I just leveled up my ranger and went into Swarmkeeper. Looking at it, is there any reason I can’t use the extra damage from Gathered Swarm and the extra damage from favored foe?
I just leveled up my ranger and went into Swarmkeeper. Looking at it, is there any reason I can’t use the extra damage from Gathered Swarm and the extra damage from favored foe?
Favored Foe stacks with all the Ranger subclass features that deal damage (Colossus Slayer, Planar Warrior, Slayer's Prey, Dreadful Strikes, etc), but is especially attractive to Bonus Action heavy builds like Horizon Walker, Monster Slayer, and the pet classes. It's not strictly necessary on any of them, however. And you can stack Hunter's Mark with everything that stacks with Favored Foe. The question becomes how much do you want your BA free for other stuff.
It does very much stack with Gathered Swarm, but since the Swarmkeeper isn't super dependent on their BA for much, you might want to consider other options like Hunter's Mark, Ensnaring Strike, or Hail of Thorns instead. Still, Favored Foe + Gathered Swarm does work, and it works especially well on easier battles so you can conserve your resources.
Gathered Swarm is such a cool ability. Another thing to keep in mind is that it can be added to any attack you make, not just weapon attacks. Not something that will necessarily come up a ton with your character, but it's a fun interaction. Makes cantrips and the like more interesting to think about.
Man, I love the swarmkeeper so much. Kudos on the excellent subclass choice, hope you have fun with it!
So far, I’ve made good use of Zephyr Strike. 20 DEX and advantage is super great. Just because I’m lazy, how does the bonus action part fit into the economy?
Either way, I’m excited to see her grow. The original idea was she was a rabbitfolk raised in the Feywild then brought to the material realm to cause mischief and bring just deserts. She also has a sweet tooth (the whole thing is based on the Easter bunny). I was obviously gonna go Fey Wanderer, but once I used Zephyr Strike and described it as a bunch of butterflies, there was only one logical path.
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I just leveled up my ranger and went into Swarmkeeper. Looking at it, is there any reason I can’t use the extra damage from Gathered Swarm and the extra damage from favored foe?
I don't see why you couldn't. You're not burning any resources.
Favored Foe stacks with all the Ranger subclass features that deal damage (Colossus Slayer, Planar Warrior, Slayer's Prey, Dreadful Strikes, etc), but is especially attractive to Bonus Action heavy builds like Horizon Walker, Monster Slayer, and the pet classes. It's not strictly necessary on any of them, however. And you can stack Hunter's Mark with everything that stacks with Favored Foe. The question becomes how much do you want your BA free for other stuff.
It does very much stack with Gathered Swarm, but since the Swarmkeeper isn't super dependent on their BA for much, you might want to consider other options like Hunter's Mark, Ensnaring Strike, or Hail of Thorns instead. Still, Favored Foe + Gathered Swarm does work, and it works especially well on easier battles so you can conserve your resources.
Envoyofwater hit the nail on the head.
Gathered Swarm is such a cool ability. Another thing to keep in mind is that it can be added to any attack you make, not just weapon attacks. Not something that will necessarily come up a ton with your character, but it's a fun interaction. Makes cantrips and the like more interesting to think about.
Man, I love the swarmkeeper so much. Kudos on the excellent subclass choice, hope you have fun with it!
You can even abuse bonus action extra attacks: TWF or Crossbow Expert (or PAM).
So far, I’ve made good use of Zephyr Strike. 20 DEX and advantage is super great. Just because I’m lazy, how does the bonus action part fit into the economy?
Either way, I’m excited to see her grow. The original idea was she was a rabbitfolk raised in the Feywild then brought to the material realm to cause mischief and bring just deserts. She also has a sweet tooth (the whole thing is based on the Easter bunny). I was obviously gonna go Fey Wanderer, but once I used Zephyr Strike and described it as a bunch of butterflies, there was only one logical path.