ability that works well, whether you are fighting dragons or not.

Slayer's Hands is basically useless against soloes, draconic or otherwise

So my criticism there is that these don't really belong as part of an ability set ostensibly about fighting dragons.

Not to mention how useful a bow would be to a guy trying to kill a giant flying lizard

Worked well enough for Tolkein.

 

[Salamandyr]

So my criticism there is that these don't really belong as part of an ability set ostensibly about fighting dragons.



Worked well enough for Tolkein.

That's my point. Hunter's Volley makes a lot of sense for a dragon fighter, who gets it, and Slayer's Hands, which is the Brute Slayer special is basically useless for fighting dragons-which is why they don't get that one.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Hunter's Volley makes a lot of sense for a dragon fighter

But you said...

In the case of dragon slaying..."hunter's volley", which is a really nice special ability that works well, whether you are fighting dragons or not.

So my criticism is still that in an ability set ostensibly about fighting dragons, there's no reason to include "Hunter's Volley."

 

[Salamandyr]

But you said...



So my criticism is still that in an ability set ostensibly about fighting dragons, there's no reason to include "Hunter's Volley."

Except...Hunter's Volley is a really good ability for a dragon fighter to have. Isn't that a good enough reason to include it? And the fact that it's also useful in a lot of other situations, a great value add?

I think at this point I'm just confused. I thought your problem was that the favored enemy mechanic demanded a certain equipment load out? Doesn't the fact that it doesn't actually do that, and to the extent there is (exactly one) equipment specific power, even in that case it's so general and widely applicable that a character can easily adapt it to his playstyle a good thing?

 

[I'm A Banana]

I think at this point I'm just confused.

What makes the ability especially good against dragons?

 

[bogmad]

What makes the ability especially good against dragons?

That dragons may have an impulse to fly out of weapon range when actually threatened, in which case having a way to reach a dragon in the air is very useful?