D&D General why do we not have an arcane half caster?

[Mind of tempest]

The ranger knows what it's supposed to be.

The issue is and always has been: fans, including the designers themselves, don't like the answer because of what it entails.

which is?

 

[Minigiant]

which is?

Medieval Fantasy Wilderness Batman

The problem is the Batman part. Attempting to design a Batman for a PnP, board, or video game without major sacrifices to Batman requires major sacrifices to one's mental health.

Pile on how D&D handles magic and well... roll on the insanity table.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Medieval Fantasy Wilderness Batman

The problem is the Batman part. Attempting to design a Batman for a PnP, board, or video game without major sacrifices to Batman requires major sacrifices to one's mental health.

Pile on how D&D handles magic and well... roll on the insanity table.

batman is 20th level rogue with stupid amounts of feats and loot plus way to high stats.

 

[Minigiant]

batman is 20th level rogue with stupid amounts of feats and loot plus way to high stats.

Batman is also one of the top 10 unarmed and unarmored martial artists in his universe. Some can argue top 5.

But that's not the problem.
The issue is Batman has access to every tool available on his universe. The only reason Batman doesn't use something is because he literally can't, doesn't want to, or the item is secret to him.

Now roll that down to rangers. Rangers wouldn't be just divine casters. Rangers woud dabble in arcane, divine, druidic/primal and magic as well as psionics. All while being skilled and a competent warrior. The 0e ranger casted 2 kinds of spells. They want to find and defeat their favored enemies and defend their territories by any means necessary. That's why 5e sorta mumbles when it talks about ranger magic. Because it you really think about it, it would be a mess.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Batman is also one of the top 10 unarmed and unarmored martial artists in his universe. Some can argue top 5.

But that's not the problem.
The issue is Batman has access to every tool available on his universe. The only reason Batman doesn't use something is because he literally can't, doesn't want to, or the item is secret to him.

Now roll that down to rangers. Rangers wouldn't be just divine casters. Rangers woud dabble in arcane, divine, druidic/primal and magic as well as psionics. All while being skilled and a competent warrior. The 0e ranger casted 2 kinds of spells. They want to find and defeat their favored enemies and defend their territories by any means necessary. That's why 5e sorta mumbles when it talks about ranger magic. Because it you really think about it, it would be a mess.

remind me to make a monk thread as I might have solved the martial arts problem.

the rest of this says confused concept go back to the drawing board as it lacks both story and proper mechanics.

could get a basic list of the parts for the solution in one post if you want?

 

[Minigiant]

remind me to make a monk thread as I might have solved the martial arts problem.

the rest of this says confused concept go back to the drawing board as it lacks both story and proper mechanics.

could get a basic list of the parts for the solution in one post if you want?

Again the concept is not not confused. Rangers have a clear concept. The problem is the rest of the game and getting that and ranger's concept to mesh.

It all boils down to the point of this topic: What is arcane magic? What would a arcane half caster half warrior be able to do that is currently not possible?

If your answer is "Arcane magic allows for elemental blasting and an arcane half caster would be able to fight and blast."
Well Lightning Arrow. Ranger are your arcane half caster and the low amount of new attack spells for the class criminal.

If your answer is specifically stuff that arcane magic cannot do then you are asking for stuff D&D moved away from.

If your answer is something else then you have to start defining stuff.

 

[Chaosmancer]

I swear no one will tell me how ranger gets magic. are they arcane or divine?

I prefer to use Primal for Rangers and Druids.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

a decent thing similar to smites mechanically is a must but having smite would be wrong.

also, I see a jocrap fan I salute you.

Let them spend spells slots to make their bonded weapon deal elemental damage of their choice, with a small elemental damage bonus per hit.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Again the concept is not not confused. Rangers have a clear concept. The problem is the rest of the game and getting that and ranger's concept to mesh.

It all boils down to the point of this topic: What is arcane magic? What would a arcane half caster half warrior be able to do that is currently not possible?

If your answer is "Arcane magic allows for elemental blasting and an arcane half caster would be able to fight and blast."
Well Lightning Arrow. Ranger are your arcane half caster and the low amount of new attack spells for the class criminal.

If your answer is specifically stuff that arcane magic cannot do then you are asking for stuff D&D moved away from.

If your answer is something else then you have to start defining stuff.

My answer is sword magic, which no class specializes in. Lightning arrow is great, no let me throw my weapon that isn’t normally a thrown weapon, further than thrown weapons normally go, elecrocuting everyone it goes by, and then return it to my hand.

let me send my sword flying in an arc to hit multiple targets within 60 ft.

Let me mark an enemy and teleport into their face sword-first when they trigger the mark.

none of that is weird in D&D, and it’s the kind of stuff that would make them feel like they were actually built to be a magical weapons master, not someone who trained in two different academies and switches back and forth between the two traditions.

 

[tetrasodium]

Let them spend spells slots to make their bonded weapon deal elemental damage of their choice, with a small elemental damage bonus per hit.

5e gets screwy with magic b/p/s and elemental (magic or not) damage due to how is ISIS resistance and largely avoids using vulnerability