While all rangers have specific prey they pursue, you bring a zealotry to your hunts that can often be mistaken for obsession. Rangers of the Relentless Pursuer Conclave are rangers who have not just dedicated themselves to studying a specific kind of prey, but wholly shape themselves to be an effective weapon of slaughter against whatever foe they mark as their game. Whether it be fueled by a burning hatred, a desire for glory gained in trophies, or an order given by some ruling authority, these rangers unceasingly ensure that they will become the best tool for the job when it comes to taking down their favored enemies.
Weapon Focus
Every ranger needs their tools, and you have spent a great deal of time finding exactly the right weapon to hunt your prey with. At 3rd level when you take this subclass, you choose one of the following weapons to specialize in and therefore benefit from the corresponding bonuses.
Handaxe: The damage die for this weapon becomes a d8, and your time with the weapon allows you to wield it with Finesse. In addition, any time you throw your handaxe(s), you may recover your weapon using your Reaction as you find a way to ricochet them off your opponent back into your hands. When you gain an Extra Attack, this ability will recover both thrown handaxes at the expense of one Reaction (unless otherwise stated by the DM).
Warhammer: For a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, once per turn you are able replace one of the attacks done with your warhammer with a Collapsing Blow. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC or suffer double your damage dice for the weapon and be knocked prone. On a successful save the attack misses. For every size category larger than you the target is, your spell save DC gains a +1. You regain charges of this ability after a long rest.
Warpick: The time you've spent with this weapon allows you to wield it with Finesse. Additionally, for a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, once per turn you are able to replace one of the attacks done with your warpick with a Piercing Strike. Make an attack roll as normal: if you hit the target, you deal half the damage you normally would, but until the end of your next turn all damage dealt against the target gains an additional 1d8 damage die from the weakness you've created. You regain charges of this ability after a long rest.
Flail: The time you've spent with this weapon allows you to extend its reach by 5ft when making attacks. Additionally, for a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, once per turn you are able to replace one of the attacks done with your flail with a Sundering Bash. Make an attack roll as normal: if you hit the target, you forgo any damage dealt by that attack to instead reduce the target's AC by 2 until the end of your next turn. You regain charges of this ability after a long rest.
Foe Obsession
Your zeal in hunting your foes may border on obsession, but it has made you all the more prepared to face them. Beginning at 3rd level, when fighting a Favored Enemy, for a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus you may use your Reaction to add your Wisdom modifier to your AC when they make an attack against you, or to a saving throw they impose on you (If you are rolling a Wisdom saving throw, you would add your Wisdom modifier again using this ability). This lasts only against one instance of an attack/saving throw, but ONLY works against foes that are your Favored Enemy. You cannot use this ability against foes that are not your Favored Enemy. You regain all expended charges of this ability on a long rest.
Fanatical Swiftness
There is a specific frenzy or urgency that builds within you when you engage with your favored prey. At 7th level, whenever you initiate combat where you are fighting one or more creatures marked as your Favored Enemy, you gain a bonus to your initiative equal to the number of favored foes you can see (up to a maximum equal to your proficiency bonus). In addition, you gain an additional 5 feet of movement on your first turn equal to the number of favored foes you can see (up to a maximum equal to your proficiency bonus). After this first turn, the additional movement speed gained from this ability goes away.
Learned Behavior
Your time and dedication towards hunting your specific prey has made you almost instinctively wise to their patterns of behavior. Starting at 11th level, you have advantage on saving throws against the spells and abilities used by your lesser favored enemy, not just your greater favored enemy.
Honed Weapon
You have become precisely what you set out to be: a weapon solely devoted towards hunting those woefully marked as your game. Beginning at 15th level, while ending your turn within melee range of a Favored Enemy, you gain an additional Reaction to utilize each round (never more than 2). You can also now use your Reaction a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus when a favored foe uses an ability or spell to perform a Counter. You may perform a successful Counter only once against a specific target (i.e.: if you Counter the target once, you cannot counter them again until you reach your next turn).
When countering a spell, you must roll a Dexterity or Strength (your choice) check against 10 + the spell's level. If you meet or exceed this DC, the spell fails. If you fail to meet this DC, the spell goes through.
When countering an ability, you must make an attack roll against the target's AC. If you hit, the ability fails. If you fail to hit, the ability goes through.
When Countering abilities, you can only do so against abilities that require an Action or a Bonus Action to perform (i.e.: A Dragon's Breath Attack) that are not Attacks. You cannot Counter a Legendary Action, Legendary Reaction, or abilities that use Reactions. Note that you can only use the Counter Reaction against creatures that are your Favored Enemy. You regain all charges of this ability after a long rest.
Author's Note: Hello there! This is my first time making a Homebrew subclass on here. I had an idea for a more melee/close combat focused ranger that really placed greater emphasis on how important the Favored Enemies are to the ranger. I do admit there was some inspiration taken from the Feral Tribe Uruks from Shadow of War, which affected the weapons included in the Weapon Focus abilitiy (as well as the fact I almost never see any character use these weapons and wanted to give them some love). Therefore most of the subclass is based around affecting the Ranger's Favored Enemies and gaining bonuses or abilities against them. This lets them be strong against the specific creatures they're focused on hunting, while still allowing DM's a way around their additional bonuses/abilities if they want to challenge the character.
I'd love feedback on the idea, and I do hope I did this right. Again, I'm admittedly kind of new to creating this sort of thing on here.
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Relentless Pursuer
While all rangers have specific prey they pursue, you bring a zealotry to your hunts that can often be mistaken for obsession. Rangers of the Relentless Pursuer Conclave are rangers who have not just dedicated themselves to studying a specific kind of prey, but wholly shape themselves to be an effective weapon of slaughter against whatever foe they mark as their game. Whether it be fueled by a burning hatred, a desire for glory gained in trophies, or an order given by some ruling authority, these rangers unceasingly ensure that they will become the best tool for the job when it comes to taking down their favored enemies.
Weapon Focus
Every ranger needs their tools, and you have spent a great deal of time finding exactly the right weapon to hunt your prey with. At 3rd level when you take this subclass, you choose one of the following weapons to specialize in and therefore benefit from the corresponding bonuses.
Foe Obsession
Your zeal in hunting your foes may border on obsession, but it has made you all the more prepared to face them. Beginning at 3rd level, when fighting a Favored Enemy, for a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus you may use your Reaction to add your Wisdom modifier to your AC when they make an attack against you, or to a saving throw they impose on you (If you are rolling a Wisdom saving throw, you would add your Wisdom modifier again using this ability). This lasts only against one instance of an attack/saving throw, but ONLY works against foes that are your Favored Enemy. You cannot use this ability against foes that are not your Favored Enemy. You regain all expended charges of this ability on a long rest.
Fanatical Swiftness
There is a specific frenzy or urgency that builds within you when you engage with your favored prey. At 7th level, whenever you initiate combat where you are fighting one or more creatures marked as your Favored Enemy, you gain a bonus to your initiative equal to the number of favored foes you can see (up to a maximum equal to your proficiency bonus). In addition, you gain an additional 5 feet of movement on your first turn equal to the number of favored foes you can see (up to a maximum equal to your proficiency bonus). After this first turn, the additional movement speed gained from this ability goes away.
Learned Behavior
Your time and dedication towards hunting your specific prey has made you almost instinctively wise to their patterns of behavior. Starting at 11th level, you have advantage on saving throws against the spells and abilities used by your lesser favored enemy, not just your greater favored enemy.
Honed Weapon
You have become precisely what you set out to be: a weapon solely devoted towards hunting those woefully marked as your game. Beginning at 15th level, while ending your turn within melee range of a Favored Enemy, you gain an additional Reaction to utilize each round (never more than 2). You can also now use your Reaction a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus when a favored foe uses an ability or spell to perform a Counter. You may perform a successful Counter only once against a specific target (i.e.: if you Counter the target once, you cannot counter them again until you reach your next turn).
When Countering abilities, you can only do so against abilities that require an Action or a Bonus Action to perform (i.e.: A Dragon's Breath Attack) that are not Attacks. You cannot Counter a Legendary Action, Legendary Reaction, or abilities that use Reactions. Note that you can only use the Counter Reaction against creatures that are your Favored Enemy. You regain all charges of this ability after a long rest.
Author's Note: Hello there! This is my first time making a Homebrew subclass on here. I had an idea for a more melee/close combat focused ranger that really placed greater emphasis on how important the Favored Enemies are to the ranger. I do admit there was some inspiration taken from the Feral Tribe Uruks from Shadow of War, which affected the weapons included in the Weapon Focus abilitiy (as well as the fact I almost never see any character use these weapons and wanted to give them some love). Therefore most of the subclass is based around affecting the Ranger's Favored Enemies and gaining bonuses or abilities against them. This lets them be strong against the specific creatures they're focused on hunting, while still allowing DM's a way around their additional bonuses/abilities if they want to challenge the character.
I'd love feedback on the idea, and I do hope I did this right. Again, I'm admittedly kind of new to creating this sort of thing on here.