Erechel
Explorer
I just checked the Wizards page for a new Unearthed Arcana, and I stumbled upon the new Ranger article. Overall I must say that is good, and that those people actually listen to the folk's feedback, but I'm a little doubting what actual impact will that have on many games. Many features aren't really changed at all, but some of them are vastly reworked. Sorry if I make grammar mistakes, I'm not a native English speaker, and it's 1 AM.
*Natural Explorer: Massively boosted. For starters, it no longer posses a favored terrain: they are all the same for the new ranger, and you gain all the benefits for them. It also now contains several combat applications which I think that don't really fit for the fluff: Advantage on Initiative checks and in attacks against creatures which don't already have taken a turn on the fight. Ignoring difficult terrain is basically Land's Stride, a core 8th level feature, without the unnecesary plants fluff (a highly situational and unconsequential feature: plants at level 8 aren't a threat, and Entangle is only one spell). I like it, but I would break it into two separate features: combat and exploration.
*Favored Enemy: Also massively boosted. +2 to weapon damage against favoured enemies is a huge improvement, specially with the Natural Explorer boost. Humanoids now are a vast group, no more you have to choose between two races. There is a debuff too: the monster types are reduced and now they exclude celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fiends, giants, oozes and plants of the mix, but you can choose them again at 6th level with Greater Favoured Enemy, with a damage improvement of +4 to all your favored enemies and advantage on Saving Throws against the greater enemies. The additional languages are ribbon features, but I would keep them linked to the enemy types. A hunter at 6th level deals massive damage against orcs, humans and such if you choose them (presumabily +4 by stats, another +4 by GFE, and extra attack so... +16, plus Colossus slayer (av. 4 -1d
, plus weapon damage (say 9 -1d8 each-), plus Hunter's mark (7 average for 2d6) for a total of 37 (average) damage each round... without serious expendage of resources (just 1 bonus action and spell slot to cast Hunter's Mark). You can always redirect Colossus slayer and Hunter's Mark in the same fight to another creature. And it also has synergy with Natural Explorer, so you probably strike first and with advantage. Remember that the favoured enemy is a broad group- not all creatures will do the trick, but you hit "humanoid" and never again a humanoid of any kind pose a serious threat against you: nor the mage NPC, nor even the Archmage of any race. A fighter of the same level has to struggle to make that much damage even with better ASI, and it has no spells nor nature expertise nor nothing at all but pure combat prowess, and they must use Action Surge to it. I would tone down this feature.
*Primeval Awareness: greatly improved, both fluff-wise and power-wise. The ranger finally has a Animal Handling sorts of ability to interact with the land's beasts, and the elimination of the spell slot expenditure is a bonus. It also allows the ranger to detect if their favoured enemies are roaming the land and actually track them, but they ignore the other possible signs of not favoured supernatural enemies. I actually like this. A lot.
*Extra Attack: Toned down. It's now the feature of two conclaves (the former Archetypes): hunter and skulker. The beastmaster gains its own feature at this level.
*Hide in Plain Sight: refflufed. You don't have to expend time camuflating yourself to gain their main benefits. I kind of like it, as I feel that camo is more a Disguise check than anything else (I would probably give Advantage to someone camouflaged).
*Land's Stride replaced by Fleet of Foot (a bonus action to Dash), and merged its main traits into the Natural Explorer feature.
*Vanish: remains the same.
*Feral senses: remains the same.
*Foe Slayer: remains the same.
Conclaves (Archetypes)
*Hunter: Remains mostly the same. The improvements of Favoured Enemy and Natural Explorer, though, give them a LOT of Oomph.
*Deep Stalker: new archetype (yeah, I know, Conclave). Mostly alright, although a bit of a new "monk ranger". Underdark Scout is situational but good. Deep Stalker Magic gives improved Darkvision (90 feet) and some new free spells known. Iron Mind is a Monk feature and Stalker's Flurry too. Stalker's Dodge improves survivability, but it's another Monk-inspired feature.
The Big Change: Beast Master to Beast Conclave
Completely reworked. It doesn't have anything in common with the previous beast master other than a furry friend of approximately 1/4 CR.
*Ranger Companion to Animal Companion The new companion now isn't a body part of yours, but a full-fleshedNPC with personality traits, flaws and a bond: you. The ranger now can revive its dead pet for a 8-hour ritual and 25 gp, instead of replacing it (although it can replace it).
*Companion's Bond: Another feature that comes into replacement of Ranger Companion, in tandem with Animal Companion. As before, it gains the ranger's Proficiency Bonus to its attack and damage rolls and its AC. Their HP now advances at its own rate (the furry friend gains 1 HD every time you gain a level, similar to the 4 HP/level from before, but a tad better if the companion has high Constitution, like the Black Bear).
This feature also gives your pet proficiency on ALL saving throws, and every time the ranger gains an ASI, its pet gains an ASI (although not a Feat, I presume), that also caps in 20 (unless explicitly said otherwise: I would allow a black bear or bear to improve its strength up to 22).
The Animal Companion loses its Multiattack feature (if it has one) in exchange of its many other features, but now attacks independently from the ranger, who decides the actions taken by the companion without expending an action. This is a bonus at 3rd level, but falls a bit back at 5th, when the other rangers gain an Extra Attack. This is very like the PHB's Ranger's Companion trait that allows you to replace an Extra Attack by an attack from the beast, but reworked.
The pet also gains the ranger's Favored Enemies!!! (a lot of damage).
*Coordinated Attack replaces Extra Attack: If the ranger attacks, its beast can attack once again by expending its reaction (like a guaranteed Opportunity Attack). This is actually like having Multiattack, but without Opportunity Attacks available for the beast.
*Beast Defense replaces Exceptional Training: this awful feature is gone, and it is now merged with the Companion's Bond feature, 4 levels before without needing to expend a bonus action. The new feature gives Advantage to the ranger's pet on every saving throw.
*Storm of Claws and Fangs replaces Bestial Fury: effective AOE attack against any creature within 5-foot radius of the Animal Companion. Bestial Fury needed the Multiattack Feature from the pet (and expended an Attack from the ranger), but this is actually like a "bear grenade". The downside, the beast cannot move while attacking like this (balance is a bitch).
*Superior Beast Defense replacesShare Spells: Basically Uncanny Dodge, at the cost of an extra attack. Share Spells was a hell of a feature, but I understand the reasons behind this little nerf: the beast master is now actually a very powerful character, even if it loses its Extra Attack. Share Spells would be pretty powerful, and fluff-wise it mades sense, as the new companion is now a full-fleshed character on its own (like the Blackwing character improvement in the Order of the Stick).
All in all, I really like what they do with the ranger. I would change Favoured Enemy, though, as it is a bit excessive. Maybe nerfing Greater Favoured Enemy (the extra +2 at 6th is a bit excessive) or at least de-broading Humanoid type. Maybe you have to use a Bonus Action to gain the damage, or capping it at once per turn.
Thoughts?
*Natural Explorer: Massively boosted. For starters, it no longer posses a favored terrain: they are all the same for the new ranger, and you gain all the benefits for them. It also now contains several combat applications which I think that don't really fit for the fluff: Advantage on Initiative checks and in attacks against creatures which don't already have taken a turn on the fight. Ignoring difficult terrain is basically Land's Stride, a core 8th level feature, without the unnecesary plants fluff (a highly situational and unconsequential feature: plants at level 8 aren't a threat, and Entangle is only one spell). I like it, but I would break it into two separate features: combat and exploration.
*Favored Enemy: Also massively boosted. +2 to weapon damage against favoured enemies is a huge improvement, specially with the Natural Explorer boost. Humanoids now are a vast group, no more you have to choose between two races. There is a debuff too: the monster types are reduced and now they exclude celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fiends, giants, oozes and plants of the mix, but you can choose them again at 6th level with Greater Favoured Enemy, with a damage improvement of +4 to all your favored enemies and advantage on Saving Throws against the greater enemies. The additional languages are ribbon features, but I would keep them linked to the enemy types. A hunter at 6th level deals massive damage against orcs, humans and such if you choose them (presumabily +4 by stats, another +4 by GFE, and extra attack so... +16, plus Colossus slayer (av. 4 -1d
, plus weapon damage (say 9 -1d8 each-), plus Hunter's mark (7 average for 2d6) for a total of 37 (average) damage each round... without serious expendage of resources (just 1 bonus action and spell slot to cast Hunter's Mark). You can always redirect Colossus slayer and Hunter's Mark in the same fight to another creature. And it also has synergy with Natural Explorer, so you probably strike first and with advantage. Remember that the favoured enemy is a broad group- not all creatures will do the trick, but you hit "humanoid" and never again a humanoid of any kind pose a serious threat against you: nor the mage NPC, nor even the Archmage of any race. A fighter of the same level has to struggle to make that much damage even with better ASI, and it has no spells nor nature expertise nor nothing at all but pure combat prowess, and they must use Action Surge to it. I would tone down this feature.*Primeval Awareness: greatly improved, both fluff-wise and power-wise. The ranger finally has a Animal Handling sorts of ability to interact with the land's beasts, and the elimination of the spell slot expenditure is a bonus. It also allows the ranger to detect if their favoured enemies are roaming the land and actually track them, but they ignore the other possible signs of not favoured supernatural enemies. I actually like this. A lot.
*Extra Attack: Toned down. It's now the feature of two conclaves (the former Archetypes): hunter and skulker. The beastmaster gains its own feature at this level.
*Hide in Plain Sight: refflufed. You don't have to expend time camuflating yourself to gain their main benefits. I kind of like it, as I feel that camo is more a Disguise check than anything else (I would probably give Advantage to someone camouflaged).
*Land's Stride replaced by Fleet of Foot (a bonus action to Dash), and merged its main traits into the Natural Explorer feature.
*Vanish: remains the same.
*Feral senses: remains the same.
*Foe Slayer: remains the same.
Conclaves (Archetypes)
*Hunter: Remains mostly the same. The improvements of Favoured Enemy and Natural Explorer, though, give them a LOT of Oomph.
*Deep Stalker: new archetype (yeah, I know, Conclave). Mostly alright, although a bit of a new "monk ranger". Underdark Scout is situational but good. Deep Stalker Magic gives improved Darkvision (90 feet) and some new free spells known. Iron Mind is a Monk feature and Stalker's Flurry too. Stalker's Dodge improves survivability, but it's another Monk-inspired feature.
The Big Change: Beast Master to Beast Conclave
Completely reworked. It doesn't have anything in common with the previous beast master other than a furry friend of approximately 1/4 CR.
*Ranger Companion to Animal Companion The new companion now isn't a body part of yours, but a full-fleshedNPC with personality traits, flaws and a bond: you. The ranger now can revive its dead pet for a 8-hour ritual and 25 gp, instead of replacing it (although it can replace it).
*Companion's Bond: Another feature that comes into replacement of Ranger Companion, in tandem with Animal Companion. As before, it gains the ranger's Proficiency Bonus to its attack and damage rolls and its AC. Their HP now advances at its own rate (the furry friend gains 1 HD every time you gain a level, similar to the 4 HP/level from before, but a tad better if the companion has high Constitution, like the Black Bear).
This feature also gives your pet proficiency on ALL saving throws, and every time the ranger gains an ASI, its pet gains an ASI (although not a Feat, I presume), that also caps in 20 (unless explicitly said otherwise: I would allow a black bear or bear to improve its strength up to 22).
The Animal Companion loses its Multiattack feature (if it has one) in exchange of its many other features, but now attacks independently from the ranger, who decides the actions taken by the companion without expending an action. This is a bonus at 3rd level, but falls a bit back at 5th, when the other rangers gain an Extra Attack. This is very like the PHB's Ranger's Companion trait that allows you to replace an Extra Attack by an attack from the beast, but reworked.
The pet also gains the ranger's Favored Enemies!!! (a lot of damage).
*Coordinated Attack replaces Extra Attack: If the ranger attacks, its beast can attack once again by expending its reaction (like a guaranteed Opportunity Attack). This is actually like having Multiattack, but without Opportunity Attacks available for the beast.
*Beast Defense replaces Exceptional Training: this awful feature is gone, and it is now merged with the Companion's Bond feature, 4 levels before without needing to expend a bonus action. The new feature gives Advantage to the ranger's pet on every saving throw.
*Storm of Claws and Fangs replaces Bestial Fury: effective AOE attack against any creature within 5-foot radius of the Animal Companion. Bestial Fury needed the Multiattack Feature from the pet (and expended an Attack from the ranger), but this is actually like a "bear grenade". The downside, the beast cannot move while attacking like this (balance is a bitch
).*Superior Beast Defense replacesShare Spells: Basically Uncanny Dodge, at the cost of an extra attack. Share Spells was a hell of a feature, but I understand the reasons behind this little nerf: the beast master is now actually a very powerful character, even if it loses its Extra Attack. Share Spells would be pretty powerful, and fluff-wise it mades sense, as the new companion is now a full-fleshed character on its own (like the Blackwing character improvement in the Order of the Stick).
All in all, I really like what they do with the ranger. I would change Favoured Enemy, though, as it is a bit excessive. Maybe nerfing Greater Favoured Enemy (the extra +2 at 6th is a bit excessive) or at least de-broading Humanoid type. Maybe you have to use a Bonus Action to gain the damage, or capping it at once per turn.
Thoughts?
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