Ranger Class

Coated with leaves, branches, and soot, a human stalks alone through the shadows of trees, skulking behind a pack of trolls marked by a bounty. Clutching a shortsword in each hand, he becomes a whirlwind of steel, cutting down one enemy after another.

A half-orc, eyes burning with anger, quickly deflects the magical influence of an vampire. As her comrades rush in to flank the hissing monster, she trains her crossbow at its chest. Muttering under her breath, she looses a bolt.

Holding her hand high, a half-elf whistles to the hawk that circles high above her, calling the bird back to her side. Whispering instructions in Elvish, she points to the owlbear she's been tracking and sends the hawk to distract the creature while she rushes in, pulling the maul off her back.

Far from the bustle of cities and towns, the biting wind whistles as a cloaked man stalks through tall, dead grass amid the cold tundras of winter. Crouching low, he examines a large set of tracks as a shadow slowly looms over the hill. He looks up, tightening his grip on the bow in his hand.

Worldly Denizens

Rangers specialize in interacting and fighting within the landscape around them. Some explore and wander freely, while others try to simply settle down and live in peace as best they can. Should they find themselves in combat, rangers have learned techniques that can readily adapt to foes to deadly effect.

Thanks to their familiarity with the wilds or the need to survive, some rangers acquire the ability to cast spells that harness nature's power, much as a druid does. Some will say that it's a pale imitation, but it is just another tool to aid in survival. Regardless of origin, these abilities, like their combat abilities, emphasize speed, stealth, and the untamed power of nature.

Independent Adventurers

Though a ranger might make a living as a hunter, a guide, or a tracker, a ranger's true calling is to adapt to and master the physical world around them. In some places, rangers gather in secretive orders or join forces with druidic circles. Many rangers 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.

This 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 a merciless foe in the wild 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.

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? 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.

Quick Build

You can make a ranger quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Dexterity your highest ability score, followed by Wisdom. (Some rangers who focus on heavier weapons would instead make their Strength higher than their 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 Constitution Modifer
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d16 + Constitution Modifer

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: Choose either Herbalism kit or Poisoner's Kit
Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
Skills: Choose three from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, and Stealth.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) leather armor or (b) scale mail
• (a) two shortswords or (b) simple weapons or (c) martial weapon
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• a longbow with 20 arrows.

Class Features

Animal Empathy

You have an innate ability to communicate with bestial creatures, and how to read their needs and emotions.

As an action, you can communicate simple ideas to a creatures with an Intelligence of 3 or lower and can read its basic mood and intent. You learn its emotional state, whether it is affected by magic of any sort, its short-term needs (such as food or safety), and actions you can take (if any) to persuade it to not attack.

Hunter's Eye

Your keen eyes can quickly assess your surroundings and are equally adapt in darkness and light.

You can use the Search Action as a bonus action instead.

In addition, you can choose one of the following benefits:

• You gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.
• The range of your darkvision increases by 30 feet.
• You ignore the penalties of your race's Sunlight Sensitivity feature.

Natural Explorer

You have a natural talent to roam the world and safely guide others through its deep forests and forgotten ruins. You gain the following benefits:

Outdoorsman. You gain proficiency in the Survival skill and your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses this proficiency. Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger.

Forager. When you forage and succeed on the Wisdom (Survival) check, you find twice as much food and water as you normally would. If you fail, you still find half as much food and water as you normally would.

Look-out. Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger, and you don't suffer the -5 penalty to your passive Wisdom (Perception) score while traveling at a fast pace.

Pathfinder. Difficult terrain doesn't slow your group’s travel, and your group has advantage on ability checks and saving throws to overcome Wilderness Hazards (such as Quicksand or Thin Ice).

Scout. You can move stealthily at a normal pace while traveling alone, or while accompanied only by a familiar, animal companion, or other such follower granted by a spell, background, or class feature.

Survivor. Your group has advantage on saving throws against diseases as well as against Extreme Heat and Extreme Cold.

Favored Terrain

You have learned the ways to survive in a particular environment, and you carry that knowledge with you on your travels. Choose one favored terrain from the list detailed at the end of the class description. You gain the benefits listed for that favored terrain. You can choose another favored terrain at 4th, 8th, 12th and 16th level.

Arctic

You have resistance to cold damage. You also ignore difficult terrain caused by ice or snow, and have advantage on any Acrobatics check made to keep balance on unstable surfaces.

Aquatic/Coastal

Swimming no longer costs extra movement. You also can hold your breath for twice as long as normal, and have advantage on any Athletics check made to swim in rough waters.

Desert

You have resistance to fire damage. You also have advantage on any Survival check made to find food or water.

Forest

You gain proficiency in Perception, Expertise if you are already proficient. You also ignore difficult terrain caused by plants.

Grassland

Your walk speed increases by 10 feet. You also have advantage on Constitution checks to avoid exhaustion caused by extended marching, and on checks to avoid being moved by magical wind effects.

Mountain

Climbing no longer costs extra movement. You also ignore difficult terrain caused by rock, and take half damage from falling.

Swamp

You gain resistance to poison damage and have advantage on saves against the Poisoned condition. You also are immune to disease and ignore difficult terrain caused by thick mud or ooze.

Urban

You have advantage on Stealth and Performance checks to blend into a crowd, and advantage on Perception checks made to find someone trying to blend into a crowd. Your attacks also ignore creatures as half and three-quarters cover, and you ignore difficult terrain caused by rubble.

Underdark

You gain darkvision out to 30 feet, or increase your darkvision by 30 feet. You also gain resistance to poison damage and learn Undercommon.

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.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The Ranger table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your ranger spells. To cast one of your ranger spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. You prepare the list of ranger spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the ranger spell list. When you do so, choose a number of ranger spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + half your ranger level, rounded down (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

For example, if you are a 5th-level ranger, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Wisdom of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell animal friendship, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells.

You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of ranger spells requires time spent in prayer and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

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.

Spell Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Spell Attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Ritual Casting

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

Archetype Spells

Each archetype has a list of associated spells. You gain access to these spells at the levels specified in the archetype description. Once you gain access to an archetype spell, you always have it prepared. Archetype spells don't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.

If you gain an archetype spell that doesn't appear on the ranger spell list, the spell is nonetheless a ranger spell for you.

Ranger Style

In your study of the natural world, starting at 2nd Level your styles have become an extension of your body.

You gain two Ranger Styles of your choice. Your style options are detailed on page 6 of the Ranger Class. When you gain certain ranger levels, you gain additional styles of your choice, as shown in the Styles Learned column of the Ranger table.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the styles you know and replace it with another style that you could learn at that level.

Fighting Style

At 2nd 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 to 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.

Close-Quarters Shooter

Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn’t impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls.

Hunter's Mark

Beginning at 2nd level, you can focus your senses onto a creature, mystically marking it as your quarry.

As a bonus action, you can mark one creature you can see within 90 feet of you. Alternatively, you can mark a creature by studying its tracks for at least 10 minutes.

The target is marked until it drops to 0 hit points, you finish a long rest, or you use this feature again to target another creature. While a creature is marked, you gain the following benefits:

Hunter's Sense. You have advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) check to find the target.

Hunter's Strike. Whenever you hit the target with an attack, you deal additional damage as shown in the Hunter's Mark column of the Ranger table.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). If your current mark drops to 0 hit points, you regain one expended use, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Expertise

At 3rd level, choose two of your skill and/or tool proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.

Ranger Archetype

Also at 3rd level, you choose to emulate the ideals and training of a ranger archetype, all detailed at the end of the class description.

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. Instead of increasing your ability score you can instead choose a feat.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Skirmisher

By 6th level, you have become fast and agile and can maneuver around the battlefield with ease. While you aren't wearing heavy armor, your speed increases by 10 feet and you can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on your turn.

Hidden in Plain Sight

Starting at 8th level, you can spend 1 minute to don or doff camouflage over your armor and clothing. To do so, you must have access to fresh mud, dirt, plants, soot, or other naturally occurring materials with which to create your camouflage. This camouflage lasts until removed or destroyed by rough conditions.

Once you are camouflaged in this way, while you press against a solid surface, such as a tree or wall, that is at least as tall and as wide as you are, you gain a +10 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

To remain camouflaged in this way while within a creature's sight, you can't move more than 5 feet during a single turn or take any actions; once you do, you must remain unseen by that creature for at least 1 full round while camouflaged to regain this benefit.

Ambuscade

At 10th level, you learn how to act swiftly and deal deadly strikes at unaware prey. You have advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn't taken a turn in the combat yet. Also, you can't be tracked by nonmagical means unless you choose to leave a trail.

Ranger's Resilience

At 14th level, surviving the harshness of the wilds has steeled your body, mind and soul. You gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws. If you already have this proficiency, you instead gain proficiency in another saving throw of your choice. Additionally, once per long rest, whenever you or an ally spends a hit dice to restore hit points during a short rest, each creature that spent a hit die may regain additional hitpoints equal to 1d4 + half your ranger level.

Hunter Senses

At 18th level, when you attack a creature you can't see, your inability to see it doesn't impose disadvantage on your attack rolls against it. Additionally, you cannot have disadvantage on attack rolls against your favored enemies.

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.

Perfect Hunter

At 20th level you become an unparalleled hunter, gaining the following benefits:

No Escape. As long as it's on the same plane of existence as you and isn't protected from divination magic, you always know the rough distance and direction towards the target of your Hunter's Mark, even if it is hidden or obscured.

Deadly Mark. Any attack roll you make against the target of your Hunter's Mark is a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 on the d20.

Killing Blow. When you hit the target of your Hunter's Mark with an attack, you can choose to let your Hunter's Mark vanish after the attack. If you do, the attack deals an additional 9d10 damage to the target. You can't use this feature again until you finish a short rest.

Marks. You gain 2 additional uses of Hunter's Mark.

Ranger Styles

As a Ranger you gain the Ranger Styles features. You must be of a certain ranger level (or higher) in order to choose more powerful trainings.

1st Level Styles

Enhanced Animal Empathy. With a successful Wisdom (Animal Handling) check as an action, you can communicate simple ideas to a beast and can read its basic mood and intent. You learn its emotional state, whether it is affected by magic of any sort, its short-term needs (such as food or safety), and actions you can take (if any) to persuade it to not attack. You cannot use this ability against a creature that you have attacked within the past 10 minutes.

Expertise I. Choose one of your skill and/or tool proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.

Hunter's Quarry. If a target that you are attacking ends its turn at more than 5 feet from you, you can use a reaction to move up to your movement speed. Moving this way does not provoke opportunity attacks and ignores difficult terrain. On your first turn in combat, you have advantage on attack rolls against creatures have not yet acted.

Urban Empathy. By concentrating for one uninterrupted minute (as if concentrating on a spell), you can sense the most prominent emotions running through the settlement you are currently in, such as fear, unrest, or anger. You also gain a rough vision of the general layout of the settlement, and you can identify specific districts such as temples, markets, or slums.

Language I. Choose another language to learn (this cannnot be an exotic dialect), you can speak, read and write in that language.

3rd Level Styles

Battle Movement. While you aren't wearing heavy armor and aren't encumbered, you can use your bonus action to move 15 feet to attack a target, opportunity attacks are at a disadvantage but if the attack hits they deal an extra 1d4 damage.

Language II. Requires Language I Choose another language to learn (this can be an exotic dialect), you can speak read and write in that language.

6th Level Styles

Land's Stride. Climbing and swimming costs you no extra movement.

You can also pass through nonmagical plants without being slowed by them and without taking damage from them if they have thorns, spines, or a similar hazard. In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against plants that are magically created or manipulated to impede movement, such those created by the entangle spell.

Collateral. You can target up to 3 creatures in a straight line, your arrow will pierce through your first target and attempt to attack the second and third as part of your attack action. You roll three attack rolls, one for each target, with the second at minus 10 to hit and the third on at disadvantage and minus 10.

10th Level Styles

Evasion. When you are subjected to an effect, such as a red dragon’s fiery breath or a lightning bolt spell, 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.

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.

Expertise II.

Requires Expertise I Prerequisite Ranger Level 12

Choose one skill and/or tool proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.

14th Level Styles

Resilient Body. You gain the ability once per day to regain 4d20 hit points.

Resilient Mind. You gain proficiency in either Intelligence or Charisma saving throws

Resilient Soul. When you take psychic damage you are able to cut that damage in half. You can do this once per day. This will reset after a long rest.

Enhanced Hunters Mark

Prerequisite Ranger Level 16

Your eyes have been honed to its fullest potential. You can hunters mark two creatures that you can see within range. With this if you attack both creatures on your turn each of them take an additional 2d10 damage of psychic.

Battle Attacker Master

Prerequisite Ranger Level 18

You are battle honed and ready for anything. You gain the ability to attack 3 times a turn.

Ranger Spell List

1st Level

Absorb Elements
Alarm
Animal Friendship
Beast Bond
Cure Wounds
Detect Magic
Detect Poison and Disease
Ensnaring Strike
Entangle
Faerie Fire
Feather Fall
Fog Cloud
Goodberry
Hail of Thorns
Jump
Longstrider
Purify Food and Drink
Sleep
Snare
Speak with Animals
Zephyr Strike

2nd Level

Animal Messenger
Barkskin
Beast Sense
Blindness/Deafness
Blur
Cordon of Arrows
Darkvision
Darkness
Enhance Ability
Find Steed
Find Traps
Gentle Repose
Invisibility
Lesser Restoration
Locate Animals or Plants
Locate Object
Misty Step
Pass without Trace
Protection from Poison
See Invisibility
Silence
Spider Climb
Spike Growth

3rd Level

Catnap
Clairvoyance
Conjure Animals
Conjure Barrage
Daylight
Dispel Magic
Elemental Weapon
Erupting Earth
Feign Death
Flame Arrows
Lightning Arrow
Nondetection
Plant Growth
Protection from Energy
Revivify
Speak with Plants
Water Breathing
Water Walk

4th Level

Conjure Woodland Beings
Dominate Beast
Elemental Bane
Find Greater Steed
Freedom of Movement
Giant Insect
Grasping Vine
Greater Invisibility
Guardian of Nature
Hallucinatory Terrain
Locate Creature
Stoneskin

5th Level

Commune with Nature
Conjure Volley
Contagion
Far Step
Insect Plague
Mislead
Scrying
Steel Wind Strike
Swift Quiver
Tree Stride
Wrath of Nature