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[Ranger] Stonewarden Archetype (Updated)
🕑 Added 2022-09-26 14:05:01 +0000 UTCThis ranger first appeared in the Unearthed Gems compendium back in July. Revisiting this allowed me to reverify and fix some old errors, as well as streamline the play experience.
Stonewarden Design
This ranger was designed to be defense-focused, much like earth or stone. It improves overall survivability while also providing a debuff for enemies.
Stonewarden Features Overview
- Stonewarden Magic - The spells have been updated to be SRD compliant (no more absorb elements! Sorry). Shield of faith now gears the focus toward protecting allies.
- Speak with Stones - at 3rd level, the ranger gains a new way to track creatures or learn information. Quite useful, kept unchanged.
- Earthly Crust - This feature was changed. After revisiting its damage output, it turns out the old boost to AC (while strong) did not translate to well to avoiding saving throws, and the lack of extra damage causes the previous Stonewarden to lag behind. This change shifts the defensive capability to temporary hit points (a design I initially avoided to differentiate from my other subclass Ooze Sorcerer). This new Stonewarden has a more reliable method of gaining these temporary hit points (for free at the end of a rest and through spellcasting at no cost to action economy). The extra damage now benefits ranged rangers (the previous iteration did not benefit them well), but melee rangers may find it difficult to maintain the temporary hp. But with some clever tactics and luck, they can still keep damage output high.
- Stonewalk - 7th level remains unchanged, granting a very useful tremorsense and situational ability to pass through earth, though not for long.
- Rouse the Earth - 11th level is unchanged. It grants you a new action that deals low damage to a number of enemies and imposes difficult terrain. The wide effect radius is compensated by an extremely common saving throw on a low DC martial class. This is comparable to the Hunter ranger's whirlwind or volley, which has the potential to deal more damage.
- One With Stone - 15th level remains unchanged. It is a fantastic defensive option. Like some rangers, who get to reduce any damage they take by half (Gloom Stalker, Horizon Walker), the Stonewarden gains resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing at the risk of losing concentration.
![[Ranger] Stonewarden Archetype (Updated)](https://img10.patrefans.com/storage/8/dr/wa/563145-019e84be-9e4f-7cdb-b5a2-2ee35ed715f9.png)
![[Ranger] Stonewarden Archetype (Updated)](https://img10.patrefans.com/storage/11/cb/mn/563145-019e84be-9e54-7144-953a-689c778151d7.png)
