There is nothing wrong with the Ranger, even before Tasha's provided some upgrades. You said it yourself, the main issue is because too many try to play one like a fighter and not what they're meant to be...utility skirmishers. For example I have played melee, ranged and mixed versions of the original Hunter subclass very effectively. Volley and Whirlwind are very underrated in both base value and sheer satisfaction.
I found swapping weapons in combat to fit the needs very satisfying when I play rangers. Once you stop making one class the standard for others it really opens up a lot of fun ideas and characters to play.
The magic user’s nemesis is a better mage slayer than the mage slayer feat. The feat can’t stop wizards from teleporting away which makes this ability a nightmare for spell casters.
Yes absolutely this subclass has a lot of cool tricks. It reminds me a lot of the blood hunter for some reasons. The thing that gets me is this subclass flies under the radar for a lot of people.
@@TheSinisterheroes checking in after one DND play test are out and this subclass looks better and better. You can take shillelagh to attack with wisdom and make that check as hard as possible.
@@Razdasoldier sory for the late response. yes going druidic warrior and rocking out with dueling fighting style really brings out some cool options. the one D&D ranger is a beast man i am so happy cus i love that class!!!
@@TheSinisterheroescould be because the lvl 13 mark of tethering ability where they take damage everytime they teleport after succeeding a save. If they don't succeed, well too bad things got even worse. It's very fun to combine this with bloodcurse of binding (strength save or 0 movement speed) and mage slayer and they are in a bit of a pickle. Tldr: blood hunters are very solid (in many more ways than just this1. Actually now that I think about it, since blood hunters have quite the variety of elemental damage choices dipping monster slayer makes for a great and thematic build. That lich wouldn't like getting shut down by a ghost slayer/monster slayer multiclass. Hmm the different options/slash lvl spreads are interesting)
Clement Dragomir: the young hero of barovia! I played a very unassuming monster hunting ranger who was extremely superstitious and paranoid. He yelled at the ravens, he put coins over the eyes of the dead, threw salt over his shoulders. He was a tweaky teen in way over his head with his father's crossbow. He was a carpenter background so he could make stakes. He was the best. And surprisingly powerful and effective PC for a joke character
Those characters always pull through!!! It’s like a cheat code. That module is so amazing it really is super dope. I could play that over and over again.
For me, the best way to build a character with this subclass is to use the “Investigator” background from Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, and pair that with the “Mage Slayer” Feat.
@@TheSinisterheroes Exactly!! But personally, I came to that mindset because one of the genres in Ravenloft is “Occult Detective Stories” and what better subclass to build a supernatural detective than the “Monster Slayer” Ranger?
While I think this class can hold its own, Gloom Stalker is quite a stiff competiter. BTW, in theme-wise, what is even difference with Hunter subclass anyway? Don't Hunters slay monsters as well? Lastly, I thought Hunter's Sense ONLY reveals target's immunities, resistances, or vulnerabilities and does not work if target is hidden from divination spells. As far as I know it does nothing to do with target's identity. If Hunter's Sense is spammable like Hunter's Prey, it would be good to spam during social encounter to find out if NPCs have immunities they shouldnt have, but it is too much of a gamble since you can only use this at best, 5 time per day.
The gloom stalker is tricky in my opinion. The first round of combat is really strong, though there is no other additional dmg that one gets per turn. The ability to not be seen by creatures that need darkvison to see, is so strong. Though after that first round your pretty reliant on that not being seen ability. So yes that first round is nightmarishly hot, it dose provide some creativity to make the lost out of your almost permanent advantage.
Hunter's are uniquely the best multitarget martial class in the game. What other martial class has the no resource cost ability to hit up to 8 medium targets at once then take 1-2 more attacks as well? The Hunter my friends. My build is a 2 Barb/11+ Hunter great weapon user. Play as a skirmisher looking for those paired up targets until you draw a crowd...then it's pop rage and start Whirlwinding. It's pure joy.
@@TheSinisterheroes Skirmish, hit and run (you take the disadvantage for attacks of opportunity at level 7 Hunter) until you can draw a bunch to you. Bait them basically. Then when they converge/swarm you, you pop rage for the damage resistances and become a whirling dervish of death. Think Watchmen, Rorschach... "You think I'm locked in here with you..." Lol You get to Whirlwind any within 5' with Advantage with GWM running, get one more attack vs one of them from Hunter level 3 ability. You used your bonus action to pop rage that round but next round you will get you bonus for another possible attack if you crit or kill one of them. Something else to always watch for and position for is on your attacks of opportunity as Horde Breaker does go off if there's another target within 5' of the target of your opportunity attack. This can greatly enhance the sentinel feat or a sentinel/Pam build.
I would add rune knight dip. Since the bigger you are the better the chance. As for a ranged version I'd consider 3 lvl dip assassin rogue (ugh🤮) and 3 lvls of arcane archer with a bugbear. (If you are able craft exploding arrows even better, when adding those to bursting shot, hail of thorns and the tons of attacks you'll release on that section of the map.
This class is a good dip if you have a way to change weapon/spell damage on a bugbear. Class/subclasses to think of include ascendant dragon monk🤣🤣🤣, any transmute spel sorcerer or scribe wizard.
@@TheSinisterheroes So either use your hunter sense (feature to scan for immunities, resistances or vulnerabilities) ahead of combat and than scorching ray the foe (hope for vulnerabilities) dipping 2 lvls for action surge can help too.
I am starting to see what your going for. Trying to get the most out of that ability dose require a lot of preparation, which to me feels like a ranger.
Blood hunter can do something similar too if that's allowed at the table. In addition they also get a blood curse to ignore immunity and if you want to be hilarious with the poisoner feat (ignoring resistance) and have the lvls to spare you can add 2 lvls of grave cleric and 2 lvls of fighter (action surge) and hit them with a poison attack that they'll have vulnerability too. (Bonus action blood curse to remove immunity, action path to the grave CD, action surge and "eat this+insult of choice!!!".😊)
There is nothing wrong with the Ranger, even before Tasha's provided some upgrades.
You said it yourself, the main issue is because too many try to play one like a fighter and not what they're meant to be...utility skirmishers.
For example I have played melee, ranged and mixed versions of the original Hunter subclass very effectively.
Volley and Whirlwind are very underrated in both base value and sheer satisfaction.
I found swapping weapons in combat to fit the needs very satisfying when I play rangers.
Once you stop making one class the standard for others it really opens up a lot of fun ideas and characters to play.
The magic user’s nemesis is a better mage slayer than the mage slayer feat. The feat can’t stop wizards from teleporting away which makes this ability a nightmare for spell casters.
Yes absolutely this subclass has a lot of cool tricks. It reminds me a lot of the blood hunter for some reasons.
The thing that gets me is this subclass flies under the radar for a lot of people.
@@TheSinisterheroes checking in after one DND play test are out and this subclass looks better and better. You can take shillelagh to attack with wisdom and make that check as hard as possible.
@@Razdasoldier sory for the late response. yes going druidic warrior and rocking out with dueling fighting style really brings out some cool options. the one D&D ranger is a beast man i am so happy cus i love that class!!!
@@TheSinisterheroescould be because the lvl 13 mark of tethering ability where they take damage everytime they teleport after succeeding a save. If they don't succeed, well too bad things got even worse. It's very fun to combine this with bloodcurse of binding (strength save or 0 movement speed) and mage slayer and they are in a bit of a pickle.
Tldr: blood hunters are very solid (in many more ways than just this1. Actually now that I think about it, since blood hunters have quite the variety of elemental damage choices dipping monster slayer makes for a great and thematic build. That lich wouldn't like getting shut down by a ghost slayer/monster slayer multiclass. Hmm the different options/slash lvl spreads are interesting)
Clement Dragomir: the young hero of barovia! I played a very unassuming monster hunting ranger who was extremely superstitious and paranoid. He yelled at the ravens, he put coins over the eyes of the dead, threw salt over his shoulders. He was a tweaky teen in way over his head with his father's crossbow. He was a carpenter background so he could make stakes.
He was the best. And surprisingly powerful and effective PC for a joke character
Those characters always pull through!!! It’s like a cheat code.
That module is so amazing it really is super dope. I could play that over and over again.
@@TheSinisterheroes oh yes its true. There is a good reason why it's basically the yard stick for modules
For me, the best way to build a character with this subclass is to use the “Investigator” background from Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, and pair that with the “Mage Slayer” Feat.
I can see how you came to that. Sometimes it’s all about that figuring out who the enemy is
@@TheSinisterheroes Exactly!! But personally, I came to that mindset because one of the genres in Ravenloft is “Occult Detective Stories” and what better subclass to build a supernatural detective than the “Monster Slayer” Ranger?
One of my players used this subclass to play as xena warrior princess for a one-shot and weirdly it worked.
Not gonna lie I watched a lot of Xena. And yes it works out so much
@@TheSinisterheroes i grew up watching it and didn’t expect it to translate well into dnd but it did
Oh yeah it’s definitely that world. I mean it’s basically mythic Odessey of theroes
While I think this class can hold its own, Gloom Stalker is quite a stiff competiter.
BTW, in theme-wise, what is even difference with Hunter subclass anyway? Don't Hunters slay monsters as well?
Lastly, I thought Hunter's Sense ONLY reveals target's immunities, resistances, or vulnerabilities and does not work if target is hidden from divination spells. As far as I know it does nothing to do with target's identity.
If Hunter's Sense is spammable like Hunter's Prey, it would be good to spam during social encounter to find out if NPCs have immunities they shouldnt have, but it is too much of a gamble since you can only use this at best, 5 time per day.
The gloom stalker is tricky in my opinion. The first round of combat is really strong, though there is no other additional dmg that one gets per turn.
The ability to not be seen by creatures that need darkvison to see, is so strong.
Though after that first round your pretty reliant on that not being seen ability. So yes that first round is nightmarishly hot, it dose provide some creativity to make the lost out of your almost permanent advantage.
Hunter's are uniquely the best multitarget martial class in the game.
What other martial class has the no resource cost ability to hit up to 8 medium targets at once then take 1-2 more attacks as well?
The Hunter my friends.
My build is a 2 Barb/11+ Hunter great weapon user.
Play as a skirmisher looking for those paired up targets until you draw a crowd...then it's pop rage and start Whirlwinding. It's pure joy.
@@Finnssssss hunter barbarian interesting mix. very interesting.
@@TheSinisterheroes Skirmish, hit and run (you take the disadvantage for attacks of opportunity at level 7 Hunter) until you can draw a bunch to you. Bait them basically. Then when they converge/swarm you, you pop rage for the damage resistances and become a whirling dervish of death. Think Watchmen, Rorschach... "You think I'm locked in here with you..." Lol
You get to Whirlwind any within 5' with Advantage with GWM running, get one more attack vs one of them from Hunter level 3 ability. You used your bonus action to pop rage that round but next round you will get you bonus for another possible attack if you crit or kill one of them.
Something else to always watch for and position for is on your attacks of opportunity as Horde Breaker does go off if there's another target within 5' of the target of your opportunity attack. This can greatly enhance the sentinel feat or a sentinel/Pam build.
I would add rune knight dip. Since the bigger you are the better the chance.
As for a ranged version I'd consider 3 lvl dip assassin rogue (ugh🤮) and 3 lvls of arcane archer with a bugbear. (If you are able craft exploding arrows even better, when adding those to bursting shot, hail of thorns and the tons of attacks you'll release on that section of the map.
This class is a good dip if you have a way to change weapon/spell damage on a bugbear. Class/subclasses to think of include ascendant dragon monk🤣🤣🤣, any transmute spel sorcerer or scribe wizard.
Ok you got me interested could you break down what your thinking? I think I need some more information to see what you see.
@@TheSinisterheroes So either use your hunter sense (feature to scan for immunities, resistances or vulnerabilities) ahead of combat and than scorching ray the foe (hope for vulnerabilities) dipping 2 lvls for action surge can help too.
I am starting to see what your going for. Trying to get the most out of that ability dose require a lot of preparation, which to me feels like a ranger.
Blood hunter can do something similar too if that's allowed at the table. In addition they also get a blood curse to ignore immunity and if you want to be hilarious with the poisoner feat (ignoring resistance) and have the lvls to spare you can add 2 lvls of grave cleric and 2 lvls of fighter (action surge) and hit them with a poison attack that they'll have vulnerability too. (Bonus action blood curse to remove immunity, action path to the grave CD, action surge and "eat this+insult of choice!!!".😊)
That’s a big investment level wise though cus your at least level 6 with out extra attack