Iouncurain Ranger

The Iouncurain Ranger (Formerly Malleable Ranger) is a homebrew Ranger designed to work in world where magic is racially tied. This version will thus have a spellcasting variant and a spell-less variant with identical core mechanics with attempts to provide broadly useful ribbons and flavorful rock features. This class will be more malleable and adaptable to changing circumstances such as enemy or terrain.

In the four archetypal paradigm of D&D: warrior, expert, mage, and support; this Ranger is designed to be fighter first and an expert second. This Ranger should be quite adept in the Exploration and Combat pillars of 5e D&D for this class is equal parts Survivalist, Explorer, and Hunter with the strong flavor of Wilderness Guide.

Iouncurain Ranger

Warriors of the wilderness, Rangers are natural survivalists able to survive harsh conditions and find their path through winding terrain. Their wilderness talents make Rangers expert guides through confusing terrain and adept guardians against the dangers of the wilds.

Rangers are also proficient fighters and skilled hunters. Their skills allow them to track down dangerous prey through all manner of terrain. Once found, their combat abilities are such that they can bring down even the mightiest of creatures.

Reconnaissance, preparation, and ambushing tactics are key elements in a Ranger's toolkit. Thus, swiftness, stealth, and knowledge are vital to a Ranger's success. To this end, the Ranger is aided either by druidic spellcasting or specialist survival skills with natural materials.

Class Themes

Archery

You gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

Druidic Warrior (Fey Ancestry)

You learn two cantrips of your choice from the druid spell list. They count as Ranger spells for you, and Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for them. Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of these cantrips with another cantrip from the druid spell list.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Mariner

As long as you are not wearing heavy armor or using a shield, swimming and climbing do not cost you extra movement equal to your normal speed, and you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Thrown Weapon Fighting

You can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon.

In addition, when you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second Attack.

Spell Slots

The Ranger table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

For example, if you know the 1st-level spell animal friendship and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast animal friendship using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

The Spells Known column of the Ranger table shows when you learn more Ranger spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 5th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the Ranger spells you know and replace it with another spell from the Ranger spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots. Additionally, on a long rest, you can change one known spell for another spell of the same spell level.

Spellcasting Ability

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your Ranger spells, since your magic draws on your attunement to nature. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a Ranger spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Arctic

• You no longer suffer from exhaustion from extreme cold.
• PI: Resistance to Cold Damage for 1 min.

Arid

• You no longer suffer from exhaustion from extreme heat.
• PI: Resistance to Fire Damage for 1 min.

Forest

• You gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed.
• PI: Your speed while climbing is doubled for 1 hr.

Grasslands

• You no longer suffer from exhaustion from extended travel.
• PI: Your speed is increased by 20 ft for 1 hr.

Mountains

• You automatically succeed on climbing checks.
• PI: Advantage on Strength Saving Throws and Ability Checks for 1 hr.

Oceanic

• You can hold your breathe for twice as long.
• You gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.
• PI: Your speed while swimming is doubled for 1 hr.

Swamp

• You have Advantage on Saving Throws versus Poison and Disease.
• PI: Resistance to Poison Damage for 1 min.

Feywild

• You do not lose your memories when traveling to or from the Feywild.
• PI: Advantage on Saving Throws versus Enchantment spells of 4th level or lower for 1 min.

Underdark

• You do not suffer disadvantage on perception checks in lightly obscured conditions.
• PI: Your Darkvision is increased by 30 feet for one hour.

Urban

• You gain one extra proficiency from Deception, Sleight of Hand, or Thieves Tools. Additionally all three are considered Ranger proficiencies for you.
• PI: Advantage on Deception and Sleight of Hands ability checks for 1 hr.

Favored Prey

At the 3rd level, your previous experiences and research have provided you with extensive knowledge in studying, tracking, and hunting certain kinds of creatures. When you gain this feature, you add two languages of your choice that are spoken from among your Favored Prey. You have advantage on Medicine and Survival Checks against, on or in pursuit of these creatures. In addition, you have advantage and proficiency on any intelligence check to recall or research information about them.

Each Discipline has it own sets of options you can choose from for your Favored Prey.

Discipline Spells (Fey Ancestry)

Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the discipline spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of ranger spells you know.

Favored Prey

Choose one of the following sets of creatures to be your Favored Prey.

Wilderness Warden : Beasts, Monstrosities, Plants

Planes Keeper : Aberrations, Celestials, Elementals, Fey, Fiends

Giant Stalker : Dragons, Giants

Improved Absorb Elements

At 3rd level, you know the spell absorb elements and can use with the poison damage type. Whenever you cast absorb elements, you can impart the damage of this attack into your next melee or ranged attack.

Additionally, whenever you take acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison, or thunder damage, you can use your reaction to cast absorb elements without expending a spell slot. When cast in this way, you do not gain resistance instead you reduce only the triggering damage by 1d6.

Ritual Casting

You can cast a ranger spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared.

Spellcasting Focus

You can use a druidic focus (see the Adventuring Gear section) as a spellcasting focus for your druid spells.

Druidic Warrior Spells

Forest Spells

Grassland Spells

Mountain Spells

Oceanic Spells

Swamp Spells

Feywild Spells

Underdark Spells

Urban Spells

Favored Prey

Choose one of the following sets of creatures to be your Favored Prey.

Light Bringer : Aberrations, Fiends, Undead

Abomination Slayer : Constructs, Monstrosities, Oozes, Undead

Gloom Stalker Magic (Fey Ancestry)

Level 3 Feature - See Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Dread Ambusher / Umbral Sight

Level 3 Features - See Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Iron Mind

By 7th level, you have honed your ability to resist the mind-altering powers of your prey. You gain proficiency in Intelligence saving throws. In addition, whenever you make a Wisdom or Intelligence saving throw, you can use your reaction to spend one of your primal instincts to gain advantage on the saving throw.

Stalker's Flurry

Level 11 Feature - See Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Shadowy Dodge

Level 15 Feature - See Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Master Ambusher

At 20th level, your talent at ambushing foes is top tier. You have advantage on all initiative rolls and stealth ability checks. In addition, you have advantage on all attack rolls made against enemies who are surprised.

Favored Prey

Choose one of the following sets of creatures to be your Favored Prey.

Light Bringer : Aberrations, Fiends, Undead

Planes Keeper : Aberrations, Celestials, Elementals, Fey, Fiends

Detect Portal / Horizon Walker Magic

Level 3 Features - See Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Planar Warrior

At 3rd level, you learn to draw on the energy of the multiverse to augment your attacks.

Once per round, you can channel this energy into a weapon attack made against a creature within 30 feet of you. All damage dealt by that attack becomes force damage, and the creature takes an extra 1d8 force damage from the attack. When you reach 11th level in this class, the extra damage increases to 2d8.

Ethereal Step

At 7th level, you learn to step through the Ethereal Plane. As a bonus action, you can cast the etherealness spell with this feature using one of your primal instincts, but the spell ends at the end of the current turn.

Distant Strike

Level 11 Feature - See Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Spectral Defense

Level 15 Feature - See Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Flashing Strikes

At 20th level, using three of your primal instincts, you can as part of an attack action, blink in and out repeatedly. All attacks made during your turn are critical hits.

Favored Prey

Choose one of the following sets of creatures to be your Favored Prey.

Abomination Slayer : Constructs, Monstrosities, Oozes, Undead

Giant Stalker : Dragons, Giants

Planes Keeper : Aberrations, Celestials, Elementals, Fey, Fiends

Monster Slayer Magic (Fey Ancestry)

Feature Unchanged from Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Slayer's Sense

At 3rd level, you can use one of your primal instincts to peer at a creature and discern how best to hurt it. As an action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you. You immediately learn what the creature's damage immunities, resistances, or vulnerabilities are.

Favored Prey

Choose one of the following sets of creatures to be your Favored Prey.

Wilderness Warden : Beasts, Monstrosities, Plants

Light Bringer : Aberrations, Fiends, Undead

Planes Keeper : Aberrations, Celestials, Elementals, Fey, Fiends

Dreadful Strikes / Fey Wanderer Magic / Otherworldly Glamour

Level 3/11 Features - See Tasha's Cauldron of Everything

Beguiling Twist

Level 7 Feature - See Tasha's Cauldron of Everything

Additionally, if you fail your saving throw against being charmed or frightened, you can use one of your Primal Instincts to succeed anyway.

Fey Reinforcements

Level 11 Feature - See Tasha's Cauldron of Everything

Misty Wanderer

At 15th level, you can slip in and out of the Feywild to move in a blink of an eye: you can cast misty step with one of the uses of your Primal Instincts.

In addition, whenever you cast misty step, you can bring along one willing creature you can see within 5 feet of you. That creature teleports to an unoccupied space of your choice within 5 feet of your destination space.

Fey Allies

At 20th level, when you summon fey, you can spend 5 of your primal instincts to extend the duration to 24 hours. Additionally, fey summoned in this way do not require your concentration. You can use your bonus action to send these fey back to the feywild. Once you have summoned fey with this feature, you cannot summon any more fey until the previously summoned fey's form die or are sent back.

Favored Prey

Choose one of the following sets of creatures to be your Favored Prey.

Wilderness Warden : Beasts, Monstrosities, Plants

Planes Keeper : Aberrations, Celestials, Elementals, Fey, Fiends

Abomination Slayer : Constructs, Monstrosities, Oozes, Undead

Gathered Swarm / Swarmkeeper Magic

Level 3 Features - See Tasha's Cauldron of Everything

Writhing Tide

At 7th level, you can condense part of your swarm into a focused mass that lifts you up with one of your primal instincts. As a bonus action, you gain a flying speed of 10 feet and can hover. This effect lasts for 1 minute or until you are incapacitated.

Mighty Swarm

Level 11 Feature - See Tasha's Cauldron of Everything

Swarming Dispersal

At 15th level, you can use one of your Primal Instincts to discorporate into your swarm, avoiding danger. When you take damage, you can use your reaction and one of your Primal Instincts to give yourself resistance to that damage.

Remainder of feature in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything

Engulfing Swarm

At 20th level, whenever you hit a creature with an attack, you can choose to have your swarm engulf the creature. The creature must make a Dexterity saving throw verus your spell save DC or become grappled and pinned by your swarm. Only one creature can be engulfed by your swarm at a time, and you cannot use the swarms other abilities than the swarm is no longer engulfing the creature.

Beast Master Magic (Fey Ancestry)

Panther

Medium beast

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• Hit Die d8
• Armor Class 10 + Dex
• Speed 50 ft., Climb 40 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
14 (+2)	15 (+2)	10 (0)	3 (-4)	14 (+2)	7 (-2)

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• Skills Perception, Stealth
• **Armor: Light or Medium Barding
• Saving Throws Wisdom and Dexterity

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Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: Dex or Str Attack, reach 5 ft., one target. Damage Base: 1d6 piercing.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: Str Attack, reach 5 ft., one target. Damage Base: 2d4 piercing.

Keen Senses – The panther has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.

Pounce – If the panther moves at least 20 ft. straight toward a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn. The targeted creature must make a Strength Save vs a DC equal to 8 + Strength Modifier + Proficiency or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the panther can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action. This bonus action does not require a separate command by the Ranger.

Fang and Paw - At 11th level, the panther can make two attacks if it doesn't pounce: one with its bite and one with its claws.

Fury of Paws - At 20th level, the panther's ferocity is increased. Its bite damage die is now 1d8 piercing damage, and its claws damage die is now 2d6 piercing damage.

Dolphin

Medium beast

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• Hit Die d10
• Armor Class 11 + Dex (Nat. Armor)
• Speed 0 ft., Swim 60 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
14 (+2)	13 (+1)	13 (+1)	6 (-2)	12 (+1)	7 (-2)

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• Skills Perception
• Senses Blindsight 60 ft.
• Saving Throws Wisdom and Strength

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Actions

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: Str Attack, reach 5 ft., one target. Damage Base: 1d6 bludgeoning.

Hold Breath – The dolphin can hold its breath for 20 minutes.

Charge – If the dolphin moves at least 30 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a slam attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 1d6 bludgeoning damage.

Sonic Burst – At 11th level, as an action, the Ranger can command the dolphin to perform a sonic burst in a 30 foot cone. Creatures hit by the cone must succeed on a Constitution saving throw vs a DC of 8 + Constitution Modifier + Proficiency or become stunned until the end of that creature's turn. A creature that succeeds on this save cannot become stunned again by it for 24 hours.

Resonating Burst – At 20th level, the dolphin's Sonic Burst results in the creature being stunned for 1 minute.

Non-Magical Ranger

These concoctions provide the spell-less Ranger with a variety of magic-less utility or combat aids. Unless otherwise stated, these concoctions can be prepared at the end of a long rest or short rest and lasts for up to 10 hours.

Alarm Traps – You can spend 15 minutes preparing various signal traps around a 30ft cube area. When triggered, these traps generate a lot of noise alerting everyone within 100 ft of the trap to the presence of an intruder or careless ally. You do not expend any Ranger Points in preparing these traps. These traps can be spotted by a perception check versus your Save DC and Disarmed versus your Save DC.

Healing Poultices – These poultices are made from potent and common herbs. When applied as an action to injuries they have a healing, antiseptic, and anesthetic effect restoring hit points equal to (1d4 + Wisdom) times the expended Ranger Points.

Poisonous Oil – This oil is a concentrated toxin made from the poison glands of various small creatures or from toxic plants in the area. This oil can be applied on the tip of three arrows, bolts, or blowgun nettles or on the blade of a sword or axe (good for one hit) as a bonus action. Creatures struck by the poison tip or blade must make a Constitution Saving Throw or suffer the Poisoned Condition for 1 hour. This concoction requires 1 Ranger Point to prepare the Poison. Poison damage can be added at a cost of 1 Ranger Point per 1d6 additional poison damage.

Rapid Foraging – You can spend 1 Ranger point to hastily forage enough nuts and plants to sustain 6 creatures for one day. This food, however, is extremely bland or bitter and will only barely sustain the six creatures. This ability can only be used once per day.

Running Draught – This herbal mixture costs 1 Ranger point and improves the drinker’s breathing and metabolism, which increases the creature’s speed by 10 ft for 1 hour.

Animal Messenger (requires 5th level Ranger) – If you choose this option, you have used your kinship with a tiny flying creature to train it to carry messages. At any time, you can spend one minute to attach a tiny makeshift pouch containing a small strip of paper to the creature. This strip of paper can only contain a 25-word message. You can then direct the little beast to a location and individual within 25 miles. This little creature is always with you or nearby unless carrying a message and requires little to care for or carry.

Spells

Base Features and Proficiencies

There was little in the way of changes needed with base proficiencies. The lack of Acrobatics seem odd for a class intended to be dexterity focused, so that was added. Because the class is designed to be versatile in terms in weapons (sword/board, martial ranged, or dual-wielder), I fixed the last item of the equipment.

A more major change come with the Saving Throws. When I think of a Ranger, the first thing I see is a survivalist who is good as handling environmental hazards and having a high endurance. This means Constitution Saving Throws. We can't have Dexterity as well, so the other saving throw has to be strength. Additionally, when I consider a Ranger, I see a rugged tough individual who holds his ground not a wirey, dodgy character. Also, for a GISH character with melee combat being a major focus, concentration save proficiency is a must especially with spells like Hunter's Mark being an expected nearly-always-on spell.

Further, when altering the Ranger, I had in mind for the Ranger a unique mixture of 5/8 Fighter, 3/16 Rogue, 3/16 Druid with features and progression patterned after the Bard, Paladin, and Rogue. The Ranger first and foremost is an able guide in a monster filled wilderness. They need to be able to help their party deal with the mundane challenges of travel (no matter the location) while being quite competent in their own way to deal with hostile creatures.

Primal Instincts

• Many Ranger subclass or class features in various Ranger versions are once per short rest or long rest - lots of feature tracking.
• Consensus Ranger merged some Ranger features into a single pool called Primal Instincts - usable 1+Wis per long rest.
• This method was adapted into a core resource for the whole class.

Natural Explorer and Favored Terrain.

Core class features that are either full ribbons (since DMs probably won't do much with travel) or too situational to see regular use. Favored Enemy (terrible name) is in the same boat. Making these abilities be non-combat ribbons is fine, but you cannot have them be core pillars of the class. This is why the Ranger sucks so hard in play, you feel like a fighter that gained the Hunter and Beast Master as archetype options but lost the key abilities of the versatile third attack and action surge in exchange for Hunter's Mark and Pass without a Trace.

Survivalist Theme

Originally, I dove into the Survivalist as a progression mechanic: Adept, Journeyman, and Master.

• These gave situational travel/exploration (hexcrawl, dungeon, city) benefits related to surprise and danger.
• GMs are probably not using surprise mechanics heavily especially at 6th level and above (even less so with the Ranger automatically making the party surprise immune).
• Journeyman Features were removed because of this and feature bloat.

Camouflage (a party-based, free adv on survival in exchange for slow speed) suffered the same cut. To be fair, Fey-Ancenstry Rangers have the much better ability with the spell Pass without a Trace and Camouflage is something spell-less Rangers can produce that is less limiting for a daily charge.

Adept Survivalist

Some groups still use some form of travel rules, the Ranger should be better than just proficiency or expertise in survival (esp. if they want to compete with Scout Rogues). For all wilderness environs (so everywhere but dungeons or cities), Rangers get four benefits that help the party.

• Element 1: Rangers have advantage on survival checks versus getting lost or recovering from being lost (in case the GM asks).
• Not as good as never being lost, but it works for all terrains.
• Element 2: Foraging Proficiency in case no survival proficiency.
• With double food, the Ranger might get enough to cover a couple of days with a single foraging roll.
• Element 3: No penalties to passive perception, so no matter what the party or Ranger is doing, the Ranger is keeping a look out.
• Element 4: Party travel in time-scales of hours (i.e. 1 to 10 hours) and not in time-scales of minutes (1 to 10 minutes) or rounds means the party gets to ignore difficult terrain during the entire stretch of time they are traveling including the first hour.
• Note that the element does not say "after traveling for more than one hour", so you gain the benefit for the first hour and every hour beyond.
• Example: Party travels for 3 hours. Stops to forage for food or fights a battle or takes a short-rest. Party travels for another 5 hours and long-rests. No slow down due to Difficult Terrain (except during the battle maybe).

These benefits are nice, but still a ribbon good for only groups that hex-crawl. Thus some other benefits that are generally always helpful were added. During any long rest, the Ranger takes the role of the guide and stands watch. Of course, he still needs to rest, but this Ranger is one of those people that can sleep for four hours and be optimal - or is an elf and can just Trance for four hours. The other four hours are spent with light activity such as staying up on watch. The other benefit is also related to long rests, they can spend an hour to prep a camp. Creatures that use the camp get a free extra hit die. They only get just one extra, so these don't stack long rest to long rest. For simplicity of tracking hit die, the limit is max + 1 total hit die. Also, this makes the Ranger a great boon to camping and adventuring, their camp gives those on watch advantage for passive perception.

Wizard looks at the Ranger, "Okay, you get first and last watch, Druid you take the second, and Rogue, grab the third would you. Unlike Ms. Antlers over there, I've got spells to replenish and need my 8 hours."

Extreme Environments

• Arctic and Arid give advantage on Con saves versus extreme cold or extreme heat/dehydration
• Con bonus is more useful for cold due to Con saves being a more common save for that damage type.
• On the other hand, dehydration or high temperatures are more common in many terrains than extremely cold air or water.
• Both terrains also gain damage reduction that scales with character level.
• Damage taken is more Character level dependent than class dependent, and cold/fire damage is rarer and larger than physical, so prof + Wis is helpful but not overpowered whether you are a 15th level Ranger or 14th level Bard and 1st level Ranger.
• Swamp is generally better since at low levels.
• Poison damage is more common and lower in value than fire/cold.
• Advantage vs poison and disease is less situational than dealing with the extreme heat/cold.

Favored Prey

Favored Enemy suffered from a few problems.

• DM-dependent Ribbon masquerading as a core class feature.
• Took up valuable space during level progression and player decision making.
• Even with combat bonuses, the options were too limited and encouraged the player to meta-game and DM to adjust encounters for specific monster types.
• The options were far from equal with each other - you would never pick Plants or Fey for instance.

My first attempt removed the core class focus away from Favored Prey. You gain a suite of creature types in one decision, which would be easier for a GM is include semi-regularly and from early in the game. These groups also varied in number of creature types, one suite may have two common and one rare creature type while another may have a mixture of 5 rare and uncommon ones. Additionally the feature gave a minor combat bonus plus strong knowledge capabilities and out-of-combat utility versus these creatures. Further, each suite provided a bonus useful against a variety of creatures rather than just those within the creature suite. This feature was still problematic:

• Too much class space for the feature - would be insane to put on a character sheet.
• Stronger overlap with subclasses than the terrain choice ever had.
• The Creature Knowledge feature was a little odd as a regular in-combat feature and all characters should be able to make such checks.
• Knowledge feature was changed to a general rule with Rangers being better at it with Favored Prey
• Favored Prey suites were condensed into a ribbon options within each Discipline.

Each Ranger Discipline gains one of a small set of Favored Prey suites that are thematically fitting for that Discipline. The benefits should largely be treated as little more than a Paladin's Divine Sense.

There are three facets to Favored Prey in terms of usability and these aspects should be the guide for making your choice beyond pure roleplay reasons:

• (1) Advantage on Survival in pursuit is for tracking these kinds of prey down.
• (2) Advantage on Intelligence checks is meant to represent both knowledge and research ability.
• Rangers are better at getting general world/background information, personality details, and stat-block elements like AC, resistances, or special abilities.
• (3) If harvesting rules are employed, than they probably use Survival and/or Medicine checks to harvest rare materials like a Dragon's Heart or a Manticore's Hide.

Vigilante

The Bounty Hunter or Urban Ranger type character. Inspired by Features from 3.5 and Mike Mearls HFH crafting, this Discipline is about hunting humanoids. This is the only Discipline that gets to pick humanoids and gets 5 races and three languages out of the gate. The spells are focused on dealing with humanoids, and their abilities ensure they aren't easily stopped in tracking down and capturing/killing their quarry.

Hunter's Prey

Feature is unchanged. The spread of options is interesting. The first one is free rider damage while the other two give you a situational bonus attack and require being in melee with Giant Killer even costing a reaction on top.

Defensive Tactics and Shake It Off

The Shake It Off feature may need to be looked into. Steel Will was just weaker and too situational compared to the other two feature options, so it was easy to remove. Additionally, I needed to a add something at this level that provided a Primal Instinct fueled feature. In place of Steel Will, you gain a limited number of conditions that you can just remove with a reaction and primal instinct. The issue is that there are now two features for Hunters at this level.

Is Shake It Off weak enough to keep with Defensive Tactics or should Defensive Tactics be made resource based?

It is hard to remove Escape the Horde due to Whirlwind Attack at level 11, however.

Multiattack

Volley is obviously good if enemies are close together, but only really helps Ranged Characters (preferably those with lots of ammo - where's a javelin quiver when you need it?)

Whirlwind Attack was just terrible, you either needed to get yourself in the middle of an enemy pack or intentionally get yourself surrounded. Obviously Escape the Horde helps, but being surrounded is bad for someone without a shield and heavy armor. The Consensus Ranger fixed the Whirlwind by allowing some movement, so you can get three or four or five creatures suffering an attack a piece. At level 11, however, are you really fighting creatures with low enough hitpoints to be bothered by a single attack. For that matter, you are probably fighting spread-out monster groups equal to the party in size with each creature being either beefy or defensive and all with special abilities or tons of hit points. The days of fighting a dozen gobos ended at level 5 when the wizard started hurling fireball during the first round.

Thus, I added a single target option. To avoid this feature just turning into a second extra attack ala fighter, I limited it to only work with creatures marked by Hunter's Strikes. In other words, the creature with high AC and/or high HP that you are sure to get lots of attacks on during the battle.

Superior Hunter's Defense

Nothing particularly wrong with these. Adding primal instincts though took a bit of thinking, but giving the Hunter the option to use one of the other two features on the fly at the cost of a Primal Instinct seemed like a good idea. Get one feature for free and the other two cost Primal Instincts per use. Stand against the tide might actually see some use. With these subclass features using primal instincts, the feel and ability use would spread out each Ranger from each other.

Foe Slayer

Adapted from Consensus Ranger, since this was a long rest feature, I added a high Primal Instinct cost. I also removed the less than 50 HP auto-kill and Incapacitated condition. Also, since this is level 20, getting to do 5d8 two or three times in a combat in place of your other abilities before your next short rest shouldn't be too much. Especially given what full casters are doing with their six 6th to 9th level spells at level 20.