Deadly Hunters

Warriors of the wilderness, huntsmen specialize in hunting the monsters that threaten the edges of civilization—humanoid raiders, rampaging beasts and monstrosities, terrible giants, and deadly dragons. They learn to track their quarry as a predator does, moving stealthily through the wilds and hiding themselves in brush and rubble. Huntsmen focus their com bat training on techniques that are particularly useful against their specific favored foes. Thanks to their familiarity with the wilds, huntsmen acquire the ability to cast spells that harness nature’s power, much as a druid does. Their spells, like their combat abilities, emphasize speed, stealth, and the hunt. A huntsman’s talents and abilities are honed with deadly focus on the grim task of protecting the borderlands.

Independent Adventurers

Though a huntsman might make a living as a hunter, a guide, or a tracker, a huntsman’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, huntsmen gather in secretive orders or join forces with druidic circles. Many huntsmen, though, are independent almost to a fault, knowing that, when a dragon or a band of orcs attacks, a huntsman might be the
first—and possibly the last—line of
defense for those that need it.

This fierce independence makes hunts-
-man well suited to adventuring, since they
are accustomed to life far from the com forts
of a dry bed and a hot bath. Faced with city-bred
adventurers who grouse and whine about the
hardships of the wild, huntsmen respond with
some mixture of amusement, frust-
-ration, and compassion.

Revised-Revised Ranger

This is my personal take on the Ranger class. I used the original ranger, the spell-less ranger, and the revised ranger all as references when designing this, but in the end, went mostly off of my own ideas. There was a good bit of thought put into a lot of the abilities and changes. The biggest, being my removal of spellcasting from the class. I don't believe that rangers should be able to cast, I think it both removes from their power budget and waters down the strength of the theme that the class is meant to be.
I also added a combat mechanic. Every other martial class has a martial ability that makes them special. Divine Smite, Rage, Ki, Sneak Attack. Ranger has none of that. I created the Hunters Stance ability to add to the rangers idea that they are specified in their combat, instead of the more broad combat skills of a fighter.

Aggressor's Stance

You enter a hostile stance. One you know will infuriate your enemies and draw them too you. Whilst in this stance you gain the following effects:

• When you make an attack against creatrure that is not immune to fear, whether or not you hit, you may use your bonus action to make a Strength or Charisma (Intimidation) check against the creature and any other members of your favored prey that are not immune to fear within 60 feet of you. They must all make a wisdom saving throw against your roll. If they fail, they have disadvantage attacking creatures other than you for the next minute. A creature that succeeds against this saving throw is immune to this abilities effects for one hour.
• When you deal damage to a creature taunted in this way, you may roll your damage rolls twice, and keep the higher of the two.

Alpha's Stance

You enter an assertive stance. Your eyes scan with the precision of a tactician, as you begin to take control of the battlefield. Whilst in this stance you gain the following effects:

• When an ally that you can see within 30 feet of you makes an attack roll against a member of your favored prey, the attack roll is made at advantage. If this happens but the creature is not a member of your favored prey, you may instead use your reaction to give them advantage on their attack roll.
• When a member of your favored prey attacks an ally that you can see within 30 feet, your allies AC is increased by half of your hunter's bonus, rounded up, for the duration of the attack.

Warden's Stance

You enter a defensive stance. You hold yourself strong, and keep strong against the toll you most certainly can take. Whilst in this stance you gain the following effects:

• Your stance does not end if you do not attack. Instead, it ends if you go a turn without using your action to prepare your defenses.
• You may use your action to prepare you defenses. When you do this, your AC increases by an amount equal to your hunter's bonus until the beginning of your next turn. When being attacked by members of your favored prey whilst defending this way, their attacks are made at disadvantage.

Poacher's Stance

You enter an aggressive stance. You aim for the shins, you fight dirty. You shoot to wound, not to kill. Whilst in this stance you gain the following effects:

• When attacking with nets and similar weapons, the range of the weapon is doubled.
• When attacking with nets and similar weapons, the DC creatures need to roll against to avoid being restrained is increased by your an amount equal to your dexterity modifier. If the creature is a member of your favored prey the DC also increases by your hunter's bonus.
• When you hit a member of your favored prey with a ranged weapon attack, the creature must make a constitution saving throw against a DC of 10 or half of the damage you dealt, whichever is higher, or have their movement speed reduced by a stacking 5 feet until they receive magical healing. A creature with a medicine kit can attempt to tend to these wounds. Doing so requires a medicine check over the course of a short rest against a DC of 5 + the total reduced movement. On a successful check, all lost movement speed is regained.

Pursuer's Stance

You enter a hunters stance. You trail your enemies, and move with apex's purpose. Whilst in this stance you gain the following effects:

• When you move more than 20 feet in a straight line right before hitting with a weapon attack, the creature hit by the attack must make a Strength saving throw against a DC of 10 or half of the damage you dealt, whichever is higher, or have their movement speed halved until the beginning of your next turn.
• When you make an opportunity attack against a member of your favored prey, you may instead make as many attacks as you would with the attack action instead of being limited to one attack, as if it was your turn.

Beast Master

The Beast Master archetype embodies a friendship between the civilized races and the beasts of the world. United in focus, beast and ranger work as one to fight the monstrous foes that threaten civilization and the wilderness alike.

Eternal Companion

Upon reaching 20th level, you have gained the ability to designate your companion to be your eternal companion. If you have been bonded to the same companion for more than a months, you can use this feature on them. Over the course of a long rest, you can perform a small ceremony with your companion to mark them as forever. You mark them in some way, whether with a tattoo, scar, or even a ring, scarf, or distinguishable piece of clothing. Whilst bonded to you in this way, your companion gains a number of additional benefits.

Hunter's Prey

At 3rd level, you gain one of the following features of your choice: Colossus Slayer, Giant Killer, or Horde Breaker.

• Colossus Slayer. Your tenacity can wear down the most potent foes. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, the creature takes an extra 1d8 damage if it's below its hit point maximum. You can deal this extra damage only once per turn.
• Giant Killer. When a Large or larger creature within 5 feet of you hits or misses you with an attack, you can use your reaction to attack that creature immediately after its attack, provided that you can see the creature.
• Horde Breaker. Once on each of your turns when you make a weapon attack, you can make another attack with the same weapon against a different creature that is within 5 feet of the original target and within range of your weapon.

Defensive Tactics

At 7th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice: Escape the Horde, Multiattack Defense, or Steel Will.

• Escape the Horde. Opportunity attacks against you are made with disadvantage.
• Multiattack Defense. When a creature hits you with an attack, you gain a +4 bonus to AC against all subsequent attacks made by that creature for the rest of the turn.
• Steel Will. You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

Multiattack

At 11th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice: Volley or Whirlwind Attack.

• Volley. You can use your action to make a ranged attack against any number of creatures within 10 feet of a point you can see within your weapon's range. You must have ammunition for each target, as normal, and you make a separate attack roll for each target.
• Whirlwind Attack. You can use your action to make a melee attack against any number of creatures within 5 feet of you, with a separate attack roll for each target.

Superior Hunter's Defense

At 15th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice: Evasion, Stand Against the Tide, or Uncanny Dodge.

• 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 a saving throw, and only half damage if you fail
• Stand Against the Tide. When a hostile creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to force that creature to repeat the same attack against another creature (other than itself) of your choice.
• Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack's damage against you.

Improved Hunter's Prey

At 20th level, you gain one of the following features dependent on what you took at level 3 for your Hunter's Prey.

• Colossus Slayer. You have mastered your previous style of fighting. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, the creature takes an extra 1d8 if the creature is below it's hit point maximum. This damage is not limited pre turn in any way, and stacks with the original colossus slayer damage.
• Giant Killer. You have mastered your previous style of fighting. When you use your reaction after a large or larger creature attacks to attack them, you instead make your entire attack action as apposed to a single attack, as if it was your turn.
• Horde Breaker. You have mastered your previous style of fighting. When you use Horde Breaker to attack a second target, you may make three attacks instead of one. These three attacks must all target creatures that you have not targeted with attacks yet this turn, and, each creature that is targeted with attacks in this way must be within 5 feet of the last creature you attacked that turn.

Dread Ambusher

At 3rd level, you master the art of the ambush. You can give yourself a bonus to your initiative rolls equal to your Wisdom modifier.

At the start of your first turn of each combat, your walking speed increases by 10 feet, which lasts until the end of that turn. If you take the Attack action on that turn, you can make one additional weapon attack as part of that action. If that attack hits, the target takes an extra 1d8 damage of the weapon's damage type.

Spellcasting

When you reach 3rd level, you augment your martial prowess with the ability to cast spells. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the druid spell list.

Spell Slots. The Ranger Spellcasting 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 shield and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast shield using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st-Level and Higher. You know three 1st-level druid spells of your choice, two of which you must choose from the conjuration and evocation spells on the druid spell list.

The Spells Known column of the Ranger Spellcasting table shows when you learn more druid spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be an conjuration or evocation spell of your choice, and must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

The spells you learn at 8th, 14th, and 20th level can come from any school of magic.

Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the druid spells you know with another spell of your choice from the druid spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots, and it must be an abjuration or evocation spell, unless you're replacing the spell you gained at 3rd, 8th, 14th, or 20th level from any school of magic.

Spellcasting Ability. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your druid spells, since you learn your spells through your bond with nature. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a druid spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.