Class: Ranger (Revised)

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Ranger (Revised) v3.0

Warriors of the wilderness, rangers specialize in hunting the creatures 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, and strike their prey hard and true. Rangers focus their combat training on techniques that are particularly useful against the natural foes of their realm.

DEADLY HUNTERS

Masters of the ambush, rangers are swift, silent, and deadly. Moving stealthily through the wilds and hiding themselves in brush and rubble, rangers scout out and stalk their target. Few enemies are able to catch a ranger off guard.

VARIED SKILLS

Thanks to their familiarity with the wilds, rangers acquire a suite of skills that harness nature’s resources. These skills, 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 o f 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.

Ranger Advancement

Gallant
Level Proficiency Bonus Ranging Damage Features
1st +2 1d4 Pathfinding, Ranging, Wild Empathy
2nd +2 -- Ranger Fighting Style, Ranger Talent
3rd +2 -- Healing Lore, Ranger Conclave, Conclave Feature
4th +2 -- Ability Score Improvement
5th +3 1d6 Extra Attack
6th +3 -- Boundless Steps, Conclave Feature
7th +3 -- Ranger Talent
8th +3 -- Ability Score Improvement
9th +4 1d8 Keen Eye
10th +4 -- Conclave Feature
11th +4 -- Survival Instinct
12th +4 -- Ability Score Improvement, Ranger Talent
13th +5 1d10 Honed Instincts
14th +5 -- Practiced Stealth
15th +5 -- Conclave Feature
16th +5 -- Ability Score Improvement
17th +6 1d12 Advanced Ranging
18th +6 -- Ranger Talent
19th +6 -- Ability Score Improvement
20th +6 -- Unparalleled Hunter

Class Features

As a ranger, you gain the following class features

Hit Points

  • Hit Dice: 2d6 per ranger level
  • Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + your Constitution modifier
  • Hit Points at Higher Levels: 2d6 (or 8) + your Constitution modifier per ranger level after 1st

Proficiencies

  • Armor: Light armor, shields
  • Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
  • Tools: Cartographer's tools
  • Saving Throws: Strength; choice of Dexterity or Wisdom
  • Skills: Choose two skills from Acrobatics, 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) studded leather armor and a shield
  • (a) a single martial weapon or (b) two simple weapons
  • (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
  • (a) a single ranged weapon and a quiver of 20 arrows or bolts or (b) three thrown weapons

Class Features

PATHFINDING

You are familiar with the natural environments of the world and are adept at traveling and surviving in such regions. You gain proficiency in the Intelligence (Nature) and Wisdom (Survival) skills if you don't already.

If you already have proficiency with Intelligence (Nature) or Wisdom (Survival), you double your proficiency bonus on any ability check you make that uses either of these skills.

RANGING

Striking fast and hard becomes second nature in the wilds where there is a delicate balance between being prey and predator. You have learned to incorporate mobility with your fighting style, easily flowing from defensive steps to deadly strikes.

When are subject to an opportunity attack or you move at least one-half of your base movement speed or more on your turn towards a hostile creature, you deal bonus damage with your next weapon attack if you are within 20 feet of the targeted creature. This bonus damage is shown in Ranging Damage column of the Ranger class table. When you inflict Ranging Damage on a creature, opportunity attacks against you from that creature are made at disadvantage until the start of your next turn.

In addition, any time that you inflict Ranging Damage on a creature with a melee attack and move at least 10 feet away from that creature, you deal Ranging Damage with your next weapon attack.

WILD EMPATHY

Though many learn to handle pets and train animals, you have a connection with the creatures of the wild that far surpasses even the most talented of mundane trainers.

By touching a non-hostile beast of challenge rating 1/4 or lower you can create an enduring link with it. You gain the ability to communicate basic ideas and concepts through the link with the beast and can understand its responses. The beast will follow you and attempt to carry out your instructions to the best of its ability, but will not endanger itself and may leave if mistreated, forced into combat, or pushed into a situation that runs contrary to its nature. It takes its turn on your initiative, though it doesn’t take an action unless you command it to.

On your turn, you can verbally command the beast where to move (no action required by you) and can use your bonus action to verbally command it to take the Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Hide action.

You may only have a link with a single beast at any one time. The link lasts until you use this feature on another beast, the current beast is slain, or you dismiss the link as a bonus action. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

The maximum challenge rating of the beast increases to 1/2 when you reach 6th level, to 1 when you reach 10th level, and to 2 at 15th level.

RANGER FIGHTING STYLE

At 2nd level, you adopt a special ranger fighting style as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a fighting style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

RANGER’S ARCHERY

You gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls you make with ranged weapons. In addition, your ranged attacks ignore half cover and treat three-quarters cover as half cover.

RANGER’S SNIPER

When making an attack with a short bow or thrown weapon, you can use your bonus action to make one additional ranged attack with that weapon. If all your ranged attacks are directed at the same target you add a +1 bonus to your damage rolls.

RANGER’S MELEE

When you are wielding a versatile melee weapon in one hand, you gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon. When wielding a versatile weapon two-handed, if you roll a 1 on the damage die, you can reroll the die. You must use the new roll, even if the new roll is also a 1.

RANGER’S MOBILITY

While unarmored, you gain a +1 bonus to AC and have a swimming and climbing speed equal to your base speed.

RANGER’S TWO-WEAPON FIGHTING

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, the weapons can be any weapons that do not have the heavy, versatile, or two-handed property.

Design Note

Though this style will support TWF as RAW, it is intended to be used with the following modification:

When you take the Attack action and attack the same target while wielding a light melee weapon in each hand, on a successful hit you roll damage for both of the weapons. If either weapon has the thrown property, you can throw the weapon, instead of making a melee attack with it.

If you choose to attack separate targets with your weapons or the same target twice with more precision, you must use a bonus action for the second attack.

RANGER’S HUNTER

Keeping foes at bay and controlling their attacks and movements is your strength. While you wield a weapon with the reach property, foes treat the area within a 10-foot radius of you as difficult terrain.

RANGER’S TOUGHNESS

Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level. This stacks with any racial trait or feat that creates the same effect such as Dwarven Toughness.

RANGER TALENT

By 2nd level, your sojourns into the wild lands of the world have helped you develop unique talents, spanning a wide variety of subjects and skills. You gain two ranger talents of your choice.

You gain an additional talent of your choice at 7th level, 12th level, and again at 18th level. Whenever you gain a new talent, you can replace one previously learned talent with another talent.

Unless otherwise noted, you can only select each talent once.

Talents are detailed at the end of the class feature descriptions.

HEALING LORE

Beginning at 3rd level, you learn to use your knowledge of herbs and other natural curatives to treat a creature's wounds.

During a short rest you can aid injured creatures by administering curatives and applying natural salves to their wounds. In addition to being able to use your Hit Die to heal yourself, you can use your Hit Dice to heal other creatures. Hit Die used in this manner are consumed as normal.

Design Note

Given that a ranger’s single base Hit Die is 2d6, they are able to split this base Hit Die when using the Healing Lore feature and are able to use one-half of the Hit Die (1d6) on themselves and the other one-half Hit Die on an ally (1d6).

If you are proficient with the herbalist’s kit, you add your proficiency bonus to any Hit Die roll to recover hit points, including those used on other creatures with this feature.

RANGER CONCLAVE

At 3rd level, you join a conclave that best suits your ideals and training. Conclaves are detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you additional features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 15th level.

ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th 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.

EXTRA ATTACK

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

BOUNDLESS STEPS

Experience has given you insights into the patterns and dangers of the wilderness. At 6th level, you can easily traverse even the harshest of terrain. Moving through nonmagical difficult terrain costs you no extra Movement and you can pass through nonmagical plants without being slowed or 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.

KEEN EYE

You are always assessing your surroundings, subconsciously evaluating the situation and your environment at all times which greatly speeds up your ability to perform reconnaissance. When you reach 9th level, you can take the Search action as a bonus action.

SURVIVAL INSTINCT

Starting at 11th level, your training allows you to handle even the direst situations, bolstering your ability to overcome injury and adverse situations. As a reaction, you can add your Ranging Damage die to any saving throw that you fail. If you do so, you must use the new roll, and can’t use this feature again until you finish a short rest.

You can use this feature twice between short rests starting at 13th level and three times between short rests starting at 17th level.

In addition, when rolling Hit Dice to regain hit points and you roll a 1 or a 2, you can reroll the die. You must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2.

HONED INSTINCTS

Awareness is survival, both for the hunter and the prey. At 13th level, you have honed your senses to help you better survive in the dangerous wilds, able to detect even creatures you can’t see or wouldn’t normally be able to detect. When you attack a creature you can’t see, you do not suffer 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.

PRACTICED STEALTH

Starting at 14th level, your speed and stealth in combat make you hard to pin down. You can take the Hide action as a bonus action and you can move stealthily at a normal pace.

Additionally if you are hidden when you roll initiative, making an attack during the first round of combat does not reveal your location if you otherwise fulfill the conditions needed to hide.

ADVANCED RANGING

Starting at 17th level, you can push your ability to take the fight to your foes beyond your normal capacity, potentially making multiple extra attacks in addition to your normal attack. Each time you inflict ranging damage against a creature with an attack, you can make one additional attack against that creature.

UNPARALLELED HUNTER

At 20th level, you have learned to master the tactics of ambush. On initiative count 20 on the first round of combat you take an extra turn in addition to the turn taken on your normal initiative count.

Ranger Talents

Every ranger shares a few basic characteristics: an unrelenting drive, peak physical conditioning, and a unique connection to nature. Yet in each ranger, these manifest themselves in a diverse array of talents that serve to define what a ranger values most and how he expresses his indomitable will.

If a talent has a prerequisite, you must meet it before you can learn the talent.

If a ranger talent creates an effect that requires a saving throw, the difficulty check is equal to DC 8 + your proficiency bonus.

ALACRITY

Your reflexes have been honed by your travels in the wild regions of the world. You react with swift and decisive action when combat ensues. This grants you the following benefits:

  • You add your proficiency bonus to initiative checks
  • You may make a total of two opportunity attacks per turn. If you choose to make an opportunity attack, you may not use your reaction for any other purpose.

AMBUSHER

You can remain perfectly still for long periods of time to set up ambushes. If you take the Hide action (PHB p 192) on your turn and do not move, creatures that attempt to detect you have disadvantage on their Wisdom (Perception) checks until the start of your next turn and suffer a -5 penalty to their passive Wisdom (Perception) in regards to you.

You lose this benefit if you move or fall prone, either voluntarily or because of some external effect. You are still automatically detected if any effect or action causes you to no longer be hidden.

If you are still hidden on your next turn, you can continue to remain motionless and gain this benefit until you are detected.

ARROW CRAFTER

You gain proficiency with woodcarver’s tools and, while While in natural terrain, you can spend time during a short rest to craft a number of mundane arrows or bolts equal to your Ranger level.

In addition, as a light activity performed during a long rest, you can create specially crafted ammunition for a bow or crossbow. You roll your Ranging Damage Die, crafting the rolled number of arrows or bolts chosen from the following options:

  • Broad Head Designed to inflict serious damage, broad head ammunition adds +2 to the damage roll.
  • Rune Marked Carved with powerful runes, this ammunition is treated as magical for purposes of overcoming resistance or immunity to nonmagical weapon attack.
  • Armor Piercing Made to penetrate thick hide or armor, this ammunition gives you advantage on attack rolls on targets within 30 feet.
  • Whistler Shaped such that they make a keening whistle or scream as they fly through the arrow, this ammunition can instill terror in a foe. A creature successfully hit with this ammunition must make a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of their next turn.
  • Envenomed Steeped in natural toxins, a creature struck with an envenomed arrow must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of their next turn.

Special ammunition is destroyed upon use and cannot be recovered.

ATTUNED SENSES

Prerequisite: 7th level

You are completely in tune with the wilderness, able to easily sense the hidden currents of information that are always present. While in natural terrain, you gain the following benefits:

  • You cannot be surprised, even while asleep
  • You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks
  • Your passive Wisdom (Perception) score is increased by +5
  • Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger
  • You do not suffer the penalty to passive Wisdom (Perception) checks imposed by moving at a fast pace

BEAST AFFINITY

Beasts view you as a part of the natural order, seeing you as a kindred spirit; they find your presence perfectly normal and acceptable. Until you or your party attack a beast, it regards you as indifferent and will not attack.

You also gain the ability to communicate with beasts. Through sounds and gestures, you can communicate simple ideas to any beast you can see within 30 feet of you and can read its basic mood and intent. In addition, you are aware of its emotional state, whether it is affected by magic of any sort, and its short-term needs (such as food or safety). Beasts can give you information about nearby locations and monsters, including whatever they can perceive or have perceived within the past day. You might be able to persuade a beast to perform a small favor for you, at the DM’s discretion.

You cannot use this feature against a creature that you have attacked within the past hour.

Finally, if you are within 60 feet of a hostile beast, you can attempt to soothe it as action – shifting it to a more passive state. A targeted beast must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or cease being hostile to you and your allies for 1 hour or until a hostile action is taken against it. Once you have soothed a creature, it is immune to this feature for the next 24 hours.

BEAST TRAINER

Prerequisite: Wisdom (Animal Handling)

You are exceptionally skilled at handling beasts, both domestic and wild. You apply double your proficiency bonus when making Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks in regards to beasts.

In addition, when you forge a link with a creature using your Wild Empathy feature, it will follow you into combat and the Attack action is added to the commands available to you (though this still requires the use of your bonus action). ). If the linked beast has multiattack, it loses this feature for the duration that it is under the influence of your Wild Empathy feature.

DANGER SENSE

While you are in natural terrain, you gain an uncanny sense of when things are not as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge away from danger. While wearing up to light armor, you have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and spells. To gain this benefit, you can’t be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.

DEADLY HUNTER

Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.

DRUIDIC INITIATE

You learn Druidic and two cantrips of your choice from the druid spell list. Any time you are allowed to select a new Ranger Talent, you may also replace one these cantrips. Wisdom is your spell casting attribute for these cantrips.

You may take this talent multiple times.

ESCAPE ARTIST

You have advantage on rolls to resist grapple attempts. If an opponent successfully grapples you, you can use your reaction to make a single melee attack against the creature.

EVASION

Prerequisite: 7th level, Danger Sense, Dexterity as a saving throw

You learn to nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a red dragon's fiery breath or a lightning bolt spell. When you are subjected to an effect 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.

EXPANDED EMPATHY

Your Wild Empathy feature is no longer limited to just beasts. You can now can target any creature with an Intelligence less than 3.

EXPERT FORAGER

When you forage, you find twice as much food or water as you normally would. You also gain proficiency with leatherworker’s tools and can use these tools to skin any beast you slay, gaining a hide the size of the skinned beast.

Additionally, while in a natural environment, you can spend 1 hour to craft a suit of armor out of available natural materials such as branches, stones, vines, and hides. The armor has an AC bonus equal to your proficiency bonus, weighs 5 lbs per point of AC bonus, and lasts until you take a long rest or you take damage from a critical weapon hit, at which point it falls apart.

Foraged armor has no value and you may only have a single suit of foraged armor at any one time.

EXPERT TRACKER

You can read the tracks of other creatures with little or no effort, even extreme conditions or magical obscuring not hampering your ability. You apply double your proficiency bonus when using the have advantage on any Wisdom (Survival) checks to track a creature. While tracking, you gain the following additional benefits:

  • You know the exact number of creatures you track, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through an area
  • You ignore the effects of the following spells if they are affecting a creature you are tracking: alter self, disguise self, greater invisibility, hallucinatory terrain, invisibility, mirror image, mislead, and nondetection
  • You may cast the locate animals or plants spell once per long rest as a ritual

You can only track a single creature or group at any one time. If you begin to track another creature or group, you lose all the benefits of Expert Tracker in regards to the first group.

FELINE GRACE

You gain proficiency when attempting Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks. If you already have proficiency, you add double your proficiency bonus to any Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks.

When falling, you ignore the first 10 feet and can make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to land on your feet (DC equal to the amount of falling damage received). If you are prone, you can use your reaction to stand up without any movement cost.

GUIDING COUNSEL

When another creature within 60 feet that can see or hear you is about to make a saving throw, you can use your reaction to warn it against the impending danger. That creature adds your Ranging Damage die to its saving throw. Using this feature requires a vocal component and negates concealment if you are currently hiding.

You may use this feature once per short rest.

LEECHCRAFT

If you have a healer’s kit, you can spend 10 minutes examining a creature and determine if it is suffering from the effects of poison or disease. You are able to identify the kind and source of poison or disease in each case.

During a short rest you can treat a single creature that is suffering from poison. A creature that receives treatment has any poison neutralized, removing the poisoned condition. If more than one poison afflicts the target, you neutralize one poison of your choice. After the treatment, until the creature’s next short or long rest, it has advantage on saving throws against being poisoned and gains resistance to poison damage.

During long rest, you can treat a single creature suffering from a disease. The creature is allowed to immediately make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a successful save, any single disease of your choice the creature is suffering from is cured.

LONG STRIDER

Your base speed increases by 10 feet.

You may take this talent multiple times.

NATURAL HEALER

Prerequisite: Proficiency with herbalism kit

You can use an herbalism kit to prepare a number of medicinal salves and poultices equal to your wisdom modifier (minimum 1) during a long rest. A salve can be applied as an action to a creature, causing it to regain 1d4 hit points for each point of your proficiency bonus (for example, if you have a proficiency bonus of +4, the kit would heal 4d4 points of damage).

Salves not used within 24 hours lose their potency and no longer can be used.

NATURAL PURIFICATION

Prerequisite: Proficiency with alchemist’s kit or herbalism kit

By spending 10 minutes, you can use an alchemist’s or herbalism kit to treat any nonmagical food and drink that you can touch. The treated food and drink is consumable and purified, rendered free of poison and disease.

In addition, due to your exposure to many treatments, you have advantage on saving throws against disease and poison.

NATURAL VITALITY

Prerequisite: 12th level

You have resistance to poison damage, are immune to disease, and can live twice as old as is normal for your race.

FADED PRESENCE

Prerequisite: 12th level

While in natural terrain, you have advantage when making Dexterity (Stealth) checks and are always considered to be lightly obscured.

PRECISION STRIKES

Pre-requisite: 12th level

Once per round, you can choose to use your reaction to reroll a weapon attack that missed. You must accept the second result, even if it’s worse.

RANGER FLURRY

When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points or score a critical hit, you can use your reaction to make an additional weapon attack against another creature if it is within range.

SKIRMISHER

You are a master of swift and decisive action when attacked. On the first turn during combat, you can use the Dash action as a bonus action on your turn and have advantage on attack rolls against creatures that have not yet acted.

TRAILGUIDE

Your mastery of traveling and surviving in the rough and untamed regions of the world allows you to lead others more easily through any environment. While traveling for an hour or more in the wilderness with at least one other creature, you gain the following benefits:

  • Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group's travel
  • Your group can move stealthily at a normal pace
  • While force marching, all group members have advantage on their saving throw at the end of the travel

UNARMORED DEFENSE

While you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.

UNBREKABLE WILL

You have advantage on any saving throws to resist insanity, confusion effects, and the charmed or frightened conditions.

VENOM CRAFTER

Prerequisite: Proficiency with poisoner’s kit

You can use a poisoner’s kit and elements from creatures you have slain to concoct poisons. When you defeat a foe that has a natural poison attack, you can create a number of doses of a poison equal to your proficiency bonus that deal 1d6 poison damage per CR (minimum of one) of the creature. Each dose of the poison can be applied to a weapon as an action and lasts for 1 minute or until you successfully damage a foe with the weapon.

VERSATILE

Prerequisite: 12th level

You can focus your knowledge to give you the utmost advantage against your planned quarry. At the end of a long rest, you can replace a single talent that you know with another talent.

WILDERNESS CONDITIONING

You have trained or traveled extensively in the wilds and have well learned how to survive (and thrive) in difficult environments. While in a natural environment, you gain the following benefits:

  • You have advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks to swim and climb
  • You add your proficiency bonus to the distance of both long and high jumps
  • You have advantage on saving throws against the effects of extreme weather
  • You add your proficiency bonus to the number of days you can go without food
  • You have advantage on checks to resist the effects of not having enough water

ADDED (NEW) TALENTS

STONE SCOUTING

You are well versed with underground areas, particularly those of natural or worked stone. While underground you have advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) checks to notice underground environmental hazards, including traps, potential cave-ins, and dangerous flora.

In addition, you add your proficiency bonus to your passive perception to notice these hazards whenever you are not actively searching and pass within 10 feet of them.

UMBRAL SIGHT

You gain darkvision out to a range of 30 feet. If you already have darkvision from your race or other feature, its range increases by 30 feet.

You are also adept at evading creatures that rely on darkvision. While in darkness, you are considered heavily obscured to any creature that relies on darkvision to see you in that darkness.

GUERILLA TACTICS

Prerequisite: Ambusher

You can spend 10 minutes creating camouflage for one person. You must have access to fresh mud, dirt, Plants, soot, and other naturally occurring materials with which to create your camouflage.

Anyone camouflaged in this way gains the benefit of your Ambusher talent.

NATURAL EXPLORER

At 1st level, you are familiar with one type of natural environment and are adept at traveling and surviving in such regions. Choose one type of favored terrain: arctic, coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, swamp, the Underdark, or urban. While traveling for an hour or more in your favored terrain, whenever you make a Wisdom or Intelligence ability check that lets you add your proficiency bonus, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.

You choose this talent multiple times, each time selecting an additional terrain.

NATURAL HEALER, ADVANCED

Prerequisite: Natural Healing

Your knowledge of healing herbs and techniques has surpassed those of most. During a long rest, you choose a number of willing creatures up to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). The selected creatures each recover one additional Hit Die at the end of the long rest which can’t exceed their maximum.

BEAST FRIEND

Prerequisite: Beast Affinity, Beast Trainer

Your connection with the creatures of the wild borders on the mystical. You can cast the animal friendship and animal messenger spells each once per short rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting attribute for these spells and the spell slot of the casting is equal to your proficiency bonus.

In addition, due to your innate link to wild animals, any attack from a beast made against you is at disadvantage.

BEAST CONCLAVE

Rangers of the Beast Conclave have a very close bond with the creatures of the wilderness, able to communicate and befriend even the most feral of animals. Common amongst the Tane clans and those who operate at the fringes of civilization, rangers of this conclave believe that beasts are equal to mankind and should be respected. This viewpoint often leads to conflict with some of the more civilized and urban realms and those who dwell within them.

United in focus, beast and ranger work as one to fight foes that threaten civilization and the wilderness alike. Joining the Beast Master Conclave means committing yourself to this ideal, working in partnership with an animal as its companion and friend.

Beast Conclave
Level Feature
3rd Bonded Companion, Empathic Link
6th Exceptional Training
10th Strengthened Bond
15th Beast Mastery

BONDED COMPANION

Beginning at 3rd level you can forge a powerful bond with a creature, turning it into a loyal companion. The creature must already be under the influence of your Wild Empathy feature and you may only have a single bonded companion at any one time. Your bonded companion is considered as under the influence of Wild Empathy and thus counts against your ability to use your Wild Empathy feature.

A bonded companion gains a variety of benefits while it is linked to you.

The bonded companion loses its Multiattack action, if it has one.

The companion obeys your commands as best it can. When combat starts and you roll you initiative, you can choose for your companion to have its turn immediately before, or immediately after your turn. Once your bonded companion’s initiative is set, it remains the same until combat ends. You determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your companion acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself.

You can verbally command your companion where to move and to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, or Help actions. If you don't issue a command, the beast takes the Dodge action. A bonded companion never requires your command to use its reaction, such as when making an opportunity attack.

The companion’s hit point maximum equals its normal maximum or four times your ranger level, whichever is higher. Like any creature, the beast can spend Hit Dice during a short rest. When reduced to 0 hit points, a bonded companion is allowed to attempt death saving throws following the normal rules.

Your bonded companion has abilities and game statistics determined in part by your level. Your companion uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. In addition to the areas where it normally uses its proficiency bonus, a bonded companion also adds its proficiency bonus to its AC and to its damage rolls.

Your bonded companion gains proficiency in two skills of your choice. It also becomes proficient with all saving throws.

For each level you gain after 3rd, your bonded companion gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly.

Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your companion’s abilities also improve. Your companion can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your companion can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise.

Your companion shares your alignment , has the listed bond , and gains one of each of the traits and flaws as determined by rolling on the tables below:

Bond
1 The ranger who travels with me is a beloved companion for whom I would gladly give my life.
d8 Trait
1 I fear neither fire nor foe and am dauntless in the face of adversity
2 A threat to my ranger is a threat to me
3 I am always on alert so my ranger can be at ease
4 Most see me as a simple beast and underestimate me. I use this to my advantage.
5 I have a knack for showing up at just the right moment
6 I put my ranger’s needs before my own in all things
7 I like to spontaneously perform minor tricks and comedic episodes to entertain my ranger
8 I believe I am human and try to behave as such in regards to my mannerisms (sitting in chairs, sleeping on beds, eating off dishes)
d8 Flaw
1 If there’s food left unattended or unguarded, I’ll eat it
2 I growl or threaten all strangers; all people except my ranger are strangers to me
3 Any time is a good time for a quick nap
4 I’m deathly afraid of water (or other appropriate environment)
5 Cleanliness is not one of my virtues
6 I jump on and lick creatures to show my affection or approval
7 Being indoors is the same as being imprisoned… I refuse unless forced
8 Smelling is knowing. I sniff all new friendly seeming creatures to determine their character

If you dismiss your companion or select another beast to be your companion through your Wild Empathy feature, your current companion loses all benefits associated with the Bonded Companion feature.

EXCEPTIONAL TRAINING

Beginning at 6th level, beasts under your influence flawlessly follows your commands.

You have four companion dice, which are equal to your Ranging Damage die. A companion die is expended when you use it. To do so, you use a reaction to issue a special command to a creature that is your bonded companion or under the effect of your Wild Empathy feature. The targeted creature must be within 60 feet of you and able to see or hear you. The creature rolls the die and adds the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, damage roll, or saving throw it makes.

You regain all of your expended companion dice when you finish a long rest.

STRENGTHENED BOND

Beginning at 10th level, you and your companion have trained extensively to survive the dangers of battle. While you are within 5 feet of your animal companion, you both have advantage on all Strength and Dexterity saving throws.

Additionally, you have taught your companion to draw on the power of your bond when attacking. Your companion’s attacks are treated as magical for purposes of overcoming resistance.

BEAST MASTERY

At 15th level, you are able to form a bond with more than one beast. Your bonded companion no longer counts against your Wild Empathy feature, allowing you to use this feature on a second beast. The total CR for your bonded companion and an additional beast under the influence of your Wild Empathy feature cannot exceed your Wild Empathy maximum. Only one of the beasts can be your bonded companion.

GREENWARDEN CONCLAVE

Rangers of the Greenwarden Conclave (often referred to simply as wardens) are the primary protectors of realm of Bre Karand, sworn to safeguard the sanctity of the druidic groves and the balance of the natural world. While all rangers have a bond with the wilderness, rangers of this conclave are able to draw power through forming a deep connection to the primal energies flowing through wild places. Staunch defenders against any dangers that might spill into the groves and deeper wilderness, wardens often serve as personal guards for the druids (picking up some of their lore in the process).

Greenwarden Conclave
Level Feature
3rd Nature Bond, Druidic Insights
6th Vitality Well
10th Awakened Environment
15th Primordial Gift

NATURE BOND

By the time you reach 3rd level, you have learned to draw upon the raw vitality of nature to cast spells, much as a druid does. You gain two druid cantrips of your choice and, when prompted to select a ranger talent or changing a current ranger talent, you may instead select a spell from the Druid or Ranger spell list. This spell can be of a level no higher than your current proficiency bonus minus 1.

You can cast your spells a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1), using your ranger level as your caster level. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability and you use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability.

You recover all cast spells when you complete a long rest.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

DRUIDIC INSIGHTS

When you join this conclave at 3rd level, you learn Druidic, the secret language of the druids. In addition, while in natural terrain, you gain advantage on all Wisdom saving throws and cannot be charmed or frightened by beasts, elementals, or fey.

VITALITY WELL

Starting at 6th level, you can spend a short rest meditating and drawing energy from the natural environment around you. The size of your Hit Dice when recovering hit points or using your Healing Lore feature are increased by one step and, if in the course of healing, you exceed your maximum hit points, the increased hit points are treated as temporary hit points.

You can use this feature once per long rest.

AWAKENED ENVIRONMENT

Starting at 10th level, your connection to the surrounding environment is such that you can ask the elements and plants to assist you and your allies.

As an action you can bond with natural terrain in a 60 foot radius. For the next 1 minute, the movement of any creature that you identify as an ally is unaffected by difficult terrain, and spells and other magical effects can neither reduce the creature’s speed nor cause the creature to be paralyzed or restrained.

An allied creature can also spend 5 feet of movement to automatically escape from nonmagical restraints, such as manacles or a creature that has it grappled as long as the creature is within the radius.

You must maintain control of the environment, as if concentrating on a spell, for the duration. The effect ends immediately if you knocked unconscious or killed.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

PRIMORDIAL GIFT

Starting at 15th level, you can communicate with the great primitive elementals that infuse the land. You can cast commune with nature as a ritual.

Immediately after the communion ends, you are infused with raw natural vitality, causing you regain 50 hit points and curing any blindness, deafness, poison effects, or diseases.

You must complete a long rest before you can use this feature again.

WITCHGUARD CONCLAVE

Not all rangers view the arcane as anathema to the natural world, some choosing to view arcane magic as just another manifestation of nature referred to as the “weave”. Rangers of the Witchguard Conclave are the sworn defenders of the covens of the Bre Karand though they often extend their protections to any persecuted arcane spellcasters. Although most users of arcane magic have immense power, even they cannot defend themselves against every attack. Witchguards dedicate their lives to protecting their charges, gaining some arcane knowledge in return. They are trained to work closely with arcane spellcasters and defend their charges from harm.

Witchguard Conclave
Level Feature
3rd Arcane Apprentice, Eldritch Awareness
6th Arcane Fortitude
10th Arcane Reflexes
15th Supernatural Infusion

ARCANE APPRENTICE

By the time you reach 3rd level, you have gained an innate understanding of arcane magics. You gain two sorcerer cantrips of your choice and, when prompted to select a ranger talent or changing a current ranger talent, you may instead select a spell from the Sorcerer or Wizard spell list. This spell can be of a level no higher than your proficiency bonus minus 1.

You can cast your spells a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1), using your ranger level as your caster level. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability and you use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability.

Design Note

To provide synergy to the base class, Wisdom is used as the spellcasting attribute to avoid a MAD situation. >Whereas Intelligence or Charisma would make more sense, use of these attributes would punish a ranger for selecting this conclave. Thematically, the use of Wisdom can be attributed to an innate understanding of arcane magic that differs from rote memorization (Intelligence) or raw personal magnetism (Charisma).

You recover all cast spells when you complete a long rest.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

ELDRITCH AWARENESS

Beginning at 3rd level, the presence of otherworldly creatures registers on your senses like a noxious odor or a stinging pain on your skin. You can use your action to focus your awareness on the region around you.

As an action, you can open your awareness to detect the following types of creatures within 60 feet of you that are not behind total cover: Aberrations, Celestials, Dragons, Elementals, Fey, Fiends, and Undead. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity (the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich, for instance).

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

ARCANE FORTITUDE

At 6th level, you have learned how to use your fortitude to mitigate the damage from spells. When damaged by a spell, you can roll any number of Hit Die up to your current total, reducing the damage received by the amount rolled.

ARCANE REFLEXES

At 10th level, to some extent, you have mastered the art of weaving spellcasting and weapon use into a single harmonious act. When you use your action to cast a cantrip, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action.

SUPERNATURAL INFUSION

Beginning at 15th level you have further integrated the arcane arts into your fighting techniques. Your Ranging feature can now be activated by cantrips that you cast. When applied to a cantrip, your Ranging Damage Die type is the same as that of the cantrip (for example, if you cast the fire bolt spell, any applicable ranging damage would be of the fire type).

In addition, when you use your Ranging feature with a melee or ranged attack, the attack counts as magical fur purposes of overcoming damage resistance and the ranging damage changes to force damage.

TRAPPER CONCLAVE

Trapper Conclave
Level Feature
3rd Net Master, Skilled Trapper
6th Trapmaking
10th Creative Hunter
15th Mechanical Awareness

NET MASTER

Beginning at 3rd level, you have mastered the use of a net as both a hunting tool and an improvised melee weapon. You can wield a net as a melee weapon and, when doing so, you treat it as if it also had the light and finesse weapon properties. When using a net as a thrown weapon, you increase the thrown range to (10/25).

A Large or smaller creature hit by a net is restrained until it is freed. A net has no effect on creatures that are formless, or creatures that are Huge or larger. A creature can use its action to make a Strength check equal to DC 10 + your proficiency bonus, freeing itself or another creature within its reach on a success. Dealing 5 slashing damage to the net (AC 10) also frees the creature without harming it, ending the effect and destroying the net.

Design Note

Nets made of non-traditional material such as steel wire should be available as specially crafted items or as rarer stock in larger cities. In this case, the net’s damage and AC would be adjusted to reflect the change of material.

When using a net as a melee weapon, the net becomes unavailable after a successful attack until such time as the restrained creature is able to free itself. You can continue to hold (maintain control of) the net in your hand in which case you are able to move the creature as if it were grappled (PHB p195) and a restrained creature has disadvantage on any attempts to free itself. You can release your hold on a net at any time without using an action.

When you use an action, bonus action, or reaction to attack with a net, you can make only one attack regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make unless wielding the net as part of two weapon fighting. All attacks with a net as part of two-weapon fighting require a bonus action and are made with disadvantage.

SKILLED TRAPPER

When you join this conclave at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the trapper’s kit and learn to better use certain basic hunting and trapping essentials. When using ball bearings, caltrops, hunting traps, or manacles, any required DC adds your proficiency bonus.

In addition, you have an aptitude for noticing and disarming traps set by others. You have advantage on any checks to detect traps and can attempt to disarm traps using your trapper’s kit.

Trapper's Kit

This set of tools is used to help set up or disarm traps. Being a trapper requires you to be proficient in traps that not only deal with simple beasts but also sophisticated creatures such as humanoids. This set of tools includes a small file, 5 feet of silken rope, a small mirror mounted on a metal handle, a set of narrow-bladed scissors, hunting knife, and a pair of pliers. Proficiency with these tools lets you add your proficiency bonus to any ability checks you make to set up or disarm traps.

TRAPMAKING

(Under Construction)

CREATIVE HUNTER

Beginning at 10th level, you can use ball bearings, caltrops, and hunting traps up to a range of 15 feet. When you utilize any of these items through the Use an Object action, you can make an attack as a bonus action.

Hunting traps used in this manner reduce a creature’s movement by 1/2 instead of limiting it to a chain length.

Objects deployed as part of this feature count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

MECHANICAL AWARENESS

At 15th level, you gain an uncanny sense of when things nearby are not as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge away from danger.

You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and spells. When you are subjected to one of these type of effects that allows you to make a 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.

To gain this benefit, you can’t be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.

CHANGELOG

v2.0

  • Moved back to STR + choice of DEX or WIS as saves. CON makes so much thematic sense but the imbalance of saves (1 strong + 1 weak) makes the correct thematic choice impossible.
  • Initial skills reduce to 2 due to addition of Pathfinding feature
  • Added Pathfinding feature -- Too iconic to leave out. Worried that it's too much and effectively gives a ranger too many skills. May need to be revised to be choice of either skill.
  • Updated Ranging -- Worded to allow for ranged attacks in initial setup abd to provide a mechanism to initialize the feature beyond initial movement. Verbiage is still garbage.
  • Minor rewording of Wild Empathy to emphasize that combat is (generally) a no-no
  • Reworked Ranger's Mobility fighting style.
  • Healing Lore -- Some extra clarification in the design note. Removed the long rest portion of the feature.
  • Wilderness Whispers renamed to Boundless Steps and cleaned up.
  • Keen Senses renamed to Keen Eye.
  • Survival Instincts reworked to be independent of CON. Now uses Ranging Die and can be applied to a multitude of situations.
  • Ranger Talent: Beast Trainer -- Added worded that removed multi-attack from a beast under the influence of Wild Empathy.
  • Ranger Talent: Expert Tracker -- Removed locate object from available spells in bullet.
  • Ranger Talent: Skirmisher -- Revised
  • Beast Conclave: Bonded Companion -- Completely reworked feature.
  • Beast Conclave: Renamed Master's Command to Exceptional Training
  • Beast Conclave: Revised Strengthened Bond
  • Beast Conclave: Beast Mastery -- Reworded for clarification
  • Greenwarden Conclave: Nature Bond -- Reworded for clarification
  • Greenwarden Conclave: Vitality Well -- Clarified interaction with Healing Lore
  • Greenwarden Conclave: Renamed Autotrophic Reflexes to Infused Reflexes. I anticipate changing this feature completely soon.
  • Witchguard Conclave: Arcane Apprentice -- Reworded for clarification
  • Witchguard Conclave: Replaced Arcane Fortitude with Eldrtich Awareness
  • Witchguard Conclave: Removed Woven Ward and put Arcane Fortitude in its place
  • Witchguard Conclave: Weave Bond -- I anticipate changing this feature completely soon.
  • Trapper Conclave: Added draft version

v3.0

  • Added Ranger's Toughness as a new ranger fighting style
  • Ranger Talent: Alacrity - removed disadvantage from opponent's OAs. Conflicted with the benefit from Ranging.
  • Ranger Talent: Ambusher - reworked
  • Ranger Talent: Arrow Crafter - reworked
  • Ranger Talent: Attuned Senses - added prereq, added a couple of bullet points
  • Ranger Talent: Beast Affinity - reworked
  • Ranger Talent: Beast Trainer - added prereq
  • Ranger Talent: Escape Artist - reworded for clarification
  • Ranger Talent: Expert Forager - reworked
  • Ranger Talent: Guiding Counsel - reworded for clarification
  • Ranger Talent: Leechcraft - added healer's kit req
  • Ranger Talent: Nature's Cloak - renamed to Faded Presense (too many talents were starting with "nature")
  • Ranger Talent: Trailbreaker - renamed to Trailguide and reworked
  • Ranger Talent: Unbreakable Will - reworked
  • Added 6 new talents
  • Greenwarden Conclave: Nature Bond - allows for selection from Ranger spell list in addition to Druid
  • Greenwarden Conclave: Infused Reflexes - removed
  • Greenwarden Conclave: Awakened Environment - added (replaced Infused Reflexes)
  • Witchguard Conclave: Arcane Apprentice - allows for selection from Sorcerer or Wizard spell lists
  • Witchguard Conclave: Weave Bond - removed
  • Witchguard Conclave: Supernatural Infusion - added (replaced Weave Bond)

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