Druid Archer subclass- tear it apart

[Falcii]

This is my second or third go at home brewing but I have a lot of ideas that don't want to get pared down. Please help me figure out how to keep the spirit intact.


Circle of the Hunt
Lvl 2

Weapons of the Hunt- You gain proficiency with Longbows and Nets.

Spirit Tracker-
You gain the favor of a small spirit beast of your choice. It can be dismissed as an action or summoned after communing with it for 10 minutes. The Spirit Tracker is sentient and can speak telepathically with the Druid. The Spirit Tracker has a fly speed of 40ft and an AC of 10+ the druid’s WIS+ the Druid’s Proficiency and an HP of 1. If the Tracker’s hp is reduced to zero, it’s form dematerializes and reconstitutes above the druid 1d4 turns later. The Spirit Tracker is cannot attack or interact with the corporeal world, though it can be harmed by magical weapons. The Spirit Tracker must stay within line sight of the Druid at all times. While summoned in combat, as a bonus action, the Spirit Tracker can be directed to move up to 40ft per turn. If it is within 5 ft of a target, it is considered to be ‘tracking’ it. Only 1 target may be tracked at a time, in the case where more than one target is in range, the Druid must choose one target to track, and may switch the designated target each round without an action so long as the new target is within range of the Spirit Tracker. In combat, the Druid receives one of two benefits.

Tracker’s Protection-
the Spirit Tracker is not tracking a target, and is within 5ft of the Druid, the Druid gains a +1 to AC, and the Tracker will automatically move with the Druid without command and regardless of speed or teleportation.
Tracker’s Laceration- If the Spirit Tracker is tracking a target, the Druid has advantage on all weapon attacks against that target.
-If the Spirit Tracker is not near anything, the Druid gains no benefit.

Aspect of the Hunter-
You gain the ability to embrace the Aspect of the Hunter. As an Action, you may expend a use of your Wild Shape feature to awaken the primal power within, rather than transforming into a beast form, and you surge with primal power. Creatures within 5ft of the Druid must make a DEX save equal to the druid’s spell DC or take damage equal to the Druid’s druid level plus their wisdom modifier, or half on a successful save. While this feature is active you gain the following benefits:

You gain darkvision with a range of 60ft.
You gain advantage on Stealth checks
When you use a weapon or natural weapon to Attack a Creature being tracked by your Spirit Tracker, you may add your Wisdom Modifier to the damage done, in addition to the normal Strength or Dexterity.

This effect lasts 10 minutes, or until you use your Wild Shape again.




Lvl 6
Thrill of the Hunt-
Your connection to the vigor of the hunt allows you to fight with the viciousness of the predator. When you take the Attack action, you may attack twice.


Lvl 10
Predatory Swiftness
Your movement speed increases by 10. While under the effects of Aspect of the Hunt, you gain two claw natural weapons which deal 1d4+ DEX slashing damage, as opposed to the normal bludgeoning damage. When you prepare spells, you may choose to prepare Swift Quiver as a druid spell.

Lvl14-- I am torn here, opinions welcome

Hunting Partner [WIP]
Your Spiritual Tracker becomes so in tune with your intention that it can bear your burdens for a time. When casting a spell which requires concentration, you may have your Spiritual Tracker concentrate on it for you instead. You are then free to concentrate on a different spell. This feature may only be used once per long rest.
.


OR

Spirit Mantle
Upon taking damage, you may as a reaction, recall your spirit to you and temporarily fuse with it for 1d6 turns. During this time, you have ADV on all WIS and DEX saving throws,, become immune to immobilizing effects , and heal for WIS+Prof bonus each turn. During this time you gain the benefits from your spirit tracker as if it were both tracking any creature you choose and tracking no creatures at all. After this time, your spirit tracker dematerializes as if it were reduced to 0 hit points, and reforms in 1d4 turns as normal.You may use this ability 3 times. You regain expended uses after a long rest.

[Falcii]

Also I know I need to rework the basics of the tracker itself. I kindof want to retool it so it's basically a find familiar but more important. Suggestions welcome.

[Vogie]

Initial impression is that there's too much here. There is a certain Less is more eloquence with these things. It's also CRAZY frontloaded. There's almost no reason to take this class past level 2

Circle of the Hunt
Lvl 2

Weapons of the Hunt- You gain proficiency with Longbows and Nets.

Why just longbows? Druids only have proficiency with Clubs, daggers, darts, javelins, maces, quarterstaffs, scimitars, sickles, slings, spears... why not just "all ranged weapons"?

Spirit Tracker-
You gain the favor of a small spirit beast of your choice. It can be dismissed as an action or summoned after communing with it for 10 minutes. The Spirit Tracker is sentient and can speak telepathically with the Druid. The Spirit Tracker has a fly speed of 40ft and an AC of 10+ the druid’s WIS+ the Druid’s Proficiency and an HP of 1. If the Tracker’s hp is reduced to zero, it’s form dematerializes and reconstitutes above the druid 1d4 turns later. The Spirit Tracker is cannot attack or interact with the corporeal world, though it can be harmed by magical weapons. The Spirit Tracker must stay within line sight of the Druid at all times. While summoned in combat, as a bonus action, the Spirit Tracker can be directed to move up to 40ft per turn. If it is within 5 ft of a target, it is considered to be ‘tracking’ it. Only 1 target may be tracked at a time, in the case where more than one target is in range, the Druid must choose one target to track, and may switch the designated target each round without an action so long as the new target is within range of the Spirit Tracker. In combat, the Druid receives one of two benefits.

Tracker’s Protection-
the Spirit Tracker is not tracking a target, and is within 5ft of the Druid, the Druid gains a +1 to AC, and the Tracker will automatically move with the Druid without command and regardless of speed or teleportation.
Tracker’s Laceration- If the Spirit Tracker is tracking a target, the Druid has advantage on all weapon attacks against that target.
-If the Spirit Tracker is not near anything, the Druid gains no benefit.

This is way too much of everything, and for anything. It's a 2nd level ability that is almost as long as Wild Shape. Also, compare it to other archetype that give similar things:

• Shepherd Druids can repeatedly provide advantage on a single attack with a reaction using their once/rest feature
• Samurai Fighters can generate advantage on a single attack and THP 2x per long rest
• Vengeance Paladins can spend their once/rest feature to generate Advantage on all attacks, but only on a single target for 1 minute.

So as written, it's far, far too powerful for a 2nd level ability as written. It's effectively an Arcane Trickster's Versatile Trickster ability. I'll circle back around to this later on.

Also, it's strange you'd pair something that can only move 40 feet to a weapon with a range of 150?

Aspect of the Hunter-
You gain the ability to embrace the Aspect of the Hunter. As an Action, you may expend a use of your Wild Shape feature to awaken the primal power within, rather than transforming into a beast form, and you surge with primal power. Creatures within 5ft of the Druid must make a DEX save equal to the druid’s spell DC or take damage equal to the Druid’s druid level plus their wisdom modifier, or half on a successful save. While this feature is active you gain the following benefits:

• You gain darkvision with a range of 60ft.
• You gain advantage on Stealth checks
• When you use a weapon or natural weapon to Attack a Creature being tracked by your Spirit Tracker, you may add your Wisdom Modifier to the damage done, in addition to the normal Strength or Dexterity.

This effect lasts 10 minutes, or until you use your Wild Shape again.

This is a little bit better but has some strange aspects.

• If it's a ranged feature, why does it deal damage to creatures within 5 ft?
• Why do you only have advantage on Stealth checks while this is turned on? Why is it so much better than Thief Rogue's 9th level ability?
• Why do they get the Ranger's 20th level capstone feature at level 2??

Lvl 6
Thrill of the Hunt-
Your connection to the vigor of the hunt allows you to fight with the viciousness of the predator. When you take the Attack action, you may attack twice.

This is is fine.

Lvl 10
Predatory Swiftness
Your movement speed increases by 10. While under the effects of Aspect of the Hunt, you gain two claw natural weapons which deal 1d4+ DEX slashing damage, as opposed to the normal bludgeoning damage. When you prepare spells, you may choose to prepare Swift Quiver as a druid spell.

This should probably be part of the level 2 ability.

Hunting Partner [WIP]
Your Spiritual Tracker becomes so in tune with your intention that it can bear your burdens for a time. When casting a spell which requires concentration, you may have your Spiritual Tracker concentrate on it for you instead. You are then free to concentrate on a different spell. This feature may only be used once per long rest.

This would be cool for a caster build... which this is not.

Spirit Mantle
Upon taking damage, you may as a reaction, recall your spirit to you and temporarily fuse with it for 1d6 turns. During this time, you have ADV on all WIS and DEX saving throws,, become immune to immobilizing effects , and heal for WIS+Prof bonus each turn. During this time you gain the benefits from your spirit tracker as if it were both tracking any creature you choose and tracking no creatures at all. After this time, your spirit tracker dematerializes as if it were reduced to 0 hit points, and reforms in 1d4 turns as normal.You may use this ability 3 times. You regain expended uses after a long rest.

This is the Champion Fighter's lvl 18 ability, plus super-evasion, and just super complicated. Why would an archer shooting from the shadows need to heal like a frontline brawler??


Lets try to trim this down by rejiggering things around, streamlining and trying to keep that spirit around, since you seem to be attached to it.

It'll shuffle out to:

Circle of the Hunt

Predator
When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you gain proficiency with all ranged weapons. In addition, you gain two claw natural weapons which deal 1d4+ DEX slashing damage.

Spirit of the Hunt
Starting at 2nd level, as a bonus action, you can magically summon an incorporeal spirit to a track a creature you can see within 60 feet of you for 1 hour. The first time each turn that you hit that target with a weapon attack, it takes an extra 1d6 damage from the weapon, and you have advantage on Perception and Survival checks to find it. As a bonus action during the duration, you can move the spirit up to 60 feet to track another creature.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest. Any time before you regain the use of this feature, you can expend a use of Wild Shape, without transforming. You then regain the use of this feature.

Thrill of the Hunt
Starting at 6th level, your connection to the vigor of the hunt allows you to fight with the viciousness of the predator. When you take the Attack action, you may attack twice.

Predatory Swiftness
Starting at 6th level, your speed increases by 10 feet while you aren't wearing heavy armor.

Spirit Tracker
At 10th level, You learn the Find Familiar spell and can cast it as a ritual. The spell doesn't count against your number of spells prepared. When you cast the spell, you can choose one of the normal forms for your familiar or choose a Will O' Wisp or another CR2 or lower spirit creature.

Tracker's Protection
At 14th level, if the target marked by your Spirit of the Hunt hits you with an attack roll, you can use your reaction to roll a d6. On a 4 or higher, the attack instead misses you, regardless of its roll.
In addition, Whenever your familiar uses the help action on a hostile creature, it is effected by your Spirit of the Hunt feature until the familiar's next turn. If within 5 feet of you, your Familiar can use the Help Action as a reaction targeting you. Whenever you receive a Help Action, you can choose to have advantage on your next saving throw, instead of on the next ability check you perform.


What this does is gives you a hunters-mark-style feature (later 2, as your familiar can mark them too), natural weapons, and spirits early on. You get super-familiars, including incorporeal ones, and gain decent amount of advantage in a balanced way.

[sandmote]

This is serverly front-loaded, and should really be slimmed down. Basically what Vogie said, even if you don't take their specific suggestions.

When designing in general, try to base your abilities on what already exists, so keep it intelligible and of a reasonable power level.

Spirit of the Hunt
Starting at 2nd level, as a bonus action, you can magically summon an incorporeal spirit to a track a creature you can see within 60 feet of you for 1 hour. The first time each turn that you hit that target with a weapon attack, it takes an extra 1d6 damage from the weapon, and you have advantage on Perception and Survival checks to find it. As a bonus action during the duration, you can move the spirit up to 60 feet to track another creature.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest. Any time before you regain the use of this feature, you can expend a use of Wild Shape, without transforming. You then regain the use of this feature.

I'd simply say "Starting at 2nd level, as a bonus action, you can expend a use of your wild shape to magically summon..."

As written, Spirit of the Hunt naturally refreshes on a long rest, but can also be refilled by an ability that refreshes on a short rest. It's a little awkward.

[Vogie]

I'd simply say "Starting at 2nd level, as a bonus action, you can expend a use of your wild shape to magically summon..."
As written, Spirit of the Hunt naturally refreshes on a long rest, but can also be refilled by an ability that refreshes on a short rest. It's a little awkward.

Huh? I wrote it to trigger on any rest:

Spirit of the Hunt
Starting at 2nd level, as a bonus action, you can magically summon an incorporeal spirit to a track a creature you can see within 60 feet of you for 1 hour. The first time each turn that you hit that target with a weapon attack, it takes an extra 1d6 damage from the weapon, and you have advantage on Perception and Survival checks to find it. As a bonus action during the duration, you can move the spirit up to 60 feet to track another creature.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest. Any time before you regain the use of this feature, you can expend a use of Wild Shape, without transforming. You then regain the use of this feature.

I like the Spores-druid way of using Wild shape as an alternative resource, but being forced to use it for what is essentially a no-concentration Hunter's Mark seems dumb. So I specifically wrote it so you get one use free, per rest. If you want to use it more than that, I used the Tides of Chaos trigger to refresh it by expending Wild Shape... although it's a bit worse, because it requires you to sacrifice a wild shape instead of triggering off of it.

If you wanted to make it better you could make the spirit of the hunt refresh on:

• Using Wild Shape normally
• Spellcast above a certain level
• Spellcast that requires concentration
• Taking damage from a marked creature

or something

[MagneticKitty]

I would just have it: you learn find familiar, find steed, and find greater steed perhaps.
Any spirit summon created by these spells can channel touch spell, and share vision like familiar and has self spells casted on it like find steed. (But word it better). Maybe each can use all the abilities of a familiar and steed. Maybe your tracker creature can mark a creature and you know the distance and direction so long as it remains within 30 ft. Meaning it has to use its movement to follow, it is visable and can break/be poofed but doesn't have limited number of uses.. I dunno.

All else has been said, is frontloaded. I can do a write up of how I'd do it if you'd like.

[sandmote]

Huh? I wrote it to trigger on any rest:

I misread when it refreshes. Apologies.