Base Class: Ranger
Rangers of the Desert Wind Conclave learn to harness the power of heat and wind to enhance their martial capabilities. They employ supernatural techniques in combat to burn their enemies and dance across the battlefield like the desert wind itself.
Flame's Blessing
Beginning when you choose this archetype at 3rd level you are capable of withstanding extreme heat.
You gain resistance to fire damage and can travel comfortably in temperatures up to 200 degrees. Additionally, you may now treat the Desert as a favored terrain. If you had already selected the desert as your favored terrain you may gain an additional favored terrain of your choice.
Burning Blade
At 3rd level you can imbue your attacks with the oppressive heat of the desert, sheathing your weapons and ammunition in flame, or causing your steel to glow white hot.
You may use a bonus action on your turn to cause all your attacks to deal an extra 1d4 fire damage until the end of your turn, after which point you may choose to maintain the effect by concentrating as though you were concentrating on a spell.
Leaping Flame
Beginning at 7th level, when an enemy misses you with an attack you may use your reaction to teleport in a flash of flame, disappearing and reappearing up to 15 feet away.
Lingering Inferno
Beginning at 11th level, when you activate your burning blade feature you may also choose to surround yourself in an aura of blistering heated air.
You may activate this aura as part of the bonus action to activate your burning blade feature, at which point it lasts until the beginning of your next turn or until you stop concentrating on your burning blade feature. While this aura is active any creature that ends its turn within 5 feet of you must make a constitution save, taking fire damage equal to your wisdom modifier on a failed save.
While this aura is active, you can use your action to charge up to 30 feet in a straight line towards a creature and make a single attack with against them with advantage, leaving a trail of flame behind you which lingers until the start of your next turn. Any creature that enters or starts its turn in a space you traversed as part of your charge takes fire damage equal to your wisdom modifier.
Rising Pheonix
At 15th level, you can lift yourself off the ground by manipulating the superheated air around you.
While your aura from lingering inferno is active, you can replace any amount of your walking speed with an equal amount of flying speed on your turn. When you fly in this way, you cannot lift yourself further than 15 feet above the ground, and you must end your turn on solid ground or fall.
As a ranger with similar prefrence for longbows and arrows over melee id still find lingering inferno really useful. A free 30 ft of movement speed is nothing to scoff at even if it puts you next to an enemy. You just aim for lower health or something that catch match you're ac and you'll either kill it or dodge their next attack and react with leaping flame gaining another 15 ft of free movement. Also the 5ft of damaging aura will deter a few enemies from standing too close.
However if you're still eager to make it even more ranged attack friendly add a bowstrike option. 1d4 bludgeon damage +knockback on a dex save
I assume the DC is the for the Con save in Lingering Inferno is base DC 8 + Wisdom Modifier + Proficiency Bonus?
Hi there, I actually wrote an alternative version of the feature for archers at some point. I can't edit this public version right now, but here is the text describing that feature:
"While this aura is active, If you are wielding a ranged weapon, you can use an action to make a ranged weapon attack roll against an enemy you can see within 60 feet of you. While traveling to it's target, the piece of ammunition bursts into a raging flame, forming a line 5 feet wide originating from you to your target. In addition to you resolving the attack against your target as normal, any creature caught in this line must make a dexterity save against your ranger spell DC or take fire damage equal to 1d6 + your wisdom modifier"
Azzi, wonderful class. I love it a lot and I believe my the ranger in my party is going to love it as well. However, she want's to actually be the ranged party member, using a long bow and arrows. Most of this can still be used, however, I'm thinking that lingering inferno would go unused, as she will never really be close enough to get the damage. Is there a change you would make to have this work better for ranged characters?
I'm not very good at balancing, as I've not done many homebrew creations. I'd love to hear your thoughts, since you of course created it.
Really cool just is seems quite powerful having 2 favoured terrains at 3rd level so........
here's an idea (sry if it doesn't fit into what you wanted your class to be) they have advantage in all survival checks in the desert, they can travel at a fast pace while having no -5 to perception
they could also survive in the desert for one day without any disadvantages. tho it can only be used once per short or long rest
Tho i still really like this subclass thanks as i am gonna ask my DM if i can play this
Sorry, my bad thank you
I have put some thought into those, but I believe need to create a whole new version to build it in. If you look further back in the comments, I have provided spells that you could add to your list, with alternatives listed in parenthises.
Just curious, but have you thought about adding a spells known list for this subclass?
Glad somebody found a good way to incorporate some new themes into the ranger. This class needs new subclasses so badly but it’s so hard to come across great ones. Thanks for putting this out there. Also I really like the concept of adding a new favored terrain in at level 3.
Hey, I'm glad you like the class. I've worked a little on an update for it but my life has been very busy so I haven't been able to polish it up. ButBin the mean time here is a working list of spells that I was originally considering. Thanks for showing interest and please feel free to let me know if you have any other critiques or requests!
Desert Wind Spells
3rd: Searing Smite (Burning Hands)
5th: Aganazzar's Scorcher (Flame Blade)
9th: Melf's Minute Meteors (Fireball)
13th: Elemental Bane (Wall of Fire)
17th: Flame Strike (Immolation)
This is amazing! Though I'm wondering if you could add extra spells they can acquire like the Xanathar subclasses. Still really cool.