Cloud Strider
"The sky, it teaches us bravery, trust in one another. It speaks to us through the winds, the birds and the clouds. Know this; you are never alone, for the breath of the Great Spirit is always among us."
Parrak Nibulus - Head of the Floating Watchers
Cloud Striders look to the sky; they live for adventure and the thrill of new horizons. They never back down from a challenge and love to take risks. This can lead to them making some more-than-questionable decisions, but there's no one better to have at your back when you throw down.
Feeling an affinity with the winged creatures, they often take to the skies on giant eagles or giant owls.
They often live in small nomadic groups in the mountains or that move from place to place. The most foolhardy among them seek storms, looking to ride the immense winds within.
A common rite of passage for those clans is to fling yourself off of the tallest cliff face you can find and wait until the last possible minute to slow your descent.
Cloud Striders who live in urban areas may find themselves attracted to gambling and its risk, or they may pursue jobs such as apothecary work, where they can spend a lot of time in the wilds. They also make excellent cartographers, mapping the most secluded areas where others dare not go.
Cloud Strider Spells
| Ranger Level | Spell |
|---|---|
| 3rd | feather fall |
| 5th | skywrite |
| 9th | fly |
| 13th | ride the wind |
| 17th | control winds |
Skyborn Heritage
At 3rd level, the knowledge of previous Cloud Striders fills your mind, and you feel a skyward bond.
You gain the ability to cast the Gust cantrip, gain Auran as an additional language and can understand and communicate simple ideas with beasts that have a flying speed, as if by the speak with animals spell.
Cloud Stepper
At 3rd level, you gain the ability to perform aerial strikes from above, plunging into your enemies. The first attack to hit on your turn while within 30ft. of the target and at a higher elevation deals an additional 2d6 lightning or thunder damage.
At the start of your turn you can become light enough to step on clouds, gaining a fly speed of 20ft. until the start of your next turn, but if you start your turn in the air without reusing this feature, you fall to the ground. You may use the feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per rest.
One with the Skies
At 7th level, you naturally move with the wind to evade and distract your foes. Your movement speed and the fly speed granted by Cloud Stepper both increase by 10 feet.
Additionally, when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, it has disadvantage on opportunity attacks against you until the start of your next turn, as a swirling sheath of wind hinders its movement.
Cyclone Strike
At 11th level, the damage dealt from Cloud Stepper increases to 3d6, and the number of times you can use the flight granted by Cloud Stepper increases to 2 x your Wisdom modifier per short rest.
Additionally, you may use a bonus action when you hit a creature while using your Cloud Stepper feature to blast them onto their knees with a gust of wind. A large or smaller target must succeed on a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC or be knocked prone.
Stormbringer
At 15th level, when flying less than 60 ft. above a surface, you can use your action to drop to the ground in a hail of lightning with a thunderous blast of wind. You take no fall damage when dropping this way.
Each creature within 20ft. of where you land must make a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, a creature takes 4d8 lightning damage and 4d8 thunder damage and is pushed back 20 feet. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and is not pushed back.
Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Cloud Strider Quirks
| d8 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | Young birds attempt to impress you when you're near by doing loops or other maneuvers for your approval. |
| 2 | When you're deep in thought question mark shaped clouds appear above your head. |
| 3 | Swirling wind tattoos are constantly moving across your body. They speed up when you're agitated. |
| 4 | You blow hot smoke out of your nostrils when angry. |
| 5 | Your farts are visible and appear as thin wispy clouds. |
| 6 | Whenever you cast spells your eyes cloud white. |
| 7 | You speak like a surfer, calling everyone bro or dude. |
| 8 | Your hair is always gently waving in a breeze. No one knows where this breeze comes from, not even you. |
- This is v2.0 of the Cloud Strider Ranger
- Created by u/LucianAstaroth. The spell Ride the Wind is my Homebrew and can be found here!
- Art: MtG Seek the Wilds by Depingo and Mercenary by Alexandr Malex