The 5e Ranger Class
Revitalized
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.
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Navigation
Class Features by Level*
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*For abilities that appear at multiple levels, only the first case is listed. eg. Ability Score Improvement is only listed at level 4.
Spell Slots
Recommended Ability Scores
When you make a level 1 character, you can take these recommended ability scores rather than 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
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Strength: 16 Dexterity:14 Constitution: 14 Intelligence: 9 Wisdom: 14 Charisma: 8
Hit Points
At First Level: 10 + Constitution Modifier
At Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution Modifier
Hit Dice: 1d10 per ranger level
When you create a level 1 ranger, you gain the following:
Proficiencies
Armor: Light Armor, Medium Armor
Weapons: Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons
Tools: two, which can be either Crafting Tools or Exploration Tools
Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
Skills: Survival, and three of: Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Stealth
Languages: one of your choice
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Items
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scale armor -OR- padded armor
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two shortswords or scimitars -OR- two Simple Melee Weapons -OR- one Martial Melee Weapon
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a longbow and 20 arrows
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two sets of tools, which you gained proficiency with as part of the ranger class
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a dungeoneer's pack -OR- an explorer's pack
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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.
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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.
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Archery
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged and thrown weapons.
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Defense
While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.​
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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.
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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.​
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Two-Weapon Fighting
When you make an attack with an off-hand weapon, you do not suffer disadvantage on the attack roll.
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Natural Tracker
You've become very good at navigating your environment and tracking other creatures.
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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.
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Difficult terrain doesn't slow your group's overland travel with you to lead them.
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Even when you are engaged in another activity (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger.
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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.
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This extra damage increases as you gain ranger levels. At level 5 it becomes 1d6, at level 9 it becomes 1d8, at level 13 it becomes 1d10, and at level 17 it becomes 1d12. You gain one more use of this ability at every level you gain extra damage. These increases are listed later on this page as well.
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This ability is meant to replace the hunter's mark spell. You cannot benefit from the hunter's mark spell while using this ability.
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Ranger Spellcasting
You gain the ability to cast spells that call on the powers of nature or natural instinct.
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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.
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Spells Prepared of 1st Level and Higher
At level 2, you can prepare two 1st-level spells of your choice from the ranger spell list. The spells prepared column of the Ranger Table shows how many spells you can prepare at a given ranger level. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For example, when you reach 5th level in this class, you can prepare one more spell of 1st or 2nd level.
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Switching Spells
You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest, allowing you to switch any ranger spell you have prepared. Preparing a new list of ranger spells requires time spent in meditation, focusing on your environment: 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 upon your attunement to nature and heightened senses.
You use your Wisdom whenever a ranger 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
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Spellcasting Focus
You can use a druidic focus or component pouch for casting ranger spells. To do so, you need a free hand to hold your focus or access your components. Your druidic focus or spellcasting pouch replaces the need for you to have specific material components to cast spells, unless that material component costs 1 gold or more, in which case you must use the specific component instead.
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Primeval Awareness
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.
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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.
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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 3, 6, 11, and 14, also listed below.
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A revised Hunter Conclave is available on this website, but ranger conclaves published elsewhere are compatible with this version of the ranger class.
Hunter Conclave
​The following is a revision of the 5e Hunter Conclave for rangers, meant to boost the conclave's power and make abilities more coherent and versatile. You can use this subclass with any version of the base ranger class, but it was created with our version in mind. We wanted all abilities to be viable choices, and we wanted a stronger identity for the abilities.
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Hunter Conclave: Hunter's Prey
You select one of the following options, which represents the approach you take in hunting your enemies.
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Scent of Blood:
No Action Cost - 1 Creature
You focus on killing your prey when they are wounded. You deal an extra 1d8 damage of your weapon's type once per turn if the target has less than all of its hit points.
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Riposte:
Reaction - 1 Creature (5 ft.)
You focus on watching your prey in melee combat and waiting for an opening to strike. When a creature misses you with an attack, you can use your reaction to make a single melee weapon attack against them.
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Horde Breaker:
No Action Cost - 1 Creature
You focus on preying on groups huddled close together. Once on each of your turns, if you make an attack against a creature, you can make an additional attack against a different creature that is within 5 ft. of the original target and within range of your weapon.
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Beastmaster
Beastmasters enter combat with a steadfast animal companion at their side. This companion is partially tied to their life force and obeys their every command. This animal companion might be an animal they already met, it might be one who follows their call out from the wilderness, and it might be a magical nature spirit or even a part of their soul that has formed into an animal.
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Beastmaster Extra Prepared Spells
When you reach certain levels as a ranger, you gain the ability to cast higher level spells. When you do, you learn these additional spells. They do not count against the number of ranger spells have prepared.
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Beastmaster Conclave: Animal Companion
You become magically bonded to an animal companion.
Choose a beast with a CR of ¼ or lower. This beast will level up when you level up, and will be your companion until you die or until you decide to change to a new beast during a level up. If you change to a new companion, your old companion reverts to its original statistics.
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The chosen companion loses its multiattack feature if it has one, as well as any other feature that could give it more damage than 1d8 + its ability modifier on a given turn.
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The companion's attack now deals 1d8 + its strength or dexterity modifier damage (whichever is higher), or 1d6 + its strength or dexterity modifier if the creature can fly.
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Your companion’s armor class is equal to 10 + your proficiency bonus if it isn’t already higher.
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Your companion’s proficiency bonus is equal to yours.
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Your companion gains proficiency in wisdom saving throws.
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If not already higher, your companion’s hit points equal 5 + your companion’s constitution modifier, multiplied by your level, or 4 + your companion's constitution modifier if it can fly.
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Your companion understands all languages you do.
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When you and your companion take a short rest together and you expend hit dice to regain hit points, your companion regains the same number of hit points.
Your companion acts on its own initiative in combat, but you control it. Your companion dies if it reaches 0 hit points.
When gain a level in the ranger class, your companion gains hit points, and when your proficiency bonus increases, so does your companion’s.
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Beastmaster Conclave: Raise Companion
If your companion dies, you can use a ranger spell slot as an action to bring your companion back to life or restore its life force, restoring its body if needed. Your companion comes back with half its total hit point but no other ill effects. This ritual also returns your companion or its body to your location if it is separated from you. You can cast this spell without using a spell slot to bring back your companion with 1 hit point instead.
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Other Conclave: Level 3 Feature
Choose this option if you'd like to use a Ranger Conclave that comes from a source that isn't Elkan 5e. Your chosen conclave grants you one or more features at this level.
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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.​
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Feat
At this level and every level you gain an ability score improvement, you also gain a feat of your choice. You are eligible for general feats, ranger feats, and combat maneuver feats by default.
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Extra Attack
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
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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.
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Ranger Conclave
Your chosen Ranger Conclave grants you a new feature.
Hunter Conclave: Evasion
When you are subjected to an effect, such as a red dragon’s fiery breath or a lightning bolt spell, 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. This ability does not function if you are incapacitated.
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Beastmaster: Companion Ability Score Improvement
You can increase one of your companion’s ability scores 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. Unlike with player characters, you cannot choose a feat instead.
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Beastmaster: One Mind
You and your companion’s minds partially merge. You can see through each other’s eyes and communicate with each other telepathically when you are within 1000 ft. of each other. Additionally, when you use Mark for Death, your companion gains the benefits as well, dealing the same amount of bonus damage on its attacks against the target you marked.
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Other Conclave: Level 6 Feature
Your chosen Ranger Conclave grants you one or more features at this level. If using a conclave not from Elkan 5e, your conclave's feature is likely listed at level 7.
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Expertise
Choose any two of your skills. You have expertise (you add double your proficiency bonus) with checks made with these skills.
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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.
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Ability Score Improvement
You increase one ability score of your choice by 2 or increase two ability scores of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20.
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Feat
You gain a feat of your choice.
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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.
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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.
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Ranger Conclave
Your chosen Ranger Conclave grants you a new feature.
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​Hunter Conclave: Extra Attack (3 Attacks)
You can attack thrice, instead of twice, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. If you are dual-wielding, your off-hand attack brings you to a total of four attacks.​
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Beastmaster: Companion Ability Score Improvement
You can increase one of your companion’s ability scores 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. Unlike with player characters, you cannot choose a feat instead.
Beastmaster: Coordinated Attacks
When your animal companion damages a creature in combat, you have advantage on your first attack against the same target on your next turn.
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Other Conclave: Level 11 Feature
Your chosen Ranger Conclave grants you one or more features at this level.
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Ability Score Improvement
You increase one ability score of your choice by 2 or increase two ability scores of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20.
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Feat
You gain a feat of your choice.
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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.
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Ranger Conclave Feature
Your chosen Ranger Conclave grants you a new feature.
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Hunter Conclave: Superior Hunter Training
You select one of the following options, which represents whether you focus more on offense or defense.
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Improved Hunter's Prey: Choose another option from the 3rd level Hunter's Prey ability.
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Uncanny Dodge:
Reaction - Self
When you take damage from an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the damage you take. This ability cannot be used for effects that damage you that do not require an attack roll, such as abilities that require you to roll a saving throw.
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Beastmaster: Bonded Life Force
Reaction - 1000 ft.
You and your companion’s lives become further intertwined. When one of you is in pain, the other can take on that pain. When either you or your companion take damage, and you are within 1000 ft. of each other, the other can use their reaction to take the damage instead.
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Beastmaster: Companion Ability Score Improvement
You can increase one of your companion’s ability scores 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. Unlike with player characters, you cannot choose a feat instead.
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Other Conclave: Level 14 Feature
Your chosen Ranger Conclave grants you one or more features at this level. If using a conclave not from Elkan 5e, your conclave's feature is likely listed at level 15.
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Expertise
Choose any two of your skills. You have expertise (add double your proficiency bonus) with checks made with these tools and with your chosen skill.
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Ability Score Improvement
You increase one ability score of your choice by 2 or increase two ability scores of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20.
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Feat
You gain a feat of your choice.
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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.
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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. ​
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Superior Ability
You increase one ability score of your choice by 2, to a maximum of 22.
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Unrelenting Focus
You master your mind and body as you focus on your prey, pushing yourself beyond normal limits. You have unlimited uses of your Mark for Death ability. Additionally, you can never have disadvantage on attack rolls against a target affected by your Mark for Death ability.
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