Dangerous Predators

Warriors of the wilderness, rangers specialize in bringing down the monsters that threaten the edges of civilization —— humanoid raiders, rampaging beats and monstrosities, terrible giants, ghosts and demons, and deadly dragons. Each ranger's techniques are efficiently designed to combat the prey they hunt, employing various tactics to disable and destroy their quarry. Often, a ranger's study of their prey leads to adoption of tactics from the very prey they hunt.

Their experience with their prey and the wild lands they inhabit allows hunters to harness nature's power to cast spells, much as a druid does. Their spells, like their combat abilities, emphasize speed, stealth, and the hunt. A ranger's talents and abilities are flexible, able to be tailored to suit any situation that may stand between them and their prey.

Independent Adventurers

Though a ranger may make a living as a guide or a tracker, a ranger's true calling lies with hunting down its prey in the wild. Many rangers are independent almost to a fault, knowing that, when a dragon or horde of goblins attacks, a ranger may be the first — and possibly last — line of defense.

This fierce independence makes hunters 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

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 master slain — perhaps by the same kind of monster that became your favored prey? Or perhaps you learned your skills as part of a band of rangers associated 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 harsh wilderness.

What's the source of your particular hatred of a certain kind of prey? Did a monster kill someone you loved or destroy your home village? Or did you see 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 the relief from the silent solitude that they offer?

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per Ranger (Spell-less) level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: Choose either Herbalism kit or Poisoner's Kit
Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
Skills: Choose 3 from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival.

Starting Equipment

You start with the following items, plus anything provided by your background.

• (a) leather armor or (b) scale mail
• (a) two one-handed melee weapons or (b) a two- handed melee weapon, or (c) a one-handed melee weapon and a shield
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• a ranged weapon and a quiver with 20 pieces of ammunition

Alternatively, you may start with 5d4 × 10 gp to buy your own equipment.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The Ranger table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your ranger spells. To cast one of your ranger spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

You prepare the list of ranger spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the ranger spell list. When you do so, choose a number of ranger spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + half your ranger level, rounded down (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

For example, if you are a 5th-level ranger, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Wisdom of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st- level spell animal friendship, 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 planning 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. 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.

Hunter Conclave

Emulating the Hunter conclave means accepting your place as a bulwark between civilization and the terrors of the wilderness. As you walk the Hunter’s path, you learn specialized techniques for fighting the threats you face, from rampaging ogres and hordes of orcs to towering giants and terrifying dragons.

Beast Master's Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Beast Master Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of ranger spells you can prepare.

Primal Companion

You magically summon a primal beast, which draws strength from your bond with nature. The best is friendly to you and your companions and obeys your commands. Choose its stat block - Beast of the Land, Beast of the Sea, or Beast of the Sky - Which uses your proficiency bonus (PB) in several places. You also determine the kind of animal the best is, choosing a kind appropriate for the stat block. Whatever kind you choose, the beast bears primal markings, indicating it's mystical origin.

In combat, the beast acts during your turn. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. That action can be one in its stat block or some other action. You can also sacrifice one of your attacks when you take the attack action to command the beast to take the attack action. if you are incapacitated, the beast can take any cation of its choice, not just Dodge.

If the beast has died within the last hour, you can use your action to touch it and expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher. The beast returns to life after 1 minute with all its hit points restored.

When you finish a long rest, you can summon a different primal beast. The new beast appears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you, and you choose its stat block and appearance. If you already have a beast from this feature, it vanishes when the new beast appears. The beast also vanishes if you die.

Exceptional Training

Starting at 7th level, your presence inspires your Primal Beast to fight through magical assaults. Your Primal Beast has advantage on saving throws while it can see you.

Bestial Fury

Beginning at 11th level, when you command your Primal Beast to use their Attack action it can make two attacks on its turn. Your Primal Beast's attacks also count as magical for the sake of overcoming resistances.

Share Spells

Beginning at 15th level, when you cast a spell that targets yourself, you choose for the spell to effect both yourself and your Primal Beast as long as they are within 30 feet of you.

Beast of the Sea

Medium beast, unaligned

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• Armor Class 13 + PB (natural armor)
• Hit Points equal the beast’s Constitution modifier + your Wisdom modifier + five times your ranger level (the beast has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your ranger level)
• Speed 5 ft., swim 60 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
14 (+2)	14 (+2)	15 (+2)	8 (-1)	14 (+2)	11 (+0)

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• Saving Throws Dex +4, Con +4, Wis +4
• Skills Perception +4, Stealth +4
• Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
• Languages understands the languages you speak

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• Amphibious. The beast can breathe air and water.
• Primal Bond. You can add your proficiency bonus to any ability check or saving throw that the beast makes

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Actions

Binding Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6 + 2 piercing damage or 1d6 bludgeoning damage (your choice), and the target is grappled (which uses your spell save DC). Until this grapple ends, the beast can't use this attack on another target.

Primeval Warden Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you always have additional spells prepared when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Primeval Warden Spells table. These spells counts as ranger spells for you, and they don’t count against the number of ranger spells you can prepare.

Woodland Druidism

Starting at 3rd level, you learn the magic of the woods, infusing yourself with the knowledge of primeval nature. You know the shillelagh and druidcraft cantrips, as well as another from the druid spell list. These spells count as ranger spells for you. Additionally, whenever you cast the shillelagh cantrip, you can instead target a weapon you are holding, and you can choose for the weapon's damage type to remain the same.

Guardian Soul

At 3rd level, you gain the ability to magically don a tree-like shell, covered with leaves and bark. As a bonus action, or as apart of activating your Favored Foe feature, you assume this guardian form, which lasts until you end it as a bonus action or you are incapacitated. You undergo the following changes while in this form:

• You gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier when you use this feature, as well as at the start of each of your turns. You lose these temporary hit points if they remain when your guardian form ends.
• Your reach increases by 5 feet.
• The benefits of your Favored Foe apply to ranger spells you cast, in addition to weapon attacks.

Piercing Thorns

Also at 3rd level, your command of primal magic allows you to instinctively sprout thorns in response to attacks. Whenever you are hit with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to deal piercing damage equal to one roll of your Favored Foe die to your attacker. The damage increases to two rolls when you reach 11th level in this class.

Ancient Fortitude

At 7th level, you gain the endurance of ancient forests. While in guardian form, your AC increases by 2, and you can add your Wisdom modifier to your Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws.

Rooted Defense

At 11th level, you can project vine and bark from yourself which layer the ground around you, slowing your foes and protecting your allies. While you are in your guardian form, the ground within 30 feet of you becomes difficult terrain. You can choose any number of creatures when you activate your guardian form, who ignore this difficult terrain. When one of your allies within this area is attacked, you can use your reaction to momentarily project a defensive mesh of roots around the ally, imposing disadvantage on the attack roll.

Ironwood Bark

At 15th level, your bark gains an exceptional quality of hardiness, making it increasingly difficult to pierce. You can add half your ranger level to the temporary hit points you gain from your guardian form.

Horizon Walker Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you always have additional spells prepared when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Horizon Walker Spells table. These spells counts as ranger spells for you, and they don’t count against the number of ranger spells you can prepare.

Planar Traveler

At 3rd level, you gain the ability to magically sense the presence of planar portals. As an action, you detect the distance and direction to the closest planar portal within 5 miles of you, as well as what plane the portal leads to.

Additionally, when you reach 15th level in this class, you can cast the plane shift spell, but only as a ritual. Once you cast plane shift in this way, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

Horizon Warrior

Starting at 3rd level, you learn to draw on the energy of the multiverse to augment your attacks. As a bonus action, or whenever you deal damage with your Favored Foe feature, all damage dealt by your weapon attacks becomes force damage. If the creature is affected by your Favored Foe feature, the next weapon attack made against the creature before the start of its next turn has advantage. You can affect a creature in this way only once per turn. If the creature is not on its plane of origin, it takes an extra 1d6 force damage.

Ethereal Step

Starting at 7th level, you learn to step through the Ethereal Plane. As a bonus action on your turn, you can cast the etherealness spell with this feature, without expending a spell slot or requiring verbal or somatic components, but the spell ends at the end of your turn.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Distant Strike

Starting at 11th level, you gain the ability to pass between the planes in a blink of an eye. When you take the Attack action, you can teleport up to 10 feet before each attack to an unoccupied space you can see.

If you attack at least two different creatures with the action, you can make one additional attack with it against a third creature.

Spectral Defense

Starting at 15th level, your ability to move between planes enables you to slip through the planar boundaries to lessen the harm done to you during battle. When you take damage from an attack, you can use your reaction to give yourself resistance to all damage until the end of your next turn.

Huntsman's Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you always have additional spells prepared when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Huntsman Spells table. These spells counts as ranger spells for you, and they don’t count against the number of ranger spells you can prepare.

Spiritual Curse

At 3rd level, the spirit of the beast you slew begins to awaken within you, gradually seeking to drive you to the ravenous urges of a wild animal. Whenever you take the Attack action, you can choose to make feral attacks in place of your normal attacks if you have at least one free hand. Strength is your ability score for a feral attack. When you do this, the spiritual claws of the beast within manifest around your arm as you strike a creature within your reach. Make an attack roll. If you hit, the target takes slashing damage equal to 1d12 + your Strength modifier. You can choose to use your bonus action to make an additional feral attack if at least one feral attack you’ve made during your turn hits a creature. Whenever you kill a creature with a feral attack, you risk losing control of yourself and are overwhelmed with a compulsion to feast on the creature’s spirit. If the corpse of a creature you have slain with a feral attack is within your reach at the start of your turn during the first minute after you have killed it, your predatory spirit will appear and feast using your action, granting you temporary hit points equal to half your ranger level + your Constitution modifier. Once it does this, you regain control, and you can use a bonus action before the end of your turn to make one feral attack.

Cold Iron

Also at 3rd level, the hoarfrost of the Huntsman’s domain infuses your mind and body even as your soul fights within you. You gain the following benefits:

• Dark Hunter. You ignore disadvantage on Perception checks caused by dim lighting.
• Flawless Pursuit. Whenever a hostile creature you can see takes the Dash action, you can use your reaction to move up to your speed towards them, even while mounted.
• Hunting Blind. You can create an area of artificial camouflage up to 10 feet in each dimension for yourself and your allies over the course of 1 minute. While within, you gain advantage on Stealth checks and cannot be detected by scent.
• Winter’s Might. You can add your Strength modifier to your AC in place of your Dexterity modifier, and you can use your Strength modifier when making attacks with ranged weapons. This does not allow you to surpass the normal limits of an armor’s AC value.

Rend Asunder

At 7th level, your savagery becomes even more difficult to contain, but you begin to embrace the eldritch power of this primal spirit. Whenever you make an additional feral attack using your bonus action, you can choose to dominate the beast within by giving it the blood it craves. If this attack hits, it inflicts the maximum possible damage per die, and if this is a killing blow, you are not forced to use your action to feast upon the soul of the creature if you start your turn while the corpse is within your reach, though you may choose to do so using your action as normal. If the attack misses, you have disadvantage on all attacks targeting a creature other than the one you just attacked until the end of your next turn. Additionally, your jumping height and distance increases by a number of feet equal to your Strength score.

Hunter’s Call

At 11th level, when you take the Attack action, you can let out a hunting cry as a bonus action. Choose one enemy creature within 30 feet. If you hit that target during your next turn, the creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your ranger spell save DC. If they fail, they are frightened of you until the end of their next turn.

Lord of the Beast Within

At 15th level, you learn to bind the spirit within you more fully, forcing it to obey your whims and mastering the predatory instinct within you. You can now always make an additional feral attack using your bonus action, even if you haven’t taken the Attack action, and you can feast upon the spirit of a corpse as a bonus action instead of an action. Finally, you can track by scent, and gain advantage on all Perception checks.

Feywild Gifts

Fey Wanderer Spells

Otherworldly Glamour

Your fey qualities give you a supernatural charm. As a result, whenever you make a charisma check, you gain a bonus to the check equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of +1).

In addition, you gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Deception, Performance, or Persuasion.

Dreadful Strikes

At 3rd level, you augment your attacks with mind-scarring magic, drawn from the gloomy hollows of the Feywild. When you hit a creature with a weapon, you can deal an extra 1d6 psychic damage to the target, which can take this extra damage only once pert turn.

The extra damage increases to 1d8 when you reach 11th level in this class.

Beguiling Twist

Beginning at 7th level, the magic of the Feywild guards your mind. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

In addition, whenever you or a creature you can see within 120 feet of you succeeds on a saving throw against being charmed or frightened you can use your reaction to force a different creature you can see within 120 feet of you to succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or suffer your choice of one of the following effects:

• The creature is charmed or frightened by you (your choice) for 1 minute. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a successful save.

• The creature takes 2d10 psychic damage.

Fey Reinforcements

At 11th level, the royal courts of the Feywild have blessed you with the assistance of fey beings: you know summon fey (a spell in chapter 3). It doesn't count against the number of ranger spells you prepare, and you can cast it without a material component. If you do so, the spell's duration becomes 1 minute for that casting.

Misty Wanderer

At 15th level, you can slip in and out of the Feywild to move in a blink of an eye: you can cast misty step without expending a spell slot. you can do so a number of times equal to your wisdom modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

In addition, whenever you cast misty step, you can bring along one willing creature you can see within 5 feet of you. That creature teleports to an unoccupied space of your choice within 5 feet of your destination space.

Gloomstalker Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you always have additional spells prepared when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Gloomstalker Spells table. These spells count as ranger spells for you, and they don’t count against the number of ranger spells you can prepare.

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. If you take the Attack action on that turn, you can make one additional weapon attack as part of that action. If that attack hits and the target is under the effect of your Favored Foe feature, it has disadvantage on its first weapon attack or saving throw before the start of its next turn.

Umbral Sight

At 3rd level, you gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision from your race, its range increases by 30 feet.

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.

Spellbreaker Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you gain certain spells at the Ranger levels noted in the Spellbreaker Magic table. Once you gain a spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.

If you gain a spell that doesn't appear on the Ranger spell list, the spell is nonetheless a Ranger spell for you.

Mirrorblade

At 3rd level you gain the ability to construct the signature weapon of a Spellbreaker, the mirrorblade. At the end of a long rest you can perform a special ritual to create a mirrorblade, as long as you have a bladed weapon available to you. It is considered a magic weapon and contains a number of charges of absorb elements equal to your Wisdom modifier. It regains charges equal to your Wisdom modifier if you perform the ritual again at the end of a long rest.

As a reaction you can use your mirrorblade to cast absorb elements as a 1st-level spell, consuming one charge. You can use multiple charges to upcast the spell, one level higher per charge. If you cast absorb elements in this way and make a melee weapon attack against the creature whose spell you absorbed before the end of your next turn, treat the additional damage from absorb elements as it's maximum roll.

Additionally, whenever you deal damage with your Favored Foe feature, you can change the damage type dealt to any of the damage types available in absorb elements. If the target is a spellcaster, is attuned to a magical item that can cast spells, or has the innate spellcasting trait, it takes an additional 1d6 damage.

Spellsight

Your training as a Spellbreaker has given you ability to detect creature's innate magic ability. Starting at 3rd level, as an action choose one creature you can see within 60 ft. of you. You immediately learn its spellcasting ability (if it has one), and the highest level spell the creature can cast.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Wisdom modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses. Alternatively, you can expend a use of your Favored Foe feature.

Arcane Defense

At 7th level your experience in combat against spellcasters grants you increased resistance to spells and other magical effects. When you are forced to make a saving throw for a spell or other magical effect, you gain a bonus to the roll equal to your Wisdom modifier.

Disrupting Strike

At 11th level, your lightning fast reflexes allow you to disrupt enemy spellcasters. As a reaction, when a creature you can see within 30 ft. casts a spell with verbal, somatic, or material components, you can make one attack targeting that creature. If your attack hits, the creature must make a saving throw with their spellcasting ability. On a failure, the spell they are attempting to cast immediately fails.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.

Spellbreaker Mantle

At 15th level, your training as a Spellbreaker has reached its apex, and your blood has developed an innate magical ward. You are resistant to magic damage from spells, and when you use your mirrorblade to cast absorb elements you gain immunity to the damage type in place of resistance.

Spell Retribution

5th-level evocation

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 feet
• Components: V, S, M (a broken arcane focus)
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

You create a 30-foot-radius sphere of unstable magic centered on a point you can see. For the duration of the spell, any hostile creature casting or concentrating on a spell within the area of the sphere must make a Constitution saving throw. A target takes 6d6 force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Concentration checks made by hostile creatures within this sphere have disadvantage, and their DC is increased by 1.

The sphere spreads around corners.

On each of your turns after you cast this spell, you can use a bonus action to move the sphere up to 60 feet in any direction.

Blood Hunter Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you gain certain spells at the ranger levels noted in the Blood Hunter Magic table. Once you gain a spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.

If you gain a spell that doesn't appear on the ranger spell list, the spell is nonetheless a ranger spell for you.

Hunter's Bane

When you adopt this archetype at 3rd level, you undergo the dark rite known as the Hunter's Bane, granting you enhanced knowlege of your foes. You gain proficiency in Arcana and Religion. In addition, whenever you make an Intelligence (Arcana) or Intelligence (Religion) ability check related to fey, fiends, or undead, you have advantage on the roll.

Crimson Brand

Starting at 3rd level, undergoing the Hunter's Bane has granted you the ability to channel your vitality into your strikes. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one hit die to deal 2d10 necrotic damage to the target, in addition to the weapon's damage. The damage increases by 1d10 if the target is a fey, fiend, or undead.

Grim Augmentation

Beginning at 7th level, the dark rites you underwent increase your physical prowess. Your movement speed increases by 5 feet, and whenever you make a Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution saving throw or ability check, you gain a bonus to the roll equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1).

Improved Crimson Brand

At 11th level, you have given yourself over to the dark arts so fully that all your weapon strikes carry your hatred with them. Once per turn, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, the creature takes an additional 2d8 necrotic damage.

Hardened Soul

Upon reaching 15th level, the dark magic within your body has matured to its full potential. You are immune to the charmed and frightened conditions, and you are always under the effects of the* protection from good and evil* spell.

Lifesapping Blow

1st-level necromancy

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

The next time you hit a creature with a weapon attack during this spell's duration, your weapon flares with ghastly energy, and the attack deals an extra 1d6 necrotic damage to the target. Additionally, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be enfeebled until the spell ends. While enfeebled, the target must roll 1d4 and subtract the result from the first attack roll or saving throw it makes each turn.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st.