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.
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The Ranger
Proficiency | Tricks | —Spell Slots per Spell Level— | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Level | Bonus | Features | Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | |||||
1st | +2 | Favored Enemy, Natural Explorer | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
2nd | +2 | Fighting Style, Spellcasting, Ranger Tricks | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | |||||
3rd | +2 | Ranger Conclave, Herbal Healing | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | |||||
4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | |||||
5th | +3 | Extra Attack | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | |||||
6th | +3 | Greater Favored Enemy | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | |||||
7th | +3 | Ranger Conclave Feature | 2 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | |||||
8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | |||||
9th | +4 | — | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | |||||
10th | +4 | Ambuscade | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | |||||
11th | +4 | Ranger Conclave Feature | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | |||||
12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | |||||
13th | +5 | — | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | |||||
14th | +5 | Ranger's Resilience | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | |||||
15th | +5 | Ranger Conclave Feature | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | |||||
16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | |||||
17th | +6 | — | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | |||||
18th | +6 | Feral Blindsight | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | |||||
19th | +6 | Ability Score Increase | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |||||
20th | +6 | Master of the Hunt | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
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?
Quick Build
You can make a ranger quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Dexterity your highest ability score, followed by Wisdom. (Some rangers may wish to make Strength higher than Dexterity). Second, choose the outlander background.
Class Features
As a Ranger, you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10 per Ranger level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier
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.
Archery
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
Defense
While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
Dueling
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
Two-Weapon Fighting
When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
Spellcasting
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.
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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 |
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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.
Horde Breaker. Once on each of your turns when you make a weapon attack, you can make another attack with the same weapon against a different creature that is within 5 feet of the original target and within range of your weapon.
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 |
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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.
Animal Companion
Medium beast, neutral
- Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
- Hit Points equal to your companion's Constitution modifier + your Wisdom modifier + five times your Ranger level (your companion has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your ranger level)
- Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 4 (-3) 12 (+1) 6 (-2)
- Saving Throws Dex +4, Con +4, Wis +3
- Skills proficient in two Skills of your choice
- Languages understands the languages you speak
Might of the Master. The following numbers increase by 1 when your proficiency bonus increases by 1: your companion’s skill bonuses, saving throw bonuses, the bonuses to hit and damage of its attacks, and its AC.
Ready Companion. As a bonus action, you can command your companion to attack or to Hide.
Actions
Natural Weapon. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 1d8 + 3 piercing damage.
Reactions
Animal Instincts. Your companion imposes disadvantage on the attack rolls of one creature it can see within 5 feet of it.
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Bear. Your companion gains a claw attack (Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2d6 + 4 slashing damage.)
Wolf. Your companion has advantage on attack rolls against a creature while one of its allies within 5 ft. of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Ape. Your companion gains a ranged throwing weapon attack (Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 25/50 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6 + 3 bludgeoning damage).
Elk. If your companion moves at least 20 feet straight towards a target before making an attack, the target takes an extra 1d6 slashing damage and must succeed on a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC or be knocked prone.
Badger. Your companion gains a burrowing speed of 10 feet, and Darkvision out to 30 feet.
Panther. Your companion can make an attack on its turn against a prone creature without requiring your bonus action.
Eagle. Your companion gains a flying speed of 60 feet and advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Owl. Your companion gains a flying speed of 60 feet, and doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it leaves an enemy's reach.
Crab. Your companion gains a swimming speed of 30 feet, can breathe underwater, and your companion can choose to grapple the target of its attack (escape DC equal to your spell save DC).
Snake. Your companion deals an additional 3d4 poison damage with its attacks. If one of these attacks reduces a creature to 0 hit points, the creature is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, and paralyzed while poisoned in this way.
Bat. Your companion gains a flying speed of 60 feet, and 60 feet of blindsight. Its size changes to Small.
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.
Unseen, Unheard
Starting at 3rd level, you gain additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Gloom Stalker 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.
Gloom Stalker Spells
Ranger Level | Spell |
---|---|
3rd | disguise self |
5th | rope trick |
9th | fear |
13th | greater invisibility |
17th | seeming |
Dread Ambusher
At 3rd level, you master the art of the ambush. You can give yourself a bonus to your initiative rolls equal to your Wisdom modifier. At the start of your first turn of each combat, your walking speed increases by 10 feet, which lasts until the end of that turn. The first time you take the Attack action on that turn, you can make one additional weapon attack as part of that action. If that attack hits, the target takes an extra 1d8 damage of the weapons damage type.
Umbral Sight
At 3rd level, you gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision from your race, or you ever gain darkvision from another source , you can see through both magical and nonmagical darkness.
You are also adept at evading creatures that rely on darkvision. While in darkness, you are invisible to any creature that relies on darkvision to see you in that darkness.
Iron Mind
By 7th level, you have honed your ability to resist the mind—altering powers of your prey. You gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws. If you already have this proficiency, you instead gain proficiency in Intelligence or Charisma saving throws (your choice).
Stalker's Flurry
At 11th level, you learn to attack with such unexpected speed that you can turn a miss into another strike. Once on each of your turns when you miss with a weapon attack, you can make another weapon attack as part of the same action.
Shadowy Dodge
Starting at 15th level, you can dodge in unforeseen ways, with wisps of supernatural shadow around you. 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. You must use this feature before you know the outcome of the attack roll.
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.
2nd-level Tricks
Anointed Foe
You can cast the hunter's mark spell once at 1st level without expending a spell slot or requiring your concentration. You regain the ability to do so when you finish a short or long rest.
Backyard Blessing
Over the course of one minute, you can grind 25gp worth of silver and magically infuse it with water to create holy water. The water loses its magic after 8 hours have passed.
Bountiful Harvest
Prerequisite: Favored Enemy: plants
By spending 8 hours under the sun, you can gain enough nourishment to sustain yourself for one day. Additionally, parts of your skin become covered in greenery and bark, increasing your AC by 3.
Carographic Memory
You gain proficiency with cartographer's tools, and you can accurately recall any map you have seen within the last month; over the course of 1 hour, you can recreate any such map.
Conditioning
You gain proficiency in either the Acrobatics or the Atheltics skill. If you are prone, you can stand up as a reaction.
Critter Friend
Once per long rest, you can cast the find familiar spell as a ritual to summon a small companion from your environment. The material components you required are lures and bits of fine food rather than incense, and your familiar's creature type is beast.
Celestial Body
Prerequisite: Favored Enemy: celestials
When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, it cannot regain hit points until the start of your next turn.
Druidic Initiate
You learn two cantrips from the druid spell list. Wisdom is your spellcasting modifier for these spells.
Druidic Fighter
Two spells from the druid spell list which are of a level you can cast as shown in the Ranger table are added to the ranger spell list for you. This ranger trick can be learned multiple times.
Dust to the Eyes
When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can replace one of your attacks with a special melee attack. The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be blinded until the end of its next turn.
Fall Training
When you take falling damage, you take only the minimum amount of damage.
Favored Terrain
Choose an environment from the following list: arctic, coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, swamp, or underdark. You have advantage on any skill check related to that environment that uses Wisdom (Animal Handling), Intelligence (Nature), or Wisdom (survival).
Hunter of Mages
Whenever you take the Dash action on your turn, you gain advantage on Dexterity saving throws and ranged attacks against you are made with disadvantage against until the start of your next turn.
Improvisational Armsmaster
You gain proficiency in woodcarver's tools. Over the course of one hour, you can create a number of simple weapons equal to your Wisdom modifier out of sticks, stones, or any other materials present. Weapons made this quickly have no value.
Infusing Touch
All of your weapon attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances and immunities. Additionally, if a weapon deals bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage you can shift your grip on your weapon as a bonus action to change that damage type to bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage.
Kick in the Ribs
As a bonus action on your turn, you can restore 1 hit point to a creature with 0 hit points within 5 feet of you.
Liquid of Life
As an action, you summon one gallon of potable water or one snowball from the palm of your hand. You can do so a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, and regain all uses on a long rest.
You or someone else can make a ranged spell attack by throwing one of the snowballs. It has a range of 60 feet. If someone else attacks with the pebble, that attacker adds your Wisdom, not the attacker’s, to the attack roll. On a hit, the target takes bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Wisdom modifier. Hit or miss, the spell then ends on the stone.
Logger's Strength
You gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed, your carrying capacity (including maximum load and maximum lift) is doubled, and you gain advantage on Strength checks made to push, pull, lift, or break objects.
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.
Primal Awareness Spells
Ranger Level | Spell |
---|---|
3rd | detect magic, speak with animals |
5th | beast sense, locate animals or plants |
9th | speak with plants |
13th | locate creature |
17th | commune with nature |
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.
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
Alchemical Foraging
Prerequisite: 4th level, Natural Explorer: Forager feature
You gain proficiency with the herbalism kit, and can find the materials to craft a potion of healing with one hour of foraging through appropriate flora. You can choose to halve the time taken to craft such potions, in exchange for halving the amount the potions heal.
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
Animal Control
Prerequisite: 8th level, Beast conclave
Through long hours spent with your companion, you have reached an equivalent measure of skill. As an action on your turn, your companion can make two attacks.
Daughter of the Moon
Prerequisite: 8th level, Liquid of Life trick
You gain resistance to cold and piercing damage, and vulnerability to fire damage.
Farseer
Prerequisite: 8th level You can see up to 1 mile away with no difficulty, able to discern even fine details as though looking at something no more than 100 feet away from you. Additionally, dim light doesn't impose disadvantage on your Wisdom (Perception) checks.
Favoritism
Prerequisite: 8th level
You gain another favored enemy.
Lie in Wait
Prerequisite: 8th level
You can use a bonus action to magically become invisible, along with any equipment you are wearing or carrying, until the start of your next turn. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Planar Slayer
Prerequisite: 8th level, Horizon Walker conclave
Choose one planar region other than the material plane: the Feywild, the Abyss, the Nine Hells, the Shadowfell, Mechanus, the Upper Planes, one of the Elemental Planes, or the Astral Sea. While you are on that plane, you gain the benefits of your Favored Enemy feature against all creatures from that plane. At your DM's discretion, other planes may be chosen.
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
Fallen Angel
Prerequisite: 12th level, Favored Enemy: celestials
You gain immunity to radiant damage. You learn the earthbind spell, which you always have prepared, counts as a ranger spell for you, and does not count against your number of prepared spells.
Ghost Hunter
Prerequisite: 12th level, Favored Enemy: undead
You gain the ability to see into the ethereal plane to a distance of 30 feet. Additionally, you deal additional radiant damage equal to your Wisdom modifier on the first attack you make each turn.
Hye's Gift
Prerequisite: 12th level, Hunter conclave
Through your connection to the wilds, you have transformed to physically acquire the strengths of your prey. For each of your favored enemies, you gain one of the following features:
Abberations. You can speak telepathically with any creature you can see within 30 feet of you. You don't need to share a language with the creature for it to understand you, but it must be able to understand at least one language. Additionally, you cannot be disintegrated, and have resistance to damage from such effects.
Beasts. You become aspected with the traits of the beasts you slay. You gain a swimming speed and a climb speed equal to your walking speed, and your attacks become poisonous. Once per turn when you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, the creature must make a Constitution saving throw against your ranger spell save DC, taking 4d4 poison damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way.
Celestials. Angel wings painfully sprout from your back, and you gain a fly speed of 50 feet.
Constructs. Your motions become slightly mechanized. Once per turn when you make an attack roll, you can choose replace the result of the roll with a 9. You must choose to do so before you roll.
Fey. Your features become ethereal and immemorable. You gain proficiency in the Deception skill, and can cast the suggestion spell once without expending a spell slot. You regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.
Humanoids. You have learned the best ways to become a terror to humanoids, and your legend precedes you. The first time you use your Multiattack option on a humanoid, that humanoid must make a Wisdom saving throw against your ranger spell save DC or be frightened.
Monstrosities. Your limbs have begun to bend and hold much more tightly than possible. While you grapple a creature, it is restrained.
Oozes. You gain immunity to acid damage as your skin becomes slightly translucent.
Plants. You learn the spider climb spell, and can cast it at will without expending a spell slot. Magical plant-based terrain like the spike growth spell does not damage you.
Undead. Your skin grows pallid. You gain resistance to necrotic damage.
Dragons. You shine with the dragon scales you've collected. Your armor class increases by 1.
Elementals. Each day, roll 1d4. You gain resistance to one damage type: 1: fire, 2: cold, 3: lightning, 4: thunder.
Fiends. Your skin becomes naturally charred from hellish influences. Whenever a creature strikes you with a melee attack, it takes 1d4 fire damage.
Giants. From the blood of trolls and giants seeped into your skin, you have gained mild regenerative properties. At the start of each of your turns, you regain hit points equal to your Constitution modifier if you have no more than half of your hit points left. You don't gain this benefit if you have 0 hit points.
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
Druidic Leader
Prerequisite: 16th level, Druidic Fighter trick
You learn one 6th level spell from the druid spell list, and can cast it once. You regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.
Favored Fortune
Prerequisite: 16th level
When you fail a saving throw against an effect caused by one of your favored enemies, you can reroll the saving throw but must use the new result. Once you use this trick, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.
Quick Learner
Prerequisite: 16th level
Whenever you finish a long rest, you can exchange one of your favored enemies for another option from the list.
20th-level Tricks
King of Beasts
Prerequisite: 20th level, Spirit Beast trick, Beast conclave
Your companion's attacks count as magical, and your companion gains a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls.
Wild Riot
Prerequisite: 20th level
As an action, you incite wildlife around you to strike down your foes. All beasts within 1 mile of you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you. They become hostile to any of your favored enemies of your choice within that area.
Ranger Spells
1st Level
- Absorb Elements
- Alarm
- Animal Friendship
- Beast Bond
- Cure Wounds
- Detect Magic
- Detect Poison and Disease
- Ensnaring Strike
- Entangle
- Fog Cloud
- Goodberry
- Hail of Thorns
- Hunter’s Mark
- Jump
- Longstrider
- Snare
- Speak with Animals
- Zephyr Strike
2nd Level
- Animal Messenger
- Barkskin
- Beast Sense
- Cordon of Arrows
- Darkvision
- Enhance Ability
- Find Traps
- Gust of Wind
- Healing Spirit
- Lesser Restoration
- Locate Animals or Plants
- Locate Object
- Pass Without Trace
- Protection from Poison
- Silence
- Spike Growth
- Warding Bond
3rd Level
- Conjure Animals
- Conjure Barrage
- Daylight
- Flame Arrows
- Lightning Arrow
- Meld Into Stone
- Nondetection
- Plant Growth
- Protection from Energy
- Speak with Plants
- Tongues
- Water Breathing
- Water Walk
- Wind Wall
4th Level
- Conjure Woodland Beings
- Freedom of Movement
- Dominate Beast
- Grasping Vine
- Guardian of Nature
- Locate Creature
- Stoneskin
5th Level
- Awaken
- Commune with Nature
- Conjure Volley
- Greater Restoration
- Steel Wind Strike
- Swift Quiver
- Tree Stride
- Wrath of Nature
![](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f4306035-d585-4b4e-9f72-4a9a25d1fd8c/d73ey1a-3935e4a4-631b-4760-8176-3ea471a11ff6.jpg/v1/fill/w_900,h_1494,q_75,strp/archer_by_haryarti_d73ey1a-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTQ5NCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2Y0MzA2MDM1LWQ1ODUtNGI0ZS05ZjcyLTRhOWEyNWQxZmQ4Y1wvZDczZXkxYS0zOTM1ZTRhNC02MzFiLTQ3NjAtODE3Ni0zZWE0NzFhMTFmZjYuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTkwMCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.NiotfrpoU1Qfq6afOu3HQyv_gaM-DosBuxQxnVQV5ao)
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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.
Major Changes:
- Natural Explorer. Replaced with more useful options inspired by YARV (Yet Another Ranger Variant).
- Spellcasting. Learned -> Prepared.
- Ranger Tricks. Added tricks, choices that work like Warlock invocations, to allow much more customization. These include concentration-free hunter's mark, classics like Favored Terrain, and more. No one can agree on what a Ranger should have, so let's just let players decide.
- Favored Enemy. Using the Revised Ranger feature, but without the bonus damage. Instead, rangers action surge on the first turn of combat vs. favored enemies. Powerful Ranger Tricks are offered to those who pick less common foes like celestials.
- Beast Master. Companions follows the pattern of WoTC's recent UA releases like the Artificer and Wildfire Druid, and can be customized. Similar to, but not identical to, the UA Class Variants companions.
- New 3rd-level Class Feature. Added a minor short-rest healing improvement, to give Rangers the same number of class features as Paladins and Artificers.
- 10th & 14th level Features. Replaced 10th and 14th level features with buffs common in other homebrew rangers.
- High-level Features. Used (modified) high-level Revised Ranger features.
Design Philosophy (Problems to Fix)
- The biggest problem with rangers is that the class was filled with half exploration features and half combat features, ending up "good" at neither. Low level combat was fine damage-wise, but boring.
- The second biggest problem with rangers is that they have no active abilities besides spells. All of their benefits were passive.
- The third biggest problem with rangers is that they were not customizable; every ranger felt mostly the same, whether they were a Horde Breaker Hunter or a Gloom Stalker.
Design Philosophy (What a Ranger Is)
- Rangers are scrappy survivors, like rogues and barbarians. The fighter and paladin should go down before the ranger.
- Rangers benefit from preparation. Their features should provide mechanical options that reward players that prepare.
- Rangers are strongest fighting a foe they know. They should specialize, and get visible benefits from those specializations.
- Rangers are the best trackers. No one should be better at Survival, and someone else's magic shouldn't supercede a ranger's survival usefulness.
- Rangers are magical. They should have mystical druidic abilities that augment their strengths, while not feeling like a worse version of a druid combined with a worse version of a fighter. They should be distinct from both.
- Rangers are skirmishers who win via preparation and resilience. Their enemies should be worn down before they are.
- Rangers can have animal companions. A ranger should be able to bring along a strong animal companion who brings value to the party without overshadowing others.
- Rangers are cool. The class shouldn't taper off at high levels. Other players should see someone playing a ranger and say "maybe I'll try that next".
FAQ
Why so many pages?
I included all published subclasses; the core class features are on the first 4 pages.
Why prepared casting?
All other half-casters have it, and the default ranger feels very limited and un-magical because of it.
Why isn't an improved hunter's mark a class feature?
It's a Ranger Trick, and one that many people would likely take (compare it t Agonizing Blast for warlocks), but the class should stand on its own without using that spell.
Why keep Favored Enemy?
Favored enemy has been called a design trap, in that the player necessarily feels good in some fights and bad in others. I say that's because it always gave passive benefits, rather than because it only worked on some creatures. This design hopefully makes it an active, one-time bonus on the first round of combat, that the ranger player can pull out at the table and say "actually..." Players should feel cool, and excited to face off against their favored enemies.
Why remove ____ particular exploration feature?
Most exploration features of the classic ranger have been kept as Ranger Tricks. If a campaign is exploration-heavy, players will be interested in taking those tricks. If not, then useless exploration features shouldn't clutter the feature-space of the class.
Why Ranger Tricks?
Rangers are supposed to be versatile, flavorful, resourceful druidic warriors, the smarty-pants guides of the forests; yet the 5e chassis for the class is very boring and rote, with every ranger feeling the same. Nothing about the ranger as it was felt magical, and it should. You get fewer Ranger Tricks than a warlock gets Invocations, but they augment the nature of the ranger to give your character unique magical (and mundane) abilities.
This also gives a chassis to incorporate the wide variety of great ideas people have come up with for ranger features, thereby allowing players to build extensible, interesting rangers that they can call their own.
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.
Introductory Text
- The introductory text was stolen from the PHB Ranger.
- Some of the flavor text describing rangers was stolen from the Consensus Ranger.
Favored Enemy
- Favored Enemy is my own modification of the feature, inspired by the Ambuscade feature from that same UA; give rangers an Action Surge on the first turn of combat against their favored enemies.
- Most of the text of Favored Enemy is copied from the Revised Ranger UA, but the damage bonus has been removed (and moved to a ranger trick).
- I added plants back as an option, because I liked that option; I added a ranger trick to make it better, since it's a terrible choice by default.
- The Survival/Intelligence bonus was changed from advantage to "re-roll one die" to stack with other features. This ranger is really good at survival.
Natural Healing
- Natural healing is taken from the Consensus Ranger (but is also similar to the YARV Herbal Remedies feature).
Spellcasting
- Prepared casting; this isn't a new idea, but I don't attribute it to any specific design. Maybe YARV if I had to choose one inspiration. Also add Class Variants UA spells.
Natural Explorer
- Natural Explorer was taken from YARV, and modified.
Ranger Conclave
- The name Ranger Conclave comes from the Revised Ranger UA.
Greater Favored Enemy
- The text of this feature is the same as in the Revised Ranger UA, though the damage bonus has been removed and put in a ranger trick.
Ambuscade
- The name and first half of this feature come from DracoDruid's Focused Ranger
- The second half of this feature comes from the Consensus Ranger.
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.
Art Credits
along, by zuoan dong
The Name of the Wind, by Marc Simonetti
untitled by u/Soccerbon
The Orc King, by Todd Lockwood
Little gifts, by Manuel Casstañón
Prince of the elves by arc noir
Archer by haryarti