D&D 5E UA: Revised Ranger, Primeval Awareness in town

[Greenstone.Walker]

How would you run Primeval Awareness when there are a large number of possible targets?

For example, the Ranger has humanoids as a preferred enemy and they try to use Primeval Awareness in the middle of a city.

Additionally, you can attune your senses to determine if any of your favored enemies lurk nearby. By spending 1 uninterrupted minute in concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell), you can sense whether any of your favored enemies are present within 5 miles of you. This feature reveals which of your favored enemies are present, their numbers, and the creatures’ general direction and distance (in miles) from you.
If there are multiple groups of your favored enemies within range, you learn this information for each group.

More generally, is Primeval Awareness too much of an advantage for a player? Is knowing the location of every humanoid in 5 miles an issue for the GM for encounter design?

 

[Lanliss]

How would you run Primeval Awareness when there are a large number of possible targets?

For example, the Ranger has humanoids as a preferred enemy and they try to use Primeval Awareness in the middle of a city.



More generally, is Primeval Awareness too much of an advantage for a player? Is knowing the location of every humanoid in 5 miles an issue for the GM for encounter design?

Tell them there is a ridiculous number of targets. Too many to count in the time span allowed by Primeval Awareness.

As for encounter design, I would just allow them immunity to surprise from Humanoids. "By the way, you know from using your Primeval awareness earlier that you are coming up on a spot where some humanoids were camped out on either side of the road."

If you feel it is an issue anyway, don't feel bad for just telling your player that you are removing it from the game. IMX, nobody plays a ranger just so that they can know where everything is within 5 miles.

 

[iserith]

How would you run Primeval Awareness when there are a large number of possible targets?

For example, the Ranger has humanoids as a preferred enemy and they try to use Primeval Awareness in the middle of a city.

I would ask the player what he or she hopes to accomplish by using this ability in the current context, if it wasn't clear already. "Since you already know this town is rife with humanoids, what useful information are you actually trying to glean here?"

More generally, is Primeval Awareness too much of an advantage for a player? Is knowing the location of every humanoid in 5 miles an issue for the GM for encounter design?

Not in my view. As above, there is typically a reason why the player wants to have this information and it isn't usually just to ping the area for funsies. So I recommend the DM ask the players what their ultimate goal is in doing this and build on that. If you establish the existence of the preferred enemies in a given area, make a note of it if you don't end up using it right now so you can stay consistent later.

 

[happyhermit]

How would you run Primeval Awareness when there are a large number of possible targets?
...
More generally, is Primeval Awareness too much of an advantage for a player? Is knowing the location of every humanoid in 5 miles an issue for the GM for encounter design?

Personally I just don't like that power at all as it was presented and I don't see why I would run it that way. It isn't a big deal for encounter design really, and I don't see it as too much of an advantage, but I don't see it adding much to the game either. It just isn't worth the hassle IMO.

 

[Leatherhead]

"Are you serious? I don't even have that much information written down right now, do you think I'm a computer or something?"


But seriously, they need to rework that power just because of the information overload it requires.

 

[mellored]

"There's about 10,00 of them, some in every direction".

And no. Tracking is the Rangers whole thing, no reason he can't be good at it. Also you lean the distance in miles, which is vague. "There's 10 guys within a mile in that general direction" isn't going to spoil much. They could be right behind the next door, or not even in the same dungeon.

 

[Horwath]

It cool power but nothing game breaking.

You can pinpoint someones location to mile or less. Then it gives general direction, I think that degree of "general" comes down to DM. I would rule it as 4 possible directions from you; N,E,S,W.

It also prevents you from saving hunters mark or any other concentration spells.

It is 1min per usage.