D&D General What spells should be on the rangers list?

[Micah Sweet]

If we somehow found ourselves transported into a fantasy setting, things like magic and dragons would seem fantastical to us. However, to someone who grew up and lived in a fantasy setting, the stuff we consider fantastical would be seen as 'mundane' by them. A fantasy Ranger would see themselves as ordinary.

I expect they would, and some mention if that should probably be in the text. But what stuff is supernatural and what stuff isn't is always written from the perspective of the reader. I think it would be quite jarring to do otherwise.

 

[bloodtide]

depending on the age of the carcass I can do that in the real world with just a few minutes of examination. One of my big issues with DnD is when things that should just be skills get turned into spells.

I agree, as I do like mundane skills. But I also like magic for that extra "skill" beyond what the mundane can do. Like seeing the last minute of life of a dead animal.....not something you can do in the real world, for example. The same for speaking with a dead animal.

Even the idea of communing with spirits while fantastic is still mundane in a world were the wilderness is full of active spirits who can interact with people, they dont need to be always hostile.

I'm not sure how 'magic' is 'mundane'.....

I don't think rangers should be blasting away with 100d100 damage fireball spells. So ranger magic could be seen a "mundane" next to that.....but that is fine with me.

 

[Corinnguard]

I'm not sure how 'magic' is 'mundane'.....

It's a matter of perspective. While you might not see magic as being mundane, how does the character you play in an adventure see it? If the character is in a low magic setting, magic might still have that fantastical edge to it like it does in RL. But in a high magic setting, it could be mundane since it's everywhere and used all of the time by everyone.

 

[Minigiant]

True, an A5e Fighter could pick up a proficiency in any two combat traditions at 1st level, including the ones that an A5e Ranger can likewise become proficient in. But they can't lose their subclass any more than a 5.0 or a 5.5 Fighter could. And if someone did decide to role-play an A5e Fighter without the subclass (Narrator permitting), they would lose a chance to pick up a third Combat tradition proficiency. Why would you want to nerf the A5e Fighter anyway? They're a lot better than their 5.0 and 5.5 counterparts thanks to the addition of the exploration and social interaction features.

The point is it's really only Trained Accuracy and Subclass that a Fighter misses out on.

Perhaps it was my experience. I played at a D&D 2014 table with an A5E ranger and the ranger didn't feel impactful uniquely in anyway a A5E fighter wouldn't have access to since I had the book and knew.

 

[Corinnguard]

Perhaps it was my experience. I played at a D&D 2014 table with an A5E ranger and the ranger didn't feel impactful uniquely in anyway a A5E fighter wouldn't have access to since I had the book and knew.

I've been playing a 2014 Ranger since January 2023 and have relied more on the class's martial side than its' ability to cast spells.

 

[Minigiant]

I've been playing a 2014 Ranger since January 2023 and have relied more on the class's martial side than its' ability to cast spells.

Opposite.

My experience with the 2014 Ranger was the contribution more on the skill and magic side. More with the 2024 one.

The time out DM allowed A5e classes and the ranger was chosen, it was all martial.

 

[Minigiant]

depending on the age of the carcass I can do that in the real world with just a few minutes of examination. One of my big issues with DnD is when things that should just be skills get turned into spells.

That's the issue.

The Ranger spell list is just stuff most DMs won't allow without blatant supernatural magic or put extreme restrictions if allowed.

Like traps and nets.

Mundane traps and nets are butt in most games. Magic ones scale with magic power and rarity.

 

[Corinnguard]

My experience with the 2014 Ranger was the contribution more on the skill and magic side. More with the 2024 one.

They would have been more appealing if they had access to the entire Ranger spell list and could prepare a number of spells/long rest.

The time out DM allowed A5e classes and the ranger was chosen, it was all martial.

The A5e Ranger swapped out spells for combat maneuvers spread across 5 degrees.

 

[Corinnguard]

The Ranger spell list is just stuff most DMs won't allow without blatant supernatural magic or put extreme restrictions if allowed.

This might be why EN Publishing made their Ranger more martial. They might have wanted a Ranger that relied more on skill and their training.