So, looking at both of these options on the Ranger, and I'm trying to determine which one is better to use. From what I can tell, the trade-off appears to be that with Favoured Foe it doesn't require the use of a spell slot, a limited resource for Rangers, so it can be used for something else, but you only get the damage on one attack per round, instead of every attack as with Hunter's Mark. The damage on Favoured Foe increases with level as well, but I'm not a math person so I don't know how to work out if the increase in damage makes it worth it. You can't have both active because you need concentration on both.
So, what is the general consensus of Favoured Foe vs Hunter's Mark? Is one flat out better than the other? Is it situational? Or does it depend on subclass?
It depends on the build. If you heavily use your bonus action for other things (Crossbow expert, polearm master, dual wielding) then favored foe is a better short term use of your concentration. That said favored foe is not a good use of your concentration, but if you aren't concentrating on something else its functionally free.
Hunter's mark also costs you a spells known and Rangers have very few. Choosing to not take hunter's mark allows you to take a different spell (entangle at low leve) that may be more impactful.
So if you are a long bow archer then hunter's mark might make a lot of sense since you don't have a great use for your bonus action. If you are a cross bow expert I would look elsewhere.
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So, looking at both of these options on the Ranger, and I'm trying to determine which one is better to use. From what I can tell, the trade-off appears to be that with Favoured Foe it doesn't require the use of a spell slot, a limited resource for Rangers, so it can be used for something else, but you only get the damage on one attack per round, instead of every attack as with Hunter's Mark. The damage on Favoured Foe increases with level as well, but I'm not a math person so I don't know how to work out if the increase in damage makes it worth it. You can't have both active because you need concentration on both.
So, what is the general consensus of Favoured Foe vs Hunter's Mark? Is one flat out better than the other? Is it situational? Or does it depend on subclass?
It depends on the build. If you heavily use your bonus action for other things (Crossbow expert, polearm master, dual wielding) then favored foe is a better short term use of your concentration. That said favored foe is not a good use of your concentration, but if you aren't concentrating on something else its functionally free.
Hunter's mark also costs you a spells known and Rangers have very few. Choosing to not take hunter's mark allows you to take a different spell (entangle at low leve) that may be more impactful.
So if you are a long bow archer then hunter's mark might make a lot of sense since you don't have a great use for your bonus action. If you are a cross bow expert I would look elsewhere.