The Adaptive Ranger

The Adaptive Ranger This version of the ranger combats this issue by designing a Yet Another Ranger Fix variation of the Favored Enemy feature that has more The ranger has been through many iterations; some from universal applications. Inspired by Mike Mearls's idea for the Wizards of the Coast, some from players who sought to create Natural Explorer feature that he developed in his stream, this a ranger suitable for their table. What follows is yet another version of the Favored Enemy allows the ranger to excel at case of the latter. hunting their chosen enemy, while using their training to aid them while dealing with other creatures. Here is a homebrew ranger revision that focuses on giving the ranger features that make the character feel like an expert explorer and survivalist while still feeling mechanically useful Reading this Revision in a Hurry in a system where exploration has little in the way of concrete rules. This revision is intended to play into D&D 5th Edition’s If you're reading this, there is a solid chance that strengths and is inspired by Mike Mearls’ revision, made this is not the first variation of the ranger you've during his live stream, “Happy Fun Hour.” This revision was read. In order to make this version of the ranger designed with the original rendition from the Player’s easy to comprehend, text under each feature will Handbook in mind and aims to stay true to the vision of that explain the source from which the feature was adopted. This way, those familiar with the source class. may skip over the feature, secure in the knowledge that they already know everything they need to Analyzing the Ranger know about the feature. This also shows the The ranger has received a lot of criticism from various people influences and inspirations for this revision, making who each see something different in the class. Here I go over it easier to see the vision of this rendition of the what I believe its greatest hurdles are that keep the class from class. feeling like a weaker fighter. These are purely my own observations and opinions, so feel free to laugh at how dumb they sound. The Problem with Navigation After looking over rules for the exploration pillar of the game, I realized that this was the core problem of the ranger in my eyes: Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition is designed to enable all kinds of play depending on what is fun and convenient for each individual table, but that means that traveling and exploring is hard to pin down. Does your table painstakingly track resources and the weariness of your characters, or is travel more of a narrated montage? Do you look at a map that has been divided into hexagons to track distance, or does your table rely on theater of the mind? Differences like these make it so that the ranger's true talents-- being an expert survivalist in the wilds who specializes in hunting a certain foe-- can be swept under the rug. When the ranger isn't able to show off their navigational prowess, they feel like a subpar fighter or rogue. The Problem with the Favored Enemy The favored enemy is a staple of the ranger, and gives them the feeling of a mighty hunter who has dedicated their training and their education to tracking and slaying a particular type of foe, whether it be fueled by a devotion to protecting a land, a desire for vengeance, or some other powerful motive. Unfortunately, this much focus can make it so that if a ranger is not built to cater to an adventure, it may underperform. And even if the player does work with their DM to choose a suitable favored enemy for the campaign, there is no guarantee that they will fight that type of creature often enough for the ranger to feel like they are pulling their own weight.

Level Proficiency Bonus Features Spells Known 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 1st +2 Favored Enemy, Natural Explorer — — — — — — 2nd +2 Fighting Style, Spellcasting 2 2 — — — — 3rd +2 Ranger Archetype, Primeval Awareness 3 3 ─ — — — 4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 3 3 ─ — — — 5th +3 Extra Attack 4 4 2 — — — 6th +3 Greater Favored Enemy 4 4 2 — — — 7th +3 Ranger Archetype Feature 5 4 3 — — — 8th +3 Ability Score Improvement, Land's Stride 5 4 3 — — — 9th +4 ─ 6 4 3 2 — — 10th +4 Hide in Plain Sight 6 4 3 2 — — 11th +4 Ranger Archetype Feature 7 4 3 3 — — 12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 7 4 3 3 — — 13th +5 ─ 8 4 3 3 1 — 14th +5 Vanish 8 4 3 3 1 — 15th +5 Ranger Archetype Feature 9 4 3 3 2 — 16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 9 4 3 3 2 — 17th +6 ─ 10 4 3 3 3 1 18th +6 Feral Senses 10 4 3 3 3 1 19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 11 4 3 3 3 2 20th +6 Foe Slayer 11 4 3 3 3 2

(a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack Class Features A longbow and a quiver of 20 arrows Same as presented in the Player's Handbook . As a ranger, you gain the following class features Favored Enemy See Player’s Handbook for basic benefit, with original Hit Points mechanical bonus added Hit Dice: 1d10 per ranger level Beginning at 1st level, you have significant experience Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier studying, tracking, hunting, and even talking to a certain type Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution of enemy commonly encountered in the wilds. Choose a type modifier per ranger level after 1st of favored enemy: beasts, fey, humanoids, monstrosities, or undead. You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to Proficiencies track your favored enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields to recall information about them. Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons Additionally, you gain a benefit based on your favored Tools: None enemy, as shown below. This benefit reflects the ways you have trained to combat your favored enemy, but can be applied Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity in other situations as well. Skills: Choose three from Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival Beasts: Your hit point maximum increases by 2, and it increases by 2 every time you gain a ranger level. Equipment Fey: You have advantage on saving throws against being You start with the following equipment, in addition to the charmed. equipment granted by your background:

(a) scale mail or (b) leather armor (a) two shortswords or (b two simple melee weapons

This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC. Humanoids: Choose one skill in which you have proficiency. At 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your You gain expertise with that skill, which means your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to with it. The skill you choose must be one that isn’t already choose again. benefiting from a feature, such as Expertise, that doubles your proficiency bonus. Monstrosities: As a reaction when you take Archery damage, you can reduce the amount of damage taken by You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged 1d10+ your Wisdom modifier. Once you have used this weapons. feature, you cannot use it again until you have completed a short or long rest. Defense Oozes: You gain resistance to acid damage. While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC. Plants: You have advantage on saving throws to avoid being restrained. Dueling Undead: You have advantage on saving throws against When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no being frightened. other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that When you gain this feature, you also learn one language of weapon. your choice, typically one spoken by your favored enemy or creatures associated with it. However, you are free to pick any Mariner language you wish to learn. As long as you are not wearing heavy armor or using a shield, you have a swimming speed and a climbing speed equal to Natural Explorer your normal speed, and you gain a +1 bonus to AC. See Player’s Handbook combined With Mearl’s Revised Two-Weapon Fighting Variant. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your You are a master of navigating the wilderness. You gain the ability modifier to the damage of the second attack. following benefits when travelling for an hour or more:

Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group’s travel. Spellcasting Your group can’t become lost except by magical means Same as presented in the Player's Handbook . Even when you are engaged in another activity while By the time you reach 2nd level, you have learned to use the traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you magical essence of nature to cast spells, much as a druid remain alert to danger. does. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and If you are traveling alone, you can move stealthily at a chapter 11 for the ranger spell list. normal pace. When you forage, you find twice as much food as you Spell Slots normally would. The Ranger table shows how many spell slots you have to cast While tracking other creatures, you also learn their exact your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain the area. all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. For example, if you know the 1st-level spell animal friendship and Additionally, choose one terrain in which you are have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can particularly adept at surviving and navigating across as your cast animal friendship using either slot. favored terrain: arctic, coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, swamp, underdark, or urban. You gain a benefit Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher based on your mastery over this region: You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the ranger Arctic: You gain resistance to cold damage. spell list. The Spells Known column of the Ranger table Coast: You gain a swim speed equal to your speed. shows when you learn more ranger spells of your choice. Desert: You gain resistance to fire damage. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell Forest: If you are proficient in Perception, your proficiency slots. For instance, when you reach 5th level in this class, you bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses it can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level. Additionally, when and when determining your Passive Perception. you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the ranger Grassland: Your speed increases by 10 feet. spells you know and replace it with another spell from the Mountain: You gain a climb speed equal to your speed. ranger spell list, which also must be of a level for which you Swamp: You gain resistance to poison damage and are have spell slots. immune to disease. Underdark: You gain darkvision with a range of 30 feet. If Spellcasting Ability you already have darkvision, its range increases by 30 feet. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your ranger spells, since your magic draws on your attunement to nature. You use Urban: As a reaction when an enemy moves within 5 feet of your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting you, you can move up to half of your speed without provoking ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when opportunity attacks. setting the saving throw DC for a ranger spell you cast and Fighting Style when making an attack roll with one. See Player’s Handbook with Mariner option added.

This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC. At 6th level, you are ready to hunt even deadlier foes. Choose a type of greater favored enemy: aberrations, Spell Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fiends, or giants. your Wisdom modifier You gain all of the benefits against this chosen enemy that you normally gain against your favored enemy, including an = Spell attack modifier your proficiency bonus + additional language. You gain an additional bonus based on your Wisdom modifier your greater favored enemy choice. Aberrations: You gain resistance to psychic damage, and Ranger Archetype have advantage on Wisdom saving throws. Same as presented in the Player's Handbook . Celestials: You gain resistance to radiant damage. When a At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you strive to creature within 30 feet of you that you can see regains hit emulate, which can be found in the Player's Handbook and points, you can use your reaction to regain hit points equal to Xanathar's Guide to Everything. Your choice grants you twice your ranger level. features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th, and 15th level. Constructs: Weapons wielded by you count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to Primeval Awareness nonmagical attacks and damage. Additionally, when a weapon attack made by you hits an object, the hit is a critical hit. Same as presented in the Revised Ranger UA. Dragons: When you are subjected to an effect that allows Beginning at 3rd level, your mastery of ranger lore allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half you to establish a powerful link to beasts and to the land damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the around you. saving throw, and only half damage if you fail. You have an innate ability to communicate with beasts, and Elementals: You may use a bonus action on your turn to they recognize you as a kindred spirit. Through sounds and change the damage type of any weapon you wield to acid, cold, gestures, you can communicate simple ideas to a beast as an fire, lightning, or thunder damage until the end of your turn. action, and can read its basic mood and intent. You learn its Fiends: Your spells ignore magic resistance. emotional state, whether it is affected by magic of any sort, its short-term needs (such as food or safety), and actions you can Giants: When you hit a creature that is large or larger with take (if any) to persuade it to not attack. You cannot use this a melee attack, you can use your bonus action to climb onto ability against a creature that you have attacked within the that creature, moving into their space. While in the creature's past 10 minutes. space, you move with the target and have advantage on attack rolls against it. You can move around within the larger Additionally, you can attune your senses to determine if any creature's space, treating the space as difficult terrain. The of your favored enemies lurk nearby. By spending 1 larger creature's ability to attack you depends on your uninterrupted minute in concentration (as if you were location, and is left to the DM's discretion. The larger creature concentrating on a spell), you can sense whether any of your can dislodge you as an action- knocking you off, scraping you favored enemies are present within 5 miles of you. This against a wall, or grabbing and throwing you- by making a feature reveals which of your favored enemies are present, Strength (Athletics) check contested by your Strength their numbers, and the creatures' general direction and (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. You chooses which distance (in miles) from you. If there are multiple groups of ability to use. your favored enemies within range, you learn this information for each group. Land’s Stride Ability Score Improvement See Player’s Handbook , combined with the Revised Ranger Same as presented in the Player's Handbook . UA. When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and Starting at 8th level, you can use the dash action as a bonus 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by action on your turn. In addition, you have advantage on saving 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As throws against plants that are magically created or normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this manipulated to impede movement, such those created by the feature. entangle spell. Extra Attack Same as presented in the Player's Handbook . Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. Greater Favored Enemy Concept from the Revised Ranger UA, with added original mechanical benefits. Climbing rules for the Giant option are taken from page 271 of the Dungeon Master's Guide .

This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC. Hide in Plain Sight Same as presented in the Revised Ranger UA. Starting at 10th level, you can remain perfectly still for long periods of time to set up ambushes. When you attempt to hide on your turn, you can opt to not move on that turn. If you avoid moving, creatures that attempt to detect you take a -10 penalty to their Wisdom (Perception) checks until the start of your next turn. You lose this benefit if you move or fall prone. Either voluntarily or because of some external effect. You are still automatically detected if any effect or action causes you to no longer be hidden. If you are still hidden on your next turn, you can continue to remain motionless and gain this benefit until you are detected. Vanish Same as presented in the Player's Handbook . Starting at 14th level, you can use the hide action as a bonus action on your turn. Also, you can’t be tracked by nonmagical means, unless you choose to leave a trail. Feral Senses Same as presented in the Player's Handbook . At 18th level, you gain preternatural senses that help you fight creatures you can't see. When you attack a creature you can't see, your inability to see it doesn't impose disadvantage on your attack rolls against it. You are also aware of the location of any invisible creature within 30 feet of you, provided that the creature isn't hidden from you and you aren't blinded or deafened. Foe Slayer Based on the Player's Handbook version, with added benefit. At 20th level, you become an unparalleled hunter. Once on each of your turns, you can add your Wisdom modifier to the attack roll or the damage roll of an attack you make. You can choose to use this feature before or after the roll, but before any effects of the roll are applied. There is no limit to how many times you can use this feature on your turn against one of your favored enemies.