🧿Ranger Competing Visions
Level 2 ranger redesign features: Beast Companion, Commando of the Forest, or Warrior Empowered by Nature's Magic
Redesigning the ranger class from the ground up is going to be a core part of the next book. Follow the Kickstarter project, so you don't miss out.
Who do you picture when you think of a ranger?
Aragorn or Drizzt perhaps?
Though they are two of the most cited rangers, the breakdown of what the ranger can do usually falls into three groups depending on the person:
- Beast Companion
- Commando of the Wilds (No Magic)
- Warrior Empowered by Nature's Magic
Because the D&D ranger kind of does all of these things, they don't have a clear identity and each aspect has to be weak to stay balanced. The features remain unsatisfying and other classes do them better.
There are a few other ranger redesigns out there: 5.5E, Tales of the Valiant, Advanced 5th Edition, etc., though none of them hit the mark. The most common fix is "take Hunter's Mark and make it not concentration".
When reimagining how the ranger could function in 5E/5.5E, I looked at how one class could simultaneously embody each of those three options and feel like the character people want to play.
I took inspiration from the warlock Pact Boons. Depending on the boon you pick, you unlock different features and open eldritch invocation options.
This was the path. We could walk this path. Introducing, Advenuture's Calling:
You have a choice of three mutually exclusive callings which level up as you progress:
Because each of these callings is mutually exclusive, they can be balanced against each other.
They can be strong, satisfying, and fit within the power curve of the game.
They don't have to compete with each other. You don't have a kit that fights for the bonus action. Ever tried to command your beast companion while moving Hunter's Mark?
Between the survivalist features at level 1 and the calling features at level 2, we're primed for a thematic, satisfying character ready to snag a subclass at level 3.
We have unique foundational abilities that the subclasses can build on.
Anyone wondering, "Will this redesign work with existing subsclasses?"
YES.
Because the ranger had little to no identity, there aren't subclasses that build on anything other than the spell list. Because of this, the only modification we need is:
Next week I'll showcase two subclass options:
- Hexwarden - Built before the ranger redesign project, this subclass highlights how existing subclasses can easily slot into the redesign.
- Beast Master 2.0 - Originally I was planning to deprecate the 5E/5.5E Beast Master in favor of the reworked version, but playtesting highlighted an interest in keeping it. We'll have to decide on a name, but this subclass highlights how each of the Adventure's Calling options could be expanded with the theme of a subclass.
I've been playtesting the ranger redesign for several months. Here are the sessions if you'd like to see how it has evolved over time:
Want to catch up with the previous post with the ranger level 1 features?
Knight Vision Creative (Brendan)
