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2016-09-14, 09:30 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
Love the guide!
I just rolled up a ghostwise halfling who will eventually ride his pet. Any insights on the best way to do this with the new look beastmaster would be appreciated. I'm assuming mounted combat feat and just tanking everything that would target the pet? Beast Bond vs Hunters Mark is a question I don't know the answer to.
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2016-09-14, 10:22 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
Mounted Combatant is definitely still great for this, though the new Beast Companions seem a bit hardier, so it may no longer be mandatory.
Beast Bond is solid, though it's worth pointing out that beasts with the Pack Tactics ability would already benefit from the advantage.
My advice would be to stick with Hunter's Mark if you're on a wolf and Beast Bond on any of the other options listed in the UA.
The puma, wolf, and boar are all solid mounts for you since they can all knock enemies prone, leaving them open to strikes from you.
It's worth noting that you'll essentially be mounted on a creature that does not share your initiative, so you would be moving and attacking on different turns. How this works out in play, I do not know. It may be that you and your companion, so long as it acts as a mount, will simply take separate turns on the same initiative? Talk to your DM about that.Last edited by EvilAnagram; 2016-09-14 at 10:30 AM.
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2016-09-22, 12:22 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Nov 2015
Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
With regards to the UA Ranger:
What would you say is the best Feat for the Beast Conclave? Sharpshooter seems less-awesome since the Ranger will only ever have 1 ranged attack.
Assuming the DM allows it, how would you rate a Blink Dog companion relative to the options mentioned in the UA?
Thanks!Insert Clever Signature Here
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2016-09-22, 12:31 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Apr 2014
Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
One big buff is Favored Enemy now makes a Dual wielding ranged a lot more attractive to play. Two weapon fighting gets it's biggest boost by damage boosts that go off on each hit, and Favored enemy now provides that. It still is competing with Hunters mark, but against your Favored foes you can just start slicing and dicing without much need for setup.
Although if it's a dragon odds are you can spare the 1 round to get Hunters mark rocking and be doing 3 2d6+stat+4 a round. Solid.
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2016-09-22, 12:58 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
Dual Wielder is an exceptional feat for the Beast Conclave, as TWF is a lot more useful when you only get one base attack.
I also think taking the defensive style and going with a great weapon and the associated feats will be pretty solid. Polearm Master gets preference here.
Sharpshooter will still be nice, but it won't be quite as important. Grabbing Crossbow Expert is a good move to get bonus action attacks.5e Bard's Guide
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2016-09-22, 01:47 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Oct 2015
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Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
How well do you think that a GWM stalker compares against a TWF one?
I am asking that because I think that the stalker is getting some good use out of the following (natural explorer for advantage on attacks, underdark scout for an extra first round attack, possibly even with advantage due to NE, darkvision and thus the possibility to go vuman for a starting feat - GWM, stalker's flurry which works better with GWM than with archery given there is no equal fighting style to archery, greater invisibility for advantage, trully one of the best spells imo to give to a GWM/SS, and to a lesser extent feral senses situationaly and the capstone though with a lower wisdom due to MADness).
Do you think that a GWM is a better, equal (more or less), or worse compared to TWF for a stalker?
(ps: the GWM stalker will more likely have a lower wisdom than the twf one, though at least stalkers get wis save prof, so that might count for something)
Would love to hear your take on this.Hacks!
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2016-09-22, 03:03 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
I missed that bit about the Blink Dog.
I think the designers intentionally excluded it for the same reason that they intentionally excluded multiattack: It's a powerful ability designed to challenge players, and when they gain access to it it becomes broken. Resource-free teleportation is simply too powerful.
A Stalker will be more effective with GWM than a Beast Conclave Ranger will be thanks to the extra attack. Whereas TWF edges out Polearm Master and GWM for the Beast Conclave, once you get the Extra Attack there's no comparison. The extra first round attack and advantage wipe away GWM's weaknesses in the first round.
Over the course of a battle, a DW stalker could deal more consistent damage, especially against an opponent with a high AC, but for a first round blitz that's hard to beat.5e Bard's Guide
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2016-09-23, 11:24 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Sep 2016
Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
Registered to say thanks for the guide. I recently started playing again after having not played since 1st ed AD&D so this was great for helping me see the "big picture" for some spells or abilities I'm not familiar with. Also like how things are ranked and few things are actually rated as terrible so you can build around an idea or character concept without feeling like "Pick these for best ranger or else you're doing it wrong".
Thanks again for your work -- it helped this returning "newbie" considerably.
Edit: Long time OoTS reader, just never felt motivated to hit the forums until a Google search led me to this guide.Last edited by Jophiel; 2016-09-23 at 11:25 AM.
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2016-09-23, 02:58 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jan 2015
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- Vinland
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2016-09-23, 03:00 PM (ISO 8601)
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- May 2015
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- Brazil
Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
The gold for GWM Rangers is when Stalker's Flurry comes into play. That way, eve if you miss one of the -5 attacks, you can just try again. Superb.
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2016-09-23, 04:05 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
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2016-09-25, 06:34 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Jun 2015
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2016-09-26, 05:33 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2011
Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
Thanks for the Guide, I think it's the best one I've read, especially since it already has a section for the Revised Ranger. :)
What I'd like to see yet would be an expanded Multiclassing section -- i.e. if certain Archetypes are particularly appealing, what do Cleric Domains do for you...Let me give you a brief rundown of an average Post-3E Era fight: You attack an enemy and start kicking his shins. He then starts kicking your shins, then you take it in turns kicking until one of you falls over. It basically comes down to who started the battle with the biggest boot, and the only strategy involved is realizing when things have gone tits up and legging it.
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2016-09-26, 06:55 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
There are a lot of people on this forum who enjoy multiclassing for its own sake. They like to essentially build a character from the ground up, snagging features from any number of classes to squeeze every possible advantage out of their character.
I am the opposite of those people. I don't enjoy multiclassing, I strictly control it when I DM, and I only ever do it when it barely impacts the character (Ranger/Rogue comes to mind).
Looking across classes to find every features and jumping point that makes a multiclass builds worthwhile would be incredibly tedious for me. I wouldn't have fun, I wouldn't be very good at it, and I wouldn't care for the end product.
Fortunately, in every one of my guides you only have to look at the comments to find people suggesting multiclass builds, then arguing with me about their validity for a page or two before I concede that they're probably right. It's the best multiclassing advice I can provide.5e Bard's Guide
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2016-09-28, 10:56 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Sep 2016
Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
Great guide, thanks a lot!
I'm playing a Mountain Dwarf Beast conclave Ranger in the Out of the Abyss campaign. Because of our location, my Animal Companion is a Wolf Spider, because there's not any bears to be found in the Underdark. He's a very versatile companion, and I am a TWF STR Ranger. With a Monk and a Bard as my party, my spider and I have become the tanks believe it or not! And frankly we're kicking butt!
The UA on Beast Conclave has been very helpful for us to be effective. We are all Level 8 now, and our Bard has learned Polymorph...when the battle really hits the fan, he has become fond of polymorphing my Wolf Spider into a Giant Scorpion which has been insanely useful for battle field control. I lose some of the Beast Conclave skills (as per my DM) but gain ridiculous multiattack, grapple, etc. It's pretty awesome. Also, it gives my Animal Companion a whole new HP pool. So he fights as a spider, taking reaction attacks with my TWF so we get 3 attacks on my turn, plus his on his turn, and if he starts getting beat on...Polymorph, new HP Pool, and 3 attacks on his turn. It's been a very effective strategy since hitting LVL 8 and the Bard getting that spell.
Ifind the new Ranger to be a very very fun class to play. The updates have made it a very strong class, even without fighting favored enemies (though holy crap, when we do fight them...WOW!)
I look forward to more fun with this class!
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2016-09-29, 12:52 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Oct 2015
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2016-09-29, 09:03 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
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2016-09-29, 10:19 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Jun 2014
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Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
Just curious Anagram (and sorry if you addressed this elsewhere and I missed it), are you going to do guides for the other classes? The reason I ask is because your guides are just so darn fun to read; well written, well structured, etc. They've taken up a fair bit of my down time when we're slow at work.
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2016-09-29, 11:14 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Oct 2015
Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
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2016-09-29, 12:28 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
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2016-09-29, 12:42 PM (ISO 8601)
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2016-09-29, 01:03 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jun 2015
Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
I read your section on the revised ranger but I still have some questions about leveling the beast. Can you help me with the following:
I have some questions for those of you that have tried out the new Beast Master conclave:
I am building a level 12 ranger for a new high level campaign. I've decided on the BM conclave and a panther pet. I am running into issues with leveling and using the ASI's to make it 12th level and I am interested to see how others have resolved these issues:
1. Panther normally has no constitution bonus. If I use ASI's to boost Con bonus to +1 do I get more hp from the start (the way a PC would) or only on level ups after getting the bonus? If from the start does that include the calculation of the original hp (3d8 in block, does it become 3d8+3)?
2. Is bite a dex based attack? hard to tell in the panther block because str and Dex both have a +2 modifier, to compare to wolf (with a +1 str and +2 dex) it looks like the +4 to hit on bite is dex based (+2 from prof and +2 from dex). At level 12 using my proficiency (+4), and assuming I raise the panther's dex to 18 with ASI's (+4) would that make it + 8 to hit and damage?
3. Is the DC for the knock prone flat or based on str? Again to compare to the wolf the DC is 11 and it has a +1 in str and the DC for the panther is 12 and it has a +2 in str, which leads me to believe it is str based. Can we also assume it is structured like a PC at 8+prof+ability, so if I rose the str bonus to +3 and use my proficiency again the new DC would be 15?
I realize I can't do all 3 of these as presented with the 6 ability points I have to distribute from the 3 ASi's I am working with, but the answers will impact where I put those points (for instance if bite is str based AND str raises the DC thats important to know).
4. Finally, panther has skills listed with perception and stealth, the UA says my companion "gains" two skills of my choice. Does that mean in addition to the skills it already has or instead of? I am thinking of adding acrobatics and survival for example.
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2016-09-29, 02:09 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
There's no RAW at the moment, but I would say RAI it would apply retroactively. Confirm with your DM.
I looked at the Tiger and Lion stats, and their attacks and DCs match with STR. That said, I've seen some DMs allow DEX, so talk to your DM. RAW and RAI are a bit fuzzy here.
It's based on an 8+stat+proficiency calculation, and the stat is likely based on STR.
In addition.5e Bard's Guide
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2016-09-29, 02:13 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2014
Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
apart from question 4, those are questions to which there is no clear RAW answer. it's governed entirely by rulings at this point, so... ask your DM (you may wish to present your findings, but bear in mind that some creatures don't seem to quite make sense when you try to figure out how they get those specific bonuses).
regarding question 4, you get 2 extra skills. so go ahead and add survival and acrobatics.
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2016-10-23, 10:52 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Sep 2016
Multiclassing UA Ranger
Thanks again for the guide.
I wanted to throw out a query to the Ranger community:
My current group is small. There are only 3 of us, with the occasional 4th that rotates in and out between different players. So we basically only have our 3 member party. It's an oddball group, we're all level 8:
Dueregar Monk
Half Elf Bard
Mountain Dwarf Beast Master Ranger (me) Because of Mountain Dwarf Bonuses, he is 16/16/16 STR/CON/DEX
Because the group is small, and we have no obvious source of healing, my Dwarf Ranger along with his Giant Wolf Spider companion (we're in the Underdark for Rage of Demons) have kind of become the tanks/scout combo. I took TWF and Dual Wielding, so I am using 2x Battle Axes.
Here's my question: I am thinking very hard about multiclassing into a Bear Totem Barbarian. My thought is that since I am melee fighting all of the time and taking whacks on the head, the Bear Totem Barb is going to give me increased Damage and Increased Damage Resistance. Also, as exciting as Conjure Animals might be, it's a Concentration Spell, so there's a great chance that I can summon a bunch of wolves, and they all vanish as soon as I take a good whallop.
So basically because my group is so small, I feel like I need more utility out of my character. He can now scout quite well, especially with Favored Enemy Humanoids (Primeval Awareness FTW!) and when the $#!t hits the fan, he can jump in with SURPRISE! and really get in the middle of the scrum. Unarmored Defense + Dual Wielding gives me a nice AC that will go up as I will probably increase STR and CON as the chance arises.
Also my DM has houseruled that my Animal Companion would increase his Proficiency Bonus with my Character Level, not my Ranger Level. So my spider would continue to increase in Attack and AC.
I was thinking of taking L9 Barb 1, L10 Barb 2, L 11 Barb 3, L12 Ranger 9, L13 Ranger 10, L14 Ranger 11 (Storm of Claws & Fangs) L15+ Barbarian.
Thoughts and Feedback are much appreciated. I am aware that this is not going to be a crazy powerful character, but I think he will be a very good multitool scout/tank for my small party. Thanks!Last edited by Beerbarian; 2016-10-23 at 10:59 AM.
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2016-10-23, 12:28 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
You're not going to squeeze much more utility out of that build compared to going straight Ranger; however, you will be quite a bit tankier and deal a bit more damage per hit. It's not a bad build by a long shot, but if you want to increase your utility optioms, it might not be your best bet.
That said, the Bard should be a utility machine, so it's perfectly good for your party.5e Bard's Guide
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2016-10-23, 04:24 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Sep 2016
Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
The Bard is extremely versatile, and that helps. The Monk is a glass cannon. Someone has to be able to take a hit! That's generally me.
So if you have time to elaborate, what would be the advantage of going full UA Ranger? With the current build, I am dropping Vanish (I can live without it), Beast Defense (I probably used his reaction when I attacked on my turn so...), Foe Slayer (Pretty meh for a Capstone), and a couple of Spells (Conjure Woodland Beings is awesome, true).
In exchange I get DR to all but psychic damage, Advantage on STR rolls, more HP, more damage, Brutal Critical, Fast Movement, Danger Sense, etc.
Do you have some thoughts on how going full Ranger would benefit my current scenario better? If you have time. I've been out of the D&D loop for probably 8 years, so I'm genuinely looking for some good advice.
Thanks again!
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2016-10-24, 01:15 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
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2016-10-24, 03:15 PM (ISO 8601)
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- May 2015
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- Brazil
Re: Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide
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2016-10-24, 05:15 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Baton Rouge
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