Nomad Archetype
From Parts Unknown
Nomads are rangers who never stay in one place long, constantly on the move. They have made their way through every environment on the Material Plane and can make their home anywhere. They are adaptive and attuned to the earth, able to gain an edge in any terrain and find their way past any obstacle. Their magical harmony with the earth can even allow them to alter the land around them, ensuring they're always in control of any situations they find themselves in.
Subclass Features
Nomad Magic
Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Nomad Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.
| Ranger Level | Spell |
|---|---|
| 3rd | expeditious retreat |
| 5th | alter self |
| 9th | elemental weapon |
| 13th | conjure minor elemental |
| 17th | mislead |
Native Habitat
By 3rd level, your extensive travels have made you accustomed to all natural environments, and you gain different skills, assets, and protections based on the manner of terrain in which you find yourself. When you are in the listed environments, you gain the associated benefits:
- Arctic: You have resistance to cold damage, and do not suffer the effects of extreme cold as described in the Dungeon Master's Guide.
- Coastal: You gain access to the Shape Water cantrip, and you gain the ability to move across a water surface as if it were harmless solid ground.
- Desert: You have resistance to fire damage, and do not suffer the effects of extreme heat as described in the Dungeon Master's Guide.
- Forest: You have advantage on stealth checks to hide or move silently through natural foliage and can cast Speak With Animals at will.
- Grassland: You have access to the Gust cantrip and ignore disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks or ranged attack rolls related to strong wind or heavy precipitation as described in the Dungeon Master's Guide.
- Hill: You gain temporary hit points equal to 1d6 + your WIS modifier at the start of each of your turns and have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks.
- Mountain: You gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed, and do not suffer the effects of high altitude as described in the Dungeon Master's Guide
- Swamp: You have resistance to poison damage and difficult terrain does not slow your movement.
- Underdark: You can cast Faerie Fire at will, and gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, its range increases by 60 feet.
- Underwater: You gain the ability to breathe underwater and a swim speed equal to double your walking speed.
- Urban: You gain advantage on Charisma (Deception) and Wisdom (Insight) checks, and you cannot be surprised.
You do not carry these benefits simultaneously at all times. When you stand in a space designated by the DM as one of the above environments, you gain the traits or features associated with that environment.
You can also now speak, read, and write Sylvan and Undercommon.
Terraformer
By level 3, you are so connected to the terrain that you are able to change it at will. You gain access to the Mold Earth cantrip. It counts as a Ranger spell for you and does not count against the number of spells known. It also has one additional property:
- Mold Terrain: When you use Mold Earth, you are able to transmute a space designated as one environment type (such as grassland) into a space designated as another environment type (such as swamp) and when you stand in that space, you are able to gain your Nomad benefits for that environment type as defined in the "Natural Habitat" feature of this subclass. You can have no more than one 5-foot cube transmuted in this way at a time. If you transmute another space, the first one reverts to its natural state.
Homeostasis
Whatever environs you find yourself in, your first priority is to preserve the delicate ecological balance. To that end, by 7th level, you have learned to drive out invading species that may be harmful to the local equilibrium. When you hit a creature not classified as a Beast, Elemental, Fey, or Plant with an attack you can force it to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, it takes 2d6 psychic damage and is turned. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus before completing a long rest.
Soul of the Wilds
By 11th level, your continued travels have deepened your connection to your surroundings, and you gain new skills, assets, and protections based on the manner of terrain in which you find yourself, in addition to those granted by the Natural Habitat feature. When you are in the listed environments, you gain the associated benefits:
- Arctic: You ignore cold resistances and can cast the Ice Storm spell once per short rest without material components or expending a spell slot.
- Coastal: You can hold your breath for up to 1 hour, and can cast the Control Water spell once per short rest without material components or expending a spell slot.
- Desert: You ignore fire resistances and can cast the Wall of Stone spell once per short rest without material components or expending a spell slot.
- Forest: You have advantage on initiative rolls, and can cast the Contagion spell once per short rest without material components or expending a spell slot.
- Grassland: Your walking speed doubles, and you can cast the Control Weather spell once per short rest without material components or expending a spell slot.
- Hill: Your temporary hit points from the Natural Habitat trait increase to 3d6 + your WIS modifier, and you have advantage on all Strength (Athletics) and Dexterity (acrobatics) checks.
- Mountain: You automatically succeed on saving throws against effects that would knock you prone, and can cast the Storm Sphere spell once per short rest without material components or expending a spell slot.
- Swamp: You are immune to poison damage and can cast the Insect Plague spell once per short rest without material components or expending a spell slot.
- Underdark: You gain the Fey Ancestry trait, and the benefits of the Spider Climb spell.
- Underwater: You gain blindsight out to 30 feet and advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn't have all its hit points.
- Urban: You gain a 30% discount with all shops and merchants, as well as the Pack Tactics feature.
You do not carry these benefits simultaneously at all times. When you stand in a space designated by the DM as one of the above environments, you gain the traits or features associated with that environment.
You can also now speak, read, and write Primordial and Draconic.
Earthshaker
At 15th level, you are truly at one with the earth and are able to move through it with speed and strength at will. Once per turn when you take the Attack action, you can substitute one of your attacks in that action with a 3rd level use of the spell Thunder Step requiring no verbal, somatic, or material components, magically transporting yourself through the surrounding terrain and damaging those you leave behind.
You are also able to coax more changes out of the environs in which you stand. When you use the Terraformer trait of the Mold Earth cantrip, you can now have two separate spaces transmuted simultaneously. If you attempt to transmute a third, one of the others reverts to its natural state.