2
\$\begingroup\$

I don't like the ranger and I have been experimenting with new variants for the weaker features. One feature I don't like is Primeval Awareness, allowing you to expend a spell slot to know if certain creatures are near you, not telling you where they are or even what type of creature it is. My idea is a feature that allows you to change your favored enemies or terrain.

Natural Attunement: At 3rd level, your attunement to the natural world increases. As an action, you can expend a ranger spell slot and choose to either replace one of your favored terrains with a terrain you are currently in or change one of your favored enemies to a creature type or a race of humanoid you have interacted with in the last 30 minutes. This change lasts for 12 hours. If you change your favored enemy, you do not change the language you gained from it.

Basically allows a lot more flexibility for the ranger, giving them an exploration feature that makes them basically a fantastic tracker in any terrain or for tracking any creature. There is a few limitations (only 12 hours, one race of humanoid), but it is extremely flexible.

Improve this question
\$\endgroup\$
5
  • \$\begingroup\$ What issues do you see with adding this from your own analysis? Do you plan on changing any other ranger features for this (and which subclass are you trying to rework, or is this for the main class abilities?) We've put together some great guidance on how to ask good homebrew that would also be helpful for you to review. \$\endgroup\$
    – NotArch
    Apr 29, 2021 at 17:30
  • \$\begingroup\$ Its for the entire class. A lot of it is for foe slayer, their capstone feature \$\endgroup\$
    – user70687
    Apr 29, 2021 at 17:41
  • \$\begingroup\$ Are you planning on additional changes on top of this? If so, you should probably pull down, make your homebrew, self-review, and then put it up after you've done your own analysis, review, and iterations before coming here (please see that meta above.) \$\endgroup\$
    – NotArch
    Apr 29, 2021 at 17:42
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ I am not planning any more edits to the ranger class yet. \$\endgroup\$
    – user70687
    Apr 29, 2021 at 17:58
  • \$\begingroup\$ I don't have TCOE, so I made these instead. \$\endgroup\$
    – user70687
    Apr 30, 2021 at 15:40

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
4
\$\begingroup\$

This feels like a lateral change

The ability for the ranger to sense the presence of a large variety of creatures is a pretty useful tool, so replacing that with something that just shifts their favored terrain (and doesn't provide the higher level language change) doesn't do a whole lot in term of every-day capability or really improve much on the existing.

Even with updating a favored enemy, requiring the 30 minutes of interaction may be difficult and I don't think that tips the scale here. The real benefit of favored enemy doesn't really kick in until the capstone anyway.

In order to really improve a missing piece, it'd be more helpful to identify exactly what you want the ranger to do and not just improve on an existing ability. I'd recommend taking a look at the UA revised ranger builds from WoTC to help give you guidance, but I've also found the UA Hunter to be a bit overpowered, so play around and playtest!

Improve this answer
\$\endgroup\$
0
3
\$\begingroup\$

I will say no, it is not balanced.

Essentially, your Ranger will have permanent "favored" benefit in whichever terrain he finds himself and against whichever primary opponent he is currently fighting, as those can be adjusted almost at will.

Perhaps if it could only be changed after a long rest; though even with that, it seems like it should require an additional cost.

Improve this answer
\$\endgroup\$
1
  • \$\begingroup\$ It can not be adjusted at will-it requires the expending of a spell slot, which rangers don't have much of. \$\endgroup\$
    – user70687
    May 3, 2021 at 18:22

You must log in to answer this question.