OK, so I was chatting on the paladin board and had a thought which is probably already out in the boards somewhere, but...
Ditch the stupidly limiting ability of Favored Enemy and replace it with Hunter's Mark which is used as a class ability instead of a spell. It gains the same increases as the spell at the normal progression as Favored Enemy. The duration begins at 1st (1 hour), then expands at 6th (8 hours) and 14th (24 Hours). It creates a better balance for the Ranger of not begging the GM to use their favored enemy, so they can use a central ability of theirs. It definitely challenges the Paladin smite, but the damage can not burst and it still requires concentration.
Replace Hunter's Mark from the 1st level spell list with Find Steed on the 2nd and Find Greater Steed on the 4th. Find Steed effectively allows you to summon a beast of 1/2 CR of either medium or large size. I based that on being able to summon a size from mastiff to horse and the CR of a Warhorse. It adds another ability EVERYONE thinks a ranger should have without needing to take a freaking subclass. They could still take the Beast Master subclass to enhance their beasts just like a Chainlock does.
The beast master still enhances its connections to its beast and the beasts overall strength. Having a gorilla that is on steroids following you around is way better than a basic gorilla. I think it all of these CR 1/2 options would be awesome: Ape, Black Bear, Crocodile, Giant Goat, Giant Sea Horse, Reef Shark, Giant Wasp, or Warhorse. You would also be getting it at 3rd instead of 5th when you would normally have access to 2nd level spells.
Then when you get Find Greater Steed at 13th level your beast suddenly jumps in effectiveness by transforming into a CR 2 beast: Allosaurus, Aurochs, Cave Bear, Giant Boar, Hunter Shark, Plesiosaurus, Polar Bear, Rhinoceros, and Saber-toothed Tiger. Considering all the build bonuses a beast master gets, this becomes one beefy build. Find Greater Steed also includes a couple flying options, but they are not classified as beasts: griffon, pegasus, and peryton.
SO MUCH BETTER, and I see they allowed the druid to have a pet. That is a nice mechanic and should have been part of the basic release, but UA is a place for band aids and repairs of a 6year old system, haha. Thanks, I enjoy the idea of a ranger, but it has always felt like the systems can't get away from making them a racist bounty hunter. A ranger is basically the same as a paladin to a cleric, but instead to a druid. They should be a skilled woodsman warrior, not a hate ridden ogre smasher would be a sad character trait.
OK, so I was chatting on the paladin board and had a thought which is probably already out in the boards somewhere, but...
Ditch the stupidly limiting ability of Favored Enemy and replace it with Hunter's Mark which is used as a class ability instead of a spell. It gains the same increases as the spell at the normal progression as Favored Enemy. The duration begins at 1st (1 hour), then expands at 6th (8 hours) and 14th (24 Hours). It creates a better balance for the Ranger of not begging the GM to use their favored enemy, so they can use a central ability of theirs. It definitely challenges the Paladin smite, but the damage can not burst and it still requires concentration.
Replace Hunter's Mark from the 1st level spell list with Find Steed on the 2nd and Find Greater Steed on the 4th. Find Steed effectively allows you to summon a beast of 1/2 CR of either medium or large size. I based that on being able to summon a size from mastiff to horse and the CR of a Warhorse. It adds another ability EVERYONE thinks a ranger should have without needing to take a freaking subclass. They could still take the Beast Master subclass to enhance their beasts just like a Chainlock does.
IMHO, Earthdawn is still the best fantasy realm, Shadowrun is the best Sci-Fi realm, and Dark Sun is the best D&D realm.
Yeah, but then like you said beast master is dead. Maybe it could work....
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The beast master still enhances its connections to its beast and the beasts overall strength. Having a gorilla that is on steroids following you around is way better than a basic gorilla. I think it all of these CR 1/2 options would be awesome: Ape, Black Bear, Crocodile, Giant Goat, Giant Sea Horse, Reef Shark, Giant Wasp, or Warhorse. You would also be getting it at 3rd instead of 5th when you would normally have access to 2nd level spells.
Then when you get Find Greater Steed at 13th level your beast suddenly jumps in effectiveness by transforming into a CR 2 beast: Allosaurus, Aurochs, Cave Bear, Giant Boar, Hunter Shark, Plesiosaurus, Polar Bear, Rhinoceros, and Saber-toothed Tiger. Considering all the build bonuses a beast master gets, this becomes one beefy build. Find Greater Steed also includes a couple flying options, but they are not classified as beasts: griffon, pegasus, and peryton.
IMHO, Earthdawn is still the best fantasy realm, Shadowrun is the best Sci-Fi realm, and Dark Sun is the best D&D realm.
Check out the UNEARTHED ARCANA Class Feature Variants https://media.wizards.com/2019/dnd/downloads/UA-ClassFeatures.pdf the ranger part already has something about changing hunters mark.
SO MUCH BETTER, and I see they allowed the druid to have a pet. That is a nice mechanic and should have been part of the basic release, but UA is a place for band aids and repairs of a 6year old system, haha. Thanks, I enjoy the idea of a ranger, but it has always felt like the systems can't get away from making them a racist bounty hunter. A ranger is basically the same as a paladin to a cleric, but instead to a druid. They should be a skilled woodsman warrior, not a hate ridden ogre smasher would be a sad character trait.
IMHO, Earthdawn is still the best fantasy realm, Shadowrun is the best Sci-Fi realm, and Dark Sun is the best D&D realm.