Rationale for the repurposed Ranger spells
Bard
This selection is aimed to aid a martial bards. Most of the spells here in this list are blaster type spells for heavy hitters and have a common theme - the caster needs to have a weapon equiped and to cashing up on magical secrets for blasting power.
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Zephyr Strike, - a fantastic spell that provides a massive mobility boost and a very good damage bonus of 1d8 force damage to any weapon attack you make. The spell requires concentration to maintain the damage bonus so it can carry on to the next turn, however casting this spell twice will not stack the damage bonus. Another benefit for this spell is that it can work with low charisma builds.
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Ensnaring Strike - upcastable spell that rellies on weapon attack rolls,works with any weapon.Low charisma is bad here because this is a save or suck spell.
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Hail of Thorns - upcastable spell that rellies on you being able to land ranged weapon attacks.This is not a good fit for low charisma builds but this is a nice addition to the bard spellcasting list because it is a low level aoe spell.
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Cordon of Arrows - a ok upcastable spell meant to serve as a quick trap for 8 hours. The downside is that this is a save or suck spell so it doesn't benefit low charisma builds.
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Lightning Arrow - a good spell for bards who use ranged weapons to have.Damage is conditional to executing a weapon attack, a succefull attack nets 4d8 Lighting damage to the target,half as much on a failed attack + an additional 2d8 Lighting Damage on a failed dex save...or half as much on a succesfull one.
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Swift Quiver - this spell is amazing if you're an archer, multiple attacks per turn for a full minute (with concentration). This sadly benefits only valor bards who get extra attack and can stack around 3 attacks per turn for a total of 10 turns/1 minute. But hey,Lighting Arrow isn't a concentration spell but it's a bard spell here.
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Steel Wind Strike - a fantastic aoe spell that requires melee weapon attack rolls to deal damage. This was exclusive to wizzards and rangers,it now joins the repertoire of bards, giving melee weapon builds that use this class fantastic aoe capabilities.
Druid
This selection is aimed to aid a martial druid/low wis druid and promote multiclassing with fighter for the combat styles.I would never recomend low wisdom builds for druids because it lowers your spellcasting DC & the number of spells you can prepare,however fighter druid multiclasses now have spells that support certain fighting styles.
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Hunter’s Mark - a thematic utility spell for a druid who is actively pursuing bad guys.
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Ensnaring Strike - upcastable spell that rellies on weapon attack rolls,the bread and butter for martial druids, works with any weapon.Low wisdom is bad here because it is a save or suck spell.
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Hail of Thorns - upcastable spell that rellies on you being able to land ranged weapon attacks.This is not a good fit for low wisdom druids due to the fact that you force creatures to make a saving throw, but it works with a fighter/druid mix.
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Conjure Barrage & Conjure Volley - aoe spells that require you to have a weapon with the thrown property or ranged weapons equiped. These spells are thematic for Druid because it involes the use of primitive weapon to activate these spells.
Wizzard
This selection is aimed to aid a martial wizzard/low int wizzards and promote low inteligence Wizzard builds as well as low inteligence Eldritch Knight and Arcane Trickster builds.
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Zephyr Strike - a fantastic spell that provides a massive mobility boost and a very good damage bonus of 1d8 force damage to any weapon attack you make. The spell requires concentration to maintain the damage bonus so it can carry on to the next turn, however casting this spell twice will not stack the damage bonus. Another benefit for this spell is that it can work with low inteligence builds and enriches the spell selection for Eldritch Knights & Arcane Tricksters.
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Cordon of Arrows - a ok upcastable spell meant to serve as a quick trap for 8 hours. The downside is that this is a save or suck spell so it doesn't benefit low inteligence builds.
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Conjure Barrage & Conjure Volley - aoe spells that require you to have a weapon with the thrown property or ranged weapons equiped. These spells are thematic for Eldritch Knights & Arcane Tricksters because they involve weapons and magic.
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Swift Quiver - this spell is amazing if you're an archer, giving you two attacks per turn for a full minute (with concentration). This sadly can't be cast on allies.
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Steel Wind Strike - a fantastic aoe spell that requires melee weapon attack rolls to deal damage. This was exclusive to wizzards and rangers,it now joins the repertoire of bards, giving melee weapon builds that use this class fantastic aoe capabilities.
Why clerics,Sorcerors and Warlocks were excluded in this patch
I was unable to match any of these spells with Clerics & Warlocks because they require a weapon attack roll and spell save dc.
Furthermore these spells are not in theme with the clerics general theme (this means domains are excluded in this analysis).
As far as Warlock are concerned most spells for which they have a spell slot rely on the use of either a bow or crossbow, which make them redundant due to the existance of that one warlock invocation which enable Warlocks to add their charisma modifier to the damage rolls of Eldritch Blast.
Ensnaring Strike & Zephyr Strike are also a poor fit for the Warlock class because the damage done by these spells do not increase when using higher spell slots.
Sorcerors did not make this cut because the combination of their spell list plus spellcasting stat being used by sorcerors is a very potent combination which does not require any altering or additions.
While arguments can be made in favor of giving Sorcerors Zephyr Strike & Steel Wind Strike for battle mage themed characters,I feel that these additions would simply serve as trap options, when sorcerors have a list of blaster type spells which outperform these 2.
Shameless self promotion
Author:Dargon Black (twitter @LZenfire)
Other Work: Romanian Ranger & Rangerless world sub class patch (both searchable on GM Binder)
Upcoming work: Elemental Onslaught - a compendium of monk subclasses based on the concept of monks having elemental themed powers....like benders from the Avatar cartoon series.
Description of the Repurposed Ranger spells
Author's notes
These spells are not modified,they are writen for word as presented in the PHB and Xanathar's respectively....at least according to my online materials they are...
I believe that these Ranger exclusive spells are too good to not be used in a campaing,where the Ranger class is not allowed due to it's poor design and the huge amount of homebrews out there.
Zephyr Strike
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Level: 1 - Transmutation Spell, Wizzard & Bard
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Casting time: 1 Bonus Action
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Range: Self
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Components: V
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Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
You move like the wind. Until the spell ends, your movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks. Once before the spell ends, you can give yourself advantage on one weapon attack roll on your turn. That attack deals an extra 1d8 force damage on a hit. Whether you hit or miss, your walking speed increases by 30 feet until the end of that turn.
Hunter’s Mark
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Level 1 - Divination spell, Druid only (unless you are an Oath of Vengeace Paladin)
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Casting time: 1 Bonus Action
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Range: 90 feet
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Components: V
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Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
You choose a creature you can see within range and mystically mark it as your quarry. Until the spell ends, you deal an extra 1d6 damage to the target whenever you hit it with a weapon attack, and you have advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) check you make to find it. If the target drops to 0 hit points before this spell ends, you can use a bonus action on a subsequent turn of yours to mark a new creature.
At higher level
When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd or 4th level, you can maintain your concentration on the spell for up to 8 hours. When you use a spell slot of 5th level or higher, you can maintain your concentration on the spell for up to 24 hours.
Ensnaring Strike
- Level: 1 - Conjuration spell, Druid & Bard (as well as Oath of Ancients Paladins)
- Casting time: 1 Bonus Action
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Range: Self
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Components: V
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
The next time you hit a creature with a weapon attack before this spell ends, a writhing mass of thorny vines appears at the point of impact, and the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be restrained by the magical vines until the spell ends. A Large or larger creature has advantage on this saving throw. If the target succeeds on the save, the vines shrivel away.
While restrained by this spell, the target takes 1d6 piercing damage at the start of each of its turns. A creature restrained by the vines or one that can touch the creature can use its action to make a Strength check against your spell save DC. On a success, the target is freed.
At higher level
If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st.
Hail of Thorns
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Level: 1 - Conjuration spell, Druid & Bard
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Casting time: 1 Bonus Action
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Range: Self
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Components: V
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Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
The next time you hit a creature with a ranged weapon attack before the spell ends, this spell creates a rain of thorns that sprouts from your ranged weapon or ammunition. In addition to the normal effect of the attack, the target of the attack and each creature within 5 feet of it must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 1d10 piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
At higher level
If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 1st (to a maximum of 6d10).
Cordon of Arrows
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Level: 2 - Transmutation Spell, Wizzard & Bard
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Casting time: 1 Action
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Range: 5 feet
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Components: V, S, M (four or more arrows or bolts)
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Duration: 8 hours
You plant four pieces of nonmagical ammunition – arrows or crossbow bolts – in the ground within range and lay magic upon them to protect an area. Until the spell ends, whenever a creature other than you comes within 30 feet of the ammunition for the first time on a turn or ends its turn there, one piece of ammunition flies up to strike it. The creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6 piercing damage. The piece of ammunition is then destroyed. The spell ends when no ammunition remains.
When you cast this spell, you can designate any creatures you choose, and the spell ignores them.
At higher level
When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the amount of ammunition that can be affected increases by two for each slot level above.
Lightning Arrow
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Level: 3 - Transmutation Bard only
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Casting time: 1 Bonus Action
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Range: Self
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Components: V, S
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Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
The next time you make a ranged weapon attack during the spell’s duration, the weapon’s ammunition, or the weapon itself if it’s a thrown weapon, transforms into a bolt of lightning. Make the attack roll as normal, The target takes 4d8 lightning damage on a hit, or half as much damage on a miss, instead of the weapon’s normal damage.
Whether you hit or miss, each creature within 10 feet of the target must make a Dexterity saving throw. Each of these creatures takes 2d8 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
The piece of ammunition or weapon then returns to its normal form.
At higher level
When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage for both effects of the spell increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 3rd.
Conjure Barrage
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Level: 3 - Conjuration, Druid & Wizzard
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Casting time: 1 Action
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Range: Self (60-foot cone)
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Components: V, S, M (one piece of ammunition or a thrown weapon)
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Duration: Instantaneous
You throw a nonmagical weapon or fire a piece of nonmagical ammunition into the air to create a cone of identical weapons that shoot forward and then disappear. Each creature in a 60-foot cone must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d8 damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The damage type is the same as that of the weapon or ammunition used as a component.
Swift Quiver
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Level: 5 - Transmutation Wizzard & Bard
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Casting time: 1 Bonus Action
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Range: Touch
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Components: V, S, M (a quiver containing at least one piece of ammunition)
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Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
You transmute your quiver so it produces an endless supply of nonmagical ammunition, which seems to leap into your hand when you reach for it.
On each of your turns until the spell ends, you can use a bonus action to make two attacks with a weapon that uses ammunition from the quiver.
Each time you make such a ranged attack, your quiver magically replaces the piece of ammunition you used with a similar piece of nonmagical ammunition.
Any pieces of ammunition created by this spell disintegrate when the spell ends. If the quiver leaves your possession, the spell ends.
Conjure Volley
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Level: 5 - Conjuration, Druid & Wizzard
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Casting time: 1 Action
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Range: 150 feet
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Components: V, S, M (one piece of ammunition or one thrown weapon)
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Duration: Instantaneous
You fire a piece of nonmagical ammunition from a ranged weapon or throw a nonmagical weapon into the air and choose a point within range. Hundreds of duplicates of the ammunition or weapon fall in a volley from above and then disappear. Each creature in a 40-foot-radius, 20-foot-high cylinder centered on that point must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 8d8 damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The damage type is the same as that of the ammunition or weapon.
Steel Wind Strike
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Level: 5 - Conjuration Wizzard & Bard
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Casting time: 1 Action
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Range: 30 feet
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Components: S, M (a melee weapon worth at least 1 sp)
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Duration: Instantaneous
You flourish the weapon used in the casting and then vanish to strike like the wind. Choose up to five creatures you can see within range. Make a melee spell attack against each target. On a hit, a target takes 6d10 force damage. You can then teleport to an unoccupied space you can see within 5 feet of one of the targets you hit or missed.