Ranger
Far from the bustle of cities and towns, past the farmsteads and villages, amid the dense-packed trees of trackless forests and across wide and empty plains, rangers keep their unending watch. Skilled hunters and trackers, they move with the ease of those who have spent a lifetime in the wild.
Rangers live by their knowledge of the land. They are perceptive, capable, and always prepared. Whether guarding the edges of civilization or delving into ancient ruins, a ranger's blend of martial skill and natural attunement makes them a versatile and formidable presence.
Building a Ranger
Hit Dice. \(1d10\) per ranger level.
Proficiencies
Armor. You gain proficiency with light armor and medium armor, and shields.
Weapons. You gain proficiency with simple weapons and martial weapons.
Tools. None.
Skills. Choose three from Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival.
Saving Throws. Strength and Dexterity are your saving throw proficiencies.
Equipment
You start with the following equipment:
- Scale mail or leather armor,
- two shortswords or two simple melee weapons,
- a dungeoneer's pack or an explorer's pack,
- a longbow and a quiver of 20 arrows.
Ranger Table:
| Level | Class Features Gained | Spells Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Proficiency Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Favored Foe, Natural Explorer | — | — | — | — | — | — | +2 |
| 2nd | Fighting Style, Spellcasting | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | +2 |
| 3rd | Choose Ranger Subclass, Primal Awareness | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | +2 |
| 4th | Obtain Feat | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | +2 |
| 5th | Extra Attack | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | +3 |
| 6th | Favored Foe improvement, Natural Explorer improvement | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | +3 |
| 7th | Subclass Feature | 5 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | +3 |
| 8th | Obtain Feat, Land's Stride | 5 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | +3 |
| 9th | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | +4 | |
| 10th | Natural Explorer improvement, Hide in Plain Sight | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | +4 |
| 11th | Subclass Feature | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | +4 |
| 12th | Obtain Feat | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | +4 |
| 13th | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | +5 | |
| 14th | Favored Foe improvement, Vanish | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | +5 |
| 15th | Subclass Feature | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | +5 |
| 16th | Obtain Feat | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | +5 |
| 17th | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | +6 | |
| 18th | Feral Senses | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | +6 |
| 19th | Obtain Feat | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | +6 |
| 20th | Foe Slayer | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | +6 |
Subclasses
At 3rd level, you choose a conclave that defines your approach to the wilds: Beast Master, Blood Hunter, Drakewarden, Fey Wanderer, Gloom Stalker, Horizon Walker, Monster Slayer, and Swarm Keeper. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th, and 15th levels.
Class Features
Favored Foe
When you hit a creature with an attack roll, you can call on your mystical connection to nature to mark the target as your favored enemy for 1 minute or until you lose your concentration. The first time on each of your turns that you hit the favored enemy and deal damage to it, you deal an extra \(1d4\) damage of the same type as the weapon or feature you used.
You can use this feature to mark a favored enemy a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. The extra damage increases to \(1d8\) at 6th level, and at 14th level your mark no longer requires concentration.
Natural Explorer
You are a master of navigating the natural world. When you make an Intelligence or Wisdom check related to the natural world, your proficiency bonus is doubled if you are using a skill that you're proficient in.
At 6th level, difficult terrain doesn't slow your group's travel, and your group can't become lost except by magical means. At 10th level, even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling, you remain alert to danger.
Fighting Style
At 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options:
Archery. You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
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.
Two-Weapon Fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
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 the ranger spell list for a list of available spells.
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.
Spellcasting Ability. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your ranger spells.
Spell Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.
Spell Attack Modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.
Primal Awareness
At 3rd level, you can focus your awareness through the interconnections of nature: you always have certain spells prepared based on your subclass, and they don't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.
Additionally, you can cast speak with animals once without expending a spell slot, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
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.
Hide in Plain Sight
Starting at 10th level, you can spend 1 minute creating camouflage for yourself. You must have access to fresh mud, dirt, plants, soot, and other naturally occurring materials with which to create your camouflage.
Once you are camouflaged in this way, you can try to hide by pressing yourself up against a solid surface, such as a tree or wall, that is at least as tall and wide as you are. You gain a +10 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks as long as you remain there without moving or taking actions.
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. 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 one of your favored enemies. You can choose to use this feature before or after the roll, but before any effects of the roll are applied.