Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 NirvanS Nov 19, 2014 19:32:07	If a ranger player doesn't want to have his character being able to cast spells, would you a lot another feat(s) and/or another ability I.e. An extra fighting style or another Hunter skill I.e. Selecting twice from Hunters prey or Defensive Tactics
#2 AaronOfBarbaria Nov 19, 2014 19:36:08	I would not.   If the player doesn't want to cast spells they can choose not to cast spells or can play any of the other classes that can be used to evoke the ranger flavor without spells.   As for why a person would want to play a ranger using the ranger class and not use spells... I have no idea - they get some very cool spells that accentuate the class' unique talents nicely.
#3 FrogReaver Nov 19, 2014 20:27:14	NirvanS wrote:
#4 Nevvur Nov 19, 2014 20:58:47	Agreed with Aaron, but as always, it's up to the DM.   Why does he not want to be a spellcaster? If you know that, you can work with him to figure out best what to do, and if you can relay that info to the forum, we might have better suggestions. That said, spellcasting is a core feature, and so every other dynamic of the class is balanced against it. You mentioned Hunter's Prey, so I assume he wants to be a Hunter Ranger. I'd sooner homebrew a subclass of Fighter or Barbarian with certain of the Hunter features than I would replace Ranger spellcasting with anything else.
(Reply to #4) NirvanS	Nevvur wrote:
#6 Timborama Nov 20, 2014 6:05:23	So an Archery Style Fighter, then? Maybe with a single MC dip into ranger, before they get any spells!   Done!   (just because you're a ranger doesn't mean you're a "Ranger" know what I mean? Not all monks are Monks, and not all Monks are monks! Try to get that idea out of that he can only be a ranger by taking the Ranger class. It's just a word, after all!)
#7 mellored Nov 20, 2014 6:32:02	Timborama wrote:
#8 OoftaMeg Nov 20, 2014 7:01:08	I agree that this sounds more like a background than a class issue. Remember that you aren't limited to the backgrounds in the PHB, you can tweak them as you see fit.
#9 Sorxores Nov 20, 2014 7:41:38	I would tell this player to play a Dexterity fighter, maybe multiclass with rogue a little bit for extra skill and sneak attack (to immulate hunter subclass) or let the fighter to use the hunter subclass, and modifie it slightly to fit the level subclass level progression.
#10 cowleymen Nov 20, 2014 10:08:00	Who sasys magic has to be magic? They could just be extrodinary abilites he has learned to perform. He will have to look closely and becareful how you refluff, but even speak with plants could be done in a non-magical way. INstead of speaking with plants, you spend the next 5 minutes studying the immediate area around you, looking for signs of passage that lesser men(or women) might have missed that he sees. The fluff is strong in this desire
#11 Kentus Nov 20, 2014 17:27:50	If your player wants to, I see no reason to not make it happen. I'd go with one of the following possibilities:   1.) The easiest one would be just picking spells, which doesn't seem like magic, like Hunter's Mark, Longstrider, Jump, etc. Would dodge the whole issue by declaring, these are just skills which he got trained in, but aren't as easy to invoke.   2.) The other one is to make something up. Here you have to be sure, to not hand out dead ranger levels, I would go with the following (shifting a lot of features to keep levels interesting):   Additional Tool Proficiency: Traps (for setting up an complicated trap, craft a trap, hiding a trap, etc.)   1st: Fighting Style, Favored Enemy 2nd: Natural Explorer, Hunter's Action (use a Bonus Action to either disengage or set up a trap) 3rd: Ranger Archetype, Primeval Awareness (WIS-mod per day, at minimum length) 4th: Ability Score Improvement 5th: Extra Attack 6th: Favored Enemy Improvement, Skill Expertise (three skills/tools [traps would be tools, too]) 7th: Ranger Archetype Feature 8th: Natural Explorer Improvement, Ability Score Improvement 9th: Land Stride, Expert Trapper (add your prof bonus on DC of traps you're setting) 10th: Ability Score Improvement, Favored Enemy Improvement 11th: Ranger Archetype Feature 12th: Ability Score Improvement 13th: Hide in Plain Sight, Natural Explorer Improvement 14th: Favored Enemy Improvement, Vanish 15th: Ranger Archetyp Feature 16th: Ability Score Improvement 17th: Favored Enemy Improvement, Natural Explorer Improvement 18th: Feral Senses 19th: Ability Score Improvement 20th: Foe Slayer   On the power curve, this ranger would be most likely weaker, since there are lacking spell-options (you don't need to choose Hunter's Mark) to increase your damage. On the upside, there are some reliable features there, shifting the ranger's focus more into an rogue, by setting traps, getting more reliable outside combat, gaining more favored enemy and natural explorer features, skill expertise and finally one more ability score improvement than the standard one, which will be more reliable but less powerful than spells. Of course you can tinker a table which might fit your needs more, but it might be hard to somehow balancing the spellcasting out, since it's such a great and diverse feature, but since limited not as powerful as you might think.
#12 MechaPilot Nov 20, 2014 17:20:41	I've advocated for a ranger whose spellcasting could be excized for a significant combat pet since the playtest, so I don't see any issues with replacing the casting with other things.   That said, I do not currently have a 5e group to play in or DM for, and I have no idea how significantly the ranger's casting abilities are in actual play.  I really can't say what would be a suitable replacement, but the advice that I would give to any DM is that it's okay to make a decision then tinker with it later (just let the player know that you may alter the original decision based on how it works out in play).   5e is still new to all of us, and the only way to know what will work is to try it and see.