Hey all, last week I put up a post on r/onednd with a survey asking everyone what they thought the ranger's core feature should be. As you can imagine, the results were split. I decided that any core feature I'd homebrew would allow rangers to be versatile warriors. That's how I came up with the idea of Aspects. The ranger can channel primal power to take on the aspect of an animal or natural force to aid them.

I'm very open to feedback so let me know what you think!

Hey All!

I just stumbled on this community last night and am pumped!

I'm working on a complete ranger redesign and have been sharing the details here:
https://tomeraider.creedscodex.com/tag/ranger-redesign/

Most of the community changes suggested, IMO, fall into the trap of fixing the symptoms (improve Hunter's Mark) rather than solving the problems. This is partially due to the nature of redesigning the class. It is expensive. It requires playtesting. It is time consuming to do it right. You really need to have a publisher take up the cause.

After getting asked an unbelievable number of times to take a look at it, I've decided to do exactly that with my indie publishing company.

After surveying 1k of my community members and extensive research, I would break the challenge into two primary problems:

• Lack of Foundational Features
  • For example, most subclasses could be added to Paladin with 0 changes required
  • There isn't anything in the base class to tie into other than spellcasting, which for a martial character isn't class defining
  • Some games have 0 exploration, so a focus on exploration features that remove agency from the player is problematic design, yet the ranger's identity lies here
  • 5.5E's focus on Hunter's Mark has made that spell mandatory for many of the ranger's features and makes build options worse
• Competing Visions
  • There are three primary visions for how the ranger should function, some of them mutually exclusive:
    • Beast Companion
    • Commando of the Forest
    • Warrior with nature magic
  • Some people don't think they should have spellcasting
  • Some people think they don't fill the role between Fighter and Druid as well as Paladin does between Fighter and Cleric
  • Some people want a pet as part of the base class/some people don't

Here's the current iteration of the three features that tackle these problems.

Survivalist 1st Level Ranger Feature

You have Advantage on Survival checks. Whenever you have Advantage on a Survival check, you can reroll one of the dice once.

• Rather than giving expertise, which is already part of the core identity of two other classes, we give the ranger "super advantage". This makes the ranger extremely dependable with their survival checks. They won't have crazy numbers like a bard or rogue (though they could certainly multiclass or grab a feat to get there), but they will succeed on moderate/hard checks very reliably.
• To give players back agency, there are several features unlocked as the ranger levels that lets them use their survival checks, such as setting up traps. This will ensure regardless of the campaign, the ranger has a way to use this skill and gives the player the agency to use the things their character is good at.

Prey Preparation 1st Level Ranger Feature

You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls against all creatures.

During each long rest, you prepare by gathering materials, reviewing physiology, and treating your weapons with specialized compounds. Choose one creature type. When you damage a creature of this type, it takes an additional 1d4 damage. This die changes as you gain ranger levels, as shown in the Prey Preparation column of the Ranger table.

• Prey Preparation doesn't lock the character in for the entire campaign, but only the day.
• The +1 to hit is always amazing. The increased damage is fantastic when it applies.
• The class has an identity of reliability reinforced.
• Higher level features give the ranger the ability to change their creature type with a survival check, leveraging their survivalist feature.
• Damage scales as the ranger levels up.

Adventure's Calling 2nd Level Ranger Feature

Rangers find a calling exploring the world, but they have different preferences for what skills they hone. Choose one of the following callings. You gain additional benefits for your chosen calling at 6th, 10th, and 17th level.

1. Bond (beast companion) - You get a companion and can choose a couple of traits for the companion that are split between combat, exploration, and social focus. These traits give the ranger a boost as well. For example:
   • Dire Variant - Increase the size of the companion by one category and the carrying capacity by two categories. The reach of the companion increases by 5 feet.
     • Ranger Rider. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity, the targets you can grapple, and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
   • Pact Tactics - The companion has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the companion’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.
     • Ranger Rider. If you and your companion both damage the same creature this round, you can deal additional damage to the creature as a Reaction equal to your Prey Preparation die.
   • There is a stat block and additional details available on the full write up here: https://tomeraider.creedscodex.com/ranger-competing-visions/
2. Predator (commando of the forest) - You move through your environment like an apex predator. Watching for weakness, remaining calm in the face of failure, and capitalizing on your honed skills. You gain the Heightened Instincts and Follow-Through reactions.
   • Heightened Instincts. When you or an ally within 30 feet makes an Insight or Perception check, you can use your reaction to grant advantage on the roll. If the check is already made with advantage, they can reroll one of the dice once. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all uses when you finish a short or long rest.
   • Follow-Through. When you miss with a weapon attack, you can use your reaction to immediately make another weapon attack against the same target. This attack adds your Wisdom modifier as a bonus to the attack and damage rolls. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all uses when you finish a short or long rest.
3. Warden (warrior with nature magic) - This would be the route 5E currently has as the only route. You get spellcasting with your Wisdom modifier.
   • The supplement I'm working on has an additional ~15 spells for the ranger mixed between combat, exploration, and social focus.

Adventure's Calling took inspiration from the way the warlock pact boons really change how the underlying character plays. By making each calling mutually exclusive, I can balance them against each other and provide additional benefits to each calling as the characters level.

• There have been a substantial number of changes during the internal playtesting and will likely be more as we expand the playtesting pool
• The difference in how each of these callings play feels good so far. The players all feel like they are playing a ranger and have a very similar vibe, but their characters are very different as is their approach to problems.
• The only challenge with letting players use 5E subclasses with the redesign are the classes that add a spell list. That's been handled with a modification for that feature, otherwise the rest work just fine.
  • There's a party of 3, level 7 rangers in playtesting right now with a Gloom Stalker, Swarm, and Beastkin (new subclass undergoing playtesting).
  • No issues so far with compatibility.
  • 5.5E subclasses aren't going to work with anything but the Warden with their reliance on Hunter's Mark.

Happy to answer any questions you've got for me and always down for feedback. Final balancing for the numbers/mechanics doesn't happen until close to the end of the development after the technical editors have reviewed everything. Some initial balancing was done to validate they fall within the bounds of the other classes of the game and will be tightened up further once we're no longer changing the underlying features.

Talk soon!

-Brendan

Before I get to the features, I’m not asking if you think the Ranger needs this to be viable and I don’t need to hear that this makes it more complicated. I’m just asking for feedback on the features and if the terrain benefits are balanced against each other and make sense thematically. Thanks!

Deft Explorer (Level 2): Added the following benefit: You can heighten your senses and sharpen your knowledge by expending one use of Hunter’s Mark. For the next 10 minutes, you can add your Hunter’s Mark die to any Intelligence (Nature), Wisdom (Medicine), Wisdom (Perception) and Wisdom (Survival) check your make.

See this post to see what changes I made to Hunter’s Mark. I’ve added the feedback of using a spell slot to restore uses of Hunter’s Mark,so it’s a less limited resource.

Favored terrain (Level 3): You have endured the hazards of an environment while you traversed through it, and are now accustomed to those effects. Choose one of the terrains in which you have traveled. You always have the benefits listed, and while you are in that terrain, you have Advantage on Wisdom (Survival) and Intelligence (Nature) checks. Whenever you gain a Ranger level, you can replace your favored terrain with a different terrain. You gain another favored terrain at level 9.

Favored Terrains:

Arctic. You add your Wisdom modifier to Constitution saving throws. You also don’t suffer the effects of extreme cold and aren’t affected by slippery ice.

Coast. You have a Swim Speed equal to your Speed. If you already have a Swim Speed, it increases by 10 feet. Additionally, you have Advantage on saving throws against being knocked Prone, and you can add your Wisdom modifier to Strength (Athletics) checks.

Desert. Difficult terrain doesn’t cost you extra movement and you have Advantage on saving throws against the Blinded condition. You also don’t suffer the effects of extreme heat and cold.

Forest. You can take the Hide action as a Bonus Action, and can do so while you’re Lightly Obscured. Additionally, you can add your Wisdom modifier to Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks.

Grassland. Your Speed increases by 5 feet, and when you have the Prone condition, you can right yourself with only 5 feet of movement. 

Mountain. Your hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to your Proficiency Bonus and you have a Climb Speed equal to your Speed. If you already have a Climb Speed, it increases by 10 feet. You are also acclimated to high altitudes.

Swamp. You have Advantage on saving throws to avoid or end the Poisoned and Restrained condition. Additionally, natural Lightly Obscured areas (such as fog or rain) don’t impose Disadvantage on your Wisdom (Perception) checks. 

Underdark. You can add your Wisdom modifier to Dexterity (Stealth) checks, and Dim Light doesn’t impose Disadvantage on your Wisdom (Perception) checks.