Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana: Another New Ranger Variant

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[DonAdam]

So they dusted off the Shaman and slapped a Ranger label on it? Why can't we just have another non-magic option? We only have a few classes in the entire game that don't use magic.

 

[Minigiant]

I hate it. Absolutely.

2d6 HD. Rangers are tough. Toughness as in ruggedness and enduring. Not battle tough tanks. Not past the first 2 levels.

Then where is spellcasting?. How does Primal awareness work? How do you summon , call, or conjure beasts? Where's hunters mark? Where's the healing spells? Bah.

Spirit companions are weak as expected. You can't have a full beast with full actions and level appropriate power for longer than a few minutes.just doesn't work an it shows.

 

[Mistwell]

The more I think about it, the less I like the hit dice. I will reiterate-
2d6 = 7 (average)
d12 (barbarian) = 6.5
d10 (fighter) = 5.5

That's not right, from either a gameplay or a general balance perspective. Adding yet another "tanky" character with more hp than a base fighter? And, to boot, with more hp than a barbarian? I understand the impulse (survival-y) but there are other mechanics that they can do that with. Perhaps it is a small thing, but in terms of the way the classes present themselves, it is *huge*.

Possible solutions? If they have to go the double hd route, make it d4+d6 per level. That makes it 6- right in between Barbarian and Fighter. No, it's not elegant, but it's better than 2d6. Or keep it at d10 and change other abilities.

I'm also curious about ambuscade. Everything else looked relatively normal to me. But that was the one thing that stood out and made me think that I'd need some playtesting on it.

Just give them a d10 plus "bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage that you take from non-magical weapons is reduced by 3".

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Also don't like the 2d6 hit die it just doesn't feel right, it should be 1d10 or 1d12.

Ambuscade and Skirmisher's Stealth, I like those it feels like something a Ranger should have.

Spirit Companion, I like the concept, but hate that it's another thing that uses concentration, "Oh, look I got a pin prick! Now my spirit companion is gone and I just summoned it!" Losing concentration is easy if they rush into fray, and con is also not a proficiency save for them, so that spirit animal is going to disappear in less than a minute. Rangers should be fighting side by side with the spirit animal, and not spending that entire minute hiding just to make use of it as only a diversion.

I like that it's different types of spirit companions invoke different abilities, though I feel they should also suggest other types of animals for places that may not have brown bears, giant eagles or dire wolves. It's good that they're re-using the name seeker, the least liked base class of previous edition.

I know spells for Rangers are a very divisive thing for many players, but I feel they should still have them if they're looking to invoke the classic Ranger.

 

[Mistwell]

Ambuscade is effectively giving you a second turn. That includes a full set of move and bonus actions. The combo with Assassin is huge, especially for a 1 level dip. Actually, its huge with pretty much everyone who ever wants to take an Attack Action. Not really a fan of it.

It doesn't do any of that. It's a single attack or hide action, no move, no bonus action. It has no decent combo with Assassin, as it's not a surprise round.

 

[Ristamar]

It doesn't do any of that. It's a single attack or hide action, no move, no bonus action. It has no decent combo with Assassin, as it's not a surprise round. It doesn't work with spells either.

There's no such thing as a surprise round. And why would it not combo with assassin?

EDIT: I agree that Ambuscade doesn't count as auto-surprise for the assassin, but an assassin/ranger could gain surprise, and perform two Assassinate attacks with the Ambuscade feature.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Mistwell]

There's no such thing as a surprise round. And why would it not combo with assassin?

Yes, there is such a thing as a surprise round, "If you’re surprised, you can’t move or take an action on your first turn of the combat, and you can’t take a reaction until that turn ends." That's a surprise round.

The assassin power says, "In addition, any hit you score against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit." You would still get advantage, but that's hardly what most people mean when they are talking about the assassin.

As the Ranger power does not provide surprise, it does not grant the Assassination auto-crit.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

This UA is wrong on so many levels..

Ambuscade: Everyone is going to take a ranger dip. High level wizard/sorcerer + Ambuscade = unstoppable party.

The action is only "Attack" or "Hide". It's not particularly useful for casters. But you can bet your ass I'd take it on a barbarian, rogue, fighter, etc.

2d6? More than the barbarians? Does it make sense adding hit points since Skirmisher is an excellent (even overpowered) defence class privilege?

Agreed, I'd rather they have more active defenses than just more HP.

And NO FAVOURED ENEMY?

IIRC, Favored Enemy ranked low on satisfaction. They arent going to re-write the ability, and don't want to create a similar version "Favored Quarry" or something that actually adds damage in order to avoid confusion. So better to nix it.

 

[Ristamar]

The assassin power says, "In addition, any hit you score against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit." It doesn't provide surprise.

I agree that Ambuscade doesn't count as auto-surprise for the assassin, but an assassin/ranger could gain surprise and perform two Assassinate attacks with the Ambuscade feature.