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What type of ranger would your prefer for 2024?
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<blockquote data-quote="Mirrorrorrim" data-source="post: 9083883" data-attributes="member: 7040132"><p>The D&D spell-slot magic system is a great, efficient system does a number of things that is important for story, pacing, and functionality:</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">You get to do things FAST, often as an action, where if you did it in a a mundane fashion, it could take an hour or days to do.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">You get to bypass a lot of mundane physical material components if the act requires construction.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The effect is usally very accurate and/or efficient, not requiring a skill check for failure.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">It is a system that allows multiple classes get access to these abilities as an option.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Spell slots introduce a limit for how often you can perform those actions in a day. Because they are slots rather than dedicated to each specific concept, you get to mix and match. If the DM has a subsystem that also lets you do this stuff in a mundane fashion, that would be on top of the spellcasting slots.</li> </ol><p>And regarding your comment about "just a thing normal people do," I will contest that claim. Let's look at the level 1 Ranger spells:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Absorb Elements</strong>: Pure magic. Not just a normal thing.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Alarm</strong>: Casting time is 1 minute and lets you set an alarm that covers an entire 20-ft. cube that is smart enough to not trigger from allies, and awakens you with an inaudible ping if you're within a mile. Not just a normal thing. Sure, you can do something different, like letting the ranger ask if they create a mundane tripwire/clattertrap, but that all needs context for location, materials, and time. That is too much bookkeeping for designing accurate, meaningful system that I don't think is worth creating. Therefore in my game a player doesn't need an "class ability" so much as a player asking to do it and as long as they have the means, I give a timeline and ask for an ability check, and I'd likely allow Survival proficiency to apply.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Animal Friendship</strong>: Can magically charm one beast per spell level for 24 hours, pending a Wisdom save, using only an action. Not just a normal thing.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Beast Bond</strong>: Telepathy. Not just a normal thing.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Cure Wounds</strong>. Magical healing. Not just a normal thing.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Detect Magic</strong>. Pure magic. Not just a normal thing.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Detect Poison and Disease</strong>. An action to determine the hazardness of everything within 30 feet at a glance, without a touching it? Not just a normal thing.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Ensnaring Strike</strong>. Magical attack. Not just a normal thing.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Fog Cloud</strong>. Big magical AoE. Not just a normal thing.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Goodberry</strong>. Magical healing food. Not just a normal thing.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Hail of Thorns</strong>. Magical attack. Not just a normal thing.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Hunter's Mark</strong>. Not just a normal thing due to the divinatory aspects that work even if the creature is unfamiliar to you. I suppose it could have been a mystical primal-energy-powered class ability useable X times per long/short rest. But we're already past that point.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Jump</strong>. Not just a normal thing, despite the boring name that matches an act that anyone could do.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Longstrider</strong>. Magical movement enhancement. Not just a normal thing.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Snare</strong>. Not just a normal thing, because it only takes a minute to cast, doesn't care about terrain (doesn't need trees) and is "nearly invisible" no matter the terrain. A mundane snare trap requires all those things. That said, it still sucks. I say make it cost an action to cast so you can use it while you are being pursued. That fixes it for me.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Speak With Animals</strong>. Pure magic. Not just a normal thing. I suppose you can make this a class ability, but would bards, rangers, and druids all get this class ability?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"><strong>Zephyr Strike</strong>. Magical attack. Not just a normal thing.</li> </ul><p>So... Alarm and Snare are the ones that are the most mundane. Sure, someone can make a subsystem for traps. Maybe I'd take a look at it. But these spells do it quick and reliably, near <em>invisibly</em>, compared to a mundane option.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mirrorrorrim, post: 9083883, member: 7040132"] The D&D spell-slot magic system is a great, efficient system does a number of things that is important for story, pacing, and functionality: [LIST=1] [*]You get to do things FAST, often as an action, where if you did it in a a mundane fashion, it could take an hour or days to do. [*]You get to bypass a lot of mundane physical material components if the act requires construction. [*]The effect is usally very accurate and/or efficient, not requiring a skill check for failure. [*]It is a system that allows multiple classes get access to these abilities as an option. [*]Spell slots introduce a limit for how often you can perform those actions in a day. Because they are slots rather than dedicated to each specific concept, you get to mix and match. If the DM has a subsystem that also lets you do this stuff in a mundane fashion, that would be on top of the spellcasting slots. [/LIST] And regarding your comment about "just a thing normal people do," I will contest that claim. Let's look at the level 1 Ranger spells: [LIST] [*][B]Absorb Elements[/B]: Pure magic. Not just a normal thing. [*][B]Alarm[/B]: Casting time is 1 minute and lets you set an alarm that covers an entire 20-ft. cube that is smart enough to not trigger from allies, and awakens you with an inaudible ping if you're within a mile. Not just a normal thing. Sure, you can do something different, like letting the ranger ask if they create a mundane tripwire/clattertrap, but that all needs context for location, materials, and time. That is too much bookkeeping for designing accurate, meaningful system that I don't think is worth creating. Therefore in my game a player doesn't need an "class ability" so much as a player asking to do it and as long as they have the means, I give a timeline and ask for an ability check, and I'd likely allow Survival proficiency to apply. [*][B]Animal Friendship[/B]: Can magically charm one beast per spell level for 24 hours, pending a Wisdom save, using only an action. Not just a normal thing. [*][B]Beast Bond[/B]: Telepathy. Not just a normal thing. [*][B]Cure Wounds[/B]. Magical healing. Not just a normal thing. [*][B]Detect Magic[/B]. Pure magic. Not just a normal thing. [*][B]Detect Poison and Disease[/B]. An action to determine the hazardness of everything within 30 feet at a glance, without a touching it? Not just a normal thing. [*][B]Ensnaring Strike[/B]. Magical attack. Not just a normal thing. [*][B]Fog Cloud[/B]. Big magical AoE. Not just a normal thing. [*][B]Goodberry[/B]. Magical healing food. Not just a normal thing. [*][B]Hail of Thorns[/B]. Magical attack. Not just a normal thing. [*][B]Hunter's Mark[/B]. Not just a normal thing due to the divinatory aspects that work even if the creature is unfamiliar to you. I suppose it could have been a mystical primal-energy-powered class ability useable X times per long/short rest. But we're already past that point. [*][B]Jump[/B]. Not just a normal thing, despite the boring name that matches an act that anyone could do. [*][B]Longstrider[/B]. Magical movement enhancement. Not just a normal thing. [*][B]Snare[/B]. Not just a normal thing, because it only takes a minute to cast, doesn't care about terrain (doesn't need trees) and is "nearly invisible" no matter the terrain. A mundane snare trap requires all those things. That said, it still sucks. I say make it cost an action to cast so you can use it while you are being pursued. That fixes it for me. [*][B]Speak With Animals[/B]. Pure magic. Not just a normal thing. I suppose you can make this a class ability, but would bards, rangers, and druids all get this class ability? [*][B]Zephyr Strike[/B]. Magical attack. Not just a normal thing. [/LIST] So... Alarm and Snare are the ones that are the most mundane. Sure, someone can make a subsystem for traps. Maybe I'd take a look at it. But these spells do it quick and reliably, near [I]invisibly[/I], compared to a mundane option. [/QUOTE]
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