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Ranger, A Bugbear's Take
Ranger
Wild looking as the wolf skulking
beside her in the brush, the elven
huntress stalks several humans
admiring animals howling in cages.
She signals for her animal companion to
strike as they ambush the poachers.
A wounded orc finishes skinning
the feathery hide of the owlbear he had been
tracking for the better part of two days, his leather
armor covered in the beast blood.
A cloaked figure strolls through the crowded
marketplace, stalking an elven male from a distance. The
elf's face identical to the one printed on the wanted poster rolled in the figure's hand.
Carrying with them a diverse set of skills, these hardcore survivalists are hard to pin down. Rangers can never rest for long though, the unforgiving environment they call home always nipping at their heels, ready to consume them if they begin to wane.
Adept Survivalist
Harsh climates, difficult terrain, and natural disasters remain an ever-present threat to any adventurer, despite their level of experience. Rangers adopt these demanding, possibly hostile, regions as their homes and as an obstacle course in which they flourish.
Training in these unforgiving regions teaches a variety of survival skills that a ranger carries with them throughout their lives. These skills could involve tracking a swift creature through dense foliage, locating provisions to keep them and others satiated, or safely relocating people and goods through untamed lands.
Independent Adventurers
Rangers fill a diverse and robust role within not only an adventuring party but also within the paradigm of society. Many serve as hunters, guides, trackers, or escorts for those willing to pay for their services. On some occasions, you can even find them working alongside guilds and other organizations. It is due to their versatility that many rangers prefer to work independently- almost to a fault.
Optional Rule: Multiclassing
If your group uses the optional rule on multiclassing in the Player's Handbook, here's what you need to know if you choose the ranger as one of your classes.
Ability Score Minimum. As a multiclass character, you must have at least a 13 in both Dexterity (or Strength) and Wisdom to take a level in this class, or to take a level in another class if you are already a ranger.
Proficiencies Gained. If ranger isn't your starting class, you gain proficiency in light & medium armor, shields, and simple & martial weapons.
Creating a Ranger
As you create your ranger character, consider the terrain where you trained and how it might have influenced your training. Was your training in a savanna filled with fast and cunning predators, forcing you to run until your legs could
no longer support you with their incessant quivering? Maybe you trained with a druid in the frigid north until your body became numb from the strong winds? Or perhaps you thrived within the confines of a civilized society, dredging yourself from its gutters.
What are some memorable events that transpired during your training? Did you encounter a herd of migrating yetis in the mountains in which you trained, learning how they hunt as you watch from a safe distance? Was your training interrupted by the disturbance of a marching war band of orcs passing through the woods? Or perhaps you encountered an unlikely friend in the form of a native creature who had enjoyed watching you train, maybe even going as far as to train alongside you.
Quick Build
You can make a ranger quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Dexterity your highest ability score, followed by Wisdom and Constitution. Second, choose the outlander background. And lastly, choose forest as your favored terrain..
Ranger
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Wilderness Expertise, Favored Terrain | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | Fighting Style, Ranger's Quarry, Spellcasting | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +2 | Ranger Path | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Increase | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 6th | +3 | Predictable Quarry | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 7th | +3 | Path Feature | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Increase | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 9th | +4 | Favored Terrain Improvement, Endure Elements | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 10th | +4 | Evasion | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 11th | +4 | Path Feature | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Increase | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 13th | +5 | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 14th | +5 | Favored Terrain Improvement, Relentless Tracker | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 15th | +5 | Path Feature | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Increase | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 17th | +6 | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 18th | +6 | Preternatural Focus | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Increase | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20th | +6 | Foe Slayer | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
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: Choose one from cartographer's tools, herbalism kit, and navigator's tools
- Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
- Skills: Choose two 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) scalemail 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
Wilderness Expertise
At 1st level, your time in the wilderness has honed your survival skills. You always know what direction is north and you gain proficiency in the Survival skill if you don’t already have it. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses this skill.
Whenever you successfully make a Survival check to track creatures, you learn their sizes and how long ago they passed through the area. At the DM's discretion, you also learn their numbers.
Ranger, A Bugbear's Take
Favored Terrain
Starting at 1st level, select a terrain where you honed your skills: arctic, cavern, coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, swamp, or urban. You have advantage on Intelligence and Wisdom checks related to your favored terrain, and moving through nonmagical difficult terrain costs you no extra movement while traveling through it.
You also gain unique survival skills based on your chosen terrain, along with one language of your choosing.
Arctic. When you roll Hit Dice to regain hit points, treat a roll of less than your Constitution modifier as equal to it. Alternatively, when you start a short rest with no Hit Dice, you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier when you finish it.
Cavern. You gain darkvision out to a range of 30 feet. If you already have darkvision, its range increases by 30 feet instead. Additionally, creatures cannot gain advantage on a roll against you for being hidden or invisible, provided you aren't deafened.
Coast. You can hold your breath for twice as long and you gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed, provided you aren't wearing medium or heavy armor. If you already have a swimming speed, it increases by 10 feet instead.
Desert. You can go twice as long without food or water before suffering the effects of exhaustion. You also have advantage on ability checks and saving throws against visual illusions.
Forest. You gain proficiency in the Perception skill if you don’t already have it. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses it.
Grassland. Your walking speed increases by 10 feet while you aren't wearing heavy armor. Furthermore, when your roll initiative, you can move to an unoccupied space up to your movement without provoking an attack of opportunity.
Mountain. You're acclimated to high altitudes and gain a climbing speed equal to your walk speed, provided you aren't wearing heavy armor. If you already have a climbing speed, it increases by 10 feet instead.
In addition, you can use your reaction while falling to reduce the damage from the fall by 1d12 + your Dexterity or Constitution modifier (your choice).
Swamp. You gain resistance to poison damage and have advantage on saving throws against contracting diseases or becoming poisoned. Also, you can craft an antitoxin with an herbalism at half the cost over the course of 1 hour of uninterrupted work.
Urban. You gain proficiency in one of the following: Deception, Insight, Investigation, Sleight of Hand, or thieves’ tools. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses this proficiency.
You will gain new skills from the different terrains you visit as you continue to explore. You choose one additional Favored Terrain and learn one additional language at 9th and 14th 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.
Close Quarters Shooter
When making a ranged attack while you are within 5 feet of a hostile creature, you do not have disadvantage on the attack roll. Your ranged attacks ignore half cover and three-quarters cover against targets within 30 feet of you.
Defense
While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
Druidic Warrior
You learn two cantrips of your choice from the druid spell list. They count as ranger spells for you, and Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for them. Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of these cantrips with another cantrip from the druid spell list.
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.
Great Weapon Fighting
When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
Thrown Weapon Fighting
You can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon.
In addition, when you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +1 bonus to the damage roll.
Unarmed Fighting
Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier. If you strike with two free hands, the d6 becomes a d8.
When you successfully start a grapple, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to the grappled creature. Until the grapple ends, you can also deal this damage to the creature whenever you hit it with a melee attack.
Whirling Blades
When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you make the additional attack as part of the Attack action, instead of as a bonus action. You can't make a weapon attack as part of a bonus action on the same turn you engage in two-weapon fighting.
Ranger, A Bugbear's Take
Ranger's Quarry
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your bonus action to choose a creature you can hear, see, or are currently tracking and mark them as your quarry. You have advantage on Perception and Survival checks to find your quarry, and you deal an additional 1d6 damage whenever you hit them with a weapon attack.
A creature remains your quarry until it drops to 0 hit points, you fall unconscious, you mark another creature using this feature, or until you take a short or long rest.
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 of the Player’s Handbook for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the ranger spell list (excluding the hunter's mark spell).
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 cure wounds, 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: 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
Spell attack 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.
Ranger Path
Starting at 3rd level, you choose a path to reflect your journey as a ranger. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and then again at 7th, 11th, and 15th level.
Path Spells
Each path has a list of spells— its path spells— that you gain at the ranger levels noted in the path description. Once you gain a path spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.
If you have a path spell that doesn't appear on the ranger spell list, the spell is nonetheless a ranger spell for you.
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.
Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Predictable Quarry
Starting at 6th level, you can interpret your quarry's actions from the slightest gestures and movements. Your quarry provokes opportunity attacks from you even if they take the Disengage action before leaving your reach.
Ranger, A Bugbear's Take
Endure Elements
At 9th level, you can effortlessly brave the natural dangers of the world. You gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws.
In addition, whenever you finish a short rest, your exhaustion level, if any, is decreased by 1. Furthermore, when you complete a long rest, you regain an additional number of expended Hit Dice equal to your Constitution modifier.
Evasion
At 10th level, 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.
Relentless Tracker
Starting at 14th level, your obsessive dedication to tracking down your quarry drives you. While tracking your quarry, the only way for a creature to cease being your quarry is when it's reduced to 0 hit point, or when you choose a new quarry.
Preternatural Focus
At 18th level, you can add your Wisdom modifier to an attack roll, a damage roll, a saving throw, or an ability check if it isn't already. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until the start of your next turn.
Foe Slayer
By 20th level, you've become an unparalleled hunter of your enemies. You can roll one additional Ranger's Quarry die when you deal damage to your quarry with a weapon attack. Additionally, if you reduce your quarry to 30 hit points or fewer with a weapon attack, it dies, if you so choose.
Ranger Paths
The path you venture is a reflection of your journey and personal goals. These paths will sometimes intersect with those of other rangers, forming a community built by like-minded individuals and a strong network of information. These communities are commonly referred to as Conclaves.
Beastmaster
A beastmaster shares a special, almost mystical, connection with the beast of the land, sea, and sky. Their tactics and style of fighting resembling that of a beast, though not nearly as beastly as their animal companion.
Beastmaster Spells
| Ranger Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | animal friendship |
| 5th | locate animals or plants |
| 9th | conjure animals |
| 13th | dominate beast |
| 17th | Rary's telepathic bond |
Breath of the Wild
Starting at 3rd level, you gain the ability to converse with beast.
Beasts can understand your speech, and you gain the ability to decipher their noises and motions. Furthermore, beasts recognize you as a kindred spirit and are more likely to aid you, though usually in exchange for a gift (food) or a favor, at the GM's discretion.
Ranger, A Bugbear's Take
Animal Companion
You also gain an animal companion which you magically are bound to. Select one of the following beasts to become your companion: ape, black bear, crocodile, elk, giant goat, panther, warhorse, or wolf. Alternatively you can select any beast of challenge rating 1/4 or lower that you have seen.
While your companion is within 1 mile of you, you can communicate with each other telepathically.
Combat. Your companion shares your initiative. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. That action can be one in its stat block or some other action. If you are incapacitated, the companion can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.
Statistics. Your companion's statistics undergo the following changes as a result of your bond with it:
- If the companion has a Multiattack action, it loses it.
- Your companions hit points equal 10 + five times your ranger level.
- Your companion gains proficiency in two skills and two saving throws of your choosing.
- When your proficiency bonus increases by 1, your companion gains a +1 bonus to its damage rolls, attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws.
Death and Rest. If your companion is reduced to 0 hit points, it begins dying and making death saving throws as if it were a player character. When your companion completes a short rest, it regains hit points equal to half its maximum hit points. When you complete a long rest, it regains all of its hit points.
If your companion is dead or otherwise lost, you can spend 8 hours in the wilderness bonding with a beast to gain a new companion. You can have only one companion at a time.
Primal Strikes
Beginning at 7th level, your companions attacks now count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Feral Proxy
By 7th level, you can use beasts as your proxies. You gain the ability to cast the beast sense and animal messenger spells, without expending a spell slot, with the following changes.
- When you cast animal messenger, you can target a Small beast by offering a larger portion of food.
- The duration of animal messenger increases to 10 days.
- When you cast beast sense, you can target a beast you can see within 60 feet of you, instead of touching it.
Additionally, your animal companion and other friendly beasts under the effect of a divination or enchantment spell you cast can aid you further. These beasts can mark your quarry for you using their action. The beast cannot mark a creature that it cannot hear, see, or is not currently tracking.
Coordinated Strike
Starting at 11th level, you and your companion fight as one unit in combat, capitalizing on the others' success. Whenever you or your companion successfully hits a creature with a weapon attack, the other can roll a d6 and add it to their first attack roll against the same creature before the end of this turn.
Pack Leader
At 15th level, beasts no longer consider you a kindred spirit; instead, they recognize your authority as the superior beast. When a beast 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.
Additionally, beasts you telepathically are bonded with can add your proficiency bonus to their ability checks and attack rolls, if they aren't already, and share all the benefits of your Ranger's Quarry feature.
Ranger, A Bugbear's Take
Bounty Hunter
While some adventurers search for wealth in a hidden cache of treasure inside musty dungeons, you find it on paper and rumors in well-stocked taverns, government buildings, and the home of nobles.
You earn a lucrative living off the exchange of seedy individuals, though at the cost of others perceiving you as cruel and merciless.
Bounty Hunter Spells
| Ranger Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | command |
| 5th | hold person |
| 9th | slow |
| 13th | compulsion |
| 17th | dominate person |
Change of Plans
Starting at 3rd level, you've learned to quickly shift your attention to new threats. Once on each of your turns, when you make an attack against a creature, you can choose to designate that creature as your quarry without using your bonus action.
In addition, you can choose to deal non-lethal damage with ranged weapon attacks.
Investigator
You have a talent for gathering information on your quarry. At 3rd level, you can spend at least 10 minutes conversing with, interrogating, listening to, or questioning a creature. You have advantage on Charisma checks made against that person pertaining to information regarding a specific creature it knows.
Steel Will
At 7th level, you have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.
Menacing Warrior
By 11th level, you have learned to intimidate those who would stand in your way. When you score a critical hit or reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you can use your bonus action to force one creature of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw against your Spell save DC. On a failed save, a creature becomes frightened of you for up to 1 minute. A creature can repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Payback
Starting at 15th level, whenever a creature you can see within range makes an attack against you, regardless if it hits or misses, you can make a single attack against that creature as a reaction. You make your attack with advantage if the attacker hits you. If this creature is not your quarry, you can choose to make it your quarry before you make this attack.
Ranger, A Bugbear's Take
Colossus Slayer
By exploiting their smaller stature, these rangers specialize in fighting against bigger creatures, skirting past them undetected. They use their tactics and speed to drag these giants down to the earth or locate the chinks in their defenses so that they may coordinate a ruthless assault on them.
Colossus Slayer Spells
| Ranger Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | entangle |
| 5th | ray of enfeeblement |
| 9th | conjure barrage |
| 13th | staggering smite |
| 17th | hold monster |
Colossus Climber
At 3rd level, you've become adept at climbing creatures larger than yourself. You gain proficiency in the Athletics skill, and you gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed. If you've already have a climbing speed, your climbing speed increases by 10 feet instead.
Cut Down
Starting at 3rd level, you are an expert at fighting larger foes. When a 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 and the creature's size is larger than yours.
Blindside
By 7th level, you've learned to keep out of the gaze of larger creatures by staying just outside of their vision. Creatures larger than you have disadvantage on Perception checks to detect you, and you are invisible to such creatures while within 5 feet of them, if you so choose. You cannot benefit from this feature if you can't see the creature, the creature can see you, you have a speed of 0, or you are incapacitated.
Coordinated Strike
At 11th level, you've learned to coordinate your attacks with your allies against your quarry. As a bonus action, you can choose up to two willing creatures within 30 feet of you that can see or hear you. These creatures can immediately use their reaction to make a single attack against your quarry.
Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Nimble Counter
Starting at 15th level, whenever a creature makes an attack roll against you and doesn’t have advantage on the roll, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on it. If the creature is also larger than you, you can use your Cut Down feature as part of the same reaction. You must use this feature before you know the outcome of the attack roll.
Ranger, A Bugbear's Take
Grave Warden
Patrolling graveyards and catacombs, these rangers hold themselves responsible for the eternal rest of the dearly departed. As such, they constantly find themselves at odds with necromancers seeking to stir chaos with the remains they oversee.
Grave Warden Spells
| Ranger Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | detect evil and good |
| 5th | see invisibility |
| 9th | speak with dead |
| 13th | death ward |
| 17th | hallow |
Stygian Arts
By 3rd level, you've trained to not only handle the undead but to ensure their eternal rest. You gain the following features:
Paranormal Knowledge. you gain proficiency in the Arcana and Religion skills.
In addition, the protection from evil and good spell always is prepared for you, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. This spell is a ranger spell for you.
Consecrate Soul. Once per turn, when you deal damage to your quarry, you can deal them additional radiant damage equal to your Proficiency Bonus. If your quarry is also undead, double this radiant damage.
When you reduce your quarry to 0 hit points, your mark lingers on their soul for the next ten days, even if you mark another creature as your quarry. While this mark remains, this creature can't become undead by any means short of a wish spell.
Soul Ward
At 7th level, you etch a lasting mark onto your soul. This mark grants you advantage on Charisma saving throws, and prevents you from having your hit point maximum reduced or being turned undead.
Confined to the Grave
By 11th level, you can magically restrain fleeing ghouls and specters. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend a spell slot to create a magical tether that wraps around them. This tether restrains the creature for up to 1 minute, ignoring any immunity to this condition if the creature is undead. Creatures restrained in this way cannot benefit from being invisible, nor can they teleport or move between planes.
While restrained by your tether, the creature takes radiant damage at the start of each of its turns. The damage equals your Wisdom modifier + the level of the expended spell slot. A creature can use their action to make a Strength saving throw against your ranger spell DC. On a success, the tether breaks. Undead make this save with disadvantage.
Rest in Peace
Beginning at 15th level, you are always under the effects of the protection from evil and good spell. During a short or long rest, this effect extends to all creatures of your choosing within 30 feet of you.
Horde Breaker
These rangers favor speed and cunning over raw might, honing their skills to confront hordes of creatures. Often finding themselves isolated amongst the crowded battlefield, they employ tactics that are capable of effectively disrupting and eliminating large numbers of enemies at once.
Horde Breaker Spells
| Ranger Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | thunderwave |
| 5th | blur |
| 9th | haste |
| 13th | freedom of movement |
| 17th | conjure volley |
Horde Tactics
Starting at 3rd level, you've developed several tactics to confront the oncoming horde. Whenever you hit your quarry with a weapon attack, you can perform one of the following tactics instead of dealing additional damage to your quarry.
- Your quarry must make a Strength saving throw against your ranger spell DC. If they fail, you can push them up to 10 feet away from you. Your quarry automatically succeeds on this saving throw if they are two sizes larger than you or more.
- You can move up to 10 feet after making this attack, without provoking an attack of opportunity from your quarry.
- You can make another attack with the same weapon against a different creature that is within 5 feet of your quarry and within range of your weapon. You can use this effect once on each of your turns.
Escape the Horde
At 7th level, you learn to evade blows when you maneuver yourself out of the fray. Opportunity attacks against you are made with disadvantage, and you can move through a hostile creature's space as difficult terrain regardless of their size.
Cunning Deflection
At 11th level, you learn a new tactic to redirect wild and weak attacks. When a hostile creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to force that creature to repeat the same attack with disadvantage against another creature (other than itself) of your choice.
Stand Against the Tide
At 15th level, you can overcome the cascading attacks of multiple creatures. When a hostile creature hits or misses you with an attack, you gain a bonus to your AC against all subsequent attacks equal to the number of hostile creatures you can see within 15 feet of you (maximum bonus of +5). You lose this bonus at the start of your next turn.
Ranger, A Bugbear's Take
Horizon Walker
Horizon Walkers guard the world against threats that originate from other planes or that seek to ravage the mortal realm with otherworldly magic. They seek out planar portals and keep watch over them, venturing to the Inner Planes and the Outer Planes as needed to pursue their foes. These rangers are also friends to any forces in the multiverse—especially benevolent dragons, fey, and elementals—that work to preserve life and the order of the planes.
Horizon Walker Spells
| Ranger Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | protection from evil and good |
| 5th | misty step |
| 9th | haste |
| 13th | banishment |
| 17th | teleportation circle |
Detect Portal
At 3rd level, you gain the ability to magically sense the presence of a planar portal. As an action, you detect the distance and direction to the closest planar portal within 1 mile of you.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest or until you expend a spell slot to use this feature.
Planar Warrior
Starting at 3rd level, you learn to draw on the energy of
the multiverse to augment your attacks.
When you use your Ranger's Quarry feature, you can choose to target any weapons you are currently wielding instead of a creature. These weapons warble with planar energy, converting all damage dealt by them to force. Creatures you attack with one of these weapons is considered your quarry until the end of the current turn.
A weapon loses these benefits if you end your turn without it in your hand, you use your Ranger's Quarry feature again, or you fall unconscious.
Ethereal Step
At 7th level, you learn to step through the Ethereal Plane. As a bonus action, you can cast the etherealness spell with
this feature, without expending a spell slot, but the spell
ends at the end of the current turn.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Distant Strike
At 11th level, you gain the ability to pass between the planes in the blink of an eye. When you take the Attack action, you can teleport up to 10 feet before each attack to an unoccupied space you can see.
If you attack at least two different creatures with the action, you can make one additional attack with it against a third creature.
Spectral Defense
At 15th level, your ability to move between planes enables you to slip through the planar boundaries to lessen the harm done to you during battle. When you take damage from an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack’s damage against you.
Channeling Planar Energies
The energy of the planes varies, each having their unique characteristics. When channeling these energies, these characteristics can manifest in physical form. Here are some examples of how this energy may manifest when channeled through your weapons:
The area surrounding your longbow begins to collapse on itself, the distortion growing larger the further you draw the string of your bow.
Your longsword glows bright as the energy from the Elemental Plane of Fire sears across the blade of your weapon.
Your spear pulls in the surrounding darkness, snuffing out unprotected flames as you channel the energy of the Shadowfell into the tip of your weapon.
Ranger, A Bugbear's Take
Hunter
A master of acquisitions and slayer of various creatures, a hunter is the most well-known ranger.
A hunter may be called to remove an invasive threat from an urban area; or possibly harvest "monstrous" materials for a local artisan.
Hunter Spells
| Ranger Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | alarm |
| 5th | pass without trace |
| 9th | Leomund's tiny hut |
| 13th | locate creature |
| 17th | hold monster |
Hunter's Training
By 3rd level, you've been trained in the way of the hunt. You gain the following features:
Field Tanner. You gain proficiency with leatherworker’s tools.
Preparations. As part of a long rest, you can spend time refining your knowledge on one of the following types of creatures: aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or undead. Until the start of your next long rest, creatures with this creature type are considered your prey.
You have advantage on Survival checks to harvest materials from your prey, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them.
Target Acquisition. When you roll initiative and you can see one of your prey within range, you can immediately mark this target as your quarry (no action required).
Ranger, A Bugbear's Take
Dire Pursuit
At 7th level, you can more effectively give chase to fleeing prey. When your quarry moves more than 5 feet away from you this turn, you can use your reaction to move up to your movement speed towards it.
Big Game Hunter
At 11th level, you've hunted your prey enough to learn the ins and outs of their tactics. Whenever your prey forces you to make a saving throw, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.
Favored Quarry
Though you hunt a variety of creatures, there are some you call your specialty. At 15th level, choose two creature types from your Preparations feature as your favored quarry. These two creature types are always consider your prey. you score a critical hit on a 19-20 when making an attack roll against your favored quarry.
Monster Slayer
You have dedicated yourself to hunting down creatures of the night and wielders of grim magic. A monster slayer seeks out vampires, dragons, evil fey, fiends, and other magical threats. Trained in supernatural techniques to overcome such monsters, slayers are experts at unearthing and defeating mighty, mystical foes.
Monster Slayer Spells
| Ranger Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | protection from evil and good |
| 5th | zone of truth |
| 9th | magic circle |
| 13th | banishment |
| 17th | hold monster |
Rites of the Slayer
By 3rd level, you've been trained in the esoteric art of slaying monsters. You gain the following features:
Eclectic Notes. You gain proficiency in alchemist supplies and two of the following skills: Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, or Religion.
Hunter’s Sense. You gain the ability to peer at a creature and magically discern its strengths and weaknesses. As a bonus action, choose one creature within 60 feet of you. You immediately learn whether the creature has any damage immunities, resistances, or vulnerabilities and what they are. If the creature's hidden from divination magic, you sense that it has no damage immunities, resistances, or vulnerabilities. When you mark your quarry, you can use this feature as part of the same action.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.
Slayer's Prey. Your Ranger's Quarry damage die increases from a d6 to a d8.
Supernatural Defense
At 7th level, you gain extra resilience against your quarry’s assaults on your mind and body. Whenever your quarry forces you to make a saving throw and whenever you make an ability check to escape your quarry’s grapple, add your Ranger's Quarry die to the roll.
Magic-User’s Nemesis
At 11th level, you gain the ability to thwart someone else’s magic. When you see a creature casting a spell or teleporting within 60 feet of you, you can use your reaction to try to magically foil it. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your ranger spell save DC, or its spell or teleport fails and is wasted.
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest or until you expend a spell slot of 3rd level or higher to use this feature.
Slayer’s Counter
At 15th level, you gain the ability to counterattack when your quarry tries to sabotage you. If your quarry forces you to make a saving throw, you can use your reaction to make one weapon attack against your quarry. You make this attack immediately before making the saving throw. If your attack hits, your save automatically succeeds, in addition to the attack’s normal effects.
Stalker
A master of espionage and tracking, those who adopt the lifestyle of the stalker live on the outskirts of their quarry's vision, always seen as a skirting shadow in their peripherals.
Stalker Spells
| Ranger Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | disguise self |
| 5th | pass without trace |
| 9th | clairvoyance |
| 13th | greater invisibility |
| 17th | mislead |
Guerilla Tactics
Starting at 3rd level, you've mastered the art of the ambush. You gain the following features:
Lie in Wait. When you deal damage to a surprised creature or with an attack as part of a reaction, the weapon deals an additional 1d6 damage. Once you reach 11th level, this damage increases to 2d6.
Experienced Skulker. You gain proficiency in the Stealth skill if you aren't already, and you can take the Hide action as a bonus action on each of your turns.
Obscure Presence. You can add your Wisdom modifier to any Stealth checks you make if you aren't already.
Subdue Witness
At 7th level, you can subdue creatures who threaten your anonymity. When a creature that you can see and are hiding from discovers your position, you can use your reaction to make a single weapon attack against the creature or attempt to grapple them if they are within reach. This reaction doesn't reveal your position to other creatures.
In addition, when you successfully grapple a creature, you can prevent it from making verbal sounds that would alert other creatures of your presence.
Stalker’s Flurry
By 11th level, you've learned to attack with such unexpected speed that you can turn a miss into another strike. Once per turn when you miss with a weapon attack, you can make another weapon attack as part of the same action.
Abscond
Starting at 15th level, whenever you make a weapon attack against a creature, you don't provoke opportunity attacks from that creature until the start of your next turn, whether you hit or not.
When you make this attack using your reaction, you can immediately move up to your movement.
Ranger, A Bugbear's Take
Community Ranger Paths
The D&D multiverse is filled with many diverse paths a ranger may follow. These additional paths have been curated from the wide community of fan content creators on the /r/ UnearthedArcana subreddit and from the discord chat community: the Discord of Many Things. The flavor and abilities have been modified to better fit this class's design.
Fugue Sentinel
As a Fugue Sentinel, you stand at the border between the Fugue and the Material Plane. You are a guide and a hunter. Partnering with a spirit from the Fugue, you help restless spirits find peace in order to reach the afterlife and hunt down those that would interfere in a creatures life after death.
Fugue Sentinel Spells
| Ranger Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | detect evil and good |
| 5th | gentle repose |
| 9th | life transference |
| 13th | shadow of moil |
| 17th | dawn |
Fugue Hunter
At 3rd level, you magically attract a Fugue Hunter, a spirit charged with hunting the undead, that looks like Medium or smaller creature of your choice. The spirit is intangible and remains in your space, circling or floating around you.
You and the spirit work together in your dealings with the undead, you the guide and your spirit the hunter. You gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Nature, Religion, or History
Hunting Grounds
At 3rd level, you can designate an area as your Hunting Ground, thinning the boundaries between life and death and allowing your Fugue Hunter to fight by your side.
As a bonus action, you can choose a point you can see within 30 feet of you. The area within a 30ft radius of that point becomes your Hunting Ground for 1 minute or until you use this feature again. Once per turn, when you hit a creature within the area with a weapon attack you can deal an extra 1d6 necrotic damage to that creature, as you direct your Fugue Hunter to strike with you. This damage ignores any resistances or immunities if the target is undead.
The radius of this ability increases by an additional 15 feet when you reach level 11.
Credit
Fugue Sentinel was created by /u/JoberXeven
Spirit Step
At 7th level, you learn to flit around the battle like the spirits which you guide and hunt. As a reaction to a creature ending its turn within 5 feet of you, you can move up to 10 feet without provoking attacks of opportunity.
Dance of Death
At 11th level, If you use your Spirit Step feature while within your Hunting Ground you can make one attack before or after the movement as part of the same reaction.
Parting Inquiry
At 11th level, you have become adept at interacting with the recently departed.
You know the speak with the dead spell. You can cast it without expending a spell slot and without material components if the target died within your Hunting Ground. If cast in this way you may only ask one question, but the animating spirit will attempt to answer the question honestly and to the best of its abilities.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
The Harrowing
At 15th level, you and your fugue hunter have grown in strength, allowing your hunter to harass those you hunt. Creatures damaged by your Hunting Grounds feature treat the area inside of your Hunting Ground as difficult terrain and cannot take attacks of opportunity until the start of its next turn. If the creature is undead it must expend 15 feet of movement for every 5 foot it moves instead of 10.
Pelt Collector
There is an ancient art rarely taught, often viewed as macabre tales by hunters and trackers. It is an art of leatherwork, of skinning and tanning a creature soon after death so that its power can be passed onto the leather. The secrets of this trade are well kept, yet a determined ranger can learn them by proving their worth to a teacher. An especially crafty soul could even discover the secrets themselves by finding one of these mystic pelts and studying its construction.
Pelt Collector Spells
| Ranger Level | Spell |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Cause Fear |
| 5th | Alter Self |
| 9th | Feign Death |
| 13th | Polymorph |
| 17th | Hold Monster |
Expert Artisan
Starting at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with leatherworker's tools if you don't already have it. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses these tools.
Ranger, A Bugbear's Take
Skin the Essence
Also at 3rd level, you learn the techniques of the Pelt Collectors. You gain the ability to skin a creature in a ritual that magically preserves the skinned creature's vital essence in the pelt you craft from it.
Crafting a Mystic Pelt. You can spend an hour skinning and tanning the corpse of a Small or larger creature with a CR of 1/4 or lower. The creature cannot have been dead for more than 24 hours, and it must be a Beast or Monstrosity. At the end of the hour, you gain a mystic pelt which counts as a suit of light armor for you. While wearing a mystic pelt, your AC equals 12 + your Dexterity modifier.
You can have a number of mystic pelts equal to half your ranger level (rounded down). If you craft a mystic pelt beyond this number, one of your previous pelts loses its magical benefits (your choice).
The CR of creatures you can skin increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 1/2 at 7th level, 1 at 11th level, and 2 at 15th level.
Pelt Transformation. Your physical features slowly change the longer you wear a pelt. Your nails may sharpen like claws while you wear a wolf's fur, or your eyes might turn red while wearing the tentacled cloak of a Darkmantle.
While you wear a mystic pelt, you can use a bonus action on your turn to partially alter your body. When you do so, you gain temporary hit points equal to your ranger level. You remain altered until you lose these temporary hit points, or you use a bonus action to end the transformation early.
While altered, you can replace any number of your attacks with a weapon attack action listed in the skinned creature's statistics. You must have a free hand to make this attack. You are considered proficient with the attack, and you can use your Strength or Dexterity for the attack and damage rolls. This feature does not allow you to take the Multiattack action.
You can alter your body in this way a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, regaining any expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Mystic Essence
At 7th level, when you make a weapon attack listed in one of your skinned creature's statistics, the attack counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Additionally, when you don one of your mystic pelts, you can give yourself one damage resistance listed in the skinned creature's statistics. If the skinned creature has an immunity to a damage type, you can instead give yourself resistance to that damage type. This resistance lasts until you doff the pelt.
Predator's Assault
When you reach 11th level, you unlock additional abilities from your mystic pelts. While wearing one of your pelts, you can perform any non-weapon attack action listed in the skinned creature's statistics. You can perform an action in this way a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, and you regain expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Monstrous Attribute
By 15th level, you can alter your body in more drastic ways to emulate your mystic pelts. When you don a mystic pelt, you can give yourself one trait listed in the skinned creature's statistics such as Pack Tactics, Rampage, or Two-Headed until you doff the pelt. Alternatively, you can give yourself one of the skinned creature's listed speeds. You cannot gain any Spellcasting traits with this feature.
Credit
Pelt Collector was created by /u/TabaxiTaxidermist
Ranger, A Bugbear's Take
Seelie Knight
In their mastery of nature, some rangers come to be very familiar with the ways of the fey beings that live in secluded wilderlands. Seelie Knights are those who draw inspiration from these fey, imitating their passions and caprices to cultivate enchanting magics like unto their models. Strong-willed and unrestrained, seelie knights fight with their hearts on their sleeve and their emotions in the open, and by so doing empower their martial magics.
Seelie Knight Spells
| Ranger Level | Spell |
|---|---|
| 3rd | charm person |
| 5th | warding bond |
| 9th | hypnotic pattern |
| 13th | conjure woodland beings |
| 17th | awaken |
Credit
Seelie Knight was created by /u/BunnygeonMaster
Champion's Favor
Starting at 3rd level, you can make a vow of sincere yet capricious love, just as the fey do. You can use your Ranger's Quarry feature to choose one friendly creature that you can see or that can hear you. When used in this way, this creature becomes your affection instead of your quarry. You have advantage on Perception and Survival checks you make to find your affection.
Creatures become your quarry until the end of your turn if they:
- Are within 5 feet of your affection at the start of your turn.
- Have dealt any damage to your affection since the end of your last turn.
Your vow ends if you make this vow again to a different creature or you mark a creature as your quarry using your Ranger's Quarry feature.
Blessing of the Summer Court
By 7th level, the common tricks and charms of fey creatures slide off of your soul like the morning dew. You are immune to being charmed.
Champion's Retribution
At 11th level, when a creature inflicts damage against your affection, you can make a single weapon attack targeting the creature as a reaction.
Shroud of the Summer Court
By 15th level, the boon of the faeries rests heavily upon you. Both you and your affection gain resistance against damage from spells and magical effects.
Ranger, A Bugbear's Take
Torchbearer
The will of the flame guides your path, leaving a trail of ash in your wake. While not tied directly to any religious organization, torchbearers are often called upon to perform cremations. These cremations are considered special, the names of those cremated recorded in a lexicon guarded by the attending torchbearer. This ancient tradition ensures that the dead are never truly forgotten.
Torchbearer Spells
| Ranger Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | fog cloud |
| 5th | continual flame |
| 9th | fireball |
| 13th | fire shield |
| 17th | immolation |
Rites of Cremation
At 3rd level, you gain insight into the esoteric tradition of cremating bodies while also preserving their existence in the world. you know the produce flame cantrip. This spell is a ranger spell for you. Additionally, you become proficient in calligrapher's supplies if you aren't already.
Lingering Flames
Starting at 3rd level, you can breath embers into your strikes, igniting on contact and burning deeply. Once per turn, when you deal damage to a creature, you can deal an additional 1d6 fire damage. At the start of that target's next turn, it takes additional fire damage equal to half the fire damage rolled. At 11th level, this damage increases to 2d6.
Covered in Ash
Beginning at 7th level, your prolonged exposure to fire and its remnants grants you insight into how to apply it and mitigate its effects. You gain resistance to fire damage. Additionally, any fire damage you deal ignores resistances.
Ignition Flurry
By 11th level, the falling ashes produced by your flames begin to ignite. When you deal fire damage to a creature with an attack or spell, you can choose a different creature within 10 feet of it. That creature takes fire damage equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Alternatively, if your spell targets an area instead of a single target, you can choose to deal fire damage equal to your Wisdom modifier to all creatures within 5 feet of the area who haven't been affected by the spell.
Ashwraith
Starting at 15th level, you can breathe a thick cloud of ash across the battlefield. You can cast fog cloud once as a 3rd-level spell centered on yourself without expending a spell slot. You can't do so again until you roll for initiative.
In addition, you can see normally in thick fog, ash, falling snow, and other natural phenomena, both magical and nonmagical.
Credit
Torchbeaer was created by /u/the15thpaladin
Ranger, A Bugbear's Take
Ranger
A Bugbear's
Take
Special thanks to BikerMeg, CaelReader, DracoDruid Genkitty, Izzy, LunaEden, No Laifu, Road, Salimar, Mersiefloof
Designed by Okra the Bugbear
This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the material used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast L.L.C.