5e Revised: Ranger
As a Ranger, you embody the very essence of an adventurer, forging your way through the uncharted wilds to confront threats where they originate. You are accustom to traveling through dangerous terrain, surviving off what you can find, and most importantly, hunting your foes.
You are particuarly good at determing the strengths and weaknesses of enemies you hunt, as well as ecological information about them that you can use to your advantage. Ever the voice of pragmatism and gruff reality, you are never unprepared for what may come.
Ranger
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Spells Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Hunted Prey, Pathfinder | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | Hunting Style, Spellcasting | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +2 | Ranger Archetype | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack, Primeval Awareness | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 6th | +3 | Hunted Prey and Pathfinder improvements | 4 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 7th | +3 | Ranger Archetype Feature | 5 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement, Feat, Land's Stride | 5 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 9th | +4 | Hunting Style improvement | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 10th | +4 | Hide in Plain Sight, Pathfinder improvements | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 11th | +4 | Ranger Archetype feature | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 13th | +5 | Hunted Prey Improvement | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 14th | +5 | Vanish | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 15th | +5 | Ranger Archetype feature | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 17th | +6 | Hunting Style improvement | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 18th | +6 | Feral Senses | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20th | +6 | Foe Slayer | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Ranger Class Features
As a Ranger, you gain the following class features
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d10 per Ranger level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per Ranger level after 1st
Proficiencies
- Armor: Medium armor, Light armor
- Weapons: Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons
- Tools: none
- Saving Throws: Strength and 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
Alternatively, you may start with 5d4 × 10 gp to buy your own equipment.
Hunted Prey
Beginning at 1st level, when you hunt a creature, you can focus your attention on every deatil of it in combat, studying your quarry's movements, assesing its strengths and weaknesses on the fly, and determing the best approach at any given moment.
Hunted Prey
As a bonus action, you can designate one creature that you can see as your Hunted Prey. Doing so allows you to deal an extra 1d6 damage to the target whenever you hit it with a weapon attack, and you gain advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) check you make to find it.
Your Hunted Prey ends on a target if they are slain or you are more than 100 feet away from them. You may not use your Hunted Prey feature again while it is active on a creature. Additionally, a target effected by Hunted Prey cannot also be effected by Hunter's Mark.
Pathfinder
Beginning at 1st level, you have become skilled at finding your way through dangerous, unforgiving lands and living off what you can gather in the wilds. You are also a master of tracking, being able to gather far more information from seemingly simple tracks than others.
- You have advantage on checks for Navigation and Foraging.
- Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger.
- You have advantage on checks made to track creatures.
- Additionally, while tracking creatures, you also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area.
Hunting Style (Novice)
Beginning at 2nd level, you choose a Hunting Style to express your Ranger's preferred method of hunting, modifying the way your Hunted Prey feature works to suit your style. Choose a Style from the list below. You gain the benefits listed for that Style.
Ambush Hunter
As an ambush hunter, you prefer to engage enemies on your terms, waiting days if necessary for the perfect opportunity to both start and end the hunt in a single moment.
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You gain proficiency in Stealth
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You gain the ability to create and set traps. You can make one trap over a long rest and you can carry 2 traps at a time. Your trap's save DC is the same as your spells.
Iron Jaws Trap:
When a creature activates this trap they must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 3d6 piercing damage and reducing their speed to 0 on a failure. They, or another creature, must use an action to open the trap to restore their speed. On a success they take half as much damage.
Venomous Spike Trap:
When a creature activates this trap they must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure they take 2d8 piercing damage and 1d4 poison damage immediately, and then at the start of their turn for the next minute. On a success they take half the piercing damage and are not poisoned. They may make a Constitution save at the end of every turn they take poison damage to end the effect.
Paralyzing Needle Trap:
When a creature activates this trap they must make a constitution saving throw, taking 1d4 piercing damage and being paralyzed for 1d4 rounds on a failure, or avoiding the traps effect entirely on a success. While paralyzed, they may reattempt the constition saving throw at the end of their turn to end the effect.
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Your traps gain the benefit of your Hunted Prey feature.
Using Ranger Traps
To set a trap, use an Attack action with the trap and designate a 5 foot square within 10 feet of you. This square becomes trapped and the trap is removed from your inventory. The trap activates on the first creature that enters the trapped square. Unactivated traps may be recovered.
An enemy uses their passive perception vs your passive stealth (8 + proficiency + stealth mod) to determine if they can see your trap.
Hawkeyed Hunter
As a hawkeyed hunter, you have an accute sense of sight. You prefer hunting your prey from afar, needing nothing more than a single silent shot to end your quarry.
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You gain proficiency in Perception
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You gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls you make with ranged weapons.
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The maximum range of your Hunted Prey feature is increased to 300 feet. Additionally, any ranged attacks you make against your Hunted Prey ignore half cover.
Pack Hunter
As a pack hunter, you know the value of hunting with others. You prefer to have a friend (or two) at your side supporting and aiding one another to track down your mutual prey.
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You gain proficiency in Survival
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When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
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When you designate a creature to be your Hunted Prey, you may also designate an ally to gain its benefits. Additionaly, your Hunted Prey feature's bonus damage is now 1d4.
Predatory Hunter
As a predatory hunter, you value a fast, vicious assault, overwhelming your quarry with sheer volume of strikes. A hunt should last mere moments at your unrelenting attacks.
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You gain proficiency in Acrobatics
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When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
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After your first successful attack on your Hunted Prey after the start of your turn, every additional attack you make that hits your Hunted Prey deals 1 additional damage, until either you miss an attack or your turn ends.
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Your Hunted Prey feature's bonus damage is now 1d4.
Spellcasting
By the time you reach 2nd level, you have learned to use the magical essence of nature to cast spells, much as a druid does. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the ranger spell list.
Spell Slots
The Ranger table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your ranger spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell animal friendship and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast animal friendship using either slot.
Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the ranger spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Ranger table shows when you learn more ranger spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 5th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the ranger spells you know and replace it with another spell from the ranger spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
Spellcasting Ability
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your ranger spells, since your magic draws on your attunement to nature. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a ranger spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Ranger Archetype
Beastmaster: Ranger's Companion Update
You command your beast with a bonus action instead of a full action.
Primeval Awareness
Beginning at 3rd level, you can use your action and expend one ranger spell slot to focus your awareness on the region around you. For 1 minute per level of the spell slot you expend, you can sense whether the following types of creatures are present within 1 mile of you (or within up to 6 miles if you are in your favored terrain): aberrations, celestials, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead. This feature doesn't reveal the creatures' location or number.
Hunted Prey: Deadly Hunter
At 6th level your Hunted Prey's damage bonus increases by 1 die size.
Pathfinder: Favored Terrain
Starting at 6th level, you have become an expert at finding your way through one type of terrain in particular. Pick a terrain type from the following list: arctic, coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, swamp, or the Underdark. Your selection should reflect the types of terrains you've traveled through on your adventure. You gain the following benefits for your selected terrain:
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You cannot get lost in your favored terrain except by magical means
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You gain double the amount of food while Foraging in your favored terrain.
Land's Stride
Starting at 8th level, moving through nonmagical difficult terrain costs you no extra movement. You can also pass through nonmagical plants without being slowed by them and without taking damage from them if they have thorns, spines, or a similar hazard.
In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against plants that are magically created or manipulated to impede movement, such those created by the entangle spell.
Hunting Syle (Adept)
Starting at 9th level your hunting instincts have been honed by practice and experience, your chosen hunting instinct gains the following bonus:
Ambush Hunter
- You gain access to the following trap:
Flametongue Trap:
When you set this trap, designate a direction. When a creature activates this trap, that creature and every creature in a 15 foot line from the trapped square, in the direction you designated, must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 8d6 fire damage on a failed save or half as much on a success.
- You can now carry 3 traps at a time.
Hawkeyed Hunter
- Ranged attacks against your Hunted Prey now have twice their normal range. Additionally, you may change the target of your Hunted Prey feature using an attack action.
Predatory Hunter
- The bonus damage on successive attacks is now 2, instead of 1.
Pack Hunter
- You may now select two allies instead of one.
Pathfinder: Favored Enemy
Starting at 10th level, there is one type of foe that you prefer to hunt above all others. For whatever reason, you've dedicated significant time to learning everything you can about this particular quarry. Pick a type of enemy from the following list: aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or undead. Alternatively, you can select two races of humanoid (such as gnolls and orcs). Your selection should reflect the types of enemies you've encountered on your adventure so far. You gain the following benefits:
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You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track your favored enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them.
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You also learn one language of your choice that is spoken by your favored enemies, if they speak one at all.
Hunted Prey: Exploit Weakness
Starting at 13th level, your ability to read your prey is unparalleled. Select one option from the list provided, your Hunted Prey feature gains this bonus.
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You are able to spot your foes weak point with ease. As a bonus action, you can make an Intelligence (insight) check on your Hunted Prey to determine what its best and worst ability scores are, but not their specific values.
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Knowing your prey's weakness, you can easily exploit it to aid your allies. You can perform the Help action as a bonus action against your Hunted Prey.
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You use your knowledge to press your prey into a compromised position. So long as all other attacks on your turn were made against your Hunted Prey, the last attack you make on your turn has advantage against your Hunted Prey.
Vanish
Starting at 14th level, you can use the Hide action as a bonus action on your turn. Also, you can't be tracked by nonmagical means, unless you choose to leave a trail.
Hunting Style Paragon
Starting at 17th level, you may choose to either increase the benefits of your Hunting Style to the paragon level or, you may instead, choose to take the novice level benefits of a different Style than the one you currently belong to, in addition to your current Style benefits.
Ambush Hunter
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You can create traps on a short rest.
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When you set a trap using Ambush Hunter, you instead choose a 10 foot square area to be trapped. (This also increases the line width of your Flametongue Trap)
Hawkeyed Hunter
- Once per turn, you may reroll the attack of a ranged weapon. You must use the new roll.
Predatory Hunter
- If you succesfully land all possible attacks you can make on your Hunted Prey, they must make a Consitution saving throw, or take 1d10 bleed damage at the start of their turn for the next minute. They may repeat the save at the end of every turn this effect deals damage to them. If the creature is already suffering from a similar effect, you choose which effect you want to persist.
Pack Hunter
- You can now select three allies instead of two to grant your Hunted Prey benefit. Additionally, your first successful attack per turn against a Hunted Prey increases the bonus damage's die by 1 step for every additional ally benefiting from its effect within 5 feet of the target.
Feral Senses
At 18th level, you gain preternatural senses that help you fight creatures you can't see. When you attack a creature you can't see, your inability to see it doesn't impose disadvantage on your attack rolls against it. You are also aware of the location of any invisible creature within 30 feet of you, provided that the creature isn't hidden from you and you aren't blinded or deafened.
Foe Slayer
At 20th level, you become an unparalleled hunter of your enemies. Once on each of your turns, you can add your Wisdom modifier to the attack roll or the damage roll of an attack you make against your Hunted Prey. You can choose to use this feature before or after the roll, but before any effects of the roll are applied.
Appendix I
Summary of Changes
- Replaced Favored Enemy with Hunted Prey
- Condensed Favored Enemy, Favored Terrain, and Survival bonuses into 1 feature: Pathfinder. To preserve the class flavor.
- Replaced Fighting Styles with Hunting Style to more accurately reflect the Ranger's approach to combat.
- Hunting Styles improve over the life of the Ranger, at levels 9 and 17 to show the Ranger's improving combat accumen.
- Adjusted Beastmaster action economy so that the Archetype is useful.