RANGERs!
The Nature gods have answered your prayers! Master Mike released a revised version of the controversial Ranger Class.
DOWNLOAD :
http://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/UA_RevisedRanger.pdf
Here the new features:
- Favored Enemy – Greater Favored Enemy (with particular difference between medium/hard Creature Type)
- Naturale Explorer
- Primeval Awareness
- Ranger Conclave
- Fleet of Foot
- Hide in Plain sight
- Vanish
- Feral Sense
- Companion’s Bond
I’m a little confused confused by the restrictions on choosing an animal companion. The given list is a little stifling, which is why it was nice to see that you included a list of conditions to check for alternate options. Where I am confused is that not all of the animals included in your original list follow the conditions needed for alternate options, and some are just downright better. For example, compare the black bear and the giant weasel.
– The bear has avg. 19hp, with breaks with alternate options coditions, compared the the weasel’s 9, which is less than half of the bear’s
– The bear and the weasel share identical walk speeds at 40ft, but the bear also gets a climb speed of 30ft, which the weasel doesn’t
– The bear is a challenge rating 1/2, which also breaks with the alternate options conditions, compared with the weasel’s 1/8, showing a pre-identified separation in power. While I realize that the 1/2 is probably dropped because of the loss of multi-attack, that isn’t factored in when saying what can and can’t be considered for an alternate companion
– The bear has two attacks, one avg. 5 piercing the other avg. 7 slashing compared to the weasels single avg. 5 piercing attack. Not only does the bear get a more damaging attack option, but having two makes it a simpler task to get past damage resistance.
Now, don’t take this to mean that I dislike the rebuild: On the contrary, I already prefer it to the original PHB version and plan on using it and the Hunter and Deep Stalker Conclaves seem really well done and powerful. My only gripe is that, given the rules for picking an animal companion for the Beastmaster conclave, I would be stupid not to pick a bear which encourages power gaming. If a ranger /w companion wants to keep up with other archetypes damage-wise, he would have to take the bear, simple as that. Additionally, the 7th and 15th level features do nothing to expand the utility of the animal companion, they just serve to make it a little more difficult for you to lose your only real source of extra damage/utility which a ranger in another conclave can’t do unless that are knocked unconscious.
All in all I really enjoy the rebuild and will be using it, specifically the beastmaster, in an upcoming game. I’d just like to see a little revision on the conclave because at the moment I feel like I’m taking a hit to power and viability just for the flavor.
Sage Advice’s benevolent host didn’t write the class. WOTC’s Mike Mearls did. This is official D&D playtest matterial that is in the process of being approved for AL. Neither I nor this site’s host work for WOTC. Please direct comments on the class to Mike Mearls, Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford — as they will be the ones who will decide what changes need to be made, if any, before this becomes an official errata.
thank you noble jastreich
It is far better than old ranger, specially regarded the beast Master, however the last level 20 ability is not that good if you compare for example Barbarian +4/+4. Why not add both bonus for both attacks, but just agains your favored enemy? Since it is a LV20 ability and makes the ranger a really killed agains its favored enemies.
Another question, what about feats for Beast of Beast master, such as ape with medic proficiency an Healer feat or Bear with (light/medium/heavy armor) 3 feat to meet Warhorse or even Panter with Sentinel? I mean use them instead of +2 ability. I believe that would be a nice custom for your pet.
The Beast Conclave pet needs to get magical attack or it will still suck