Ranger Variant

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Ranger


Ranger
Level Proficiency Bonus Features
1st +2 Natural Explorer, Hunter's Journal
2nd +2 Fighting Style, Hunter's Mark, Worldly
3rd +2 Ranger Conclave, Expertise
4th +2 Ability Score Increase
5th +3 Extra Attack
6th +3 Strongest Link, Expertise
7th +3 Ranger Conclave Feature
8th +3 Ability Score Increase
9th +4 Greater Hunter's Journal
10th +4 Ability Score Increase
11th +4 Ranger Conclave Feature
12th +4 Ability Score Increase
13th +5 Thrill of the Hunt
14th +5 Strongest Link
15th +5 Ranger Conclave Feature
16th +5 Ability Score Increase
17th +6 Feral Senses
18th +6 Strongest Link
19th +6 Ability Score Increase
20th +6 Foe Slayer

Creating a Ranger

As you create your ranger character, consider the nature of the training that gave you your particular capabilities. Did you train with a single mentor, wandering the wilds together until you mastered the ranger’s ways? Did you leave your apprenticeship, or was your mentor slain—perhaps by the same kind of monster that became your favored enemy? Or perhaps you learned your skills as part of a band of rangers affiliated with a druidic circle, trained in mystic paths as well as wilderness lore. You might be self-taught, a recluse who learned combat skills, tracking, and even a magical connection to nature through the necessity of surviving in the wilds.

What’s the source of your particular hatred of a certain kind of enemy? Did a monster kill someone you loved or destroy your home village? Or did you see too much of the destruction these monsters cause and commit yourself to reining in their depredations? Is your adventuring career a continuation of your work in protecting the borderlands, or a significant change? What made you join up with a band of adventurers? Do you find it challenging to teach new allies the ways of the wild, or do you welcome the relief from solitude that they offer?

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 two-weapon fighting make Strength higher than Dexterity.) Second, choose the outlander background.

Class Features

As a ranger, you gain the following class features.

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: Perception, and choose two from Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Stealth, and Survival

Equipment

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

  • (a) scale mail or (b) leather armor

  • (a) two shortswords or (b) two simple melee weapons

  • (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack

  • A longbow and a quiver of 20 arrows

Natural Explorer

You are a master of navigating the natural world, and you react with swift and decisive action when attacked. This grants you the following benefits:

  • You ignore difficult terrain.
  • You have advantage on initiative rolls.
  • You have advantage on attack rolls against creatures that have not yet acted.
  • You can use the Dash action as a bonus action on your turn.

In addition, you are skilled at navigating the wilderness. You gain the following benefits while not engaged in combat:

  • Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group’s travel.
  • You have advantage on saving throws imposed upon you by weather, and you do not suffer disadvantage on perception checks from weather.
  • During a travel round you can perform two travel actions at once, or you can perform one travel action with a +10 bonus.

Hunter's Journal

You keep a record of the foes you've felled. This record might be a book of trophies, a library of anatomical drawings, or simply a collection of knowledge in your head. Your journal has a list of types of enemies, and how many of each you've marked and defeated. The types of enemies your journal can contain are: aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, humanoids, monstrosities, plant, ooze, and undead.

When you gain this feature, you add 5 enemies to your hunters's journal, all of one type, chosen from one of the following types: beasts, fey, humanoids, monstrosities, or undead.

You gain bonuses against each type of enemy, based on the number of that type of enemy in your journal, as shown in the journal table.

At 2nd level you gain the ability to add new enemies to your hunter's journal by slaying quarry using your Hunter's Mark feature.

At 9th level you gain the ability to add new enemies to your hunter's journal by observing them in their natural habitat.

Hunter's Journal
Type Entries Bonus
At least 5 Your weapon attacks deals an extra 1d8 damage to this type of enemy. Additionally, you have advantage on checks to track this type of creature, as well as checks to recall information about them. You can fluently communicate and understand them through scent, noise and motion, and they recognize you as a kindred spirit. You can read their mood and intent, whether they are affected by magic of any sort, and actions you can take (if any) to persuade them.
At least 10 Advantage on saving throws against the spells and abilities used by this type of enemy, and your weapon attacks deal an extra 2d8 damage to this type of enemy.

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.

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.

Hunter's Mark

Beginning at 2nd level, you have significant experience studying, tracking, hunting, and even talking to a certain type of enemy commonly encountered in the wilds.

As a bonus action, you can choose a creature you can see within 90 feet. Make a Wisdom (perception) check in an attempt to spot a weak point on them (the DM may choose to have you roll a different kind of check based on the type of creature, for example an elemental may require an Intelligence (arcana) check). If you roll equal to or higher than the target's AC, then you mystically mark it as your quarry for the next hour, you may make one weapon attack against the target as part of this action, and you cannot use this feature again until the creature is reduced to 0 hit points or until an hour passes. If you fail, nothing happens.

You deal an extra 1d8 + half your ranger level damage to a creature marked by you whenever you hit it with a weapon attack, and you have advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) check you make to find it.

When a creature marked by you that you can see is reduced to 0 hit points, if it has a CR equal to a quarter of your level (not rounded) or higher, you may add it to your Hunter's Journal. You can do this a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus. You regain all spent uses when you gain a Ranger level.

Worldly

Starting at 2nd level, you can add half your proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check you make that doesn’t already include your proficiency bonus or half of it.

Ranger Conclave

At 3rd level, you choose to emulate the ideals and training of a ranger conclave: the Beast Conclave, the Hunter Conclave, or the Shaman Conclave, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th, and 15th level.

Expertise

At 3rd level, choose two of your skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies.

At 6th level, you can choose another two skill proficiencies to gain this benefit.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 10th, 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.

Greater Hunter's Journal

Starting at 9th level, you learn about creatures and add them to your journal simply by observing them. By spending an hour watching and following a creature that you have marked, you learn the creature's damage immunities, resistances, vulnerabilities, condition immunities, challenge rating, and what they are. The creature must be acting of its own will and must be free to move and do as it likes, and it cannot notice you watching it during the hour. If the creature is hidden from divination magic, you sense that it has no damage immunities, resistances, vulnerabilities, or condition immunities.

If you successfully use this ability on a creature who's CR is a quarter of your level (not rounded) or higher, you may add it to your hunter's journal. You can use this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You cannot use this twice on the same creature. You regain all spent uses when you gain a Ranger level.

Thrill of the Hunt

Starting at 13th level, whenever you attack and kill a creature on your turn that you have marked, if it was of a type that you already have at least 10 of in your hunter's journal, you may mark a new creature that you can see within 90 feet of you as your quarry without having to roll a perception check, and you can make an additional attack this turn as part of the attack action against that creature.

Feral Senses

At 17th level, you gain preternatural senses that help you fight creatures you can’t see. You have truesight out to a range of 60 feet, as long as you are not blinded.

Foe Slayer

At 20th level, you become an unparalleled hunter. 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. You can choose to use this feature before or after the roll, but before any effects of the roll are applied.

Ranger Conclaves

Across the wilds, rangers come together to form conclaves—loose associations whose members share a similar outlook on how best to protect nature from those who would despoil it.

Beast Conclave

Many rangers are more at home in the wilds than in civilization, to the point where animals consider them kin. Rangers of the Beast Conclave develop a close bond with a beast, then further strengthen that bond through the use of magic.

Animal Companion

At 3rd level, you create a powerful bond with a creature of the natural world. Select you companion from among the following animals: an ape, a black bear, a boar, a giant badger, a giant weasel, a mule, a panther, or a wolf.

The animal you choose appears as your animal companion. If you already had the animal, it becomes your animal companion. The animal gains all the benefits of your Companion’s Bond ability. You can have only one animal companion at a time.

If your animal companion is ever slain, you can call forth a new animal from the wilderness to serve as your faithful companion. With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 50 gp worth of rare herbs and fine food, you find a new companion from the list above. However, your DM might pick one of these animals for you, based on the surrounding terrain and on what types of creatures would logically be present in the area. At the end of the 8 hours, your animal companion appears and gains all the benefits of your Companion’s Bond ability.

Beast Master

At 3rd level, add 5 beasts to your Hunter's Journal. This allows you and your companion to fluently communicate. It also means that your companion sees you as a kindred spirit, and allows you to notice whenever your companion is effected by magic.

Companion’s Bond

Your animal companion gains a variety of benefits while it is linked to you. The animal companion loses its Multiattack action, if it has one.

The companion obeys your commands as best it can. While in combat with you, it has the same initiative as you, and you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your companion rolls its own initiative and acts on its own.

Your animal 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, an animal companion also adds its proficiency bonus to its AC and to its damage rolls.

Your animal 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 animal companion gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly.

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

If your animal companion is reduced to 0 hit points, it doesn't immediately die like other creatures, although it falls unconscious. If it starts it's turn with 0 hit points, it makes a death saving throw. On its third failure, your companion dies, but on its third success, it stabilizes.

Your animal companion gains the benefits of your Natural Explorer feature, and gains all the same bonuses against enemies you gain from your Hunter's Journal feature. Any creature your companion kills counts as your kill for the purposes of Hunter's Mark and Thrill of the Hunt.

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.

Glimmer Hide

Beginning at 7th level, you and your animal companion form a more potent fighting team. Your companion's attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. Additionally, your companion has resistance to all damage dealt by creatures marked by you.

Storm of Claws and Fangs

Starting at 11th level, your companion can use its action to make a melee attack against each creature of its choice within 5 feet of it, with a separate attack roll for each target.

Plane Piercing Bond

Starting at 15th level, if you can see your companion, you can use a bonus action to either teleport your companion to an unoccupied space next to you, or you can teleport your companion to an unoccupied space next to an enemy you hit with a weapon attack this turn.

Hunter Conclave

Some rangers seek to master weapons to better protect civilization from the terrors of the wilderness. Members of the Hunter Conclave learn specialized fighting techniques for use against the most dire threats, from rampaging ogres and hordes of orcs to towering giants and terrifying dragons.

Hunter’s Prey

Starting at 3rd level, when you mark a creature with your Hunter's Mark, you learn the creature's Type, Damage Vulnerabilities, Damage Resistances, Damage Immunities, Condition Immunities, and Challenge Rating.

Additionally, your Hunter's Mark deals an extra half your Ranger level damage to creatures who you are hidden from, or who have not yet acted.

Finally, whenever you would add a creature to your Hunter's Journal using your Hunter's Mark, increase the number of foes of that type in your Hunter's Journal by two instead of one.

Warden's Specialty

Starting at 7th level, creatures cannot make opportunity attacks against you if you've hit them with an attack this turn.

Volley

Starting at 11th level, 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

Starting at 11th level, you can use your action to make melee attacks against any number of creatures within 5 feet of you, with a separate attack roll for each target.

Apex Predator

Beginning at 15th level, your mere presence frightens prey. As an action, your radiate a dreadful aura. Any number of creatures you choose who you can see and who you have at least 10 of in your hunter's journal are frightened of you for a minute. You can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

Shaman Conclave

Most folk descend into the depths of the Underdark only under the most pressing conditions, undertaking some desperate quest or following the promise of vast riches. All too often, evil festers beneath the earth unnoticed, and rangers of the Deep Stalker Conclave strive to uncover and defeat such threats before they can reach the surface.

Spellcasting

When you reach 3rd level, you gain the ability to cast spells. See Spells Rules for the general rules of spellcasting and the Spells Listing for the ranger spell list.

Spell Slots The Shaman Conclave Spellcasting 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. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

For example, if you know the 1st-level spell charm person and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast charm person using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st-Level and Higher You know three 1st-level ranger spells of your choice.

The Spells Known column of the Shaman Spellcasting table shows when you learn more ranger spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells 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.

Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the ranger spells you know with another spell of your choice from the ranger spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your ranger spells, since you learn your spells through intuition and observation. 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 ranger 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

Ritual Casting

You can cast a ranger spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have learned that spell. Spells you cast with your blood rights feature may also be cast as a ritual if they have the ritual tag.

Bind Fate

Starting at 3rd level, you can cast scrying, requiring no material components, targeting the creature you have marked. When you cast a spell with this feature, you may remove an enemy from your hunter's journal of the same type as the target of the spell. If you do, you count as having a body part of theirs for the casting of that spell. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Shaman Conclave Spellcasting
Ranger Level Spells Known 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
3 3 2 - - -
4 4 3 - - -
5 4 3 - - -
6 4 3 - - -
7 5 4 2 - -
8 6 4 2 - -
9 6 4 2 - -
10 7 4 3 - -
11 8 4 3 - -
12 8 4 3 - -
13 9 4 3 2 -
14 10 4 3 2 -
15 10 4 3 2 -
16 11 4 3 3 -
17 11 4 3 3 -
18 11 4 3 3 -
19 12 4 3 3 1
20 13 4 3 3 1

Blood Rights

Starting at 7th level, by using the remains and tokens of creatures you've collected, you you can cast any ranger, druid or warlock without providing material components. You do not have to know these spells to cast them. You can only cast spells this way at a level for which you have a ranger spell slot. As an additional cost to casting the spell, remove a number of enemies from your Hunter's Journal, all of one type, equal to the level at which you are casting the spell. If the spell targets any creatures, at least one of the targets must be of the type you removed from your Hunter's Journal.

Menagerie Watcher

Starting at 11th level, when you add a creature to your Hunter's Journal by watching it for an hour, increase the number of foes of that type in your Hunter's Journal by two instead of one.

Dream Catcher

Starting at 11th level, you can use your Bind Fate feature on any creature you have previously had marked. Additionally, you can now use it to cast the dream spell in the same way.

Totemic Rights

Starting at 15th level, you have advantage on spell attack rolls against creatures who you have at least 5 of in your hunter's journal. Additionally creatures who you have at least 10 of in your hunter's journal have disadvantage on saving throws against your spells.

Specializations

The specializations are presented in alphabetical order.

Delver

You have advantage on spotting traps and hazards, including anything that would inflict a sudden or unexpected effect you consider harmful or undesirable, and advantage on perception checks that rely on sight, hearing or smell. Additionally, while attempting to solve a puzzle, you may ask the DM one yes or no question about the puzzle's solution or function, and the DM must answer truthfully.

Fletcher

Once per turn on your turn, when you make a weapon attack against a creature, you can choose one of the following effects to apply to the attack:

  • A writhing mass of thorny vines appears at the point of impact, and the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be restrained by the magical vines until the end of your next turn. If the target succeeds on the save, the vines shrivel away.
  • Each enemy within 5 feet of the target of the attack must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 1d6 + half your ranger level lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
  • The target is set alight and takes an additional 2d6 fire damage. At the end of each of the creature's turns, the creature must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a fail, they take 2d6 fire damage. On a success, the fire is extinguished.
  • The target takes and additional 1d6 + half your ranger level radiant damage. The creature has disadvantage on stealth rolls until the end of your next turn, and the next attack against it until then has advantage.

The save DC for these effects is 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once).

Herbalist

You gather a posy of healing herbs that replenishes when you take a long rest. With that pool, you can restore a total number of hit points equal to your ranger level × 3.

As an action, you can touch a creature and apply herbs from the posy to restore a number of hit points to that creature, up to the maximum amount remaining in your posy.

Alternatively, you can expend 3 hit points from your posy of herbs to try and cure the target of one disease or neutralize one poison affecting it. Make a Wisdom (medicine) check, the DC determined by the DM. On a success, you cure the disease or poison.

This specialty has no effect on undead, oozes, plants, and constructs.

Primeval Awareness

By spending a minute as if you were concentrating on a spell, you can attune your senses to determine if any enemies lurk nearby. You can only sense types of enemies who you have at least 5 of in your hunter's journal, or the creature who you have marked. You can sense whether any of those enemies are present within 5 miles of you, revealing which of your favored enemies are present, their numbers, and the creature's general direction and distance (in miles) from you. If there are multiple groups of your favored enemies within range, you learn this information for each group.

Trainer

Over the course of the long rest, you befriend a beast from the terrain around you. The beast can have a CR of 1/4 or lower, and is friendly to you and your allies. You and the beast can communicate through sound and gesture. The beast will follow you commands, but will not put itself in danger or fight for you. It remains with you until you finish a long rest, at which point it will leave. If this specialization is maintained between long rests, you may keep your friendship with the same beast, or release it and bond with a new one.

Trapper

You cast the snare spell, using your Wisdom modifier as your spellcasting ability. When a creature triggers the trap, you are mentally alerted that the trap was triggered, and you may have the creature take 1d6 + your Ranger level piercing damage. You can inspect an already triggered trap as an action and mark the creature who triggered it, ending any other current marks. You can have a number of active traps at a time equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of one).

Traveler

Your walking speed increases by 15 feet, and you gain a climbing and swimming speed equal to your walking speed. Additionally, reduce falling damage you take by half.

Vanish

You can hide as a bonus action. While hidden, creatures who you have at least 5 of in your hunters journal have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to detect you while hiding. Additionally, you and your allies can't be tracked by nonmagical means, unless any of you choose to leave a trail.

Zoologist

You a resistance to all damage dealt by creatures you have marked, unless the damage is non-magical piercing, slashing, or bludgeoning.










Content in process:

Maps and cartography?

Elemental sense and control?

Ranger Spells

1st Level
  • Alarm
  • Absorb Elements
  • Animal Friendship
  • Arms of Hadar
  • Beast Bond
  • Cause Fear
  • Detect Magic
  • Faerie Fire
  • Fog Cloud
  • Goodberry
  • Hex
  • Jump
  • Protection from Evil and Good
  • Zephyr Strike
2nd level
  • Animal Messenger
  • Augury
  • Barkskin
  • Beast Sense
  • Darkness
  • Darkvision
  • Enhance Ability
  • Healing Spirit
  • Lesser Restoration
  • Invisibility
  • Locate Animal or Plants
  • Locate Object
  • Pass without Trace
  • Protection from Poison
  • Silence
  • Spike Growth
3rd level
  • Bestow Curse
  • Conjure Animals
  • Daylight
  • Flame Arrows
  • Fly
  • Nondetection
  • Plant Growth
  • Protection from Energy
  • Remove Curse
  • Speak with Plants
  • Water Breathing
  • Water Walk
  • Wind Wall
4th level
  • Conjure Woodland Beings
  • Freedom of Movement
  • Grasping Vine
  • Guardian of Nature
  • Hallucinatory Terrain
  • Locate Creature
  • Stoneskin

Xanathar's Guide To Everything

Delver Conclave

Most folk never descend into the depths of dungeons. Rangers of the Delver Conclave are experts in exploring ruins and forgotten remains, undertaking quest, protecting surface dwellers, and following the promise of vast riches.

Field Knowledge

At 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the History skill.

Thing

Starting at 3rd level, you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Intelligence (Investigation) checks made to detect the presence of secret doors, traps, and environmental hazards, and advantage on saving throws made to avoid or resist traps and environmental hazards.

Something

Starting at 7th level, choose one of the following:

Guile. If you succeed an acrobatics check on your turn, the next time you hit a creature with an attack this turn it deals an extra damage equal to half the DC of the acrobatics check.

Guile.

Evasion

Starting at 7th level, when you are subjected to an effect, such as a red dragon’s fiery breath or a pit trap, 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.

Knick of Time

Starting at 11th level, you can take more risks than most. When you or an ally you can see is unwillingly reduced to 20 hit points or fewer, you may take an extra turn immediately after the current turn. You have advantage on all attacks rolls, ability checks, and saving throws during that extra turn, and all enemy's attacks have disadvantage during that turn. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Magic Items

Starting at 15th level,

you have learned enough about the workings of magic that you can improvise the use of items even when they are not intended for you. You ignore all class, race, and level requirements on the use of magic items.

 

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