Do you get anything extra by spending a higher level spell slot? What's the point of spending a precious higher level spell slot if it will only take more time to gather the same amount of info? Am I understanding it the right way?
Beginning at 3rd level, you can use your action and expend one ranger spell slot to focus your awareness on the region around you. For 1 minute per level of the spell slot you expend, you can sense whether the following types of creatures are present within 1 mile of you (or within up to 6 miles if you are in your favored terrain): aberrations, celestials, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead. This feature doesn’t reveal the creatures’ location or number.
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I am The Dungeon Hamster. Roll for initiative if you want to live.
And the benefit would be? The way I see it, since the radius goes from 1 mile to 6 miles, it is likely the zombies will still be inside the area for the next 10 minutes even if we are both moving, so I'd always try to use the lowest level slot available because I wouldn't be obtaining additional useful info by spending higher level slots.
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I am The Dungeon Hamster. Roll for initiative if you want to live.
Just get a very fast horse of other mount (flying mount would be great), figure out the optimal search pattern and you can figure out exactly where the monsters are by process of elimination.
I'm guessing that the writers figured a mile a minute travel speed? A bit fast in real world terms, but lets be honest, the game plays pretty loose with a lot of real world things. So, every spell level gives you one mile worth of detection outside your favored terrain.
And the benefit would be? The way I see it, since the radius goes from 1 mile to 6 miles, it is likely the zombies will still be inside the area for the next 10 minutes even if we are both moving, so I'd always try to use the lowest level slot available because I wouldn't be obtaining additional useful info by spending higher level slots.
This assumes you've picked Undead as your favoured enemy. Surely they don't move quickly-- But what if you picked the Dragon type? There's lots of monsters that move more quickly than a zombie, or even a good mount. And you'll likely be in wilderness, so you can't just travel in a straight line.
Guess the usefulness is dependent on how your DM runs travel/tracking.
I don't think I've ever used PA on my Ranger to find a lair, huh... Usually if we're looking for a lair we can find out where it is by talking to people, and using straight Survival. I've only used it to:
1) Determine the least threatening path to travel/avoid encounters when trying to travel quickly. 2) Find/avoid roaming threats in a dungeon. 3) Find a creature roaming outside of a lair.
How is it useful for finding/avoiding roaming threats in a dungeon, unless it is a *very* big dungeon?
Start using the ability; GM "there are undead and elementals and fey within 1 mile (5,280 ft)" (you don't know their location or number); walk down the other end of the dungeon corridor; GM "there are still undead and elementals and fey within 1 mile"; wander for the rest of the minute (move approx 300 ft); GM "there are still undead and elementals and fey within 1 mile"
(e.g. The undead and elementals are somewhere in the dungeon; and fey in the forest above, still within 1 mile.)
It is really only useful outside where you can use it, travel 40 mins/2 miles (3 miles per hour is normal pace), and use it again. Using higher level slots doesn't really help. Even then it has very limited usefulness, even in a wilderness hex crawl/search, except to narrow your search to a 2 mi across area.
Any form of triangulation is difficult, because you need to get the on the edge of that 1 mi circle. Once you ping, move 1/2 mile and try again; move forwards or backwards 1/4 mile if they are out or in the area. After 4 pings you have narrowed it down to 300 ft and can spend the 1 minute moving the edge of the circle to find which edge is touching them (by moving back and forward a step in different directions).
You will be able to work out which direction they are, and know they are 1 mi in that direction.
Better hope there aren't multiple creatures of that type, or it would be not very useful.
About the only useful thing it is good for is determining that there is *not* a creature of the particular type. e.g. something appears and claims to be an angel (you can prove there are no celestials in the area); or someone is accused of being undead (you can prove they are not); or someone suspects there is a demon (there is not).
e.g. If a village is being plagued by some creature, but don't know what (they may think an undead, demon, or fey), but if the ranger can rule out those creature types then it may be useful information.
I allow this ability to be used as ritual; spend 10 min to cast without spending a spell slot.
I don't see a huge benefit in performing a 1+ minute search.
essentially, the party approaches the dark wood. the bard recalls the legend that say it is haunted. ranger starts a fire and performs a smudging ceremony passed down to him by his (blank). and stoically remarks.... those are just stories, just ask the dragon.
it is important to coordinate with players and dm about how this ability can be used. it is really easy to miss with.
And the benefit would be? The way I see it, since the radius goes from 1 mile to 6 miles, it is likely the zombies will still be inside the area for the next 10 minutes even if we are both moving, so I'd always try to use the lowest level slot available because I wouldn't be obtaining additional useful info by spending higher level slots.
This assumes you've picked Undead as your favoured enemy. Surely they don't move quickly-- But what if you picked the Dragon type? There's lots of monsters that move more quickly than a zombie, or even a good mount. And you'll likely be in wilderness, so you can't just travel in a straight line.
Guess the usefulness is dependent on how your DM runs travel/tracking.
Primeval awareness is not dependendant on favoured enemy.
How is it useful? You waste a spell slot and you are informed that there is an undead presence within one mile? But you don’t know how far away or in what direction. If the result was a celestial 500’ to your right then it would be useful. Am I missing something?
I rule that the ranger knows the general direction, but doesn’t have a sense of near/far so still doesn’t grant knowledge of location or numbers. And it makes it a bit more useful than RAW if I’m even over ruling that.
Guaton, I love your questions and I guess blindly but with blind confidence that there are plenty of information for you bellow from the community responses.
You want to know the benefit of using an higher spell slop for PA
Higher the spell slot the longer the PA will last.
The benefit is time
How long do I need the spell to be active? What am I going to use it for? Those questions might help to work out which slot to use.
1. I always argue that the ranger can control the distance of the PA anility in their favor terrain.
2. Time may be important to the ranger. Even a few minutes more can be helpful. If they are moving very fast, like riding a horse or a dragon, that extra time can be very useful.
3. If in their favored terrain the other effects of the class come into play. Specifically the last part natural explorer.
4. A beast master with a flying beast can use the spell beast sense to find what they are looking for even faster and most likely with expertise (in their favored terrain) and at advantage.
Other than that, it's just thrown on as something that has no negative effect. (shrugs shoulders)
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Do you get anything extra by spending a higher level spell slot? What's the point of spending a precious higher level spell slot if it will only take more time to gather the same amount of info? Am I understanding it the right way?
Primeval Awareness
Beginning at 3rd level, you can use your action and expend one ranger spell slot to focus your awareness on the region around you. For 1 minute per level of the spell slot you expend, you can sense whether the following types of creatures are present within 1 mile of you (or within up to 6 miles if you are in your favored terrain): aberrations, celestials, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead. This feature doesn’t reveal the creatures’ location or number.
I am The Dungeon Hamster. Roll for initiative if you want to live.
https://www.instagram.com/dungeon.hamster
It is very useful when travelling and exploring.
I agree, but my question was if there are any bonuses by spending higher level spell slots.
I am The Dungeon Hamster. Roll for initiative if you want to live.
https://www.instagram.com/dungeon.hamster
The bonus with spending higher level slots is the time for which primeval awareness is active
And the benefit would be? The way I see it, since the radius goes from 1 mile to 6 miles, it is likely the zombies will still be inside the area for the next 10 minutes even if we are both moving, so I'd always try to use the lowest level slot available because I wouldn't be obtaining additional useful info by spending higher level slots.
I am The Dungeon Hamster. Roll for initiative if you want to live.
https://www.instagram.com/dungeon.hamster
Just get a very fast horse of other mount (flying mount would be great), figure out the optimal search pattern and you can figure out exactly where the monsters are by process of elimination.
I'm guessing that the writers figured a mile a minute travel speed? A bit fast in real world terms, but lets be honest, the game plays pretty loose with a lot of real world things. So, every spell level gives you one mile worth of detection outside your favored terrain.
This assumes you've picked Undead as your favoured enemy. Surely they don't move quickly-- But what if you picked the Dragon type? There's lots of monsters that move more quickly than a zombie, or even a good mount. And you'll likely be in wilderness, so you can't just travel in a straight line.
Guess the usefulness is dependent on how your DM runs travel/tracking.
I was thinking about finding a hidden lair. A ranger should be able to track traveling monsters.
I don't think I've ever used PA on my Ranger to find a lair, huh... Usually if we're looking for a lair we can find out where it is by talking to people, and using straight Survival. I've only used it to:
1) Determine the least threatening path to travel/avoid encounters when trying to travel quickly.
2) Find/avoid roaming threats in a dungeon.
3) Find a creature roaming outside of a lair.
Like I said, I think YMMV based on your DM.
When I said zombies I meant any monster in general, sorry for the confusion. Thanks to everybody for your comments and opinions.
I am The Dungeon Hamster. Roll for initiative if you want to live.
https://www.instagram.com/dungeon.hamster
How is it useful for finding/avoiding roaming threats in a dungeon, unless it is a *very* big dungeon?
Start using the ability; GM "there are undead and elementals and fey within 1 mile (5,280 ft)" (you don't know their location or number); walk down the other end of the dungeon corridor; GM "there are still undead and elementals and fey within 1 mile"; wander for the rest of the minute (move approx 300 ft); GM "there are still undead and elementals and fey within 1 mile"
(e.g. The undead and elementals are somewhere in the dungeon; and fey in the forest above, still within 1 mile.)
It is really only useful outside where you can use it, travel 40 mins/2 miles (3 miles per hour is normal pace), and use it again. Using higher level slots doesn't really help. Even then it has very limited usefulness, even in a wilderness hex crawl/search, except to narrow your search to a 2 mi across area.
Any form of triangulation is difficult, because you need to get the on the edge of that 1 mi circle. Once you ping, move 1/2 mile and try again; move forwards or backwards 1/4 mile if they are out or in the area. After 4 pings you have narrowed it down to 300 ft and can spend the 1 minute moving the edge of the circle to find which edge is touching them (by moving back and forward a step in different directions).
You will be able to work out which direction they are, and know they are 1 mi in that direction.
Better hope there aren't multiple creatures of that type, or it would be not very useful.
About the only useful thing it is good for is determining that there is *not* a creature of the particular type. e.g. something appears and claims to be an angel (you can prove there are no celestials in the area); or someone is accused of being undead (you can prove they are not); or someone suspects there is a demon (there is not).
e.g. If a village is being plagued by some creature, but don't know what (they may think an undead, demon, or fey), but if the ranger can rule out those creature types then it may be useful information.
I allow this ability to be used as ritual; spend 10 min to cast without spending a spell slot.
I don't see a huge benefit in performing a 1+ minute search.
essentially, the party approaches the dark wood. the bard recalls the legend that say it is haunted. ranger starts a fire and performs a smudging ceremony passed down to him by his (blank). and stoically remarks.... those are just stories, just ask the dragon.
it is important to coordinate with players and dm about how this ability can be used. it is really easy to miss with.
Jesus Saves!... Everyone else takes damage.
Do you get to choose the type? It doesn’t say so. It reads as a catch-all.
Primeval awareness is not dependendant on favoured enemy.
How is it useful? You waste a spell slot and you are informed that there is an undead presence within one mile? But you don’t know how far away or in what direction. If the result was a celestial 500’ to your right then it would be useful. Am I missing something?
No you did not miss anything. The DM pretty much has to want you to use this for it to be useful.
Jesus Saves!... Everyone else takes damage.
I rule that the ranger knows the general direction, but doesn’t have a sense of near/far so still doesn’t grant knowledge of location or numbers. And it makes it a bit more useful than RAW if I’m even over ruling that.
Guaton, I love your questions and I guess blindly but with blind confidence that there are plenty of information for you bellow from the community responses.
You want to know the benefit of using an higher spell slop for PA
Higher the spell slot the longer the PA will last.
The benefit is time
How long do I need the spell to be active? What am I going to use it for? Those questions might help to work out which slot to use.
A.
1. I always argue that the ranger can control the distance of the PA anility in their favor terrain.
2. Time may be important to the ranger. Even a few minutes more can be helpful. If they are moving very fast, like riding a horse or a dragon, that extra time can be very useful.
3. If in their favored terrain the other effects of the class come into play. Specifically the last part natural explorer.
4. A beast master with a flying beast can use the spell beast sense to find what they are looking for even faster and most likely with expertise (in their favored terrain) and at advantage.
Other than that, it's just thrown on as something that has no negative effect. (shrugs shoulders)