Ranger
Wanderers, regional wardens, or monster hunters. Rangers easily circumvent obstacles and have magical powers they draw from nature or powerful honed instincts.
The following is a revision of the 5e ranger class, meant to address their lack of damage scaling and improve or replace abilities that were too weak or too situational. Existing 5e subclasses will all work mechanically with this form of the ranger class. Click here for a summary of changes.
Level 1 Rangers
When you create a level 1 ranger, follow these steps to add the following to your character:
Ability Scores
You can take one of these recommended ability score arrays, or you can roll or assign them yourself. You can switch any two ability scores, but you do not add any further bonuses (they're already included).
Strength: 10 Dexterity:16 Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 16 Charisma: 8
Strength: 16 Dexterity:14 Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 9 Wisdom: 14 Charisma: 8
Feat
You gain a level 1 feat of your choice. You can choose from the feats available to all classes or choose a level 1 class-specific feat, if there is one available.
Hit Points
At First Level: 10 + Constitution Modifier
At Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution Modifier
Hit Dice: 1d10 per ranger level
Proficiencies
Armor: Light Armor, Medium Armor
Weapons: Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons
Tools: Two tools of your choice
Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
Skill Proficiencies: Survival, and three of: Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, Engineering, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Stealth
Languages: one of your choice
Items
scale armor -OR- padded armor
two shortswords or scimitars -OR- two Simple Melee Weapons -OR- one Martial Melee Weapon
a longbow and 20 arrows
two sets of tools, which you gained proficiency with as part of the ranger class
a backpack containing: 1 bedroll, 5 rations, 1 rope, 1 tinderbox, 5 torches, 1 waterskin containing 5 pints of water
Multiclass Characters
Instead of leveling up in your original class, you can take a ranger level when you level up. When you do, you gain only a portion of what first level rangers gain.
Class Features
Class features here are sorted by level. When you reach a level as indicated by the icons on the left, you gain all feature or feature improvements listed between the red lines. For example, at first level rangers gain the Fighting Style and Natural Tracker abilities.
Fighting Style
You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take the same Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again. Click here for more information on our changes.
Archery
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged and thrown weapons.
Defense
While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.
Protection
Reaction - 1 Ally (5 ft.)
When a creature hits one of your allies with an attack and that ally is within 5 ft. of you, you can force the attacker to reroll the attack, targeting you instead. You must be holding a shield or melee weapon to use this ability.
Single Weapon Fighting
When you are wielding a single one or two-handed melee weapon and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
Two-Weapon Fighting
When you make an attack with an off-hand weapon, you do not suffer disadvantage on the attack roll. As normal, your off-hand weapon must be Light.
Natural Tracker
You've become very good at navigating your environment and tracking other creatures.
Moving through nonmagical difficult terrain (like a crowd, thick foliage, or waist deep water) costs you no extra movement.
If your table uses overland travel rules or survival rules, you gain the following benefits as well.
Difficult terrain doesn't slow your group's overland travel with you to lead them.
Even when you are engaged in another activity (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger.
Mark for Death
Bonus Action - Self - 1 Minute - 2/Long Rest*
You enter a state of heightened focus during combat where you focus on one target.
While using this ability, you can mark a creature you can see when you take the Attack action. You deal an extra 1d4* damage with your weapons when you hit a marked target with a weapon attack. This damage is of the same type as your weapon. You can shift your mark to a new target every time you take the Attack action. You can only have one marked target at a time. If you kill your marked target (or knock them unconscious), you won't be able to deal this extra damage until your next turn.
This ability ends early if you become incapacitated.
*Your Mark for Death die changes from a d4 to larger dice and you get more uses of this ability when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Ranger Progression Table.
This ability is meant to replace the hunter's mark spell. You cannot benefit from the hunter's mark spell while using this ability.
Plan the Hunt
You focus on thoughts of your enemies, trying to clear your head for when you finally catch up with your foes.
During a Short Rest - Self - 1/Long Rest
You regain half of your uses of Mark for Death.
Ranger Spellcasting
You gain the ability to cast spells that call on the powers of nature or natural instinct. You use wisdom as your spellcasting ability for ranger spells, since your magic draws upon your attunement to nature and heightened senses.
Rangers are prepared spellcasters. The Ranger Progression Table shows how many spell slots you have, as well as how many spells you have prepared. You can search the list of ranger spells here or see full spell descriptions here.
Druidic Focuses
You can use a druidic focus or component pouch as a spellcasting focus.
Skill Expertise
Choose any two skills with which you have proficiency. You gain expertise (add double your proficiency bonus) with the chosen skills.
Primeval Awareness
Bonus Action - Self - 1st Level (Divination) - 1 Hour
You focus your awareness on the region around you. You choose a single creature you know, a single creature you are tracking, or choose to look for the closest of a type of creature (such as human or red dragon). If the creature is within 250 ft. per level of the spell slot you expended, you immediately become aware of the fastest path to find the creature. You also know which way the creature is moving, if applicable.
Even if the creature is too far to learn its exact position, or the creature is protected from divination, you gain advantage on all survival and perception checks to locate the creature for 1 hour.
This ability can take many forms. You could track your target by scent like a dog, follow tracks too subtle for others to notice, or enter a trance where spirits guide you along a path.
Primeval Awareness is a spell, and like with other spells, you are limited to expending one spell slot per turn.
Ranger Conclave
You choose a ranger conclave, which represents the specialized training and skills you develop that make you different from other rangers. Your conclave gives you new abilities at this level and at levels 6, 11, and 14, also listed below.
A revised Hunter Conclave is available on this website, but ranger conclaves published elsewhere are compatible with this version of the ranger class.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, and 16th 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.
Feat
At this level and every level you gain an ability score improvement, you also gain a feat of your choice.
Mark for Death Improvement
Your Mark for Death damage increases to 1d6, and you can now use Mark for Death three times between long rests.
Extra Attack
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Ranger Conclave
Your chosen Ranger Conclave grants you a new feature.
Ranger's Mobility
You have learned to navigate difficult environments more effectively. Your walking speed increases by 10 ft, and you gain a climbing and swimming speed equal to your walking speed.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, and 16th 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.
Feat
At this level and every level you gain an ability score improvement, you also gain a feat of your choice.
Mark for Death Improvement
Your Mark for Death damage increases to 1d8, and you can now use Mark for Death four times between long rests.
Iron Resilience
You gain proficiency in constitution and wisdom saving throws. If you already have one or both of these saving throw proficiencies, you may choose any other saving throw to become proficient in.
Ranger Conclave
Your chosen Ranger Conclave grants you a new feature.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, and 16th 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.
Feat
At this level and every level you gain an ability score improvement, you also gain a feat of your choice.
Mark for Death Improvement
Your Mark for Death damage increases to 1d10, and you can now use Mark for Death five times between long rests.
Ranger Conclave
Your chosen Ranger Conclave grants you a new feature.
Tireless
You stop to catch your breath, allowing yourself to move on despite exhaustion or injury.
Action - Self - 1/Short Rest
You gain 4d6 temporary hit points.
You lose one level of exhaustion, if you have any.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, and 16th 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.
Feat
At this level and every level you gain an ability score improvement, you also gain a feat of your choice.
Mark for Death Improvement
Your Mark for Death damage increases to 1d12, and you can now use Mark for Death six times between long rests.
Precise Hunter
You have advantage on attack rolls against creatures marked by Mark for Death.
Blindsight
You remain aware of creatures and objects near you even when you can't see them. You have blindsight with a radius of 30 ft.
Superior Ability
You increase one ability score of your choice by 2, to a maximum of 22.
Mark for Death Improvement
Your Mark for Death damage increases to 1d12, and you can now use Mark for Death six times between long rests.
Precise Hunter
You have advantage on attack rolls against creatures marked by Mark for Death.
