Why Dungeons and Dragons Should Create a New Niche For One Class

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2024 has brought the long-awaited remaster of “Dungeons & Dragons” to a close, with all three core books now available! As a passionate cinephile of this epic role-playing game, I’ve been following its evolution closely. Although this fresh take on D&D has generally received a warm welcome, there’s one class that seems to have drawn the short straw in this update.

Starting from September 2024, Wizards of the Coast has been implementing the 2024 rule changes for D&D, as detailed in the newly released “Player’s Handbook”. These new rules, which can also be found in the online “Basic Rules” and the fully updated core rulebooks, have been developed following several community feedback sessions that started in 2022. The revised books introduce numerous features that players have often homebrewed into their games, boost the power and versatility of martial classes, enhance monsters, transform the “DMG” into a more practical guide, and offer many other improvements as well.

D&D 2024’s Ranger Still Lacks Identity

It’s disappointing to note that not all aspects of the 2024 game version have seen improvement, especially in terms of the Ranger class in D&D 5e. The overhauled Ranger, while stronger than its 2014 predecessor, seems to have shed a significant portion of its unique identity. Instead of introducing many new elements, it appears that the class has primarily gained more spells and skill proficiencies, with some features being removed.

The loss of flavorful abilities centered around tracking and exploration is a notable change. What’s taken their place is an increased focus on the Hunter’s Mark spell, which isn’t particularly extraordinary. The benefits provided by this spell when used by the Ranger seem to materialize gradually, which is another area of concern.

In the upcoming D&D 2024, the Ranger character seems to be more akin to a Fighter subclass, lacking a clear and definitive identity. Historically, the Ranger has faced this dilemma, with no other class sparking as much debate over its core essence. Some players advocate for maintaining the Ranger’s magical abilities, referencing Aragorn’s healing magic from Lord of the Rings as a model, while others prefer a focus on martial skills. A third group proposes that the class should embrace the Beastmaster archetype, embodying a character akin to a Pokemon Trainer.

To Improve The Ranger, D&D Needs To Improve Exploration

The challenge in defining a mechanical personality for the Ranger class in Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) stems from the game’s broad perspective on exploration. Thankfully, the revamped Dungeon Master’s Guide in D&D 2024 has streamlined exploration into a more structured system that’s more accessible to Dungeon Masters (DMs). Unfortunately, the Ranger class has limited ways of engaging with this system, and the mechanics themselves are not included in the Player’s Handbook.

To make the Ranger class in D&D 5e truly distinctive, it’s advisable to integrate it more profoundly with the game’s exploration system, given that exploration is a fundamental aspect of the game. Currently, the Ranger is primarily positioned as a combat-focused class with some exploration capabilities, along with spellcasting features that are often surpassed by other classes in terms of effectiveness. While damage per second (DPS) is crucial, an exploration emphasis would significantly enhance the Ranger’s uniqueness.

WOTC Needs To Make Hard Decisions With Rangers

In a similar manner as WOTC took firm actions regarding orcs in 2024 (excluding them from the Monster Manual, altering their lore, etc.), they should take decisive steps with the Ranger class. The current version of the Ranger is a blend of conflicting ideas, where spellcasting, martial, and exploration aspects all clash within the class. To enhance the Ranger, it would be beneficial to streamline its identity by focusing on one route and remaining consistent with it.

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2025-02-16 19:34