The Battle Dancer

Battle is, at its very core, a dance. Very few understand how to maneuver through a battlefield like the Ranger, and among them none more so than the Battle Dancers. The Battle dancer is a practiced group of rangers who employ a myriad of tactics to shift the flow of combat in the wild lands they roam. They are a path of versatility, as every Battle Dancer displays a unique take on the methods by which a Ranger can learn to fight. It is not uncommon for one to hide away waiting for the moment to strike from the treetops, unseen. Another may very well make his or her presence as pronounced as possible to draw the attention of all enemies in the skirmish to themselves, just before deftly outmaneuvering the foes en masse. The path of Battle Dancers is for the Rangers who wish to find their specialty in battle through long ranged tactics, whether they are brazen or reserved.

The Paths of Battle

The goal of any Battle Dancer is to show versatility of combat, and in pursuit of this each will find their own ranged weapon of choice. These paths are chosen distinctly by the 3rd level feature you take. Each weapon will have a general style of combat, however past the first feature none of the features are locked into any specific weapon. They do however each lean into a style of combat that will be evident to the player as they progress. These inclinations are as follows:

The Archer : A long ranged assassin in the shadows, adept at dealing lethal blows from the backline with bow and arrow. The Archer will lean heavily on their illusory spells for both combat, and roleplay.

: A long ranged assassin in the shadows, adept at dealing lethal blows from the backline with bow and arrow. The Archer will lean heavily on their illusory spells for both combat, and roleplay. The Crossbowmen : A mid ranged disruptor, the crossbowmen will focus on delaying and encumbering the enemy forces to not only allow themselves to operate at a safe distance, but also to set allies up for easy attacks against their foes, be they singular of many.

: A mid ranged disruptor, the crossbowmen will focus on delaying and encumbering the enemy forces to not only allow themselves to operate at a safe distance, but also to set allies up for easy attacks against their foes, be they singular of many. The Dueler: A hit and run tactician, the Dueler employs close ranged tactics mixed with thrown weapons to distract enemies, and break their formations. They focus on dual wielding, with light weaponry in one hand and thrown weaponry in the other, they truly embody the Battle Dancer namesake, as they glide effortlessly through the frontline of any skirmish.

Marksmen's Choice

At 3rd level, you gain one of the following features of your choice:

Envenomed Arrows Requires use of a Bow, your time spent in nature has adapted you to survival tactics, not the least of which is the crafting of deathly toxins. Gain Proficiency in the Poisoners Kit coupled with the ability to create specialty poisons for your arrow tips. You may prepare any combination of up to 6 poison arrows at any short or long rest.

Requires use of a Bow, your time spent in nature has adapted you to survival tactics, not the least of which is the crafting of deathly toxins. Gain Proficiency in the Poisoners Kit coupled with the ability to create specialty poisons for your arrow tips. You may prepare any combination of up to 6 poison arrows at any short or long rest. Halting Bolts Requires use of a Crossbow, with which you have spent so much time that you can now always find the center of mass on the enemies you face, and target it with deadly precision. Your bolts slow the movement of enemies of size Medium of lower (Large for heavy crossbows) . The creature will have their movement deducted by 10 on hit, this effect can stack.

Requires use of a Crossbow, with which you have spent so much time that you can now always find the center of mass on the enemies you face, and target it with deadly precision. Your bolts slow the movement of enemies of size Medium of lower (Large for heavy crossbows) . The creature will have their movement deducted by 10 on hit, this effect can stack. Graceful Maneuvers When using light thrown weapons, you know how to use your own momentum to supplement a flurry of throws in the heat of combat. On hit with a melee or thrown weapon, you may move 5 ft. in any direction and make bonus thrown weapon attack. This can occur twice per turn and ends if any attack in the chain does not hit. The movement made with this feature does not allow for attacks of opportunity by enemies in range. In addition to this, your deft handwork and years of practice allow you to immediately pull a new thrown weapon to your hand after every one you throw as a free action.