One thing I will say about Rangers and Hunter's Mark is that the damage is pretty crazy...The classic D&D ranger uses 2 weapons when fighting in melee. With the new weapon masteries, if you use a light weapon with the Nick mastery, you can make the offhand attack as part of your attack instead of a bonus action. So with scimitars at lvl 1, you can Hunter's Mark a target, then attack twice, doing 4d6+str or dex/round if you land both hits. That is pretty crazy for consistent damage output. I think they do more damage than any other class. At lvl 3, all Ranger subclasses get additional damage (Primal Companion, Dreadful Strikes, Dread Ambusher, Colossus Slayer) At lvl 5 it's 6d6/round from a lvl 1 spell.
Good call on the weapon mastery combo! I wonder how that damage per round compares to a monk using flurry of blows? Or other martials that don't have to concentrate on a spell?
Hunter's mark should have just been once per turn, you designate a target and deal extra damage, that scales to larger dice, and at level higher levels become every attack. Then you could have the subclasses synergise with hunters mark.
Under ranger spells you can choose unlimited known spells you can only prepare so many it is written above the drop down menu on the mancer same with the cleric and druid I think
It seems like you can leave Hunter's Mark on the last, dead, target until it times out as long as you maintain concentration. If another combat starts within the spell duration you can use the bonus action to move it to a new target. Unless I'm missing some rule somewhere.
As a DM, that's what I would allow, because I still pity the ranger, lol. But I could see DMs ruling differently, especially as HM states "If the target drops to 0 before the spell ends, you can spend a BA to move the mark to a new creature within range". So does the timing matter? Does the range of the new target relative to the previous mark'd target matter?
This is how it works in BG3, you don't lose concentration on HM at the end of combat and can move it to a new target at the beginning of a new combat encounter.
@@coreymcnaught Ah nice, yeah that sounds good to me, though it doesn't fix the concentration issues the Ranger can have with their spells. Maybe an option like the Fey Wanderer Summon Fey where Ranger can cast HM with 1 min duration but w/o concentration?
@@RogueWatson this just saves a spell slot or Favored Enemy cast, which makes it less onerous to drop concentration to cast something else and recast it. i find spending the bonus action more costly.
Something i never see anyone bring up for the beast master: your animal companion can wear armor, making them even more tanky in combat. Though it is pretty expensive to do so.
Can you? Pg 229 says you can get barding for your mount, and lists the different mounts. I'm not sure a beast master's primal companion counts as a mount in that way, though. Most mounts are large, and primal companions are medium, or small. No way I would let a Ranger put chain mail on their hawk companion, lol.
@@RogueWatson 'Barding is armor designed to protect an animal’s head, neck, chest, and body. Any type of armor can be purchased as barding. The cost is four times the equivalent armor made for humanoids, and it weighs twice as much' this is the description i can find on dnd beyond, that says any animal, which should include the animal companion.
I fixed ranger like this: Liv1 : Favored Enemy Ability class (not a spell) 1 min duration Add 1d4 dmg to all weapon atk (not unarmed) No action required , no concentration (ability) can do this as ranger's 2024 table Favored Enemy times x day Liv 13 Hunter's Mark does NOT requires conc anymore. Liv 20 : capstone 1d10 HM + 18/20 crit chance on HM target. 3 things that change this class from meh to fine❤
@RogueWatson that was only 1 hit. I suggest 1d4 for 1 min. Thinking Paladin could use divine favor without concentration in 2024, it's a way to balance gap
They’ve given you free casting of HM. So then why complain about needing to break concentration in order to use other concentration spells. Just go ahead and break your own concentration…it was free. Basically like a limited concentration cantrip. I doubt you’ll use up all the free casts in a day and if you did it’s still a lvl 1 spell slot. So yeah hunters mark is basically rangers version of eldritch blast. Rangers get more spell slots than warlocks and being dex based means better initiative and armor class. Idk. I think it’s weird. It seems like it’s just vogue to be all bummed about rangers.
I mean, just make it a concentration cantrip then, that only rangers can use. Don't saddle it with limited free uses. Don't make it a spell that's vulnerable to anti-spell shenanigans. Don't make me constantly have to break my own concentration, which other classes don't have to worry bout to deploy their signature class features. Argh! Don't get me wrong, I love the concept of a ranger, and some of the subclasses are really fun. But this was THE chance to really boost the 5e ranger, and I think they fumbled the ball.
@@RogueWatson sure, they could have made it a cantrip I suppose, though it might then just feel like a re-flavoring of warlock with a cantrip being the key element of the class. I don't think it would balance properly if it didn't require concentration though. I'm pretty sure it would immediately be over powered. Don't get me wrong though, there is something missing from the fantasy of the ranger, they fumbled the ball for sure! It's certainly fun to theory craft how you could make the class more appealing as a combat class without making it broken. In my head HM is fun though and fits with the theme of a ranger. Their keen eye aiming for a subtle weakness in an enemies defenses allowing them to add a little bit of damage to their non-magical attacks. One great idea I saw from someone else in a similar video was the idea that they could have made the ranger class have a unique resistance or immunity to crowd control effects to some extent, playing up the fantasy of their dexterity being more than a rogues dexterity in combat. Like they can't be slowed by terrain or ensnared because they are so fast and reflexive. An idea I had is why not just GIVE them the archery fighting style for free, built in to their class. Maybe even the two weapon fighting.
@@coreymcnaught All good ideas! I recall that in 3rd edition, playing Neverwinter Nights, the ranger got a bunch of free dual-wielding feats (in addition to having the beastmaster pet as a baseline feature).
Orc is a slept on ranger speciesis, especially with adrenaline rush, relentless endurance, and 120 feet of darkvision
One thing I will say about Rangers and Hunter's Mark is that the damage is pretty crazy...The classic D&D ranger uses 2 weapons when fighting in melee. With the new weapon masteries, if you use a light weapon with the Nick mastery, you can make the offhand attack as part of your attack instead of a bonus action. So with scimitars at lvl 1, you can Hunter's Mark a target, then attack twice, doing 4d6+str or dex/round if you land both hits. That is pretty crazy for consistent damage output. I think they do more damage than any other class.
At lvl 3, all Ranger subclasses get additional damage (Primal Companion, Dreadful Strikes, Dread Ambusher, Colossus Slayer)
At lvl 5 it's 6d6/round from a lvl 1 spell.
Good call on the weapon mastery combo! I wonder how that damage per round compares to a monk using flurry of blows? Or other martials that don't have to concentrate on a spell?
Hunter's mark should have just been once per turn, you designate a target and deal extra damage, that scales to larger dice, and at level higher levels become every attack. Then you could have the subclasses synergise with hunters mark.
Under ranger spells you can choose unlimited known spells you can only prepare so many it is written above the drop down menu on the mancer same with the cleric and druid I think
It seems like you can leave Hunter's Mark on the last, dead, target until it times out as long as you maintain concentration. If another combat starts within the spell duration you can use the bonus action to move it to a new target.
Unless I'm missing some rule somewhere.
As a DM, that's what I would allow, because I still pity the ranger, lol. But I could see DMs ruling differently, especially as HM states "If the target drops to 0 before the spell ends, you can spend a BA to move the mark to a new creature within range". So does the timing matter? Does the range of the new target relative to the previous mark'd target matter?
This is how it works in BG3, you don't lose concentration on HM at the end of combat and can move it to a new target at the beginning of a new combat encounter.
@@coreymcnaught Ah nice, yeah that sounds good to me, though it doesn't fix the concentration issues the Ranger can have with their spells. Maybe an option like the Fey Wanderer Summon Fey where Ranger can cast HM with 1 min duration but w/o concentration?
@@RogueWatson this just saves a spell slot or Favored Enemy cast, which makes it less onerous to drop concentration to cast something else and recast it. i find spending the bonus action more costly.
Something i never see anyone bring up for the beast master: your animal companion can wear armor, making them even more tanky in combat. Though it is pretty expensive to do so.
Can you? Pg 229 says you can get barding for your mount, and lists the different mounts. I'm not sure a beast master's primal companion counts as a mount in that way, though. Most mounts are large, and primal companions are medium, or small. No way I would let a Ranger put chain mail on their hawk companion, lol.
@@RogueWatson 'Barding is armor designed to protect an animal’s head, neck, chest, and body. Any type of armor can be purchased as barding. The cost is four times the equivalent armor made for humanoids, and it weighs twice as much' this is the description i can find on dnd beyond, that says any animal, which should include the animal companion.
I fixed ranger like this:
Liv1 : Favored Enemy
Ability class (not a spell)
1 min duration
Add 1d4 dmg to all weapon atk (not unarmed)
No action required , no concentration (ability)
can do this as ranger's 2024 table Favored Enemy times x day
Liv 13 Hunter's Mark does NOT requires conc anymore.
Liv 20 : capstone 1d10 HM + 18/20 crit chance on HM target.
3 things that change this class from meh to fine❤
That's basically what the TCoE fix of Favored Enemy was, right?
@RogueWatson that was only 1 hit. I suggest 1d4 for 1 min. Thinking Paladin could use divine favor without concentration in 2024, it's a way to balance gap
And yes, removing Conc at 13 is a great update, tho I maintain that many campaigns never make it that high anyway.
They’ve given you free casting of HM. So then why complain about needing to break concentration in order to use other concentration spells. Just go ahead and break your own concentration…it was free. Basically like a limited concentration cantrip. I doubt you’ll use up all the free casts in a day and if you did it’s still a lvl 1 spell slot. So yeah hunters mark is basically rangers version of eldritch blast. Rangers get more spell slots than warlocks and being dex based means better initiative and armor class. Idk. I think it’s weird. It seems like it’s just vogue to be all bummed about rangers.
I mean, just make it a concentration cantrip then, that only rangers can use. Don't saddle it with limited free uses. Don't make it a spell that's vulnerable to anti-spell shenanigans. Don't make me constantly have to break my own concentration, which other classes don't have to worry bout to deploy their signature class features. Argh!
Don't get me wrong, I love the concept of a ranger, and some of the subclasses are really fun.
But this was THE chance to really boost the 5e ranger, and I think they fumbled the ball.
@@RogueWatson sure, they could have made it a cantrip I suppose, though it might then just feel like a re-flavoring of warlock with a cantrip being the key element of the class. I don't think it would balance properly if it didn't require concentration though. I'm pretty sure it would immediately be over powered. Don't get me wrong though, there is something missing from the fantasy of the ranger, they fumbled the ball for sure! It's certainly fun to theory craft how you could make the class more appealing as a combat class without making it broken. In my head HM is fun though and fits with the theme of a ranger. Their keen eye aiming for a subtle weakness in an enemies defenses allowing them to add a little bit of damage to their non-magical attacks. One great idea I saw from someone else in a similar video was the idea that they could have made the ranger class have a unique resistance or immunity to crowd control effects to some extent, playing up the fantasy of their dexterity being more than a rogues dexterity in combat. Like they can't be slowed by terrain or ensnared because they are so fast and reflexive. An idea I had is why not just GIVE them the archery fighting style for free, built in to their class. Maybe even the two weapon fighting.
@@coreymcnaught All good ideas! I recall that in 3rd edition, playing Neverwinter Nights, the ranger got a bunch of free dual-wielding feats (in addition to having the beastmaster pet as a baseline feature).
dragonborns have dark vision in 2024
@@LordAnubisMagic at this point just give everyone darkvision ffs
Yikes. Sounds not great.