Options for PHB Hunter ranger - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

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#1 Macv12 Sep 10, 2015 8:00:32	I was holding off on this until the UA article in case it invalidated the need for this, but it looks like they're taking the new ranger in a totally different direction. This came from a somewhat recent discussion about the ranger. I love the Hunter ranger. Second 5e character I made and my favorite one. Constructing a non-sucky "favored enemy" specialization through specialized but broadly-applicable features is cool and mostly works out. But...I don't like the Multiattack feature, and I think the spellcasting options are poor. Melee and ranged Hunters seem like they're supposed to be equally valid, but they're not equally supported. So I came up with my own version of Multiattack and some new spells. There have been several iterations of all these things, but I picked my favorite ones for critique. First, Multiattack. I don't feel this feature fits with the other subclass features. It has only 2 options, both do the same thing differentiated only by whether they work at melee or long range, and they offer little meaningful specialization against different kinds of enemies. Plus, I feel Whirlwind is noticeably worse than Volley. So I made a replacement feature that focuses generally on buffing or enabling weapon-based offense, without sticking strictly to multiattacking. Hunter's Tactics Whirlwind: as an action, you make a melee attack against each enemy that is within 5ft of you when you take this action. When you do so, you can also force targets of your choice to make a STR save against 8 + prof + STR/DEX, pushing them 10ft away from you on failure. Gives specific utility that Extra Attack or TWF don't give, making it more broadly useful. Useful to ranged characters by giving them space to maneuver while staying offensive. Attacks on the Run: whenever you are hit by an opportunity attack, you can make a weapon attack against the attacker. This does not require your reaction. You can choose to make the attack before or after going through with the movement that provoked the opportunity attack, but the target must be in range of your weapon. Intent is that a melee character can make their attack while still adjacent, and a ranged character can make it right after leaving melee range. Dragon Slayer's Charge: as an action, you move up to your speed and make a melee weapon attack against a target within 5ft of you. On a hit, you grapple the target. If the target is 2 sizes or more larger than you, you instead climb onto it (as per DMG 271). Until your hold is broken, the target has disadvantage on attacks against you, and you have advantage on opposed checks to maintain your hold. If your hold is broken as a result of a failed opposed check, you can attempt a grab or climb-onto-creature check as a reaction. Obviously melee-only, but I think it's excusable since ranged characters don't need help reaching targets. Onslaught: when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, it is marked for Onslaught until it dies or leaves your sight. You cannot mark a new creature until your active mark is lost. When you hit the target with a weapon attack, for each damage die on which you roll the maximum possible result, you may roll one additional damage die of the same size. This bonus does not apply to dice added by this feature. Should be +12.5% damage rolling only d8's, better proportions for smaller dice and worse for bigger, not counting static modifiers. Plus higher peak damage. Synergizes well with Colossus Slayer, Hunter's Mark, dual wielding, etc. Also synergizes with pretty much any weapon-using class; Sneak Attack, Divine Smite, Battlemaster maneuvers, Improved Critical, etc.

Hunter's Tactics

Whirlwind: as an action, you make a melee attack against each enemy that is within 5ft of you when you take this action. When you do so, you can also force targets of your choice to make a STR save against 8 + prof + STR/DEX, pushing them 10ft away from you on failure.
- Gives specific utility that Extra Attack or TWF don't give, making it more broadly useful. Useful to ranged characters by giving them space to maneuver while staying offensive.
Attacks on the Run: whenever you are hit by an opportunity attack, you can make a weapon attack against the attacker. This does not require your reaction. You can choose to make the attack before or after going through with the movement that provoked the opportunity attack, but the target must be in range of your weapon.
- Intent is that a melee character can make their attack while still adjacent, and a ranged character can make it right after leaving melee range.
Dragon Slayer's Charge: as an action, you move up to your speed and make a melee weapon attack against a target within 5ft of you. On a hit, you grapple the target. If the target is 2 sizes or more larger than you, you instead climb onto it (as per DMG 271). Until your hold is broken, the target has disadvantage on attacks against you, and you have advantage on opposed checks to maintain your hold. If your hold is broken as a result of a failed opposed check, you can attempt a grab or climb-onto-creature check as a reaction.
- Obviously melee-only, but I think it's excusable since ranged characters don't need help reaching targets.
Onslaught: when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, it is marked for Onslaught until it dies or leaves your sight. You cannot mark a new creature until your active mark is lost. When you hit the target with a weapon attack, for each damage die on which you roll the maximum possible result, you may roll one additional damage die of the same size. This bonus does not apply to dice added by this feature.
- Should be +12.5% damage rolling only d8's, better proportions for smaller dice and worse for bigger, not counting static modifiers. Plus higher peak damage. Synergizes well with Colossus Slayer, Hunter's Mark, dual wielding, etc. Also synergizes with pretty much any weapon-using class; Sneak Attack, Divine Smite, Battlemaster maneuvers, Improved Critical, etc.