# Ranger Rough and wild looking, a human stalks alone through the shadows of trees, hunting the orcs he knows are planning a raid on a nearby farm. Clutching a shortsword in each hand, he becomes a whirlwind of steel, cutting down one enemy after another. After tumbling away from a cone of freezing air, an elf finds her feet and draws back her bow to loose an arrow at the white dragon. Shrugging off the wave of fear that emanates from the dragon like the cold of its breath, she sends one arrow after another to find the gaps between the dragon's thick scales. Holding his hand high, a half-elf whistles to the hawk that circles high above him, calling the bird back to his side. Whispering instructions in Elvish, he points to the owlbear he's been tracking and sends the hawk to distract the creature while he readies his bow. Far from the bustle of cities and towns, past the hedges that shelter the most distant farms from the terrors of the wild, amid the dense-packed trees of trackless forests and across wide and empty plains, rangers keep their unending watch. ### Deadly Hunters Warriors of the wilderness, rangers specialize in hunting the monsters that threaten the edges of civilization- humanoid raiders, rampaging beasts and monstrosities, terrible giants, and deadly dragons. They learn to track their quarry as a predator does, moving stealthily through the wilds and hiding themselves in brush and rubble. Rangers focus their combat training on techniques that are particularly useful against their specific favored foes. Thanks to their familiarity with the wilds, rangers acquire the ability to cast spells that harness nature’s power, much as a druid does. Their spells, like their combat abilities, emphasize speed, stealth, and the hunt. A ranger’s talents and abilities are honed with deadly focus on the grim task of protecting the borderlands. ### Independent Adventurers Though a ranger might make a living as a hunter, a guide, or a tracker, a ranger’s true calling is to defend the outskirts of civilization from the ravages of monsters and humanoid hordes that press in from the wild. In some places, rangers gather in secretive orders or join forces with druidic circles. Many rangers, though, are independent almost to a fault, knowing that, when a dragon or a band of orcs attacks, a ranger might be the first - and possibly the last - line of defense. The fierce independence makes rangers well suited to adventuring, since they are accustomed to life far from the comforts of a dry bed and a hot bath. Faced with city-bred adventurers who grouse and whine about the hardships of the wild, rangers respond with some mixture of amusement, frustration, and compassion. But they quickly learn that other adventurers who can carry their own weight in a fight against civilization’s foes are worth any extra burden. Coddled city folk might not know how to feed themselves or find fresh water in the wild, but they make up for it in other ways. ``` ``` > ##### Credits > Special thanks to **/u/dot_exe** for the baseline for this class variant, it wouldn't have happened without his work. \page ##### The Ranger ___ | Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Poultices | Spells Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | |:---:|:---:|:---|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| | 1st | +2 | Favored Enemy, Fighting Style, Hunter's Mark, Natural Explorer| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | 2nd | +2 | Primeval Awareness, Spellcasting | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | | 3rd | +2 | Ranger Archetype, Poultices |1d6| 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | | 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement |1d6| 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | | 5th | +3 | Extra Attack |1d6| 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | | 6th | +3 | Favored Enemy & Natural Explorer Improvement |1d6| 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | | 7th | +3 | Ranger Archetype Feature |1d6| 5 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | | 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement, Land's Stride |2d6| 5 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | | 9th | +4 | Hide in Plain Sight |2d6| 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | | 10th | +4 | Natural Remedy, Natural Explorer Improvement |2d6| 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | | 11th | +4 | Ranger Archetype Feature |2d6| 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | | 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement |3d6| 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | | 13th | +5 | Master of the Wilds |3d6| 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | | 14th | +5 | Favored Enemy Improvement |3d6| 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | | 15th | +5 | Ranger Archetype Feature |3d6| 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | | 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement |4d6| 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | | 17th | +6 | — |4d6| 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | | 18th | +6 | Feral Senses |4d6| 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | | 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement |4d6| 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | | 20th | +6 | Foe Slayer |5d6| 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ### Creating A Ranger As you create your ranger character, consider the nature of the training that gave you your particular capabilities. Did you train with a single mentor, wandering the wilds together until you mastered the ranger's ways? Did you leave your apprenticeship, or was your mentor slain perhaps by the same kind of monster that became your favored enemy? Or perhaps you learned your skills as part of a band of rangers affiliated with a druidic circle, trained in mystic paths as well as wilderness lore. You might be self-taught, a recluse who learned combat skills, tracking, and even a magical connection to nature through the necessity of surviving in the wilds. What's the source of your particular hatred of a certain kind of enemy? Did a monster kill someone you loved or destroy your home village? Or did you see too much of the destruction these monsters cause and commit yourself to reining in their depredations? [s your adventuring career a continuation of your work in protecting the borderlands, or a significant change? What made you join up with a band of adventurers? Do you find it challenging to teach new allies the ways of the wild, or do you welcome the relief from solitude that they offer? ``` ``` #### Quick Build Vou can make a ranger quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Dexterity your highest ability score, followed by Wisdom. (Some rangers who focus on two-weapon fighting make Strength higher than Dexterity.) Second, choose the outlander background. ## Class Features As a ranger, you gain the following class features #### Hit Points ___ - **Hit Dice:** 1d10 per ranger level - **Hit Points at 1st Level:** 10 + your Constituion modifier - **Hit Points at Higher Levels:** 1d10 (or 6) + your Constituion modifier per ranger level after 1st #### Proficiencies ___ - **Armor:** Light armor, medium armor, Shields - **Weapons:** Simple weapons, martial weapons - **Tools:** Herbalism Kit ___ - **Saving Throws:** Strength, Dexterity - **Skills:** Choose three from Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival \page #### Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: - *(a)* scale mail or *(b)* leather armor - *(a)* two shortswords or *(b)* two simple melee weapons - *(a)* a dungeoneer’s pack or *(b)* an explorer’s pack - A longbow and a quiver of 20 arrows ### Favored Enemy Beginning at 1st level, you have significant experience studying, tracking, hunting, and even talking to a certain type of enemy. Choose a type of favored enemy: aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or undead. Alternatively, you can select two races of humanoid (such as gnolls and orcs) as favored enemies. You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track your favored enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them. Furthermore, when fighting against your favored enemy, you add your proficiency bonus to all weapon damage rolls. Lastly, when you gain this feature, you also learn one language of your choice that is spoken by your favored enemies, if they speak one at all. You choose one additional favored enemy, as well the bonus to damage and an associated language, at 6th and 14th level. As you gain levels, your choices should reflect the types of monsters you have encountered on your adventures. ### Fighting Style At 1st level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again. #### Archery You gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls you make with ranged weapons. #### Defense While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC. #### 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. #### Two-Weapon Fighting When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack. ``` ``` ### Hunter's Mark At 1st level, you learn the Hunter's Mark spell. You may cast it without using a spell slot, and it does not count against your number of spells known. ### Natural Explorer You are particularly familiar with one type of natural environment and are adept at traveling and surviving in such regions. Choose one type of favored terrain: arctic, coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, ocean, swamp, or the Underdark. When you make an Intelligence or Wisdom check related to your favored terrain, your proficiency bonus is doubled if you are using a skill that you’re proficient in. While traveling for an hour or more in your favored terrain, you gain the following benefits: - Difficult terrain doesn't slow your group's travel. - Your group can't become lost except by magical means. - Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger. - If you are traveling alone or only with your animal companion, you can move stealthily at a normal pace. - When you forage, you find twice as much food as you normally would. - While tracking other creatures, you also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area. You choose additional favored terrain types at 6th and 10th level. As you gain levels, your choices should reflect the types of terrains you have encountered on your adventures. ### Primeval Awareness Starting at 2nd level, you can use your action and expend one ranger spell slot to focus his awareness on the region around you. For 1 minute per level of the spell slot you expend, you can sense whether the following types of creatures are present within 1 mile of you (or within 6 miles if you are in your favored terrain): aberrations, celestials, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead. Additionally, you gain advantage on Perception and Survival checks to notice or track them. ### Spellcasting By the time you reach 2nd level, you have learned to use the magical essence of nature to cast spells, much as a druid does. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the ranger spell list. \page #### 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 those 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 You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the ranger spell list. 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. #### Spellcasting Ability Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your ranger spells, since your magic draws on your attunement to nature. You can 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.
**Spell save DC** = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier **Spell attack modifier** = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier ### Ranger Archetype At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you strive to emulate: Beast Master, Monster Hunter, or Nature Warden, all three detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 7th, 11th, and 15th level. ### Poultices At 3rd level, you can create special herbal poultices that have healing power comparable to some potions. During a long rest, you can gather herbs and prepare herbal salves, using treated bandages to create one poultice. You can carry a number of poultices at one time equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). The poultices you create cannot be applied by anyone but you. After 24 hours, any poultices that you have not used lose their potency. If you spend an action applying one of your poultices to a wounded humanoid creature, thereby expending its use, that creature regains your wisdom modifier plus a number of d6 equal to one quarter your ranger level (rounded down, minimum one). Once a creature has benefited from a poultice, they cannot benefit from another until after they have finished a long rest. ``` ``` ### Ability Score Improvement When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. ### Extra Attack Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. ### Land's Stride Starting at 8th level, moving through non-magical difficult terrain costs you no extra movement. You also pass through non-magical plants without being slowed by them and without taking damage from them if they have thorns, spines, or similar hazard. In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against plants that are magically created or manipulated to impede movement, such as those created by the entangle spell. ### Natural Remedy Starting at 10th level, you have advantage on saving throws against poison and have resistance to poison damage. Whenever you apply a poultice, you can forgo healing the creature’s hit points and instead cure one of the following conditions: Blinded, Paralyzed, Poisoned, Stunned, and Unconscious. When you use a poultice to cure a condition, the process takes place over the course of an hour, due to the intensity of removing a debilitating condition. ### Hide in Plain Sight Starting at 9th level, you can spend 1 minute creating camouflage for yourself. You must have access to fresh mud, dirt, plants, soot, and other naturally occurring materials with which to create your camouflage. Once you are camouflaged in this way, you can try to hide by pressing yourself up against a solid surface, such as a tree or wall, that is at least as tall and wide as you are. You gain a +10 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks as long as you remain there without moving or taking actions. Each time you move or take an action or a reaction, reduce the bonus by 5 until it reaches 0. Once you no longer receive a bonus from your camouflage, you must spend a minute camouflaging yourself again to gain this benefit again. ### Master of the Wilds Starting at 13th level, you become an unparalleled master of the wilderness. You can use the Hide action as a bonus action on your turn. Also, you can always move stealthily at full speed and while following tracks without penalty. When traveling, you can’t be tracked by non-magical means, unless you choose to leave a trail. You gain advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) and Wisdom (Survival) checks when in your favored terrain. \page ### Feral Senses At 18th level, you gain preternatural senses that help you fight creatures you cannot see. When you attack a creature you can’t see, your inability to see it doesn’t impose disadvantage on your attack rolls against it. You are also aware of the location of any invisible creature within 30 feet of you, provided that the creature isn’t hidden from you and you aren’t blinded or deafened. Your heightened senses also increase your ability to act before others, and you may add your Wisdom modifier to initiative checks in addition to your Dexterity modifier. Furthermore, when you roll initiative, you gain a special turn that takes place before other creatures can act. On this turn, you can move as well as take either the Attack or Hide action. If more than one creature in an encounter has this feature (or a similar ability), they all act first in order of initiative, then the regular initiative order begins. If you would normally be surprised at the start of an encounter, you are not surprised, but you do not gain this extra turn. ### Foe Slayer Starting at 20th level, you have learned how to quickly analyze your foe and discover their weak points. As an Action, make a single attack against a creature within 30 feet. If you hit, the creature takes an additional 5d10 points of weapon damage and must make a Constitution saving throw vs your spell DC. If the target fails, you can choose one of the following conditions to inflict upon them: blinded, deafened, frightened, or stunned. The creature suffers from this effect for 1 minute, or until they pass the save. The creature may reattempt the saving throw at the end of each of its turns. If Foe Slayer is used against a favored enemy, the damage is increased to 10d10 and you impose disadvantage on the saving throw. You must complete a short or long rest before you can use Foe Slayer again. ## Ranger Archetypes ### Beastmaster The Beast Master archetype embodies a friendship between the civilized races and the beasts of the world. United in focus, beast and ranger work as one to fight the monstrous foes that threaten civilization and the wilderness alike. Emulating the Beast Master Archetype means committing yourself to this ideal, working in partnership with an animal as its companion and friend. #### Animal Companion When you become a beast master at 3rd level, you gain a beast companion that accompanies you on your adventures and is trained to fight alongside you. Choose a Beast that is no larger than Medium and has a challenge rating of ¼ or lower. Add your proficiency bonus to the beast’s AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls. The creature has advantage on saving throws as long as it is within 60ft of you. The creature gains HP equal to its hit die plus its constitution modifier for every 3 ranger levels you have. The beast obeys your commands as best it can. It takes its turn on your initiative, though it doesn’t take action unless you command it to. On your turn, you can verbally command the beast where to move (no action required by you). You can use your bonus action to verbally command it to take the Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action. You can also use your action to allow your companion to take the Attack action. Once you have the Extra Attack feature, you can make one weapon attack yourself when you command the beast to take the Attack action. If the beast dies, you can obtain another one by spending 8 hours magically bonding with another beast that isn’t hostile to you, either the same type of beast as before or a different one. #### Beast Master's Training At 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the Animal Handling skill as well as one of the following skills: Insight, Nature, Perception, and Persuasion. If you are already proficient with Animal handling, choose two skills off of this list. If you are already proficient with these all of skills, you may choose two other skills from the Ranger Skill list. #### Exceptional Training Starting at 7th level, you gain a greater understanding of your animal companion, allowing you to give it more intricate commands. You can use your bonus action to verbally command it to take the Attack action, rather than your Action or part of your attack. Additionally, your companion may take the Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help actions independent of your command (no action required). #### Faithful Companion Beginning at 11th level, your animal companion has learned how to aid you and your allies independently of your commands. Your companion still acts on your initiative, but it may take its own movement and action as if it was its own player, without you needing to expend any actions to command it. Additionally, your animal companion is able to administer your poultices to your allies. If you give your companion a poultice, it may move to one of your allies and use its action to deliver the poultice. #### Bestial Fury Starting at 15th level, your companion may make two attacks on its turn, instead of one, whenever it takes the attack action. (Multiattack) \page ### Monster Hunter As a ranger of the Monster Hunter path, you prowl the wilderness in search of aberrations, fiends, and other monsters that must be slain before they wreak havoc on the natural world, and hunt down and destroy rampaging ogres, orc warbands, and towering giants that threaten the frontier villages of the civilized world. Being a Monster Hunter makes you a guardian of both the natural world and the inhabitants of civilization's frontiers. #### Hunter's Training When you become a Monster Hunter at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with two of the following skills: Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, and Stealth. If you are already proficient with all of these skills, you may choose two other skills from the Ranger skill list. #### Hunter's Quarry At 3rd level, you may cast Hunter's Mark or transfer it to a new target as a free action. At 9th level, your Hunter's Mark damage increases to 2d6. It increases to 3d6 at 15th level. #### Monster Pursuit Your pursuit of monsters in the wilderness has brought you far and wide, and you have encountered many different types of enemies. At 3rd level, you may choose an additional favored enemy. #### Stalker's Prey At 3rd level, you gain one of the following features of your choice: **Colossus Slayer.** Your tenacity can wear down the most potent foes. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, the creature takes an extra 1d8 damage if it’s below its hit point maximum. You can deal this extra damage only once per turn. **Giant Killer.** When a Large or larger creature within 5 feet of you hits or misses you with an attack, you can use your reaction to attack that creature immediately after its attack, provided that you can see the creature. **Horde Breaker.** Once on each of your turns when you make a weapon attack, you can make another attack with the same weapon against a different creature that is within 5 feet of the original target and within range of your weapon. #### Defensive Tactics At 7th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice. **Escape the Horde.** Opportunity attacks against you are made with disadvantage. **Multiattack Defense.** When a creature hits or misses you with an attack, you gain a +4 bonus to AC against all subsequent attacks made by that creature for the rest of the turn. **Steel Will.** You have advantage on saving throws against mind-affecting effects such as fear and charms and you have resistance from psychic damage. ``` ``` #### Press the Advantage At 11th level, if you take the attack action and reduce a hostile creature to zero hit points, you may take a second action to use on your turn. Furthermore, you gain one of the following features of your choice. **Volley.** You can use your action to make a ranged attack against any number of creatures within 10 feet of a point you can see within your weapon’s range. You must have ammunition for each target, as normal, and you make a separate attack roll for each target. **Whirlwind Attack.** You can use your action to make a melee attack against any number of creatures within 5 feet of you, with a separate attack roll for each target. #### Superior Hunter's Defense At 15th level, when a favored enemy you can see attacks you or an ally within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. Furthermore, you gain one of the following features of your choice. **Evasion.** You can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a red dragon’s fiery breath or a lightning bolt spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail. **Stand Against the Tide.** When a hostile creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to force that creature to repeat the same attack again another creature (other than itself) of your choice. **Uncanny Dodge.** When an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack’s damage against you. \page ### Nature Warden By following the path of the Nature Warden, you protect the natural world from creatures that would despoil it, even as you engage with the common folk who rely upon nature’s bounty to survive. You patrol the pathways through the wilds, drawing upon your natural talents and a greater understanding of nature’s mysteries and magics. #### Improved Poultices When you become a Nature Warden at 3rd level, your connection with the natural world heightens. Poultices that you are carrying never lose their potency. Additionally, when you apply a poultice, the target regains an extra d6 hit points in addition to what the poultice normally does. #### Traveler In your journey to protect the natural world, you travel far and wide across all manners of terrain. At 3rd level, you may choose an additional favored terrain type. #### Warden's Training At 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the Nature skill as well as one of the following skills: Animal Handling, History, Medicine, and Survival. If you are already proficient with the Nature skill, choose two skills from this list instead. If you are already proficient with all of these skills, you may choose two other Ranger skills. #### Nature's Secrets At 7th level, you learn two spells of your choice from the druid or ranger spell list. All spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Ranger table, or a cantrip. The chosen spells count as ranger spells for you but don’t count against the number of ranger spells you know. You may select another Druid spell or cantrip when you gain a new Nature Warden feature at 11th and 15th levels. #### Ritual Casting When you learn the secrets to Druidic magic, you also learn their ritual practices. At 7th level, you may now cast any spell you know with the ritual tag as a ritual. Casting a spell as a ritual takes ten minutes longer than it otherwise would, but does not expend a spell slot. You may also learn one new ritual spell from the Ranger spell list, which will not count against your known Ranger spells. #### Terrain Mastery At 11th level choose an additional favored terrain. You combine speed and stealth in combat with your knowledge of your favored terrains to make yourself hard to pin down. You are difficult to detect even if you attack or otherwise take actions that would normally reveal your presence. So long as you are within your favored terrain, you can pick a creature you are hidden from at the start of your turn. You remain hidden from that creature during your turn, regardless of your actions or the actions of other creatures. As a bonus action at the end of your turn, you can make a Dexterity (Stealth) check to hide from all other creatures again if you fulfill the conditions needed to hide. Otherwise, creatures are aware of you at the end of your turn, as they normally would be. Furthermore, you cannot be slowed or impeded by difficult terrain, even terrain altered through magical means. #### Nature's Sanctuary When you reach 15th level, creatures of the natural world sense your connection to nature and become hesitant to attack you. When a beast or plant creature attacks you, that creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your ranger spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature must choose a different target, or the attack automatically misses. On a successful save, the creature is immune to this effect for 24 hours. The creature is aware of this effect before it makes its attack against you.