D&D 5E Why Would I Play a Ranger?

[JohnTitusRenzi]

More specifics
This is a 5th Level Ranger Beast Master
1d10 long bow arrow piercing dmg
+2 dex mod dmg
+0 Archery Fighting Style dmg
2 attacks
If a Ranger Hunter
Colossus - is +1d8 dmg probably on large+ targets though not stated
Horde - when melee attacking, you get a bonus melee attack on an adjacent target

So we are still looking at similar numbers.
2d10+6 on 1 target
This is the Ranger's best attack.
The Ranger's spells and slots don't compare to the power of other classes.

The Wizard can Poison Spray Cantrip at 5th level for 2d12+0.
This is a basic attack.

I am probably missing something.
I am not missing all the passive and active rude comments in this thread.
'spits'

 

[Salamandyr]

Exactly what others have said. You're leaving out damage boosts from spells, specifically Hunter's Mark.

I think a lot of the perception of weakness that people have about the ranger is that spells have always been an afterthought for the Ranger, rather than a source of their power, and in 5e they chose to leverage the spellcasting mechanic to deliver what used to be discrete abilities. That choice has pros and cons. The pro is a simpler design; the con is that players can completely miss some important class abilities and wind up thinking their character is "weak".

I do have one issue with the ranger. At the moment, it's spell choices are so tilted toward archery that choosing to play any other way is a huge downgrade in power. It's bad enough that I recommend anyone wanting to play a melee ranger just play an Oath of the Ancients Paladin instead.

 

[Salamandyr]

Collossus Slayer doesn't require the target be large, only at less than full hit points.

The spell Hunter's Mark a bonus action spell that adds +1d6* per attack for every attack.

Also, the +2 to hit from Archery style which, within bounded accuracy basically makes you auto-hit.

So...

2x[1d8+1d6 (Hunter's Mark)+4]+1d8 (Collossus Slayer)=28.5 average damage. 37 average damage with haste-the ranger in our party is our wizards go to haste buddy. (assuming all hit, which they will most of the time)

vs. 13 average damage for poison spray.

That's not even including the average damage for Sharpshooter (we don't use feats in my game).

*corrected to make Hunter's Mark 1d6

 

[Azurewraith]

More specifics
This is a 5th Level Ranger Beast Master
1d10 long bow arrow piercing dmg
+2 dex mod dmg
+0 Archery Fighting Style dmg
2 attacks
If a Ranger Hunter
Colossus - is +1d8 dmg probably on large+ targets though not stated
Horde - when melee attacking, you get a bonus melee attack on an adjacent target

So we are still looking at similar numbers.
2d10+6 on 1 target
This is the Ranger's best attack.
The Ranger's spells and slots don't compare to the power of other classes.

The Wizard can Poison Spray Cantrip at 5th level for 2d12+0.
This is a basic attack.

I am probably missing something.
I am not missing all the passive and active rude comments in this thread.
'spits'

Im sorry i feel like i missed something here or more over you did i suggest a quick look over the 5th edition players handbook.

 

[JohnTitusRenzi]

O.k. Hunter's Mark subject to concentration, but you can cast it 4 times at 5th Ranger lvl and it adds +1d6 to all weap attacks on 1 target. That's something. Thanks.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Salamandyr]

Don't forget that you can switch targets without dropping the spell with just a bonus action. For archers, concentration is rarely an issue (I've forced the ranger to make 1 concentration check the whole campaign).

 

[JohnTitusRenzi]

You're mistaken. Here are the specifics on Hunter's Mark.

http://engl393-dnd5th.wikia.com/wiki/Hunter's_Mark

 

[Imaro]

You're mistaken. Here are the specifics on Hunter's Mark.

http://engl393-dnd5th.wikia.com/wiki/Hunter's_Mark

What is he mistaken about?

 

[Sacrosanct]

A thread that touches on the ranger's deficiencies, game balance in an RPG, and "metagaming?" I'm going to need to go to the store to get extra popcorn.

I don't know why you (the OP) would play a ranger, but I play them - including the poor, poor beastmaster - and have a blast every time. Mostly it's because I don't concern myself with damage per round or look at my teammates with DPR-envy in my eyes. After all, there's more than just whittling away at hit points to overcome a challenge and the ranger has plenty of options on that score.

Yeah, this. I don't play a class based solely on DPR in an arena style combat. I get some people do. That's cool. To each their own. But to me, rangers play so much different than a wizard. There are three pillars in the game, not just one. So while the OP may not want to play a ranger, that doesn't mean it's broken. Not everyone share's the OP's playstyle. In fact, I'd say that's a minority of all gamers who do.