Ranger

Rough and wild looking, a human stalks alone through the shadows of trees, hunting the orcs he knows are planning a raid on a nearby farm, Clutching a shortsword in each hand, he becomes a whirlwind of steel, cutting down one enemy after another.

After tumbling away from a cone of freezing air, an elf finds her feet and draws back her bow to loose an arrow at the white dragon. Shrugging off the wave of fear that emanates from the dragon like the cold of its breath, she sends one arrow after another to find the gaps between the dragon's thick scales.

Holding his hand high, a half-elf whistles to the hawk that circles high above him, calling the bird back to his side. Whispering instructions in Elvish, he points to the owlbear he's been tracking and sends the hawk to distract the creature while he readies his bow. Far from the bustle of cities and towns, past the hedges that shelter the most distant farms from the terrors of the wild, amid the dense-packed trees of trackless forests and across wide and empty plains, rangers keep their unending watch.

Deadly Hunters

Warriors of the wilderness, rangers specialize in hunting the monsters that threaten the edges of civilization-humanoid raiders, rampaging beasts and monstrosities, terrible giants, and deadly dragons. They learn to track their quarry as a predator does, moving stealthily through the wilds and hiding themselves in brush and rubble. Rangers focus their combat training on techniques that are particularly useful against their specific favored foes.

Thanks to their familiarity with the wilds, rangers acquire the ability to cast spells that harness nature's power, much as a druid does. Their spells, like their combat abilities, emphasize speed, stealth, and the hunt. A ranger's talents and abilities are honed with deadly focus on the grim task of protecting the borderlands.

Independent Adventurers

Though a ranger might make a living as a hunter, a guide, or a tracker, a ranger's true calling is to defend the outskirts of civilization from the ravages of monsters and humanoid hordes that press in from the wild. In some places, rangers gather in secretive orders or join forces with druidic circles. Many rangers, though, are independent almost to a fault, knowing that, when a dragon or a band of orcs attacks, a ranger might be the first-and possibly the last-line of defense.

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.

Creating a Ranger

Rangers are skirmishers. Rangers are vigilant. Rangers are masters of the wild, the ultimate survivors; they strike frist and strike hard. As you create your ranger character, consider the nature of the training that gave you your particular capabilities. Did you train with a single mentor, wandering the wilds together until you mastered the ranger's ways? Did you leave your apprenticeship, or was your mentor slain — perhaps by the same kind of monster that became your favored enemy? Or perhaps you learned your skills as part of a band of rangers affiliated with a druidic circle, trained in mystic paths as well as wilderness lore. You might be self-taught, a recluse who learned combat skills, tracking, and even a magical connection to nature through the necessity of surviving in the wilds.

What's the source of your particular hatred of a certain kind of enemy? Did a monster kill someone you loved or destroy your home village? Or did you see too much of the destruction these monsters cause and commit yourself to reining in their depredations? 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 lhe relief from solitude that they offer?

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

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None

Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
Skills: Choose two from Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, 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) two shortswords or (b) two simple melee weapons
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• A longbow and a quiver of 20 arrows

Favored Enemy

Beginning at 1st level, you have significant experience studying, tracking, hunting, and even talking to a certain type of enemy commonly encountered in the wilds.

Choose a type of favored enemy: abberations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrous humanoids, common humanoids, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or undead. When you make a Wisdom (Survival) checks to track your favored enemies or an Intelligence checks to recall information about them, you can re-roll one of the dice once.

When fighting one of your favored enemies, at the start of your first turn of combat you can make an additional action. If you would normally be surprised at the start of such an encounter, you are not surprised but do not gain this additional action.

When you gain this feature, you also learn one language of your choice, typically one spoken by your favored enemy or creatures associated with it.

Natural Explorer

Your time in the wilderness has honed your survival skills. At 1st level, you gain two of the following features of your choice.

Forager. When you forage, you find twice as much food as one normally would, and you cannot become lost except by magical means.

Strider. Moving through nonmagical difficult terrain costs you no extra movement.

Tracker. You have advantage on all Wisdom (Survival) checks, and you can't be tracked by nonmagical means unless you choose to leave a trail.

Trapper. You add double your proficiency bonus to the DC for creatures to detect, avoid triggering, and escape hunting traps that you place (statistics for hunting traps can be found on page 152 of the Player’s Handbook). You gain one hunting trap, which you have constructed in your spare time.

Trainer. You have advantage on Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks, and can tell when a beast is under the effect of magic. If you have a beast companion granted by your Ranger Conclave, it becomes immune to the charmed condition.

Traveler. You learn two languages of your choice.

Ranger Tricks

Rangers spend most of their time in the wilds of the world, but occasionally venture back for long enough to exchange tips with others of their kind. At 2nd level, you learn two Ranger Tricks: bits of information that you have learned through experience or been told by others. Your trick options are detailed at the end of this class description.

When you gain certain ranger levels, you gain additional tricks of your choice, as shown in the Tricks Known column of the Ranger table. You can learn a trick only once, unless it says otherwise.

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

If a trick has prerequisites, you must meet them to learn it. You can learn a trick at the same time that you meet its prerequisites. A level prerequisite refers to your level in this class.

Fighting Style

At 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options: Archery, Defense, Dueling, or Two-Weapon Fighting. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Spellcasting

Starting at 2nd level, you begin to learn to emulate the magical abilities of the creatures of the wild, and to enhance your tools with magic. See Spellcasting for the rules for casting spells and the Ranger Spells list.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The Ranger table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your 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 spent in study 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 and common sense. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. You also 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.

Herbal Healing

You are proficient in the administration of salves and herbs to staunch bleeding and bind wounds. Beginning at 3rd level, at the end of a short rest when you use hit dice to recover hit points and roll a 1 or a 2, you may re-roll the die. Each short rest you can re-roll a number of dice equal to half your ranger level (rounded up).

Ranger Conclave

Starting at 3rd level, you choose a Ranger Conclave which reflects your personal journey as a ranger and favored methods of wilderness survival. Your Ranger Conclave grants features at 3rd, 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.

Greater Favored Enemy

At 6th level, you have studied and explored, and are ready to hunt even deadlier game. You gain another favored enemy, and gain all the benefits against this chosen enemy that you gained from your first choice, including an additional language.

Additionally, choose one of your favored enemies to be your greater favored enemy. You have advantage on saving throws against the spells and abilities used by your greater favored enemy.

Ambuscade

At 10th level, you learn how to act swiftly and deal deadly strikes at unaware prey. You have advantage on initiative rolls, and you have advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn't taken a turn in combat yet.

Additionally, if you are hidden when you roll initiative, your attacks during the first round of combat do not reveal your location if you otherwise fulfill the conditions needed to hide.

Ranger's Resilience

At 14th level, surviving the harshness of the wilds has steeled your body, mind and soul. When you make a Constitution saving throw and fail, you can reroll the saving throw but must use the new roll. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, and regain all uses when you finish a long rest.

Feral Blindsight

At 18th level, you gain preternatural senses that help you fight creatures you can’t see. You have blindsight to a range of 30 feet.

Master of the Hunt

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

• You gain the an additional action on your first turn of combat against all creatures, as per the Favored Enemy feature.
• Whenever you make an attack, you can choose to add your wisdom modifier to either the attack roll or the damage roll. You can choose this after the roll, but before the outcome is determined.

Ranger Conclaves

Hunter Conclave

Hunter's Preparation

Starting at 3rd level, you gain additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Hunter Spells table. You always have these spells prepared, they don't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day, and they count as ranger spells for you.

Hunter Spells

Ranger Level	Spell
3rd	hunter's mark
5th	pass without trace
9th	leomund's tiny hut
13th	freedom of movement
17th	commune with nature

Hunter's Prey

At 3rd level, you gain one of the following features of your choice.

Colossus Slayer. Your tenacity can wear down the most potent foes. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, the creature takes an extra 1d8 damage if it’s below its hit point maximum. You can deal this extra damage only once per turn.

Giant Killer. When a Large or larger creature within 5 feet of you hits or misses you with an attack, you can use your reaction to attack that creature immediately after its attack, provided that you can see the creature.

Defensive Tactics

At 7th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice.

Escape the Horde. Opportunity attacks against you are made with disadvantage.

Steel Will. You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened and charmed.

Multiattack Defence. When a creature hits you with an attack, you gain a +4 bonus to AC against all subsequent attacks made by that creature until the start of your next turn.

Multiattack

At 11th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice.

Volley. You can use your action to make a ranged attack against any number of creatures within 30 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.

War Dance. You can use your action to move up to your remaining speed and make a melee attack against any number of creatures that came within range of your melee weapon during this movement. You must make a separate attack roll for each target, and this movement provokes no attacks of opportunity.

Whirlwind Attack. You can use your action to make a melee attack against any number of creatures that is within 5 feet of you. You must make a separate attack roll for each target. If you are wielding two weapons, you can use your bonus action to make an extra attack against each creature.

Superior Hunter’s Defence

At 15th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice.

Evasion. You can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a red dragon's fiery breath or a lightning bolt spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Stand Against the Tide. When a hostile creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to force that creature to repeat the same attack against another creature (including itself) of your choice.

Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack’s damage against you.

Beast Master Conclave

Many rangers are more at home in the wilds than in civilization, to the point where animals consider them kin. Rangers of the Beast Master Conclave develop a close bond with a beast, then further strengthen that bond through the use of magic.

Wilds' Power

Starting at 3rd level, you gain additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Beast Master Spells table. You always have these spells prepared, they don't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day, and they count as ranger spells for you.

Beast Master Spells

Ranger Level	Spell
3rd	beast bond
5th	warding bond
9th	catnap
13th	dominate beast
17th	awaken

Animal Companion

At 3rd level, you learn to use your magic to create a powerful bond with a creature of the natural world.

With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 50 gp worth of rare herbs and fine food, you bind your soul to an animal spirit from the wilderness to serve as your faithful companion. It is friendly to you and your companions, and it obeys your commands.

In combat, your animal companion shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. 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 one of the actions in its stat block or the Dash, Disengage, or Help action.

If your animal companion is ever slain, the magical bond you share allows you to return it to life. With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 25 gp worth of rare herbs and fine food, you call forth your companion’s spirit and use your magic to create a new body for it. You can return an animal companion to life in this manner even if you do not possess any part of its body.

Additionally, your companion gains one ability of your choice from the following page, which determines its appearance. Your companion need not be the exact animal described below, for example the Elk feature could suit a Boar companion. Many beast companions will be significantly larger than a traditional member of their species, such as a giant bat or a polar bear.

Beast's Defense

At 7th level, while your companion can see you it has advantage on all saving throws and gains the benefits of your Favored Enemy and Greater Favored Enemy features. It uses the enemies you selected for those features.

Storm of Claws and Fangs

At 11th level, you can use your bonus action to allow your companion to make a melee attack against each creature of its choice within 5 feet of it, with a separate attack roll for each target. If you know the hunter's mark spell, your animal companion now benefits from from its effects also.

Superior Beast’s Defence

At 15th level, whenever an attacker that your companion can see hits it with an attack, your companion can use its reaction to halve the attack’s damage against it.

Gloom Stalker Conclave

Gloom Stalkers are at home in the darkest places: deep under the earth, in gloomy alleyways, in primeval forests, and wherever else the light dims. Most folk enter such places with trepidation, but a Gloom Stalker ventures boldly into the darkness, seeking to ambush threats before they can reach the broader world. Such rangers are often found in the Underdark, but they will go any place where evil lurks in the shadows.

Other Subclasses

All other published subclasses, like the Horizon Walker and Swarmkeeper, should be compatible with this class without modification.

Ranger Tricks

Tricks are presented alphabetically, grouuped by their prerequisites.

Magical Tracker

When you cast the locate object and locate creature spells, the range is increased to 10 miles as you augment your magical dowsing with your mundane tracking skills.

Natural Cordiality

Beasts and other creatures of the forest will freely approach you and your traveling companions without hostility, unless supernaturally influenced. They will come to your aid if it is within their power, but will not die for you.

Naturally Smart

You gain proficiency in the Survival and Nature skills. Your proficiency bonus is doubled to any ability checks you make using these proficiencies.

Practiced Hunt

You deal an additional 1d4 damage weapon attacks against your favored enemies.

Primal Awareness

You can focus your awareness through the interconnections of nature. You can cast each of the spells in the Primal Awareness table below once without expending a spell slot. Once you cast a spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. You must attain the ranger level shown next to a given spell before you can cast it in this way.

Rolling Grab

When you successfully grapple a creature, you can force it onto the ground. The creature takes 1d8 bludgeoning damage, and both you and the creature are knocked prone.

Rover

Your walking speed is increased by 5 feet, and you gain a climbing and swimming speed equal to your walking speed.

Roving Eyes

You can take the Search action as a bonus action on each of your turns.

Seaworthy

You gain proficiency with navigator’s tools and vehicles (water).

Silent Stalker

You gain proficiency in the Stealth skill, and your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability checks you make using that proficiency.

Shared Foe

As an action, you designate one creature as your hunting companion. While you concentrate, as though concentrating on a spell, this creature benefits from your Favored Enemy feature.

Skirmisher

When you take the disengage action, you can make one melee weapon attack as a bonus action.

Smoke Bomb

You always have the fog cloud spell prepared, and it does not count against your number of prepared ranger spells. You can cast the fog cloud spell at 1st level a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, without expending a spell slot, and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.

Toxin-Trained

You gain advantage on saves against becoming poisoned, and gain proficiency with the poisoner's kit.

Through Thick and Thin

Prerequisite: Beast conclave

Your companion's hit point maximum increases by twice your ranger level, and by 2 more each time you gain a level in this class. Its hit dice increase to d10s.

Unarmored Defense

When you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.

Unimpeded

Prerequisite: Natural Explorer: Strider feature

Moving through magical difficult terrain costs you no extra movement.

Wild Tongue

Prerequisite: Beast Master conclave

You can cast the speak with animals spell at will, without expending a spell slot.

Wild Toughness

You have resistance to damage that you would receive from nonmagical natural hazards, such as thorny plants, rockslides, lava, sandstorms, or harmful weather.

4th-level Tricks

Boon Companion

Prerequisite: 4th level, Beast conclave

Your companion increases one ability score by 2, or two ability scores by 1, to a maximum of 20 for Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, and 10 for Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.

This trick can be learned multiple times.

Hale

Prerequisite: 4th level

You gain resistance to poison damage, and are immune to disease.

Hunter's Pack

*Prerequisite: 4th level, Hunter conclave

You have advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.

Mistseer

Prerequisite: 4th level

When gazing through fog and mist, such as that created by the fog cloud spell, you can see normally if the area is lightly obscured, and as though it were lightly obscured if it is heavily obscured.

Pit Trap

Prerequisite: 4th level, Natural Explorer: Trapper feature

You learn to construct a magical 5 foot by 5 foot trap for unsuspecting foes. For each minute you spend creating the trap, the pit extends 5 additional feet downwards, to a maximum of number of feet equal to 5 times your ranger level. A creature can discover the trap with a ssuccessful Intelligence (Investigation) check against your Spell Save DC.

Tracker's Secrets

Prerequisite: 4th level, Natural Explorer: Tracker feature

As an action, you touch one creature within 5 feet of you and magically mark it for your future tracking. Once marked, you know the location of the creature while it is on the same plane of existence as you, for the next 24 hours. If it leaves the plane you are on, you know which plane it went to. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, and regain all uses when you finish a long rest.

Additionally you can track creatures even in environments where tracks would not be left, such as underwater or through the astral sea, though doing so is more difficult. As long as a creature has passed through a location in the last day, you can follow trails few other creatures could find.

Trainer's Touch

Prerequisite: 4th level, Natural Explorer: Trainer feature

As a bonus action, you touch one beast within 5 feet of you and end one effect causing it to be charmed, frightened, paralyzed, or stunned.

Treasure Hunt

Prerequisite: 4th level, Hunter conclave

Hunting is about cleanup as much as it is about the fight. Having learned to be particularly adept at both, you gain advantage on any ability checks to identify useful body parts of creatures you or your companions have slain or identify treasure in the surrounding area. Additionally, you gain proficiency in the Investigation or Medicine skill.

Well-traveled

Prerequisite: 4th level, Natural Explorer: Traveler feature

Over the course of ten minutes spent communicating with creatures that speak at least one language with whom you share no common language, you can learn enough vocabulary to express simple concepts back and forth. When you do so, you gain advantage on any Charisma ability checks to interact with those creatures.

Additionally, you can add half your proficiency bonus (rounded down) to any Charisma or Wisdom (Insight) checks which do not already include your proficiency bonus.

8th-level Tricks

Protections of the Guardian

Prerequisite: 8th level

You always have the barkskin spell prepared, and it does not count against your number of prepared ranger spells. You can cast this spell at first level at will, without expending a spell slot. When you reach 13th level, you require no material components to cast the stonskin spell.

Raging Grief

Prerequisite: 8th level, Beast Master conclave

When you are reduced to 0 hit points or are killed outright, for the next minunte your animal companion can attack twice on each of its turns, and has resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

Shadow Bender

Prerequisite: 8th level

You always have the pass without trace spell prepared, and it does not count against your number of prepared ranger spells. You can cast the pass without trace spell once without expending a spell slot, and regain the ability to do so when you finish a short rest.

Slayer's Fame

Prerequisite: 8th level, Monster Slayer conclave

At the start of your first turn of combat, any of your favored enemies of your choice within 120 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be frightened for one minute. An affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

Son of Helios

Prerequisite: 8th level, Liquid of Life trick

You gain resistance to fire and bludgeoning damage, and vulnerability to cold damage.

Spirit Beast

Prerequisite: 8th level, Beast conclave

Your companion's attacks count as magical, and your companion gains a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls.

Tireless

Prerequisite: 8th level

When you finish a short rest, your exhaustion level, if any, is reduced by 1. This benefit extends to your animal companion, if you have one.

Trusty Hunting Dogs

Prerequisite: 8th level, Hunter conclave

Your connection to the wilds is such that beasts attend to your needs at the slightest call. You can cast the conjure animals spell once, without expending a spell slot. When you do so, the spell does not require concentration and you can only summon 8 wolves or mastiffs. Once you have used this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Underdak Specialist

Prerequisite: 8th level

You gain advantage on saving throws against psionic abilities, and gain proficiency in Intelligence saving throws.

Welcome to My Night

Prerequisite: 8th level, Gloom Stalker conclave

You gain the ability to deprive another creature of its darkvision. As an action, you can make a melee spell attack with your ranger spell attack modifier against one creature. If the attack hits, that creature loses any darkvision it possessed for the next 24 hours.

Wild Hunt

Prerequisite: 8th level

You meet the criteria to join the Wild Hunt, and your attacks begin to take on a fey aspect. Once per turn when you make an attack, you can attempt to beguile your target. The target of your attack must make a Wisdom saving throw against your ranger spell save DC. On a failure, the creature is charmed or frightened (your choice) for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to this feature for the next 24 hours. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, and regain all uses when you finish a short or long rest.

12th-level Tricks

Master of Gloom

Prerequisite: 12th level, Gloom Stalker conclave

You can see through darkness, both magical and nonmagical, to a distance of 120 feet.

Natural Cloaking

Prerequisite: 12th level

You cannot be targeted by divination magic or perceived through magical scrying sensors.

Perfect Hunt

Prerequisite: 12th level, Practiced Hunt trick

Your extra damage to favored enemies increases to 2d6.

Perfected Mark

Prerequisite: 12th level, Anointed Foe trick

The hunter's mark spell no longer requires concentration for you. When you cas the hunter's mark spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the bonus damage increases to 2d6.

Sniper's Snare

Prerequisite: 12th level

You always have the ensnaring strike spell prepared, and it does not count against your number of prepared ranger spells. You can cast this spell at first level at will, without expending a spell slot.

Thornpiercer

Prerequisite: 12th level

You always have the hail of thorns spell prepared, and it does not count against your number of prepared ranger spells. You can cast this spell at first level at will, without expending a spell slot.

16th-level Tricks

20th-level Tricks

Ranger Spells

Summary vs. PHB Ranger

v0.2

Give players more choices, without diverging drastically from the structure of the PHB ranger. Class features are changed, but subclasses are largely the same except Beast Master. One new mechanic is added: Ranger Tricks, which work like Warlock Invocations.

FAQ

Why this take on the beast master?

Wizards of the Coast has been going in this direction, and it seems like a good one. The additional features granted to the companion come from the beasts a companion or familiar could already get you. There are Ranger Tricks to improve your companion further (at the cost of not taking other powerful tricks).

This was written before the UA Class Variants came out; I've considered it, but I think I prefer this version. The UA feature still doesn't solve the problem of your companion having an AC of 12 and a +4 to hit at level 20.

Some of these beast companion features are strong!

Yes, I've thought about this; e.g. a bat companion gets blindsight and flight, which are both very powerful. Ultimately, though, they're nothing you couldn't gain with find familiar, and rangers shouldn't have worse pets than wizards.

Won't people multiclass into ranger to take these strong early features?

Yes, I hope so. Ranger is the only class I've never seen anyone consider taking just a few levels in, because it provided nothing good. It would be good to have some people multiclassing into Ranger, rather than out of it.

These Ranger Tricks are powerful!

Yes, but you only get a few. This is meant to be a major feature of the ranger, and there's an opportunity cost for each trick you don't take. Want unarmored defense? Lose no-concentration hunter's mark. Want an extra favored enemy? Lose expertise in Survival and Nature, or the ability to recover a level of exhaustion on a short rest.

Why not redesign the subclasses more?

I don't want to stray too far from what players of the existing ranger class(es) know. Beast Master has been significantly revised, since it has the most problems. The higher level options for Hunter have been buffed a little bit to remain interesting. The rest have had an occasional feature rebalanced (e.g. Gloom Stalker's first round attack was rebalanced for the new favored enemy mechanic, and the Monster Slayer's counterspell feature was made stronger).

Art credits? Homebrew credits?

At the end. I've definitely plagiarized dozens of other homebrews, and I think I tracked them all.

Do we really need another ranger?

No :)

Homebrew Credits

This serves as both a diff between this homebrew and the PHB Ranger, as well as credits to other works I've taken things from. I've read a lot of Ranger homebrews to make this Franken-Ranger, and this section provides sources for many of the features I've shamelessly stolen from other creators.

Ranger's Resilience

• Modified from DracoDruid's Focused Ranger.

Feral Senses

• Modified from the Revised Ranger UA.

Master of the Hunt

• Modified from Pelidaq's Yup, Another Ranger, which is a slight buff of the default PHB Ranger.

Hunter Conclave

• Added conclave spells.
• Buffed some level 11 options, e.g. changed Volley from 10 to 30 foot radius.

Beast Conclave

• Added conclave spells
• The Animal Companion feature was created after the 2019 Artificer UA, but before the Class Variants UA; the companion is based on the Artificer's Iron Defender feature, modified with build-a-bear features. This bears a semblance to KibblesTasty's Ranger, though I didn't discover that until after making this.

Gloom Stalker Conclave

• Renamed conclave spell feature.
• Added conditional sight through magical darkness.

Horizon Walker Conclave

• Renamed conclave spell feature.

Monster Slayer Conclave

• Renamed conclave spell feature.
• Reworked the "Magic User's Nemesis" feature to be more similar to UA version.

Ranger Tricks (specific tricks)

• Many ranger tricks (and the name) came from Elvenoob's Ranger.
• Some tricks are made to bring features from the Class Variants UA or Revised Ranger into the class.
• A few tricks were taken from the Invocation-style Ranger.
• I stole the core of the Bountiful Harvest trick from somewhere, but I can't figure out where.