Deadly Hunters

Widely traveled and unmoved in the face of the vilest enemies, rangers are implacable foes that track their quarry as a predator does. Whether winding through a crowded street, stealthily moving through the wilds, or setting an ambush in rocky hills, a ranger's enemies seldom see their death coming. Rangers focus their combat training on striking first and striking hard.

Independent Adventurers

Though a ranger might make a living as a treasure hunter, a guide, or a tracker, the true calling of most rangers is the death of their enemies ─ whether in defense of his homeland, as a first strike against future aggression, or even for profit. Spending so much of their time alone leads to many rangers being independent to a fault. They often look down on the trappings of high society, and respect cunning, skill, and dedication.

This fierce independence makes rangers well-suited to adventuring, since they are accustomed to a life of hardship and danger. Rangers are often slow to trust, but fiercely loyal to those who have proven themselves capable allies.

Quick Build

You can make a ranger quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Dexterity your highest ability score, followed by Wisdom. (Some rangers who focus on melee combat make Strength higher than Dexterity.) Second, choose the outlander background.

Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d10 per ranger level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per ranger level after 1st

Proficiencies

• Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
• Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
• Tools: None

• Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
• Skills: Choose four from Acrobatics, Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) two shortswords or (b) two simple melee weapons
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• (a) a longbow and a quiver of 20 arrows or (b) a light crossbow and a quiver of 20 bolts
• studded leather armor

Hunter's Mark

You have learned to read your prey, analyzing it with a careful eye and allowing your attacks to strike deeper and truer.

As a bonus action on your turn, you can choose a creature you can see within 60 feet of you and mark it as your quarry. Enemies are unaware they are marked, although they may notice you studying them and draw their own conclusions. You can maintain this mark for a number of hours equal to your ranger level.

Whenever you hit the marked target with a weapon attack you deal extra damage of the weapon's type, as shown on the Ranger table. While your prey is marked, you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) checks you make to find or track it.

This effect ends if you fall unconscious, use it on another creature, or dismiss it as a bonus action.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

Fighting Style

At 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting 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.

Grit

At 2nd level, your harsh experiences have given you immense skill and determination. You gain a number of grit points equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1). You regain all expended grit points whenever you finish a short or long rest. You also regain 1 grit point whenever you are critically hit by an attack or make a successful saving throw. You can never have more grit points than your Wisdom modifier.

Beastmaster

The life of a ranger can be lonely and dangerous. Some adapt by learning to create a magical bond between themselves and a creature. United in focus, beast and ranger fight the monsters that threaten civilization and the wilderness alike.

Horde Breaker

Horde breakers specialize in combat against many foes. Most horde breakers work tirelessly in frontier lands to stop the depredations of orcs, gnolls, goblins, and other evil humanoids that rely on sheer numbers for victory.

Volley

As an action, you can 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

As an action, you can make melee attacks against any number of creatures within 5 feet of you, with a separate attack roll for each target.

On the Prowl

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you have carefully honed your skills as a hunter. You gain the following benefits:

• You can take the Hide action as a bonus action on your turn.
• You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks when attempting to hide from a creature targeted by your Hunter's Mark.

Dogged Pursuit

At 3rd level, you develop techniques to obtain information on your quarry. If you spend at least ten minutes interrogating, questioning, or conversing with a person, your proficiency bonus is doubled on any ability checks made against that person to obtain information regarding a specific creature or item you seek.

In addition, while tracking other creatures you also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area.

Improved Hunter's Mark

At 7th level, you can hunt for treasure and items as well as you can for living prey. The target of your Hunter's Mark can now be an object or a creature. While you have an object marked, as an action you can sense whether it is within 1 mile of you, and if so, in which direction.

You apply your Hunter's Mark damage to a creature you hit with weapon attacks if that creature that is holding or carrying the object you have marked.

Thrill of the Hunt

At 11th level, your movement speed increases by 15 feet when you can see the target of your Hunter's Mark and are moving towards it.

Superior Hunter's Mark

At 15th level, whenever you mark a creature with your Hunter's Mark, one ally of your choice that you can see also gains the benefits of your Hunter's Mark.

Sense Monsters

At 3rd level, as an action you can focus your awareness on the region around you. For 1 minute, you can sense whether the following types of creatures are present within 1 mile of you: aberrations, celestials, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead. This feature doesn't reveal the creatures' location or number.

Once you have used this feature, you can't do so again until you complete a short or long rest.

Harvester

At 3rd level, your proficiency bonus is doubled on ability checks pertaining to the extraction of resources or materials from slain monsters.

Iron Mind

By 7th level, you have honed your ability to resist the mind-altering powers much of your prey possesses. You gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws. If you already have this proficiency, you instead gain proficiency in Intelligence or Charisma saving throws (your choice).

Twice More for Good Measure

By 11th level, you have learned to take no chances when dealing with the most dangerous foes. When you take the Attack action and hit a creature targeted with your Hunter's Mark with both weapon attacks, you can immediately make two more weapon attacks against the same creature.

Once you have used this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Foe Slayer

At 15th level, you become an unparalleled dealer of death. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can force it to make a Constitution saving throw. The creature takes 50 additional damage of the weapon's type on a failure, or half that much on a success.

Once you have used this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

At Home in the Wild

You are skilled at navigating the wilderness. When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain the following benefits when traveling for an hour or more:

• You have advantage on ability checks to avoid becoming lost in non-magical terrain.
• Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger.
• If you are traveling alone, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
• When you forage, you find twice as much food as you normally would.

Spellcasting

Additionally, at 3rd level you gain the ability to cast spells. See chapter 10 of the Player's Handbook for the general rules of spellcasting, and chapter 11 for the ranger spell list.

Preparing and Casting Spells. The Warden Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells. To cast one of your ranger spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

You prepare the list of ranger spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the ranger spell lists in the Player's Handbook and other resources such as Xanathar's Guide to Everything. When you do so, choose a number of ranger spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + half your ranger level, rounded down (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

For example, if you are a 5th-level warden, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Wisdom of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. Casting a spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells.

You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of warden spells requires time spent in quiet meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your warden spells, since their power draws from your devotion and attunement to 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 warden 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

Spellcasting Focus. You can use a druidic focus (see chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook, "Equipment") as a spellcasting focus for your warden spells.

Land's Stride

Starting at 7th 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, such as those created by the entangle spell.

Natural Attunement

When you reach 11th level, you gain proficiency in the Nature and Survival skills if you don't already have it. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of those proficiencies.

In addition, as an action you can attune yourself to a particular climate or terrain found in nature. You gain the following benefits based on the climate or terrain type you choose. These benefits last until you choose a new climate or terrain, or you end the effect as a bonus action.