Ranger - Archetypes

Duncehack Edition

Part 2

Skipping the preamble because this is Part 2 of the Ranger redesign.

See Part 1 if any of the introductory stuff matters to you.

Obligatory Natural Crit Plug

http://www.naturalcrit.com/

Someone else made a thing that lets me make homebrews without having to post them on pastebin or something. They deserve a lot of credit for that.

Obligatory /tg/ Plug

The feedback I got from various Anons on this helped me build it into something that wasn't bad and stupid.

I love you all in a way only abused spouse can possibly understand.

Beastmaster Conclave

The Beast Master Conclave embodies a friendship between the civilized races and the beasts of the world. United in focus, beast and ranger work as one to fight the monstrous foes that threaten civilization and the wilderness alike.

Emulating the Beast Master archetype means committing yourself to this ideal, working in partnership with an animal as its companion and friend.

Animal Companion

At 3rd level you get a pet. 8 hours of work, and 50gp of good food, and you can magically convince an animal to be your companion.

The general list of options are: an ape, a black bear, a boar, a giant badger, a giant weasel, a mastiff, a mule, a panther, or a wolf.

A DM however may allow you to pick other creatures at their discretion. The general rule being 'medium or smaller beast of 1/4CR or less'.

At the end of the 8 hours, the creature gains all the benefits of your Companion's Bond feature.

The number of creatures you can have bonded this way vary. You can have either: one 1/4 CR creature (such as a wolf or a panther), two 1/8 CR creatures (such as mastiffs or mules), four 0 CR creatures (such as bat, rats or owls), or one 1/8 CR creature and two 0 CR creatures.

If a companion is ever slain, you can spend 8 hours and 25gp of fine food to bring it back to life. You can do this even if you do not have access to any part of its body.

If you have a new companion when you resurrect an old one (and don't have any 'room' for the old one), the current one leaves and is no longer bonded.

Companion's Bond

Your companion shares your alignment, and has a personality trait and a flaw that you can roll for or select from the tables below. Your companion shares your ideal, and its bond is always, “The ranger who travels with me is a beloved companion for whom I would gladly give my life."

Teamwork

The creature rolls initiative on its own, but you still 'command' it (this is outlined in the 'Coordination' feature).

If you are incapacitated or absent, it acts on its own volition.

When you are using the Natural Explorer feature, it can move stealthily with you at normal pace.

Your companion uses your proficiency bonus as its, and your proficiency bonus is added to its AC and damage rolls. It also gains proficiency in two skills of your choice, provided they are possible for the animal to do. It is also proficient in all saving throws.

It has the same number of hit dice as you and its hp is raised accordingly.

When you gain an Ability Score Increase, it does too. If your game permits feats, your Animal Companion may acquire them so long as it makes sense for the animal to do so. Feats may be incorporated into behaviours where possible.

Coordination

Your animal companion isn't mind controlled by you, and it does take some management by you to get them to work with you the way you need them to.

You have a pool of 'Coordination' points equal to your Wisdom Modifier + your Proficiency Modifier.

As long as the creature can see or hear you, you can use your reaction on the animal's turn and spend one of these points to direct their attention.

The following behaviours are available: Sic, protect, bail, flee, prowl, harry, assist, and brace. Your DM may allow other behaviours so long as they're clearly outlined and make sense for the animal in question.

When changing a behaviour, the creature will use any action appropriate in carrying it out (e.g. disengage or dash for flee, dodge for brace, help for assist, etc.). They will also use their reactions on opportunity attacks whenever given the opening unless their behaviour stipulates otherwise.

You can use this feature without the expenditure of Coordination points, however doing so requires an action.

You regain usages of this feature on a long rest.

Behaviours

These are the behaviours assumed all Animal Companions can follow, however if you and your DM have behaviour concepts that fit the animal type better than the list below, feel free to use them instead.

• Sic: The animal simply charges and attacks either the target you specify, or the nearest target if you don't specify. The creature may not necessarily realise when the enemy is dead and may keep attacking the corpse for a round or two to make certain. Unless Sic'd, the creature cannot make use of its multiattack feature.

• Protect: The animal protects another friendly target of your choice, spending their actions to impose disadvantage on attacks made against their charge. If their charge suffers damage, they will use their reaction to interpose themselves, taking the damage in their stead. They may not realise when their charge is dead and will defend a corpse until such time as they do realise.

• Bail: The animal keeps a creature 'pinned' by sheer virtue of intimidation. The creature must make a Wisdom Saving throw against your companion's Charisma (Intimidation) skill. If they fail the save, they are frightened of your animal companion until your companion stops this behaviour. Regardless of the result of the save, the companion will spend their turns mostly dashing, trying to circle the quarry to prevent them from fleeing. If the quarry is not attempting (or cannot) flee, the animal uses the dodge action instead.

• Flee: The animal runs away, using dodge, disengage, dash or hide as appropriate. They will only flee to a reasonable distance from you and will attempt to regroup at the first opportunity.

• Prowl: The animal will stay hidden. If a friendly target suffers a critical hit or goes unconscious however, the animal is liable to lose patience and default to the Sic behaviour instead.

• Harry: The animal will harry a target, nipping at their heels and otherwise hindering their movements. The companion spends their turns imposing disadvantage on the target's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks and halving their movement speed.

• Assist: The animal will assist a friendly target with their actions, spending their turns using the help action wherever they can. If aiding in attacks, the animal also gains the ability to use one of its attacks as a bonus action.

• Brace: The animal is ordered to anticipate incoming damage, spending its turn using the dodge action. While in this behaviour, when it successfully passes a saving throw and would take half damage, it takes no damage instead. If it fails a save, or it hit by an attack, it will use its reaction to reduce that damage by half. The animal may not realise that more damage isn't coming after the order is given and is likely to continue bracing for a hit that never comes.

Beast's Defence

At 7th level, You animal companions gain advantage to saving throws as long as they are within 30ft of you and can see or hear you.

In addition, your animal companions can channel touch range spells you cast provided they are within 30ft of you. An animal will not change its behaviour based on your spell casting however, and will not move in range of a potential target for the spell if the behaviour otherwise discourages doing so.

Bestial Wrath

At 11th level, your animal companions' attacks are treated as magical.

In addition, whenever you use a Poultice on yourself, your animal companions are healed by the same amount.

Share Magic

At 15th level, any spells beneficial or healing spells targeting you are also transferred to your animal companions. This effect also works in reverse.

In addition, as long as they can see or hear you, they can use their reaction to reduce the damage of a successful attack against them by half.

Bondmate's Unity

At 20th level, you no longer are constrained by the use of coordination points, and can always use your reaction to change a companions' behaviour.

Your Animal Companion also gains an extra Ability Score Increase.

Why this Capstone?

As for this one specifically, the idea is that by 20th, you and your companions are a cohesive, unified fighting unit where body language is more than enough to convey intent.

On Behaviours

The goal is that the animal doesn't need to be micromanaged (i.e. it won't stare at you and drool if you don't tell it to do something), while also being powerful enough to justify the loss of conclave spells and personal power. The limitation is part of the trade-off for all the abilities it gets.

As for the multiple animals potential, I like the idea of having a falconer but there's no real effective way in the rules as written to do that... which to me is a real shame. So I put it in. So sue me.

Regarding Beasts and Multiattack...

The change in the revised version they did made no sense to me. The problem wasn't that Beasts weren't being made to attack. The problem was that they weren't worth attacking with (Help Action was often a superior usage of their turns).

Honestly the companion was treated by the ruleset as simply a beatstick that added damage numbers.

Hunter Conclave

Emulating the Hunter Conclave means accepting your place as a bulwark between civilization and the terrors of the wilderness. As you walk the Hunter's path, you learn specialized techniques for fighting the threats you face, from rampaging ogres and hordes of orcs to towering giants and terrifying dragons.

Trapper

At 3rd level, you can create and store up to your Wisdom Modifier (minimum 1) in Hunting Snares.

Snares function identically to Hunting Traps in the PHB, except they are not reusable and are spent once triggered.

Both Hunting Snares, and Hunting Traps may be used by you as a bonus action rather than an action. Their save DC is:

DC = 8 + Proficiency + Wisdom Modifier (Minimum 13 for hunting traps)

The damage they deal adds your Wisdom modifier.

At 11th level, the damage of all traps and snares is treated as magical.

You rebuild new snares on a long rest.

So You Don't Have to Chase It

Hunting Traps are a Dexterity save to avoid the trap, Strength to break out.

Failing either sets the creature's movespeed to 0 (sort of, they can move within a 5 foot radius of the trap's anchor point) and deals 1d4 piercing damage if they fail the Dexterity save, 1 piercing damage if they fail the Strength save.

Normally this save DC is 13 (hence the 'minimum 13' above).

Under the Trapper rule, both damage values add your Wisdom modifier.

Hunter’s Prey

At 3rd level, you gain the following actions.

Colossus Slayer. Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d8 weapon damage against a creature you attack that's below hit point maximum.

Giant Killer. When a creature makes a melee attack against you, regardless if it hits or misses, you can use your reaction to make a weapon attack against it.

Horde Breaker. Once on each of your turns, you can make an extra attack against a different creature within 5 feet of the previous you attacked.

Defensive Tactics

At 7th level, you gain the following features.

Multiattack Defence. When a creature makes an attack against you, you gain +4 AC against that creature for subsequent attacks until end of turn.

Steel Will. You have advantage against being frightened or charmed.

Escape the Horde. Opportunity attacks are made against you at disadvantage. You may use Disengage as a bonus action.

Multiattack

At 11th level, you gain the following features.

Volley. You may use your action to make a ranged attack against a creature, as well as any number of creatures within 15 feet of them, provided you have enough ammunition to do so.

Whirlwind. You may use your action to make melee attacks against any number of creatures within your melee weapon's reach. Roll a separate attack for each creature.

Superior Hunter's Defence

At 15th level, you gain the following features.

Evasion. Any effect that is resisted with a Dexterity saving throw only deals half damage if you fail. If the effect would do half damage on a success, it instead deals none.

Stand Against the Tide. When a creature misses an attack against you, you may force it to repeat that attack to another creature within 5ft of it.

Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker you can see hits you with an attack, you can spend your reaction to have it deal half damage instead.

If you are using a shield with which you are proficient, you further reduce the damage as per the Block action's rules.

Unparalleled Mastery

At 20th level, you no longer have to prepare your creature types. All creatures are considered Favoured Enemies.

Why Give all the Features?

Some of the options are in a boat of 'this would be fantastic if the others on this list weren't around'.

Also: you give up expanded spells for this archetype.

Capstone?

It's a no frills, beat face archetype.

Regarding Trapper

Hunter has no conclave spells, and not much call for them either given the conclave is all about 'hit it hard over a sustained period of time'.

Traps aren't really utilised well in the game system, but at the same time it's exactly the kind of thing a Hunter would know how to use.

Steel Will Buff?

Simply, didn't do enough for anyone to pick it up. There's more ways of breaking fear in the game then there are sources. Charm on the other hand is very hard to resist.

Also...

Removed the 'Large or larger' part of Giant Killer.

Gloom Stalker Conclave

Gloom Stalkers are at home in the darkest places: deep under the earth, in gloomy alleyways, in primeval forests, and wherever else the light dims. Most folk enter such places with trepidation, but a Gloom Stalker ventures boldly into the darkness, seeking to ambush threats before they can reach the broader world. Such rangers are often found in the Underdark, but they will go any place where evil lurks in the shadows.

Expanded Spell List

You learn the following spells at the level listed. These do not count towards your spells known.

Level	Spell
3rd	Disguise Self
5th	Rope Trick
9th	Fear
13th	Greater Invisibility
17th	Seeming

Dread Ambusher

At 3rd level, you gain your Wisdom Modifier to Initiative checks.

On your first turn of combat, you gain 10ft of movement and an extra attack if you take the attack action. During this attack action, the weapon damage roll you make deals an extra 1d8 of the weapon's damage type.

If you succeed a hide check on your turn, and remain hidden until the beginning of your next turn, you regain the usage of this feature.

If you are two-weapon fighting, you may make an off-hand attack in the same bonus action as you make a hide action.

Umbral Sight

You gain 60ft of darkvision. If you already have darkvision, it is instead extended by 30ft.

In addition, you are invisible to any creature relying on darkvision to see you.

Iron Mind

At 7th level, you become proficient in Wisdom saving throws. If you're already proficient, you gain proficiency in either Charisma or Intelligence saving throws (your choice).

In addition, you may add your Wisdom Modifier to Hide rolls.

Stalker's Flurry

At 11th level, once per turn, when you miss with a weapon attack, you may make another for free.

Shadowy Dodge

At 15th level, when an attack is made against you, you can spend your reaction to impose disadvantage against it.

If it has advantage on the roll, you instead remove that advantage.

Umbral Presence

At 20th level your Dread Ambusher feature gives all your weapon attacks an extra 1d8 weapon damage, not just your first.

When you roll initiative, you gain an extra bonus action on your first turn of combat. Any spell cast during this extra bonus action does not consume a spell slot.

Why this Capstone?

Gloom Stalkers are kings of the ambush, aren't they?

The extra bonus action is meant for spells like swift quiver to be applied without breaking any other combat actions... like hiding again to make further use of the Dread Ambusher feature.

Or alternatively it lets you instantly get two concentration spells going.

Point is, it lets you set up quickly.

The Name...

The name sounds kinda dumb and doesn't really capture how badass being an underdark guerilla warfare specialist actually is.

I much prefer the original name of Deep Stalker, but there's probably something else you could come up with.

Two Weapon Fighting Line?

Yeah... if we're going to be 'Basically Drizzt', Two Weapon fighting needs to be opened up.

Wisdom Modifier to Hide Actions?

This is a roundabout way of having Dread Ambusher sort of scale with level.

Shadowy Dodge Buff

Why did they specifically disallow Shadowy Dodge to cancel out advantage in the original writing? that's exactly when you'd need the feature the most!

More to the point, Rogues get better evasion options base.

The rest of the Conclave is pretty much fine though.

Horizon Walker

Horizon Walkers guard the world against threats that originate from other planes or that seek to ravage the mortal realm with otherworldly magic.

They seek out planar portals and keep watch over them, venturing to the Inner Planes and the Outer Planes as needed to pursue their foes. These rangers are also friends to any forces in the multiverse—especially benevolent dragons, fey, and elementals—that work to preserve life and the order of the planes.

Expanded Spell List

You learn the following spells at the level listed. These do not count towards your spells known.

Level	Spell
3rd	Protection from Evil and Good
5th	Misty Step
9th	Haste
13th	Banishment
17th	Teleport Circle

Detect Portal

At 3rd level you can use an action to detect the distance and direction of a planar portal within 1 mile of you.

You may only use this feature once per short of long rest.

Planar Warrior

Once per turn, you can mark a target within 30 feet. The first hit you make against that creature changes your weapon damage to force damage and adds 1d8 extra force damage to the roll.

At 11th level, this damage increases to 2d8, and at 20th, this damage increases to 3d8.

Ethereal Step

At 7th level, you can cast etherealness on yourself without using a spell slot. This version of the spell ends at the end of your current turn.

You regain usage of this feature on a short or long rest.

Distant Strike

At 11th level, when you take the attack action, you may teleport 10 feet before making each weapon attack. If you hit at least two separate targets using this feature, you may make another attack against a third creature.

Spectral Defence

At 15th level, when you take damage from an attack, you can spend your reaction to gain resistance to all damage types in that attack until the end of turn.

Planar Slipstream

At 20th level, if you hit at least three seperate targets with your Distant Strike feature, you may make another attack against a fourth creature.

If a creature you marked with Planar Warrior dies during your attack action this turn, you may mark another creature.

In addition, your Distant Strike feature now allows you to teleport 15 feet before making each weapon attack.

Why this Capstone?

Horizon Walkers are all about dealing with lots of dudes efficiently.

Planar Warrior buffs

The whole bonus action thing made absolutely no sense unless you only conceptualise Rangers as archers, which I suspect the designers were.

This gives Two-Weapon Rangers the option of using Horizon Walker without affecting other builds.

Otherwise, Horizon Walker is fine, it was just a little gated off in terms of weapon choices.

Monster Hunter

You have dedicated yourself to hunting down creatures of the night and wielders of grim magic. A Monster Slayer seeks out vampires, dragons, evil fey, fiends, and other magical threats.

Trained in supernatural techniques to overcome such monsters, slayers are experts at unearthing and defeating mighty, mystical foes.

Expanded Spell List

You learn the following spells at the level listed. These do not count towards your spells known.

Level	Spell
3rd	Protection from evil and good
5th	Zone of Truth
9th	Magic Circle
13th	Banishment
17th	Hold Monster

Hunter's Sense

At 3rd level, as an action, you can learn damage immunities, resistances and vulnerabilities of a creature within 60ft. If the creature is hidden from divination magic, you sense that it has none.

You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom Modifier (minimum 1).

You regain usage of this feature after a long rest.

Slayer's Prey

At 3rd level, as a bonus action, you can mark a creature within 60ft as prey.

Whenever you hit with a weapon attack, you deal 1d6 extra weapon damage.

The mark lasts until you finish a short or long rest, or until you designate another creature.

Supernatural Defences

At 7th level, you an extra 1d6 towards any saving throws or checks to escape grapples from your marked prey.

Spellbreaker

At 11th level, you can spend your reaction to stop a creature casting a spell or teleporting within 60ft of you.

They must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC, failure preventing the spell or teleport and resources, charges or spell-slots used for it are expended.

You regain the use of this feature after a short or a long rest.

Slayer's Counter

At 15th level, if your marked prey forces you to make a saving throw, you can use your reaction to make a weapon attack against it, immediately before making the save. If the attack hits, the save automatically succeeds in addition to any other effects.

Apex Predator

At 20th level, when you use your Slayer's Prey feature, you may also choose to also gain the benefits of your Hunter's Sense feature without spending a full action for it.

Your Supernatural Defences feature now rolls 2d4 instead of 1d6 and adds that to the total.

Your Slayer's Counter feature adds your Foe Slayer to the attack.

Why this Capstone?

The whole design ethos of the Monster Hunter is this: You're supposed to be super good at killing one big dude, at the expense of being able to handle lots of smaller dudes (which is what Horizon Walker's good at).

This seemed like a simple way to round that out while still being 'in-character'.

Why 'Spellbreaker'?

It's original name was "Magic User's-Nemesis"? It's a stupid name.

Design Notes

So... Honestly this archetype is sort of what the base class originally should have been.

I sort of don't get it either.