#favored enemy

[cherishcat]

Favored Enemy

With all of Agno's expeirence hunting beasts in the forest, there's no surprise they're her favored enemy. No beast can escape this ranger's hunt.

[ladiesknights]

dads are my favoured enemy and there’s one in my house

[noblecrumpet-dorkvision]

Ranger Week: New Spells

image source: The Last Witch Hunter

Arrow Mind

3rd level divination Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: self

Duration: 1 hour

Components: V, S

Whenever a creature leaves any creature's threatened area, if it is in the range of a ranged weapon you are currently wielding, you may make an attack against that creature using your reaction.

Aspect of Nature

2nd level enchantment Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: self

Duration: 4 hours

Components: V, S

You take on an aspect of a creature of your choice from the following list. Only one instance of this spell can be active at a time.

Ape: You gain a climbing speed equal to your movement speed.

Bat: You gain Blindsight 15 ft.

Cheetah: Your movement speed increases by 10 ft.

Eagle: You can investigate an area up to 100 ft. away using a bonus action and gain advantage on Perception checks.

Panther: You gain advantage on Stealth checks.

Rat: You gain Darkvision 60 ft.

Shark: You gain a swim speed equal to your movement speed.

Wolf: You gain advantage when attacking a creature in melee when at least one ally is adjacent to you.

Baleful Beetle

4th level conjuration Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: self

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Components: V, S, M (A jasper gem worth 50 gp)

You create a one-inch long bombardier beetle that moves at 15 ft. per round. The beetle is difficult to spot, imposing a -10 to a creature’s passive perception or a -5 to a creature’s perception check. The caster can control the beetle mentally out to a range of 600 ft. The caster can use either a bonus action or a reaction to detonate the beetle’s abdomen, dealing 8d10 acid damage to a creature occupying its space.

Blade Storm

2nd level evocation Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: self

Duration: 1 round

Components: V, S

Your weapons become a blur and spin wildly around you at all nearby enemies. You may make a single melee attack against any number of creatures within 10 ft. of you, regardless of whether your weapon has reach.

Blazing Intent

2nd level conjuration Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Bonus Action

Range: self

Duration: 1 minute (concentration)

Components: V, S

You magically mark a creature within range. Until your next turn, whenever you or your animal companion hits that creature with an attack, the mark ignites, dealing 2d6 fire damage.

Blessed Beast

1st level enchantment Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: self

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Components: V, S

Once during each one of your turns while the spell persists, you and your animal companion may add 1d4 to either an attack roll or a saving throw. Your companion must be within 30 ft. of you when they add this bonus.

Briar Shield

3rd level transmutation Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Bonus Action or 1 Reaction

Range: self

Duration: 1 round

Components: V, S

You quickly summon a shield of sharp thorns to damage those attacking you. You gain a +2 bonus to AC until your next turn. A creature that makes a melee attack against you while the shield remains takes 6d6 piercing damage as they are pelted with hundreds of thorns, regardless of whether or not their attack hit. 

Chameleon Body

2nd level transmutation Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: self

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

Components: V, S

Your body and gear magically adjust to your surroundings to camouflage yourself. You sprout leaves or become covered in dirt or grow bark on your skin depending on your environment. You gain advantage on Stealth checks for the duration. Creatures attempting to notice you have -5 to their Perception checks as long as you remain still.

Conjure Blind

1st level conjuration Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: 60 ft.

Duration: instantaneous

Components: V, S, M (A sprig of plantlife)

You summon camouflage to hide behind. The blind is is 10 feet long and 5 feet high, and is created at a point you choose facing a direction you choose. The blind is composed of your choice of live or dead plant life typical of the region. The blind provides a +5 bonus to Stealth checks to hide behind it. Those that saw you cast the spell or saw you move behind the blind know that you are there, but the blind still grants partial cover (+2 AC). The blind shrivels and rots within a week.

Form of the Beast

3rd level transmutation Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: self

Duration: concentration, up to 1 hour

Components: V, S, M (a silver totem of your companion worth 15 gp)

You transform yourself into a copy of your animal companion. You gain your companion's STR, CON, and DEX scores, their AC, their hit points, their proficiencies, and their special abilities. You do not, however, gain any of the class features granted to the companion by your ranger class (besides enhancements to the aforementioned statistics). When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. If you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form. As long as the excess damage doesn’t reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren't knocked unconscious.

Implore the Wilds

3rd level divination Ranger spell

Casting Time: 10 minutes

Range: self

Duration: instantaneous

Components: V, S

You commune with nature to learn about the landscape within a 10 mile radius. You learn the history of the land, knowing the type, name, and description of any creature that passed through the area in the past year.

Inspired Aim

1st level divination Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: 30 ft.

Duration: concentration, up to 1 minute.

Components: V, S

Up to three creatures of your choice that you can see gain a +2 bonus to ranged attacks for the duration.

Marked Man

1st level divination Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: self

Duration: 24 hours

Components: V, S, M

You are able to more easily track a creature. You must have a focus for this spell that was either a part of the intended creature or owned by the intended creature. You gain advantage on Survival checks to track the creature that the focus belonged to.

Nature Ward

3rd level abjuration Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: 30 ft.

Duration: 1 hour

Components: V, S

You and up to 3 target creatures of your choice gain resistance to poison, acid, and lightning resistance for the spell’s duration. If you spend a spell slot of 5th level, those creatures gain immunity to the damage for the duration  instead.

Numbing Strike

2nd level necromancy Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Bonus Action

Range: self

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Components: V, S

Your next attack that hits within 1 minute deals 1d10 bonus necrotic damage. The creature must then make a CON saving throw when hit. On a failed saving throw, that creature’s movement speed becomes halved for 1 hour. In addition, the creature loses any climb, fly or swim speeds that it has for 1 hour.

Perfect Prey

1st level evocation Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Bonus Action

Range: self

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Components: V, S

You smite a foe, dealing a larger amount of damage to creatures that are your favored enemy. Your next attack that hits within 1 minute deals +1d10 force damage to the creature hit. The attack deals another +2d10 force damage if the creature is one of your favored enemies. When cast using a higher level spell slot, this spell deals +1d10 damage for each spell slot above 1st.

Repel Vermin

1st level abjuration Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: self

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Components: V, S

You generate a magical field of energy in a 15 ft. radius surrounding you. The field moves with you. Small or smaller beasts must make a WIS saving throw when attempting to enter the area. On a failed save, the creature chooses not to enter. On a successful save, the creature may enter the magical field, but it must make a new saving throw at the start of each round or else flee to the outer perimeter of the warded area.

Shock Trooper

1st level evocation Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Bonus Action

Range: self

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Components: V, S

On your next attack, if you have advantage, you gain +5 on the attack roll and deal +2d10 lightning damage on the damage roll. For each spell slot spend above 1st, this spell deals +1d10 lightning damage.

Stalker's Mark

3rd level enchantment Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: self

Duration: instantaneous

Components: V, S

You mark a creature with a permanent mark that only you can see. Only one such mark can be active at a time. Recasting this spell removes all previous instances of the spell that have been cast by you. The mark allows you to see that creature through concealment such as walls or even fog and you can see through all magical forms of illusion, shapechanging, or disguises hiding the creature.

Starfall

4th level conjuration Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: 120 ft.

Duration: instantaneous

Components: V, S

You loose an arrow into the sky, which explodes like a firework into seven arrows of bright light. Each arrow attacks its own target within a 20 ft. radius of a point you designate within range. Make a separate spell attack for each arrow. Each arrow deals 1d6 damage plus your WIS modifier. Multiple arrows can target the same creature.

Trail of Smoke

1st level conjuration Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: self

Duration: 1 round

Components: V, S

You leave a trail of concealing smoke in your wake. Until your next turn, every 5-ft. space that you exit with your movement fills with a 5-ft. cube of smoke. The smoke dissipates after 1 minute.

Unleash the Beast

5th level transmutation Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: 30 ft.

Duration: concentration, up to 1 minute

Components: V, S

Your animal companion grows in size and becomes enraged with the ferocity of the wilds. The creature’s size increases by two size categories, increasing the damage dice of their attacks by 2 dice for each attack. In addition, when the beast moves through another creature’s space, if the creature is at least one size category smaller than the beast, the beast may make a single Shove attempt against that creature as a free action. When moving over prone creatures’ spaces, those creatures take 1d10 bludgeoning damage.

Vassal of the Hunt

2nd level enchantment Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: 60 ft.

Duration: 10 minutes

Components: V, S

You grant a great boon to a beast of your choice. The beast deals +1d6 damage on attacks that it makes and gains 4d10 temporary hit points which fade when the spell ends. The creature also gains +5 bonus to Perception checks.

Vengeful Strikes

2nd level enchantment Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Action

Range: self

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Components: V, S

Your attacks deal bonus damage against your favored enemies. For the spell’s duration, your attacks deal +1d6 force damage to creatures that are your favored enemies.

Venom Strike

1st level conjuration Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Bonus Action

Range: self

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Components: V, S

Your next attack that hits within 1 minute deals 1d8 bonus poison damage. The creature must then make a CON saving throw at the start of each of its turns. On a failed save, the creature takes 1d8 poison damage. On a successful save, the spell ends and the creature stops taking poison damage. For each spell slot above 1st, the damage increases by 1d8 per turn.

Withering Poison

3rd level necromancy Ranger spell

Casting Time: 1 Bonus Action

Range: self

Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

Components: V, S

You apply a magical poison to your weapon. Your next attack that hits a creature within 1 minute lowers the creature’s STR and DEX scores each by 4 for the spell’s duration.

[kriss-watches-stuff]

This. This is the look of a person who has just realized that their life is in the hands of the comedy relief character. Look at it. Look at those dead eyes and wide uneasy smile. She is currently regretting her whole life right now, and the fact that she chose plants as her favored enemy.

[artemis-entreri]

Um, just out of curiosity, what does entreri think of all this rations stuff? Any preferences? And any of it you'd rather drink sewer water than touch?

The assassin winces before responding sardonically, “Be not a fool, who could possibly resist an elixir as exquisite as sewer water? I would think that a choice so clear can only be rendered inconclusive if  the very foods of the gods were presented as an alternative, surely no mundane meals, mere travel rations at that, could ever stand in competition.” 

Despite his irrepressible sarcasm, the all-too-acute recollection of the foul liquid in his mouth causes the angular visage to twist in disgust, and the slightly nauseated man curses again those overly garrulous self-styled Companions of the Hall. “Gossipers of the Hall” would be a much more fitting title, Entreri thinks to himself with a grimace as he pushes back into the recesses of his mind the lingering worry of what else strangers might know of him thanks to the so-called heroes’ apparent lack of respect for the privacy of others. 

Noting his perturbed state, the disciplined assassin wipes a hand over his countenance, subtly drawing in a deep breath as he does so, his hand falling away to reveal a mask of calm accentuated by a steady flinty gaze. In a detached and almost bored tone, he states, “All of the various foodstuffs are palatable enough, even the ones intended for the most barbaric and heinous of all the races.” A half-smirk quirks a corner of his lips as he adds, “However, it appears that there has been an oversight in the preparation of that particular fare. Through my own displeasure of dining with them, more than the cheese of the rothe should be present in a drow’s meal, for they quite enjoy the various cuts of meat from the animal as well.” 

Chuckling despite himself, Entreri recommences, “All of the assembled foods are agreeable enough, too much so in fact. Even the most basic of them would be a feast for a poor man or beggar, who would be hard-pressed to find bugs so fat as those in the lizardfolk’s feast on the dusty streets of Calimport.” An ancient memory and its associated anguish threatens to surface, but the assassin suppresses it with practiced ease as he continues, “The most practical of all of the travel rations would be the generic one intended for all, for it combines the elements of basic necessity with imperishability. There is enough variation in the components that all but the most choosy eaters could sustain themselves on it for meal after meal.” And the most choosy of all carries and conjures his own elaborate feasts with a flick of a wand, the amused man silently adds. 

Falling impassive once more, the assassin returns to the topic, “Some of these so-called rations are absurd. The one deigned for humans comprises of an entire, whole shank of ham. Putting that aside, although I typically mind not the particulars of my meal, I would be displeased if presented with that array of uncooked vegetables. Am I to gnaw on them like a horse? Perhaps they are meant for my mount? That seems hardly appropriate either, for anything imported from faraway Sembia would more befit a lord’s table than horse’s feed, especially something as exotic as a green variant of whitebrains, which I had not even known existed. Is the intention that they are ingredients to be prepared over the fire when I make camp? That would defeat the purpose of rations, would it not? The chestnuts in this instance can be opened easily enough, but that can hardly be said of the nuts in the half-orc and orcish rations.” Another memory bubbles to the top, but Entreri allows this one to manifest, and a faint sadness tinged with embarrassment touches his heart as the image of a emerald-eyed woman with a wide but fair face framed by a halo of reddish-brown hair paints itself before his mind’s eye. A bit of amused warmth banishes some of the discomfort as he imagines her attempting to crack the hard shell of a walnut between her straight and perfect teeth, the vision affirming the ridiculousness of it all, but then the image of her is superimposed by that of her other half, a much more brutish and male entity that resembles his heritage as much as she deviates from hers. The soft warmth is snuffed out by disgusted discontent as the image unfolds of a mouth twisted by uneven canines and complete with tusks grinding at the walnut, which now seems a trifling thing, its shell ready to shatter significantly before the brute’s teeth do. Realizing that his judgment has been colored by his loss of objectivity, as well as the sneer that had started to creep over his features, Entreri berates himself and forces the doubtlessly long-dead couple from his thoughts. His voice not betraying even a hint of shakiness, the distracted man assesses, “It would hardly be worthwhile to dull any blade in exchange for attempting to pry open a hard nut. Although I would partake of the half-orc or even the orcish ration, I would sooner waste my time on those kinds of nuts than I would gnawing on rothe femur, and I would not burden myself whilst traveling with a tool for the sole use of cracking open nuts.” 

Impatience beginning to overtake him in the course of discussing at length a subject he usually spends little time even thinking about and the side effects that have accompanied the exercise, the boredom in the assassin’s voice turns towards restlessness as he continues, “The dwarven ration is practical, if not insufficiently bland and foul-smelling for their kind. The elven ration boasts too many distinct flavors and would likely call undesired attention to whomever is consuming it from the sweet scents it must give off, but perhaps this is the desired effect so that they may dance with the birds and the bees after eating their meal. I would not partake of the wine in the gnome ration if I were using it as what it was meant to be, and I question the wisdom in those of such small stature doing so as well. The halfling ration is laughable and clearly created by someone who has never met a halfling, or otherwise there was a mistake in associating the true halfling ration with humans. However, that circumstance is also flawed, for there is not nearly enough in any single portion of any of these fares to satisfy even a single halfling’s appetite.” 

Scowling fully now, his patience fully worn, Entreri finishes, “As for my preferences, I would assemble my own rations and choose my own meals rather than eat any of these. If I had no choice in the matter, I would eat any of the options provided.” 

[artemis-entreri]

Inside the main room of the ground level, Kimmuriel and several other dark elves waited for the pair, and Entreri couldn't contain a sour expression at the sight of the hated creatures. 'They will not wait long,' Kimmuriel told Jarlaxle in the drow tongue, and it bothered Entreri that he still understood that paradoxically lyrical language. How could creatures so vile sound so melodious?

Road of the Patriarch by R. A. Salvatore

[artemis-entreri]

'But the choice has been made,' said Jarlaxle. 'No. That is the Underdark.' 'Of course.' 'I will not return there.' 'You act as if there's an option to be found.' 'No,' Entreri said again, staring at the portal as if it was the gateway to the Nine Hells. His memories of Menzoberranzan, of his subjugation to twenty thousand cruel drow, of his understanding that he was no more than iblith, offal, and that anything he might do, anyone he might kill, would be completely irrelevant in altering that recognition of his worth, flooded back to him at that terrible moment. And he thought of Calihye, the first woman he had loved both emotionally and physically, the first woman with whom the bond had become complete. How could he desert her? But what choice did he have?

Jarlaxle and Artemis Entreri in Road of the Patriarch by R. A. Salvatore

[whatdoiknowjr]

What Makes a Ranger?

I love rangers. Sometimes I feel like I need to define rangers. Here's my most recent attempt to capture what "ranger" means in a fantasy roleplaying context.

Something I hear a lot from people is “what even is a ranger?” I’ve seen people argue that if someone is a stealthy archer, they count as a ranger. I think that’s an oversimplification. The foundational text for rangers, The Lord of the Rings, doesn’t use ranger as a generic term for scouts or guides. Ranger in The Lord of the Rings has the same connotation that paladin has taken on in Dungeons &…

What Makes a Ranger?