Ranger - Elemental Explorer

This subclass was written by Hyrum Catanzaro.
Elemental Explorers are those who've chosen to follow the way of the elements, protecting both the natural elements from those who would destroy them, and protecting civilization from the devastating powers of the elemental planes that bleed through into the material. As an Elemental Explorer, you've taken it upon yourself to learn and use the powers of the elemental chaos and foundation of nature to protect the world from the great calamities found within the elemental planes.

Elemental Explorer Magic

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

Elemental Explorer Spells

3rd: Create or Destroy Water, Produce Flame
5th: Dust Devil
9th: Protection from Energy
13th: Elemental Bane
17th: Conjure Elemental

Primordial Sense

3rd level Elemental Explorer feature
At 3rd level, your connection to the elements gives you an innate understanding of the primordial word and the elements therein. You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track elementals, as well as on Intelligence ability checks to recall information about them or the elemental planes.

Elemental Strikes

3rd level Elemental Explorer feature
Starting at 3rd level, you are able to imbue your strikes with the elemental essence, pulled from the nature around you. Once a turn, when you make a weapon attack, you can use a bonus action to cause the attack to take on an elemental nature. Choose between Fire, Cold, Thunder, Lightning, or Acid. The attack's damage type is replaced by the chosen type. If the attack hits, the target takes an extra 1d8 damage of the chosen damage type. When you reach 11th level in this class, the extra damage increases to 2d8.

Primordial Essence

7th level Elemental Explorer feature
By 7th level, you've become so in tune with the elemental planes that their powers have altered your essence. You gain immunity to poison damage. Additionally, once per long rest, choose a damage type between Fire, Cold, Thunder, Lightning, or Acid. You gain resistance to that damage type until your next long rest.

Force of Nature

11th level Elemental Explorer feature
At 11th level, you gain the ability to call upon one of the basic elements of nature to empower you. When you activate this ability as a bonus action, choose one of the following elements. You gain the features granted by your chosen element for the next minute or until you choose to drop it (no action required). You can only have one element active at a time, and have a number of uses equal to your proficiency bonus.

Fire

You gain immunity to fire damage, and as an action you can cast the Fireball spell (as an action) at 5th level, centered on yourself.

Earth

You gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, and have a +2 bonus to AC.

Water

You can enter a hostile creature's space and stop there, and you can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. Additionally, as an action, you can force any creature within your space to make a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, a target takes 4d10 bludgeoning damage (this counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage). If it is Medium or smaller, it is also grappled (save DC equals your spell save DC). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained and unable to breathe unless it can breathe water. If the saving throw is successful, the target half as much damage and is pushed out of your space. At the start of each of your turns, each target grappled by you takes 4d10 bludgeoning damage. A creature within 5 feet of you can pull a creature or object out of you by taking an action to make a Strength check against your spell save DC and succeeding.

Air

As an action, you can become invisible until you either use a bonus action to drop the invisibility or fall unconscious. In addition, as a bonus action, you can cause a strong wind to surround you in a 10-foot radius until the start of your next turn. The wind extinguishes unprotected flames in the area and disperses any vapor, gas, or fog that can be dispersed by strong wind.

Born to the Elements

15th level Elemental Explorer feature
Starting at the 15th level, you've truly mastered the elements. As a bonus action, you manifest an elemental aura, which lasts for 10 minutes. You gain the following benefits while transformed:

• You gain temporary hit points equal to 5d8 plus your ranger level.
• You gain a fly speed and a swim speed equal to your walking speed.
• You can burrow through a distance of nonmagical, unworked earth and stone equal to your walking speed. While doing so, you don't disturb the material you move through.
• You gain immunity to one type of damage, based on your chosen Primordial Essence resistance.
• As a bonus action, whenever you deal damage with a weapon attack, choose one damage type between Fire, Cold, Thunder, Lightning, or Acid. The attack deals an extra 2d12 of the chosen damage type.

You can transform a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.