One D&D Playtest 6: Ranger
Here follow my notes on the Playtest 6 Ranger class.
For more context and my Standard Disclaimer, check out the introduction to this series.
Playtest 6 - Ranger Deep Dive
Base Class
- Starting Equipment now includes a Druidic Focus, and Rangers have the option of a Longbow or Shortbow. They also now start with 1 less gp – 7 instead of 8.
- Deft Explorer (level 1, new) replaces the level 1 Expertise feature from the prior UA. This new feature gives one Expertise (instead of two) and lets you pick two types of terrain in which you get Advantage on INT:Nature checks and WIS:Survival checks for tracking creatures. One terrain type can be swapped out after a long rest. This confers some of the flavor of the PHB’s Natural Explorer, but loses some of the wilderness survival/travel functionality for new flexibility. I’m glad to see the reduction in Expertise, but I’m neutral on the rest as those now-discarded survival elements are coming in handy for our Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign…
- Spellcasting (level 1): As with other classes, spell prep is no longer tied to spell slot levels. Rangers can change out one spell after a long rest. Rangers can now use a Druidic Focus for spellcasting (actually introduced in Tasha as an optional feature). And they can no longer have cantrips, because now…
- Weapon Mastery (level 1) lets Rangers have Mastery on two weapons, and both can be changed after a long rest. Cool.
- Favored Enemy (level 2, level 1 in UA, level 1 in PHB) gives the Ranger their (now-exclusive) Hunter’s Mark spell as it did in the prior UA. Now it can be cast up to Wisdom modifier times without using a spell slot (which is very cool, and aligned with feedback I gave on the survey), but it once again requires concentration (apparently due to being overpowered in playtesting). I think this is probably a good outcome overall.
- Fighting Style (level 2) drops the bit from the last UA that allowed non-Warrior access to Fighting Style feats at future Feat levels. It looks like this is because the Fighting Style feat prerequisites dropped the Warrior class group restriction.
- Subclass (level 3): Same as it was before, and just like all other classes now.
- Ability Score Improvement (level 4): Or another Feat.
- Extra Attack (level 5): If it ain’t broke…
- Roving (level 6, level 7 in UA, level 6 in Tasha) increases speed by 10 while not wearing heavy armor and gives Rangers a climb and swim speed. In the Tasha version, it increased speed by 5 and had no armor restriction. This feels like part of a theme in this UA packet about encouraging mobility on the battlefield.
- Subclass Feature (level 7, level 6 in UA, level 7 in PHB): Just a level switch, back to where it was.
- Ability Score Improvement (level 8): Or another Feat.
- Conjure Barrage (level 9, new) permanently adds the newly Ranger-exclusive Conjure Barrage to your prepared spells. This was a dead level in the PHB version.
- Tireless (level 10, level 11 in UA, level 10 in Tasha) returns to its original level, and provides temporary HP as an Action (formerly it did so after a rest), and the uses are based on your Wisdom modifier instead of proficiency bonus. I prefer this version.
- Subclass Feature (level 11, level 10 in UA, level 11 in PHB): Just moved back to the PHB progression.
- Ability Score Improvement (level 12): Or another Feat.
- Dead Level (level 13): As it was in the PHB. In the previous UA, this was where Rangers got…
- Nature’s Veil (level 14, level 13 in UA, level 10 in Tasha) uses are now based on your Wisdom modifier instead of your proficiency bonus (Tasha) or unlimited (previous UA). This needed a limit, and I think this is the right one.
- Subclass Feature (level 15, level 14 in UA) is back where it was in the PHB.
- Ability Score Improvement (level 16): Or another Feat.
- Conjure Volley (level 17, new) adds the newly Ranger-exclusive Conjure Volley to your prepared spells.
- Feral Senses (level 18, level 15 in UA, level 18 in PHB) is mechanically identical to the prior UA version – 30 feet of Blindsight – but back at the level from the PHB. Okay; I definitely prefer this wording to the PHB.
- Ability Score Improvement (level 19): Or another Feat.
- Foe Slayer (level 20, level 18 in UA, level 20 in PHB) replaces the Epic Boon from the previous UA and gets it back to the PHB’s level. It now triggers from missing an attack on a Hunter’s Mark target rather than a favored enemy, so it’s far more flexible and is less likely to be wasted. I like this change even if I’ll probably never actually get to use it.
Beast Master
- Primal Companion (level 3) comes over unchanged from Tasha to replace Ranger’s Companion from the PHB. Good, this is better than the PHB version. Though it’s still a bit weird about how it interacts with the action economy and could use a rewrite to clear things up. Seriously – it says you use a Bonus Action to command it to take an action, which can be one in its stat block, or another action, but the stat block actions are all attacks, which require you to take an Attack action to command the beast to take an Attack action. So is it a Bonus Action to activate or not?
- Exceptional Training (level 7) allows your Primal Companion to take a Bonus Action (of Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help) in addition to their Action. And the Companion now explicitly does your choice of Force or regular damage (which more clearly circumvents resistances to non-magic hits). Good, good.
- Bestial Fury (level 11) removes language about Multiattack, since none of the Primal Companion stat blocks have it. But more importantly, your animal buddy now also gets to benefit from Hunter’s Mark! Nice!
- Share Spells (level 15) is unchanged from the PHB version.
Fey Wanderer
- This is just a pointer to the Fey Wanderer from Tasha.
- I still have zero desire to play it.
Gloom Stalker
- Gloom Stalker Magic (level 3) is unchanged from Xanathar.
- Dread Ambusher (level 3) now does extra damage once per turn instead of just on the first turn, and can impose the Frightened condition on your target. In exchange, its uses are limited by your Wisdom modifier and recharge with a long rest. This is definitely more useful now.
- Umbral Sight (level 3) now increases the Darkvision range if you already have Darkvision. All right.
- Iron Mind (level 7) is unchanged from Xanathar.
- Stalker’s Flurry (level 11) has been completely redesigned, adding new effect options for the Dread Ambusher feature, either making an additional attack against a different, nearby creature, or frightening nearby foes. This is a toss-up for me – it used to be a “did you miss? Try again!” ability that’d be beneficial in one-on-one situations, where this now needs more foes around to be useful.
- Shadowy Dodge (level 15) now works even when attacks against you have Advantage, and if the attack then misses, you can immediately teleport – basically a free Misty Step. Pretty cool, but again not without some issues. It’s unclear as written, though, about whether it turns an opponent’s Advantage into Disadvantage, or if the Advantage and Disadvantage cancel. There’s also no limit here, so if you’ve got Reactions to burn, you might as well spam this thing!
Hunter
- Hunter’s Prey (level 3) reverts to the PHB pattern making you choose a feature to add. The extra damage feature from the previous UA reverts to the Colossus Slayer from the PHB – and notably no longer includes unarmed strikes, BOO! Horde Breaker is mostly the same as the PHB version but now restricts you to using it against creatures you haven’t already attacked in the same turn (meh). Retaliator is an improved version of Giant Killer that works against targets of any size. Basically it’s the Battle Master Fighter’s Riposte but without requiring your foe to miss first and without any resource pool cost – nice! (Though maybe not nice for the Battle Master…)
- Hunter’s Lore (level 3, level 6 in UA) just comes online immediately with the subclass now. Handy.
- Defensive Tactics (level 7) returns from the PHB, but with different options to choose from. The original PHB options (Escape the Horde, Multiattack Defense, Steel Will) are all gone; in their place are Evasion and Uncanny Dodge (from the PHB’s level 15 Superior Hunter’s Defense options) and Hunter’s Leap, a new option that lets you use your reaction to move without inviting Opportunity Attacks when a foe enters an adjacent space. All of these seem good to me! Good work here.
- Superior Hunter’s Prey (level 11) replaces the PHB Multiattack (since Conjure Barrage is part of the base class now) and grants a second Hunter’s Prey option. Cool.
- Superior Hunter’s Defense (level 15) now grants a second Defensive Tactics option. Cool, but the naming should be more consistent – either Defensive Tactics should be renamed to “Hunter’s Defense” or Superior Hunter’s Defense should be renamed to “Superior Defensive Tactics”. This should have been caught in proofreading before publication.
Hot Takes
- The Ranger Base Class is in much better shape than the original PHB version. It’s dialed back a little from the previous UA, which I think it needed. However…
- I can sense Fighters’ growing annoyance at having to share their one new special thing with what seems like everybody. What’s next – are Wizards getting Weapon Mastery at level 1 too?
- Beast Master is a good hybrid of the original PHB and Tasha versions, with a little additional goodness sprinkled on top. It’s solid, but needs some cleanup on how it interacts with the action economy.
- Fey Wanderer is just not doing anything for me. At. All.
- Gloom Stalker looks like it’s got some good changes to its base, questionable changes later on, and some more writing issues that need to be cleaned up. Feels like it’s on a good track, but still needs work.
- Hunter is mostly better but with a couple Hunter’s Prey options that feel “meh” to me now. On the whole, I think it’s a lot better than the PHB version. It’s annoying that it gets a better Riposte than Riposte, though – that seems kind of cheesy and should rightly offend Battle Master Fighter players.
Of these options, I’d probably pick the Hunter, and maybe the Beast Master. The others don’t feel as connected to my wants in the Ranger class.
Lukewarm Takes
I agree with the Upset Reddit People – Hunter’s Mark probably shouldn’t require concentration, especially since other classes get something similar that doesn’t take concentration to do some extra, flavorful damage. But what we have here is more reasonable than that old “Revised Ranger” – as a DM, I found it to be just a bit too much (though I’m sure it was fun for my Revised Ranger player!).