Ranger
Rough and wild looking, a human stalks alone through the shadows of trees, hunting the orcs he knows are planning a raid on a nearby farm. Clutching a shortsword in each hand, he becomes a whirlwind of steel, cutting down one enemy after another.
After tumbling away from a cone of freezing air, an elf finds her feet and draws back her bow to loose an arrow at the white dragon. Shrugging off the wave of fear that emanates from the dragon like the cold of its breath, she sends one arrow after another to find the gaps between the dragon's thick scales.
Holding his hand high, a half-elf whistles to the hawk that circles high above him, calling the bird back to his side. Whispering instructions in Elvish, he points to the owlbear he's been tracking and sends the hawk to distract the creature while he readies his bow.
Far from the bustle of cities and towns, past the hedges that shelter the most distant farms from the terrors of the wild, amid the dense-packed trees of trackless forests and across wide and empty plains, rangers keep their unending watch.
Deadly Hunters
Warriors of the wilderness, rangers specialize in hunting the monsters that threaten the edges of civilization - humanoid raiders, rampaging beasts and monstrosities, terrible giants, and deadly dragons. They learn to track their quarry as a predator does, moving stealthily through the wilds and hiding themselves in brush and rubble. Rangers focus their combat training on techniques that are particularly useful against their specific favored foes.
Thanks to their familiarity with the wilds, rangers acquire the ability to cast spells that harness nature's power, much as a druid does. Their spells, like their combat abilities, emphasize speed, stealth, and the hunt. A ranger's talents and abilities are honed with deadly focus on the grim task of protecting the borderlands.
Independent Adventurers
Though a ranger might make a living as a hunter, a guide, or a tracker, a ranger's true calling is to defend the outskirts of civilization from the ravages of monsters and humanoid hordes that press in from the wild. In some places, rangers gather in secretive orders or join forces with druidic circles. Many rangers, though, are independent almost to a fault, knowing that, when a dragon or a band of orcs attacks, a ranger might be the first - and possibly the last - line of defense. This fierce independence makes rangers well suited to adventuring, since they are accustomed to life far from the comforts of a dry bed and a hot bath. Faced with city-bred adventurers who grouse and whine about the hardships of the wild, rangers respond with some mixture of amusement, frustration, and compassion. But they quickly learn that other adventurers who can carry their own weight in a fight against civilization's foes are worth any extra burden. Coddled city folk might not know how to feed themselves or find fresh water in the wild, but they make up for it in other ways.
Creating a Ranger
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 to 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 the relief from solitude 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 who focus on melee-weapon fighting make Strength higher than Dexterity.) Second, choose the soldier background.
The Ranger
| Ranger Level | Prof Bonus | Features | Spells Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Favoured Enemy (1), Wilderness Warrior | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | Fighting Style (1), Spellcasting | 1 + Wisdom modifier | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +2 | Ranger Archetype | 2 + Wisdom modifier | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 2 + Wisdom modifier | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack | 3 + Wisdom modifier | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 6th | +3 | Favoured Enemy (2), Lands Stride | 4 + Wisdom modifier | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 7th | +3 | Ranger Archetype feature, Rugged | 4 + Wisdom modifier | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 + Wisdom modifier | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 9th | +4 | Fighting Style (2) | 6 + Wisdom modifier | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 10th | +4 | Hide in Plain Sight | 7 + Wisdom modifier | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 11th | +4 | Ranger Archetype feature | 7 + Wisdom modifier | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 8 + Wisdom modifier | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 13th | +5 | - | 9 + Wisdom modifier | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 14th | +5 | Favoured Enemy (3), Vanish | 10 + Wisdom modifier | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 15th | +5 | Ranger Archetype feature | 10 + Wisdom modifier | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 11 + Wisdom modifier | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 17th | +6 | - | 12 + Wisdom modifier | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 18th | +6 | Feral Senses | 13 + Wisdom modifier | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 19th | +6 | Epic Ability Score Improvement or Feat | 13 + Wisdom modifier | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20th | +6 | Foe Slayer | 14 + Wisdom modifier | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Class Features
As a ranger, you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at 2nd and 3rd Levels: The higher of 1d10 or 6 + your Constitution modifier per ranger level
Hit Points at Higher Levels: Roll 1d10 (reroll a result of 1) + your Constitution modifier per ranger level
Proficiencies
Armour: Light armour, medium armour, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: Woodcarver's tools
Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
Skills: Choose three skills 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 armour
- (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
Favoured Enemy
Beginning at 1st level, you have significant experience studying, tracking, hunting, and even talking to a certain type of enemy.
Choose a type of favoured enemy: aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrosities, oozes, plants or undead. Alternatively, you can select two races of humanoids (such as gnolls and orcs) as favoured enemies.
You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track your favoured enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them. Additionally, you understand their weaknesses; add your proficiency bonus to the damage of any weapon attack you make that hits a favoured enemy.
When you gain this feature, you also learn one language of your choice that is spoken by your favoured enemies, if they speak one at all.
You choose one additional favoured enemy, as well as an associated language, at 6th and 14th level. As you gain levels, your choices should reflect the types of monsters you have encountered on your adventures.
Wilderness Warrior
You are adept at traveling, surviving and operating in the wilderness. This excludes indoor, urban and dungeon environments, but does not exclude a natural underground environment such as the Underdark. You have a Wilderness Bonus equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded up). When you make an ability check while in the wilderness related to the wilderness you add your Wilderness Bonus. This is added regardless of whether you have proficiency in the skill or not. Examples are: a stealth check in a forest receives the Wilderness Bonus while a stealth check in an alley in a town does not; noticing a trap in the wilderness adds the Wilderness Bonus to the passive perception check, but spotting a trap in a dungeon does not; climbing a mountain or swimming a river adds the Wilderness Bonus to the athletics check, but not climbing a wall or swimming in a swimming pool. The Wilderness Bonus is even added to your initiative when you are fighting in the wilderness, as this is your forte.
While out in the wilderness, you gain the following benefits:
- When you forage, you find twice as much food or water as you normally would.
- While tracking other creatures, you also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area.
Additionally, while traveling through the wilderness for at least an hour, you gain the following benefits:
- Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your travel.
- You can’t become lost except by magical means.
- Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating or tracking) you remain alert to danger.
- You can move stealthily at a normal pace.
Fighting Style
At 2nd level you adopt a particular style of fighting as a specialty. Choose one of the following options. At 9th level you choose an additional one of these fighting styles to embody. When you gain a ranger level you may change one of your fighting styles to another listed here if you wish.
Archery
You gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls you make with ranged weapons that are not thrown.
Blind Fighting
You have blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn't behind total cover, even if you're blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.
Close Quarters Fighting
You gain +2 to shove attacks, for both attack and defense.
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.
Parrying
When you have been hit by a melee weapon attack you may use your reaction to add half of your proficiency bonus (rounded up) to your AC, which may cause the attack to miss.
Sentry
Your passive perception score is raised by +2.
Thrown Weapon Fighting
You can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon. In addition, when you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.
Two-Weapon Fighting
When you engage in two-weapon fighting, the main weapon you are attacking with does not need to have the light property, though it cannot have the two-handed or heavy property, and you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack. You can draw both of the weapons for use in two-weapon fighting using just one interaction or action.
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 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 a number of 1st-level spells equal to 1 + your Wisdom modifier 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
At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you strive to emulate: Hunter or Beast Master. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th and 15th level.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level and again at 8th, 12th and 16th level, you can increase an 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.
Lands Stride
Starting at 6th 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.
Rugged
From 7th level, due to your life in the wilds, you gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws.
Hide in Plain Sight
From 10th level, you gain the ability to camouflage yourself to a supernatural degree. As an action you may cast invisibility on yourself without requiring a material component when you are in the wilderness (this excludes indoor, urban and dungeon environments, but does not exclude a natural underground environment such as the Underdark). In addition to not attacking and not casting a spell, you may not move while under this invisibility (i.e. your speed becomes 0); if you attack, cast a spell or move the spell will end. You may cast this invisibility a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain expended uses after a long rest.
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.
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.
When a creature you can't see attacks you, your inability to see it doesn't grant the creature advantage on the attack roll.
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.
Epic Ability Score Improvement or Feat
At 19th level you can increase an ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. You can increase an ability score above the normal limit of 20 but you can’t increase an ability score above 22 using this feature.
Alternatively, you may choose one feat.
Foe Slayer
At 20th level, you become an unparalleled hunter of your enemies. You have advantage on attack rolls for all attacks you make against your favored enemies.