Welcome back to the weekly D&D and Tabletop Gaming thread!  Here’s a place where we can talk about Dungeons & Dragons or any other tabletop games that you nerds might be into.  Tell us about the games you’re playing, speculate about future expansions, recruit your fellow Avocados into new groups, whatever you want.

Today’s spotlight it on the Ranger’s Hunter Archetype, a subclass that lets you choose from a range of options with each of it’s features.  The Hunter is sort of the most generic of the Ranger subclasses, with skills that almost exclusively enhance their ability in combat.

At level 3, the Ranger chooses their Hunter’s Prey from one of three options.  Choosing Colossus Slayer lets you deal an addition 1d8 damage to a creature you hit with an attack, as long as that creature is already below it’s HP maximum.  However, you can only use this ability once per turn.  Taking the Giant Killer option lets you make a reaction attack against any creature that is Large size or bigger that makes a melee attack against you, whether the creature’s attack hits or misses.  Finally, Horde Breaker lets you make an extra attack on your turn, provided that you target a different creature that’s within 5 feet of the target of your original attack.

At level 7, you gain access to some Defensive Tactics, again choosing one of three options.  Escape the Horde imposes disadvantage on all opportunity attacks made against you, making it easier for you to move around the battlefield.  Multiattack Defense kicks in once a creature hits you with an attack, and grants +4 to your AC for any subsequent attacks made against you by the same creature.  Steel Will grants an automatic advantage on saving throws against becoming frightened.

At level 11 you can make a Multiattack of your own.  If you’re a ranged attacker, you’ll probably want to choose the Volley option, which allows you to use your action to make ranged attacks on any number of creatures within 10 feet of a point you choose within your weapon’s range.  On the other hand, if you’re more comfortable in melee range, you can make a Whirlwind Attack, rolling attacks against any number of creatures within 5 feet of you.  In either case, you make separate attack rolls for each creature.

Finally at level 15, your defensive capabilities get a boost Superior Hunter’s Defense, again giving you three options to choose from.  Evasion lets you avoid damage from certain spells or effects.  Any time an effect allows you to make a DEX save to take half damage, you instead take no damage if you make the save and only half damage if you fail.  Stand Against the Tide lets you use your reaction to force a creature that misses you with a melee attack to repeat that attack targeting a different creature of your choice.  And Uncanny Dodge lets you use your reaction to take half damage when you’re hit with an attack.

At each level, you can only take one of the presented options.  I like the flavor of most of these, even if some seem like misnomers (Colossus Slayer, for instance).  But overall, they’re somewhat underpowered.  This is especially true of the defensive options, which mimic abilities of other classes that come online much earlier.  A Halfling Barbarian can replicate two of the three Lv7 Defensive Tactics option at 3rd level, and any Rogue gets Evasion and Uncanny Dodge at level 7, as opposed to the Hunter waiting until level 15 for one.

We’re taking a break from D&D to try a new game, Kids on Bikes!  Otto took over GM duties, to give The Wasp a chance to play her own character.

• The Hayes Code, as Monica McCoy, the Laid-Back Slacker
• Wafflicious, as Mindy Drake, the Brilliant Mathlete
• The Wasp, as Susie Quince, the School Reporter
• TheCleverGuy, as Artie Gillespie, the Brutish Jock
• Josephus Brown, as Dino Kass, the Weird Loner

Thanks to The Hayes Code for this week’s recap!

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