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 green dragon. Shrugging off the wave of poison that threatens to grip her body, 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 help them track and take down the evils that threaten their lands.
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.
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 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.
The Ranger
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Spells Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Fast Traveler, Natural Explorer | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | Fighting Style, Spellcasting | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +2 | Improved Hunter's Mark, Ranger Archetypes | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 6th | +3 | Subversive Mark | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 7th | +3 | Ranger Archetype feature | 5 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement, Worldwalker | 5 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 9th | +4 | ─ | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 10th | +4 | Cunning Action | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 11th | +4 | Ranger Archetype feature | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 13th | +5 | ─ | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 14th | +5 | Feral Senses | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 15th | +5 | Ranger Archetype feature | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 17th | +6 | ─ | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 18th | +6 | Unwavering | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20th | +6 | Foe Slayer | 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 wilderness lore and the power of the natural flora.
You might be self-taught, a recluse who learned combat skills, tracking, or herbalism 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? Is 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
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 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 Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per ranger level after 1st.
Proficiencies
- Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
- Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
- Tools: Herbalism or Poisoner's kit
- Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
- Skills: Choose three from Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) scale mail or (b) leather armor
- (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two shortswords or two simple melee weapons
- (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
- A longbow and a quiver of 20 arrows
Fast Traveler
Beginning at 1st level, your natural agility and experience walking for long stretches increases you base walking speed by 5 feet.
Natural Explorer
Also at 1st level, you have significant experience navigating the natural world, letting you ignore the slowing effects of traveling through difficult terrain.
In addition, you gain the following benefits when traveling for at least an hour:
- 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're alone, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
- You find twice as much food as normal when foraging.
- While tracking other creatures, you also learn their exact number and how long ago they passed through the area.
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.
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 Spells Rules for the general rules of spellcasting and the Spells Listing for the ranger spell list.
Spell Slots
The Ranger table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your ranger spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these 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 hunter's mark and 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 (except for hunter's mark) 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 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.
Improved Hunter's Mark
At 3rd level, your focus on any hunter's mark spell you cast becomes stronger. While concentrating on this spell, you make Constitution saving throws in order to maintain concentration with advantage.
Ranger Archetypes
At 3rd level, you choose to emulate the ideals and training of a ranger archetype, the Beast Master or the Hunter, which are detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th, and 15th level.
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.
Subversive Mark
At 6th level, creatures affected by your hunter's mark spell can no longer hide behind their defenses. Weapon attacks that you make against the affected creature count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Worldwalker
At 8th level, your swimming and climbing speeds are equal to your walking speed, unless they are already higher. In addition, moving through nonmagical difficult terrain costs you no extra movement.
Cunning Action
At 10th level, your quick thinking and experience allow you to move and act quickly. You can take a Bonus Action on each of your turns in combat. This action can be used only to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.
If you have a beast companion, you can use your bonus action on any of your turns when it doesn't attack to command it to take the Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action.
Feral Senses
At 14th level, you gain preternatural senses that help you fight creatures you can’t 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.
Unwavering
At 18th level, your experience with poisons and maintaining focus grants you proficiency in Constitution saving throws.
Foe Slayer
By 20th level, you've developed unparalleled hunting and survival instincts. You can add your Wisdom modifier to an ability check or saving throw you make: potentially turning a failure into a success. You decide to use this feature after rolling the d20, but before the DM determines if it succeeds or fails. Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
In addition, once on each of your turns, you can add your Wisdom modifier to either the attack roll or the damage roll of an attack you make. You can choose to use this feature before or after the roll, but before any effects of the roll are applied.
Ranger Archetypes
Across the wilds, rangers come together to form conclaves: loose associations whose members share a similar outlook on how best to protect nature from those who despoil it.
Beast Master
Many rangers are more at home in the wilds than civilization, to the point where animals consider them kin. Rangers of the Beast Master archetype develop a close bond with a beast, becoming a well-orchestrated force as they grow closer together.
Beast Master Magic
Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Beast Master Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of ranger spells you know.
Beast Master Spells
| Ranger level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | command |
| 5th | warding bond |
| 9th | tongues |
| 13th | polymorph |
| 17th | awaken |
Animal Companion
At 3rd level, you forge a pact-like connection with a beast. The beast companion accompanies you on your adventures and is trained to fight alongside you. Choose a beast that is no larger than Medium and that has a chaIlenge rating of 1/4 or lower (the hawk, mastiff, and panther as examples). Add your proficiency bonus to the beast's AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in. Its hit point maximum equals its normal maximum or four times your ranger level, whichever is higher. Like any creature, it can expend Hit Dice during a short rest to regain hit points.
The beast obeys your commands as best as it can. It takes its turn on your initiative, though it doesn't take an 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 action to verbally command it to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help 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.
Forming a connection with a beast in this way uses old, wild magics to create a deep and magical connection between you and your companion. Your companion gains the benefits of attacking a creature under the effects of your hunter's mark spell. In addition, when your companion falls to 0 hit points and is within 100 feet of you, it is immediately teleported to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you.
If you are incapacitated or absent, the beast acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself. The beast never requires your command to use its reaction, such as when making an opportunity attack.
If your companion dies, you can obtain a new one by spending 8 hours magically bonding with a beast that isn't hostile to you and that meets the requirements. You can only have one animal companion at a time.
Spirit Animal
At 7th level, you can cast enlarge/reduce on your animal companion without expending a spell slot. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain any expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.
While your companion is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an action, you can see through your companion's eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the familiar has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.
Beastial Fury
Starting at 11th level, when you command your beast companion to take the Attack action, the beast can make two attacks, or it can take the Multiattack action if it has that action.
Beast Caster
Beginning at 15th level, when you cast a spell targeting yourself, you can also affect your beast companion with the spell if the beast is within 30 feet of you. In addition, you can cast spells with a range of touch as though you were in your companion's space, but you must use your own senses.
Hunter
Some rangers seek to master weapons to better protect civilization from the terrors of the wilderness. Members of the Hunter Conclave learn specialized fighting techniques for use against the most dire threats, from rampaging ogres and hordes of orcs to towering giants and terrifying dragons.
Hunter Magic
Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Hunter Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of ranger spells you know.
Hunter Spells
| Ranger level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | bane |
| 5th | hold person |
| 9th | speak with dead |
| 13th | hallucinatory terrain |
| 17th | hold monster |
Slayer's Tactics
At 3rd level, you gain one of the following features of your choice.
Colossus Slayer. Your tenacity can wear down the most potent foes. Once per turn when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, that creature takes an extra 1d8 damage if it’s below its hit point maximum.
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.
Hunter's Alacrity. When a creature within 90 feet of you under the effects of your hunter's mark spell falls to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to move the spell to another creature within range.
Defensive Tactics
At level 7, you gain one of the following features:
Hunter's Defense. When a creature under the effects of your hunter's mark spell forces you to make a saving throw or an ability check to escape that target's grapple, add 1d6 to your roll.
Multiattack Defense. When a creature hits you with an attack, you gain a +4 bonus to your AC against all subsequent attacks made by that creature for the rest of the turn.
Poison Tolerance. You can no longer be poisoned by nonmagical means and gain resistance to poison damage.
Multiattack
At 11th level, you gain one of the following features:
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 melee attacks against any number of creatures within 5 feet of you, with a separate attack roll for each target.
Evasion
Beginning at 15th level, 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 a saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.
Reflexive
Also at 15th level, you gain one of the following features:
Assault Breaker. When a hostile creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to redirect it and force that creature to repeat the same attack against another creature (other than itself) of your choice.
Hunter's Counter. When a creature under the effects of your hunter's mark spell forces you to make a saving throw, you can use your reaction to make one weapon attack against the creature if it's within range. You make this attack immediately before making the saving throw. If the attack hits, your save automatically succeeds, in addition to the attack’s normal effects.
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.
Artwork Credits
Dushnikh Yal Archer cover art by Nuare Studio
Forest background by Veli Nyström (p.1)
Female Ranger (with edits) by Yuriy Georgiev (p.1)
Oathbow and Vicious Weapon (Rapier) by Wizards of the Coast (pp.3 & 6)
Male Ranger by Paizo Publishing (p.4)
Forest background by psdeluxe (p.4)
Beast Conclave Ranger and Lynx by Aurore Folny, ©Black Book Editions (p.5)
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