Hitch Trailblazer: Fifth Edition Dungeoneers

Once more we delve into Fifth Edition D&D, with the help of David Silver's trusty Ponyfinder work. Once more I say that these G5 characters are only fourth level by the end of the film. And once more I select a pony to provide statistics to. Today, of course, we're choosing somebody Sunny's known all her life...

HITCH TRAILBLAZER!
I swear he's not nearly as smarmy in person.

Hitch Trailblazer is an Earthbound Pony Chaos Hunter, with a background in the City Watch (from the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide) and four levels as a Beast Master Ranger. That sound like it'd be simpler, but we're taking a few variant features with the Ranger... but before we get to that, let's talk stat array!

Hitch is a very physical character, so of course that 15 is going into Strength and the 14 into Constitution. But he's also well liked, so we'll but 13 in charisma. Being a sheriff means needing to be aware of the world around you, so Hitch has a decent wisdom of 12. Dexterity, overall, is average, so we'll put the 10 there... and that leaves his Intelligence at 8--he can take a bit to pick up on the obvious. Of course, Earthbound Ponies get +2 to their Constitution and Chaos Hunters get +1 to their Charisma. Breaking it down, Hitch has a +3 Con modifier, +2 Strength and Charisma, +1 Wisdom, and -1 Intelligence. Maximum Himbo Energy.

Earthbound ponies are mostly standard medium sapients, with a few unique quirks. Like all ponies, they qualify as fey for all purposes, their base speed is 40 feet, and as a Four-Legged creature rolls to avoid becoming prone are made with advantage and they can carry 50% more weight than their strength would ordinarily allow. Earthbound in particular also have advantage on saving throws against poison, resistance against poison damage, and advantage on physical saving throws--Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution--made against magical effects. And of course in addition to the Ability Score Increase listed above, Chaos Hunters also gain the ability to protect a target from chaotic fiends, as per the Protection from Evil and Good spell, as an action once per long rest. Not that Hitch needs it yet, but we know how My Little Pony tends to go...

The City Watch background is absolutely perfect for a sheriff, as it gives Hitch proficiencies in both Athletics and Insight. And with the Watcher's Eye feature, he can read the flow of the law to spot local outposts of both lawkeepers and lawbreakers. Very useful when tracking fugitives to a city filled with swooping pegasi. Or... well, theoretically swooping pegasi.

Hitch being a Ranger means he's proficient with simple and martial weapons, light and medium armor, and shields. Not that he's likely to use those, of course, but it's always nice to have options. He's also proficient with Strength and Dexterity saving throws, as well as the Animal Handling, Investigation, and Perception skills. That's all very, very useful when tracking down fugitives across unknown lands.

Ordinary Rangers get Favored Enemy at first level, but we're going to dip into Tasha's Cauldron of Everything and replace that with Favored Foe; when Hitch hits a creature with an Attack Roll, he can concentrate on them for up to a minute, dealing 1d4 bonus damage on the first attack on that enemy every turn (including the one where he marked them). He can only do this a number of times equal to his proficiency bonus before he needs to take a Long Rest, but every little bit counts. We're also going to swap out Favored Terrain for Deft Explorer--specifically the version found in the Unearthed Arcana Class Variants version; that lets Hitch take the Roving Benefit, giving him a +5 to his walking speed and making both his climbing and swimming speeds equal to it.

At second level, Rangers get both a Fighting Style and the Spellcasting ability. We'll go into Spellcasting later, but for now I think Hitch would pick up the Interception fighting style; if a target next to him is hit with an attack, he can use a reaction to reduce the damage of that attack by 1d10 plus his proficiency bonus (as long as he has a weapon or a shield). Hitch would definitely protect his friends, after all.

At third level, Rangers get Primeval Awareness... which we're going to swap out for Primal Awareness from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. This gives Hitch additional spells when he reaches certain levels, spells which don't count against his maximum spells known--something we'll go into later. Also at third level, Hitch chooses a Ranger Archetype, and what better for the friend of animals than Beast Master! With this, Hitch gains a companion--a beast no larger than Medium that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower. So ordinary animals, basically... well, ordinary for the setting. There's not a seagull I could find, but there is a crab! And actually a lot of options for a lil' buddy.

At fourth level, Rangers get an Ability Score Improvement... which we're going to burn to pick up the Like a Boulder feat from Ponyfinder. This means Hitch's Hooves are now considered light melee weapons that deal 1d6 bludgeoning damage, which he can attack with as a bonus action after attacking with a light weapon--either one hoof attack or, if he hasn't made a hoof attack prior, two with a -5 penalty to their attack roll. That means he can slam a hoof as an action, and then as a bonus action slam again. He can also buck with his rear hooves, giving him advantage on strength-based checks for applying brute force (although he has to make a DC 10 Dex check to not tumble over). All in all, a good feat for feet--er, hooves.

And now we get to Spellcasting. At fourth level, Rangers have three first-level spots and know three first-level spells. On top of that, Hitch also knows the Animal Friendship spell from the Primal Awareness feature. I don't consider D&D "magic" to universally be actual magic, but more accurately represent tricks that a character can pick up--Vicious Mockery is just that, a mockery so vicious that the target is disheartened. Most of these are just things Hitch picked up as a sheriff in Maretime Bay.

First Level Spells

Animal Friendship

1st-level enchantment
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S, M (a morsel of food)
Duration: 24 hours
This spell lets you convince a beast that you mean it no harm. Choose a beast that you can see within range. It must see and hear you. If the beast's Intelligence is 4 or higher, the spell fails. Otherwise, the beast must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you for the spell's duration. If you or one of your companions harms the target, the spell ends.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, you can affect one additional beast for each slot level above 1st.

Hunter's Mark

1st-level divination
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: 90 feet
Components: V
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 Levels. 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.

Jump

1st-level transmutation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M (a grasshopper's hind leg)
Duration: 1 minute
You touch a creature. The creature's jump distance is tripled until the spell ends.

Zephyr Strike

1st-level transmutation
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: Self
Components: V
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.

And so, Hitch Trailblazer is ready to blaze some trails. He's only fourth level, but that's good enough to protect the innocent and keep his companions safe. And really, that's all he could ask for.

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

Simple, but effective. Sometimes you just need to bring down the perp.