D&D (2024) What type of ranger would your prefer for 2024?

[Vaalingrade]

People would rather insult and deride them as clearly incompetent based on nothing more than their assumption that the system could not possibly have been too complicated?

I'd reply, but I need to cough up all these words that keep getting shoved into my mouth...

 

[Shardstone]

I wish the Ranger was less martial and more scholar.

 

[Horwath]

I did. They wanted to discuss their options. Do you think you could adequately discuss 65 options during a lunch conversation?

It's never 65 options or people have no idea what they want to play.
If someone comes with a concept in their head, it usually boils down to few options only.

Did you do that over lunch, with no capability to help her make the character?

Idea was set fast, but as it was a 5th level character for a new player, character creation and explanation took few hours.

Because I asked the lady at my lunch table two or three days later how it went... BECAUSE IT WASN'T MY GROUP SHE WAs JOINING.

Should we just assume that every group has an expeirenced player willing and able to spend multiple hours working them through all their options?

That would be ideal.

Also what could be ideal, it for WotC to make premade starting characters for all classes in PHB from 1st to 4th level for people that do not have that luxury. Still remember 3.0 starting set...

I.E:

Human fighter:

Spoiler: 1st level

Feats; Tough, Skilled
STR 17, DEX 10, CON 14, INT 10, WIS 14, CHA 10
Fighting style: dueling

HP: 14
AC: 18(chainmail, shield)

Attacks:
Longsword: +5, 1d10+5(flex mastery)
Javelin(range 30/120): +5, 1d6+5, -10ft target speed

Saving throws:
STR +5, DEX +0, CON +4, INT +0, WIS +2, CHA +0

Inspiration:
after d20 roll, decide if you want to roll again and take better roll.
gain one use on long rest

Second wind:
Bonus action heal for 1d10+1
usable twice per long rest

Skills: (7), added one from champion bonus skill.
Athletics: +5
Acrobatics: +2
Insight: +4
Perception: +4
Survival: +4
Intimidation: +2
Persuasion: +2

Tools:
Cartography

Languages:
Common, Dwarven, Elven

Advancement:
2nd level:

Spoiler: 2nd level

Increase HP by 10
Second wind
Increase second wind to 1d10+2
Once on your turn gain extra Action and make attack or move with it.
You can do it once per short or long rest.

3rd level:

Spoiler: 3rd level

Increase HP by 10
Increase second wind to 1d10+3
Your attacks score critical hit with 19 and 20 roll on d20[/ISPOILER]

4th level:

Spoiler: 4th level

Increase HP by 10
Increase second wind to 1d10+4
increase your STR to 18.
Gain +1 attack and damage with longsword and javelin
gain +1 to Athletics
gain +1 to STR saves

reduce damage you receive from weapon attacks by 2

 

[Rocker26a]

I agree, but I find the same to be true of the Bard and to an extent the wizard.

Fair, though I feel like the lack of validation hurts Ranger more than those two. Everyone knows that Bards and Wizards can be cool, regardless of the chosen flavour for their spellcasting. And if nothing else, the mechanical strength helps!

Whereas yeah, bit more of an uphill struggle for Ranger. They're not very good and their identity amongst the spellcasters is hard to pin down.

 

[Horwath]

Fair, though I feel like the lack of validation hurts Ranger more than those two. Everyone knows that Bards and Wizards can be cool, regardless of the chosen flavour for their spellcasting. And if nothing else, the mechanical strength helps!

Whereas yeah, bit more of an uphill struggle for Ranger. They're not very good and their identity amongst the spellcasters is hard to pin down.

The problem is making them a spellcaster in the 1st place.

Ranger can have mystical abilities tied to nature and some quasi magical abilities without them being spells.
We have fighters Echo knight and Rune knight, rogues Soulknife and Phantom, Barbarian storm herald.

 

[Rocker26a]

The problem is making them a spellcaster in the 1st place.

Ranger can have mystical abilities tied to nature and some quasi magical abilities without them being spells.
We have fighters Echo knight and Rune knight, rogues Soulknife and Phantom, Barbarian storm herald.

I think that's true, but I like the spellcasting as well! I like spells for the primal classes as an expression of "this is how magic through a connection to nature manifests in the awakened beings". Just, yeah. Not without it's complications or growing pains.

 

[Minigiant]

The problem is making them a spellcaster in the 1st place.

Ranger can have mystical abilities tied to nature and some quasi magical abilities without them being spells.
We have fighters Echo knight and Rune knight, rogues Soulknife and Phantom, Barbarian storm herald.

It can.
@CleverNickName created a ranger variant that uses infusion based on a suggestion I made.
I'd prefer it all be infusions. Gadget magic for the Batman class.

The problem is that some want all the magic removed and can't describe nonmagical abilities of the same power level as the removed spellcasting. Nor does anyone want to write the subsystem. So it becomes chasing unicorns and bigfoots.

Then you have the portion of the community who straight up don't want to learn a new subsystem.

 

[Minigiant]

Fair, though I feel like the lack of validation hurts Ranger more than those two. Everyone knows that Bards and Wizards can be cool, regardless of the chosen flavour for their spellcasting. And if nothing else, the mechanical strength helps!

Whereas yeah, bit more of an uphill struggle for Ranger. They're not very good and their identity amongst the spellcasters is hard to pin down.

Like I said earlier in the thread, this is a result of WOTC's bias and 5e's slow schedules.

As much as 5e's slow schedule is praised, there is a downside.

No Complete Adventurer, Complete Warrior, Ranger Handbook, Primal Power etc is ever created. Wizards of the Coast only focuses on Wizard magic.

Ranger Magic Bard magic, Druid magic, even Cleric and Paladin magic are secondary. So Bards are not getting song spells. And Rangers are not getting new magic arrows, magic blades, new marks, new tracking spells, new beast spells.

In older editions Rangers could cast spells to place trackers, track scents like a dog, summon hunting weapons, or swing from trees like Tarzan.

In 5e, Rangers are sharing reject spells from Wizards, and Druids. Not a single new ranger spell since the PHB.

The problem with D&D since the late 90s has always been the Wizard fanboys taking up all pages in the books.

 

[Rocker26a]

Like I said earlier in the thread, this is a result of WOTC's bias and 5e's slow schedules.

As much as 5e's slow schedule is praised, there is a downside.

No Complete Adventurer, Complete Warrior, Ranger Handbook, Primal Power etc is ever created. Wizards of the Coast only focuses on Wizard magic.

Ranger Magic Bard magic, Druid magic, even Cleric and Paladin magic are secondary. So Bards are not getting song spells. And Rangers are not getting new magic arrows, magic blades, new marks, new tracking spells, new beast spells.

In older editions Rangers could cast spells to place trackers, track scents like a dog, summon hunting weapons, or swing from trees like Tarzan.

In 5e, Rangers are sharing reject spells from Wizards, and Druids. Not a single new ranger spell since the PHB.

The problem with D&D since the late 90s has always been the Wizard fanboys taking up all pages in the books.

Yeeaah. Even with supplements like Icewind Dale, you'd think surely that could prompt something new for the nature classes. It being set in an extreme natural environment is the whole point. But nah only two new spells and they're both for Wizard.

 

[Minigiant]

Yeeaah. Even with supplements like Icewind Dale, you'd think surely that could prompt something new for the nature classes. It being set in an extreme natural environment is the whole point. But nah only two new spells and they're both for Wizard.

I swear WOTC is cruise control sometimes. FrostBurn was RIGHT THERE.

RANGER SPELLS
1ST LEVEL
Conjure Ice Beast I: Conjures ice creature to fight for you.
Crunchy Snow: –20 penalty on Move Silently Stealth checks in area.
Ease of Breath: +20 inherent bonus on Fortitude Constitution saves to resist altitude sickness.
Ice Skate: While on ice, your speed increases by 60 feet.
Ivory Flesh: Flesh turns white, granting +5 circumstance bonus on Hide Stealth checks in snow and ice.
Snowsight: Normal vision in winter weather conditions.

2ND LEVEL
Conjure Ice Beast II: Conjures ice creature to fight for you.
Snow Walk: Increase your speed and walk effortlessly on top of snow without leaving tracks or scent.
Zone of Glacial Cold: Deals 1d6 cold damage to all creatures in area.

3RD LEVEL
Binding Snow: Snow freezes, impeding movement.
Conjure Ice Beast III: Conjures ice creature to fight for you.

4TH LEVEL
Aura of Cold, Lesser: Intense cold deals 1d6 damage to creatures within 5 ft.
Conjure Ice Beast IV: Conjures ice creature to fight for you.
Frostfell Slide: Move instantly from one area of frostfell to another.