The Wrangler (Ranger) v2.0
Art Credit: https://www.artofmtg.com/art/spidersilk-net/
One of our first previews from the upcoming final compendium, Legends of Prestige & Prowess, was the Wrangler Ranger. This subclass was intended for rangers who seek to hunt, restrain, and capture their enemies, and would have been named the "Hunter" if that name weren't already used for a ranger subclass! While we usually change our content very little (if at all) between previewing and publishing, in some cases significant changes are needed. This preview covers the major changes to the Wrangler ranger, which has been altered more dramatically than any content we've published before.
The Wrangler was one of the very first and oldest subclasses that we created, and it was also one of the first to be revised for public release when we started this project. Previously, the Wrangler was entirely focused on the use of nets and the new similar weapon, the bola. This meant that the subclass was overly limited against certain enemies and lacked the ability to add significant damage each round, something that each ranger subclass is supposed to do. In the intervening years, we have changed the Wrangler to better fit with the general design of ranger subclasses and to play better in practice.
The new Wrangler shares only two features with its original incarnation. The 7th-level feature is essentially unchanged, and the 3rd-level feature Ensnarement Mastery still grants the Wrangler most of their original benefits when using nets and bolas. However, the new features allow the Wrangler to use regular weapons if they want to. The Hindering Strikes feature has been changed to Hindering Strike, which allows the ranger to deal extra damage each round using weapon attacks, as most ranger subclasses do. Rangers who use ranged weapons will find the speed reduction to enemies very useful for staying away from melee attackers, and rangers who use melee weapons will find it useful for improving their opportunity attacks.
The 11th-level feature adds additional damage to Hindering Strike: the ranger launches a threatening attack that gives the opponent a chance to stop in place and avoid it or to push through the attack and take extra damage in the process. The final feature, like most final features of ranger subclasses, is a defensive feature that can be used relatively constantly. The Wrangler has also received a small set of spells, like the more recent official ranger subclasses do. These spells are used for trapping foes and avoiding the traps of others.
Keep an eye out for more previews as we approach the release of Legends of Prestige & Prowess!
