Does anyone have any good uses for the Ranger's Primeval Awareness feature?
So far everytime I've used it the results have been... not that useful.
Usually it goes something like this (elaborate descriptions removed);
Player: I'm going to take a moment to use Primeval Awareness.
DM: Ok, you sense fey.
Player: Ok.. I inform the group and carry on scouting ahead.
Now all that tells me is somewhere within a mile radius (6 mile radius in Favourite Terrain) is fey, it could be hundreds of fey creatures or a single pixie sitting in far off tree.
So if anyone has any useful hints for what to do with that information, feel free to post ideas, thanks.
"My Fey senses are tingling"
*draws bow*
"They must be untingled"
I wonder how many Rangers end up becoming paranoid.
Fenstrider wrote:
The sad part is that in most campaigns I've played, the answer would be:
"Yes. Every type you can detect is present. You sense all the danger."
*Cue Ranger weeping*
DM:You sense undead
Cleric: i cast protection from evil.
ect...
It doesn't give a location like Divine Senses, but I would allow it to give a direction. So You sense undead to the north and fey to the west. I just wouldn't allow it to be six undead two and a half clics north and a single fey half a mile to the west. I might give a closer or farther measurement as well. I agree though that "there is a dragon, abomination and undead presence within 6 miles of you" is less useful than it could be for finding that thing.
But as a investigative tool it is quite good. Let's say mysterious tavern goer point you to an abandoned church. Primeval senses tells you there are undead or feinds or abominations nearby, how you plan for this area now signifigantly changes. If you're in a mansion, pop it and sense fiends or undead it might confirm some suspicions you have about your hosts, ect.
I agree it should be useful as an investigating or preparation tool. The problem with this feature is the sheer range it has, 1 mile radius (potentially 6 miles) is a huge range, and keep in mind it costs you a spell slot to use. It's not a detection spell that warns you whats around the next few corners, which would be much more useful. It should have had a range more around a few hundred feet.
Using an example from a previous post, using this in range of a rumored haunted church, you sense undead. So you're still guessing if it confirmed undead are in the haunted church before you or in a house on the other side of town, or the graveyard, or wandering the woods outside the town walls. Plus you have no idea the number of undead, a single zombie or hundreds. What if you also sense fey as well? should you now start using resources to protect from fey creatures? or maybe all you sensed was the pixie some kid in town plays with.
I can see this feature easily being responsible for alot of wasted resources and spell slots preparing for threats that will never be encountered.
Would it continuously go off if there were a fey creature in the party as well? That sounds....unhelpful lol.
I cast the spell outside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue it tells me that there are 1 or more lobbists with in the beltway.
@Jvance420: I can't find anything that states player races such as Elves are considered fey creatures like in previous editions. Regardless, you still have to choose to use Primeval Awareness by spending a spell slot. So no, your ranger senses aren't constantly tingling while your elf friend is walking beside you 
Just don't recruit any aberration, celestial, dragon, elemental, fey, fiend, or undead allies into your party.
@mrsrockguru: Exactly, lol
Fenstrider wrote: