Wouldn't it be interesting if there were a ranger subclass that allowed the creation of mechanical and magical traps?
The idea is a Ranger specialized in modifying the terrain to their advantage. This would lead to different game strategies. It would also be interesting to have a ranger's beast companion lure enemies into their hunting ground. This way, the allies' pushing abilities could group enemies in an area where a trap is hidden. The beast companion could also be given the ability to push enemies so that it can play an active role during combat.
Ability to create traps:
Ditches, concealed by organic material or illusion.
Rope-activated weapon attacks. Weapons such as hidden crossbows with poisoned arrows, hanging logs, or hidden nets...
Ability to place dormant spells in certain parts of the terrain and activate them if the enemy passes over them using the Ranger's reaction.
Other solutions are based on weight, time, or a hidden physical trigger activated by a passive perception check (such as a hidden wire that activates the trap when stepped on).
I think this type of role would be ideal for a ranger.
You don’t need a subclass for this - most of it is straight up mundane stuff any ranger should be doing with survival and nature skills. I know my rangers do it when the situation calls for it or they have time. The only problem is that such things do take time. If you want magic solutions you have plant growth, conjure elemental and minor elemental. What is really needed is a Druidic/ranger spell that is a low level (L2) version of move earth. There are a number of lower level spells that could be a basis for a new earth moving spell.
You don’t need a subclass for this - most of it is straight up mundane stuff any ranger should be doing with survival and nature skills. I know my rangers do it when the situation calls for it or they have time. The only problem is that such things do take time. If you want magic solutions you have plant growth, conjure elemental and minor elemental. What is really needed is a Druidic/ranger spell that is a low level (L2) version of move earth. There are a number of lower level spells that could be a basis for a new earth moving spell.
I wouldn't say mundane, given that not everyone plays with strategies in mind, anticipating combat. Very often, Rangers are played as fighters specializing in ranged combat who have some magical powers. In my opinion, this is a bit reductive when one consider the skills a hunter should have.
You're probably right, the problem is the time it takes to set traps. Unfortunately, the Mold Earth cantrip no longer exists in D&D 2024. Perhaps a magical ability that allows traps to be set very quickly, like in 1 minute, would be needed? That's why I was thinking of a subclass specializing in this aspect of the Ranger.
Great perceptive ability to detect enemies in advance.
Ability to set magical traps in a short time.
Ability to install dormant spells in the ground and activate them as a reaction in any turn. Addition of spells designed for possible traps.
Ability to summon a companion beast (or elemental) with the ability to attract and move enemies on the battlefield to optimize the installed traps.
It would also be interesting to give the creature affected by “Hunter's Mark” a disadvantage on saving throws against the installed traps.
Yes many folks play the ranger ( badly IMO) as a ranged fighter, in doing so they miss the essence of what a ranger could be. A part of the ranger’s problem has nothing to do with the ranger as a class and everything to do with the lack of a solid exploration/outdoor/wilderness adventure leg for the game. The 2014 PHB does a much better job of giving the ranger some depth in ts description including the idea of the solo ranger - alone and on their own in the wilderness. My personal take is that they are the magical fantasy version of the American mountain/frontiers man - a Daniel Boone, kit Carson or Jedidiah Smith with magic. They could navigate the wilderness, find food and water, cook, skin, tan and sew enough to make clothes when needed, hunt, trap, fight when they had to, trade and make friends with the intelligent folks living in the wilderness and generally get along just fine without civilization. They might not have all these skills as they started but would have developed them over time so I could see granting new skills to rangers at different levels as well as actively creating new wilderness based spells just for rangers - especially now that they can trade them out on long rests. A lot of your ideas are already capable of being developed by rangers: 1) great perception- expertise in perception skill as one of their 3 expertises ( my rangers take this first) 2) ability to summon a companion beast - ok only the beastmaster subclass can actually do this directly but any ranger can use the animal friendship spell and animal handling to get and train a beast companion ( or three) to do this. Then there are the various conjure and summon spells as well. 3) magical traps - spiked growth, entangle, cordon of arrows to name 3 off the top of my head 4) disadvantage vs the traps - not really needed if the DC for the save were based on the ranger’s wisdom bonus like a spell then it would affect any creature that set it off. Passive perception to detect it and ( probably) a Dex save to avoid if set off
In 2014, I built a trap master by multiclassing ranger and thief rogue. Fast hands allows dropping traps while still having a full turn. Beasmaster allowing for poison caltrops, bear traps or thrown vials.
Now 2024 made subtle changes to "use an object" and thief and it really seems to discorage player setup for encounters. Its not removed but not as fun as before. And the combat effectiveness feeling more like a handicap than a valid playstyle.
There's a narrative desire for such a trap master but the game needs "mechanical" tools and setting it to one class might cause "toe stepping" complaining rather than feel good to play.
Would i love a feature to allows HM to apply to traps? absolutely.
Would i love effective "in combat" application of tools and traps? sure.
Would i love a reason for the blow gun to exist in 5e? yes please.
Will wotc actually understand the type of play needs for traps as a subclass? Probably not.
The thing is traps work best when you in advance that some idiot adventurer/monster is going to be coming along and you have time to set the traps and plan for them so they can cascade onto the unfortunate idjit that set them off. Magic traps can be faster to set (maybe - Glyph of Warding takes an hour to cast) and generally can have more impact. Combat traps are more likely to be things like caltrops, grease spells, ball bearings, etc. what we need are some funny/dumb low level spells - Slapstick: when cast this covers a 30 by 30 foot area in banapeels converting it into difficult terrain and requiring any one passing through it to make a dexterity save at disadvantage or fall prone.
Idk about a subclass, but it'd be cool to see some weapons that could immobilize enemies or cause status effects. There's the net, but maybe the Ranger (a a subclass) could get a longer range and/or Wisdom added to the DC. A Bola to knock prone and restrain enemies that have legs or wings (can't really bola a gelatinous cube or a beholder). Flashbangs to blind and/or stun enemies. Maybe some kind of glue-bomb to immobilize creatures. How about a "sticky bomb" (that i saw the Rangers use in Saving Private Ryan) that could stick to an enemy (or whatever) then explode? A lasso to grapple enemies at range would be cool.
Surveillance and intelligence gathering is a part of the game thst can be overlooked when it comes to character abilities, features, spells, etc. Things like Find Familiar, Arcane Eye, and Scry for the magic users, and stealth/perception for skill-based characters, and wildshape for Druids are just some of the things tgst can help in this area. And Rangers certainly have skills and some spells that focus on this aspect of the game. But maybe there could be some kind of magical "trail cam" that they could get or make or cast.
I was also thinking it'd be cool if Rangers could get something like infravision (like the drow in the Salvatore books). But I guess there's no mechanic or stats for whether or how much of a heat signature creatures may have.
Idk if any of this applies to the OP's "traps" subclass question, but they are at least some ideas that the OP's question inspired.
The old 1e-3e nfravision is now your Darkvision in 5e (along with the earlier ultravision (uV). There are enough magical ways to get it that it’s no longer a big problem. There are “spy glasses” (basically the old collapsible hand telescope) as a mundane tool. No binoculars yet but I may homebrew them one day. I did homebrew an improved bullseye lantern thats there under “Lantern of Investigation” - it’s basically a flashlight based off a continual flame disc in a tube you cap. Bolas and lassos are basically modified nets so they shouldn’t be too hard to homebrew. Most mundane gear is fairly easy to homebrew. And there are a bunch of spells that could really easily be converted to being ranger spells - like converting rope trick into something that doesn’t need a rope just a vertical or near vertical surface for the 3x5 ft portal to be opened on. - the perfect camping spot for a ranger and his horses or for a small party on foot. But then I’ve felt that magic didn’t start with mages, it started with rangers and Druids and sorcerors then added clerics then wizards then warlocks and most recently artificers. So most Wizard spells should be refinements and variations of ranger/druid spells initially.
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Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
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Wouldn't it be interesting if there were a ranger subclass that allowed the creation of mechanical and magical traps?
The idea is a Ranger specialized in modifying the terrain to their advantage. This would lead to different game strategies. It would also be interesting to have a ranger's beast companion lure enemies into their hunting ground. This way, the allies' pushing abilities could group enemies in an area where a trap is hidden. The beast companion could also be given the ability to push enemies so that it can play an active role during combat.
Ability to create traps:
Other solutions are based on weight, time, or a hidden physical trigger activated by a passive perception check (such as a hidden wire that activates the trap when stepped on).
I think this type of role would be ideal for a ranger.
You don’t need a subclass for this - most of it is straight up mundane stuff any ranger should be doing with survival and nature skills. I know my rangers do it when the situation calls for it or they have time. The only problem is that such things do take time. If you want magic solutions you have plant growth, conjure elemental and minor elemental. What is really needed is a Druidic/ranger spell that is a low level (L2) version of move earth. There are a number of lower level spells that could be a basis for a new earth moving spell.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
I wouldn't say mundane, given that not everyone plays with strategies in mind, anticipating combat. Very often, Rangers are played as fighters specializing in ranged combat who have some magical powers. In my opinion, this is a bit reductive when one consider the skills a hunter should have.
You're probably right, the problem is the time it takes to set traps. Unfortunately, the Mold Earth cantrip no longer exists in D&D 2024. Perhaps a magical ability that allows traps to be set very quickly, like in 1 minute, would be needed? That's why I was thinking of a subclass specializing in this aspect of the Ranger.
Yes many folks play the ranger ( badly IMO) as a ranged fighter, in doing so they miss the essence of what a ranger could be. A part of the ranger’s problem has nothing to do with the ranger as a class and everything to do with the lack of a solid exploration/outdoor/wilderness adventure leg for the game. The 2014 PHB does a much better job of giving the ranger some depth in ts description including the idea of the solo ranger - alone and on their own in the wilderness. My personal take is that they are the magical fantasy version of the American mountain/frontiers man - a Daniel Boone, kit Carson or Jedidiah Smith with magic. They could navigate the wilderness, find food and water, cook, skin, tan and sew enough to make clothes when needed, hunt, trap, fight when they had to, trade and make friends with the intelligent folks living in the wilderness and generally get along just fine without civilization. They might not have all these skills as they started but would have developed them over time so I could see granting new skills to rangers at different levels as well as actively creating new wilderness based spells just for rangers - especially now that they can trade them out on long rests. A lot of your ideas are already capable of being developed by rangers:
1) great perception- expertise in perception skill as one of their 3 expertises ( my rangers take this first)
2) ability to summon a companion beast - ok only the beastmaster subclass can actually do this directly but any ranger can use the animal friendship spell and animal handling to get and train a beast companion ( or three) to do this. Then there are the various conjure and summon spells as well.
3) magical traps - spiked growth, entangle, cordon of arrows to name 3 off the top of my head
4) disadvantage vs the traps - not really needed if the DC for the save were based on the ranger’s wisdom bonus like a spell then it would affect any creature that set it off. Passive perception to detect it and ( probably) a Dex save to avoid if set off
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
In 2014, I built a trap master by multiclassing ranger and thief rogue. Fast hands allows dropping traps while still having a full turn. Beasmaster allowing for poison caltrops, bear traps or thrown vials.
Now 2024 made subtle changes to "use an object" and thief and it really seems to discorage player setup for encounters. Its not removed but not as fun as before. And the combat effectiveness feeling more like a handicap than a valid playstyle.
There's a narrative desire for such a trap master but the game needs "mechanical" tools and setting it to one class might cause "toe stepping" complaining rather than feel good to play.
Would i love a feature to allows HM to apply to traps? absolutely.
Would i love effective "in combat" application of tools and traps? sure.
Would i love a reason for the blow gun to exist in 5e? yes please.
Will wotc actually understand the type of play needs for traps as a subclass? Probably not.
The thing is traps work best when you in advance that some idiot adventurer/monster is going to be coming along and you have time to set the traps and plan for them so they can cascade onto the unfortunate idjit that set them off. Magic traps can be faster to set (maybe - Glyph of Warding takes an hour to cast) and generally can have more impact. Combat traps are more likely to be things like caltrops, grease spells, ball bearings, etc. what we need are some funny/dumb low level spells - Slapstick: when cast this covers a 30 by 30 foot area in banapeels converting it into difficult terrain and requiring any one passing through it to make a dexterity save at disadvantage or fall prone.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Idk about a subclass, but it'd be cool to see some weapons that could immobilize enemies or cause status effects. There's the net, but maybe the Ranger (a a subclass) could get a longer range and/or Wisdom added to the DC. A Bola to knock prone and restrain enemies that have legs or wings (can't really bola a gelatinous cube or a beholder). Flashbangs to blind and/or stun enemies. Maybe some kind of glue-bomb to immobilize creatures. How about a "sticky bomb" (that i saw the Rangers use in Saving Private Ryan) that could stick to an enemy (or whatever) then explode? A lasso to grapple enemies at range would be cool.
Surveillance and intelligence gathering is a part of the game thst can be overlooked when it comes to character abilities, features, spells, etc. Things like Find Familiar, Arcane Eye, and Scry for the magic users, and stealth/perception for skill-based characters, and wildshape for Druids are just some of the things tgst can help in this area. And Rangers certainly have skills and some spells that focus on this aspect of the game. But maybe there could be some kind of magical "trail cam" that they could get or make or cast.
I was also thinking it'd be cool if Rangers could get something like infravision (like the drow in the Salvatore books). But I guess there's no mechanic or stats for whether or how much of a heat signature creatures may have.
Idk if any of this applies to the OP's "traps" subclass question, but they are at least some ideas that the OP's question inspired.
The old 1e-3e nfravision is now your Darkvision in 5e (along with the earlier ultravision (uV). There are enough magical ways to get it that it’s no longer a big problem. There are “spy glasses” (basically the old collapsible hand telescope) as a mundane tool. No binoculars yet but I may homebrew them one day. I did homebrew an improved bullseye lantern thats there under “Lantern of Investigation” - it’s basically a flashlight based off a continual flame disc in a tube you cap. Bolas and lassos are basically modified nets so they shouldn’t be too hard to homebrew. Most mundane gear is fairly easy to homebrew. And there are a bunch of spells that could really easily be converted to being ranger spells - like converting rope trick into something that doesn’t need a rope just a vertical or near vertical surface for the 3x5 ft portal to be opened on. - the perfect camping spot for a ranger and his horses or for a small party on foot. But then I’ve felt that magic didn’t start with mages, it started with rangers and Druids and sorcerors then added clerics then wizards then warlocks and most recently artificers. So most Wizard spells should be refinements and variations of ranger/druid spells initially.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.