Since its first inception, Rangers have received many complaints, which can be summarized as:

• The Ranger does not have a strong core identity.
• Rangers have too many ribbon features.
• Rangers are too weak in combat.
• Rangers are too front loaded. There is little reason to continue past level 5 instead of multiclassing.
• Rangers have too many spells requiring concentration.
• Hunter’s Mark should have been a feature.
• Rogues and Bards are potentially better explorers and trackers than Rangers.
• Beast Master feels clunky and weak.

The purpose of this rework is to address these complaints while minimizing the number of changes to the original class. The goal is to hopefully better implement the game designer’s original vision of the class, and not to completely reimagine it (except for the beastmaster subclass).

For a full, in-depth explanation on all the changes and additions to the class, you can refer to Appendix E: Design Notes. I explained how each feature was addressed. Note that I did not agree with every complaint listed above and explained my reasoning when appropriate. For example, I disagree that the Ranger is weak in combat.

For the core identity of the Ranger, I based the class on the following concepts, adapted from the Player’s Handbook and Unearthed Arcana: Ranger (2015).

Credits

Created by Raymond Hua

Cover Art: Leidora by Astri Lohne

Interior Art: Untitled by Yuan Bin Hu, MtG Seek the Wilds by Dawn Murin, Untitled by Wenqing Yan, Medicine Man by zinnaDu, Connection by Yuumei, Bear by Ivan Laliashvili, Jon Snow by Pablo Olivera, L.O.R.D. by Xiaodi Jin, Panther Rider by Jee-Hyung Lee, Sacred White Deer by G-host Lee, Phase Dolphin by Lie Setiawan

Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d10 per ranger level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Consitution 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 Kit

• Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
• Skills: Choose two from Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Perception, and Stealth.

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 herbalism kit
• A longbow and a quiver of 20 arrows

Natural Expertise

You are skilled at navigating the wilderness and living off the land. You gain proficiency in the Nature and Survival skills if you don't already have it. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of those proficiencies.

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 these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain ali expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

For example, if you know the 1st-level spell shield 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 c1ass, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this c1ass, 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 leveI 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.

Dislike Double Concentration?

Use Tasha's Nature's Veil instead.

Nature's Veil

You draw on the powers of nature to hide yourself from view briefly. As a bonus action, you can magically become invisible, along with any equipment you are wearing or carrying, until the start of your next turn.

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

Not using my variant of Hunter's Mark?

Apex Predator

At 20th level, you have become an uparalleled hunter. The additional damage from Hunter's Mark increases to 2d6.

Animal Companion

At 3rd level, you learn to use your magic to create a powerful bond with a creature of the natural world. You can spend 8 hours bonding with a beast that has not yet reached maturity. You normally select your companion from among the following animals: a brown bear, a dire wolf, a giant eagle, a panther, or an elk. Their statistics are specified in Appendix B: Animal Companions.

The animal must already have a strong relationship with you (DM’s discretion). At the end of the 8 hours, the animal companion gains all the benefits of the Companion’s Bond ability. If you perform the ritual with a different animal, then the bond with your previous animal companion disappears. If your animal companion is dead, you may spend 8 hours and at least 25 gp worth of rare herbs to resurrect it as if you cast the True Resurrection spell.

Companion's Bond

The companion takes its turn on your initiative. It tries its best to follow your orders and acts independently otherwise. Your companion’s stats are replaced by the ones specified in Appendix B: Animal Companions. It becomes proficient in Strength and Dexterity saving throws. Your companion regains all lost hit points after it finishes a long rest.

Linked Hearts

At 3rd level, your life force becomes intertwined with your companion’s. As an action, you can touch your animal companion and transfer any number of your remaining hit points to it. Alternatively, you can expend 5 hit points to cure your animal companion of one disease or neutralize one poison affecting it.

Linked Minds

At 7th level, you learn the spell Beast Sense if you do not already know it. Beast Sense does not count against your number of spells known. You can cast Beast Sense on your animal companion a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1) without expending a spell slot. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Chrysalis

At 11th level, your animal companion has grown to full maturity. Its stat changes are indicated in Appendix B: Animal Companions.

Furthermore, the primal magic that connects you to your animal companion is slowly infusing itself into your companion’s essence. Your animal companion's attacks are considered magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance.

Metamorphosis

At 15th level, the primal magic that flows through your animal companion blooms and unlocks a metamorphosis called an Aspect, as specified in Appendix B: Animal Companions.

Healing Poultice

• Preparation Time: 10 minutes
• Components: Alcohol, Healing Berries (1), Cloth, Moss or Leaves
• Duration: 1 hour

You drench a handful of moss or leaves with alcohol and juice extracted from the Healing Berries. You bind the poultice tightly around the target’s wound using a piece of cloth.

Normal. DC 10, For the duration, whenever the target expends a hit die, instead of rolling, the target regains hit points as if they rolled the maximum number.

Greater. DC 15, Healing Berries (2). In addition to its normal effects, the poultice enables the target to regain 1d4 hit dice at the end of the duration.

Superior. DC 19, Healing Berries (3). In addition to its normal effects, the poultice enables the target to regain 1d8 hit dice at the end of the duration.

Curative Tea

• Preparation time: 20 minutes
• Components: Water, Curative Roots (1), a small fire
• Duration: Instantaneous

You boil the Curative Roots into a tea enough for one person.

Normal. DC 10, The target is cured of one disease affecting it.

Greater. DC 15, Curative Roots (1) + Healing Berries (1). The tea ends one condition affecting the target. That condition can be blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned.

Superior. DC 19, Curative Roots (2) + Healing Berries (1). The tea cures the target of all diseases and conditions affecting it. The conditions can be blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned.

Reinvigorating Tea

• Preparation Time: 30 minutes
• Components: Water, Restorative Herbs (1), a small fire
• Duration: Instantaneous

You grind the Restorative Herbs and grind them into a tea enough for one person.

Normal. DC 15, The target can restore an expended spell slot no higher in level than fifth. The target must spend a number of hit dice equivalent to the spell slot level.

Superior. DC 19, Restorative Herbs (2). The target can restore two expended spell slots in level no higher than 5th. The target must spend a number of hit dice equivalent to the combined spell slot levels.

Cordon of Arrows

2nd-level transmutation

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 5 feet
• Components: V, S, M (four or more arrows or bolts)
• Duration: 8 hours

Choose four points in the ground within range. You shoot a piece of nonmagical ammunition – arrows or crossbow bolts – at each point and lay magic upon them to protect an area. Until the spell ends, whenever a creature other than you comes within 30 feet of any of these four pieces of ammunition for the first time on a turn or ends its turn there, the corresponding piece of ammunition flies up to strike it. The creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6 piercing damage. The piece of ammunition is then destroyed. The spell ends when no ammunition remains.

When you cast this spell, you can designate any creatures you choose, and the spell ignores them.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the amount of ammunition that can be affected doubles for each slot level above 2nd.

Conjure Barrage

3rd-level conjuration

• Casting Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Self (60-foot cone)
• Components: V, S, M (one piece of ammunition or a thrown weapon)
• Duration: Instantaneous

You throw a nonmagical weapon or fire a piece of nonmagical ammunition into the air to create a cone of identical weapons that shoot forward and then disappear. Each creature in a 60-foot cone must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d8 damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The damage type is the same as that of the weapon or ammunition used as a component.

Lightning Arrow

3rd-level transmutation

• Casting Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Self
• Components: V, S
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

The next time you make a ranged weapon attack during the spell’s duration, the weapon’s ammunition, or the weapon itself if it’s a thrown weapon, transforms into a bolt of lightning. Make the attack roll as normal, The target takes 4d8 lightning damage on a hit, or half as much damage on a miss, instead of the weapon’s normal damage. Whether you hit or miss, each creature within 10 feet of the target must make a Dexterity saving throw. Each of these creatures takes 2d8 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

All damaged creatures must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of their next turn.

The piece of ammunition or weapon then returns to its normal form.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage for both effects of the spell increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 3rd.

In this appendix, I have listed ideas that I was considering for some of the features. While these ideas ultimately did not make it into my actual update, I would sincerely appreciate any feedback on these as well. Would you prefer some of these features over the actual ones (perhaps after a few tweaks)?

In this appendix, I will explain if each core issue mentioned in the preamble is valid and how it is addressed with this Ranger Rework.

Hunter's Mark

Most agree that Hunter's Mark should have been a feature. However, some prefer to make it completely separate from spells and limit its number of uses to be equal to the wisdom modifier. My problems with that are:

• It doesn't scale well. Wisdom modifier barely changes across the levels. It would be too powerful at early levels and too weak at later levels.
• It was made a spell for a reason. It should compete with the other spells for resource management. Otherwise, it would be overpowerd at early levels.
• Too much complexity to add another system to the Ranger when it is otherwise not necessary.

The upgrade at level 11 provides a much needed buff to their high level combat potency and gives a strong reason not to multiclass.

Herbal Medicine

One of the problems with exploration is that it is often resolved with a couple of skill checks. While the original Ranger had features that helped those skill checks, they are too passive. The Ranger still plays identically to the other classes when it comes to exploration. As such, the Ranger does not feel like an explorer. The purpose of Herbal Medicine is to provide a flavorful and active way for Rangers to contribute to exploration.

Primal Endurance + Primal Soul

The game designers said that Rangers should derive a lot of their combat potency from their spells. The change to Hunter's Mark helped that a lot. The purposes of these features is to help that even more. Since a large amount of Ranger spells seemed focus on utility and battlefield control, I believe that a martial controller is a perfect fit for the Ranger mechanically. Having double concentration brings that role to life. Primal Soul is designed to prevent spells like Hail of Thorns and Lightning Arrow from interrupting spells like Spike Growth and Fog Cloud. It also provides the option for greater battlefield control at great cost for Rangers in truly desperate situations.

Exotic Favored Terrain

When I posted my first version of Ranger Rework, u/Malkezial proposed the Exotic Favored Terrain feature, which I thought was genius. Unfortunately, implementing this feature has been extremely difficult and is one of the reasons why it took me so long before I published my next update. I wanted to mimic the design principle behind Favored Terrain: give Rangers bonuses that are thematically related to the terrain, but applicable everywhere.