Goals & Overview

This is a homebrew Ranger based off of the ideas presented in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything as well as the UA Class Feature Variants, with a few tweaks to fix a few issues I've found with that version of the Ranger.

Some honorable mentions:

• UA "Modiying Classes"
• UA "The Ranger, Revised"
• Mike Mearls Revised Ranger
• UA "Class Feature Variants"

As well as the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5E and 4E Ranger and the Pathfinder 1E and 2E Ranger.

Significant Changes:

• Favored Foe concentration-less, recharges on short rests
• Canny replaced with "Expertise" at level 1 and 10
• Roving speed increases by 5, moved to 10th level
• Tireless buffed, moved to 6
• Spells Known increased to 15
• Vanish buffed, now "Ambuscade"
• Feral Senses buffed
• New capstone "Master Hunter"
• Added Branding Smite to expanded spell list

Subclass Changes:

• All subclasses have had spell lists added and/or tweaked

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 three from Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, 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

Favored Foe

1st-level ranger feature

When you hit a creature with an attack roll, you can call on your mystical bond with nature to mark the target as your favored enemy. Alternatively, if you do not wish to attack the creature, you can use a bonus action to mark the creature as your favored enemy.

Each time you hit the favored enemy and deal damage to it, including when you mark it, you can increase that damage by 1d4.

Additionally, you have advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) check you make to find it.

You can use this feature to mark a favored enemy a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

This feature’s extra damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class: to 1d6 at 6th level and to 1d8 at 14th level.

Archery

You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

Blind Fighting

You have blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn't behind total cover, even if you're blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless that creature successfully hides from you.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Druidic Warrior

You learn two cantrips of your choice from the druid spell list. They count as ranger spells for you, and Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for them. Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one fo these cantrips with another cantrip from the druid spell list.

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.

Thrown Weapon Fighting

You can draw a weapon that has teh thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon.

In addition, when you hit a creature with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Spell Slots

The Ranger 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 animal friendship and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast animal friendship using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

You know three 1st-level spells of your choice from the ranger spell list.

The Spells Known column of the Ranger table shows when you learn more ranger spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 5th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the ranger spells you know and replace it with another spell from the ranger spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your ranger spells, since your magic draws upon 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 ranger spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spellcasting Focus

You can use a druidic focus as a spellcasting focus for your ranger spells. See chapter 5, “Equipment,” of the Player’s Handbook for a list of things that count as druidic focuses.

Ritual Casting

You can cast a ranger spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared.

Primeval Awareness

3rd-level ranger feature

You can use your action to focus your awareness on the region around you. For 5 minutes, you can sense whether the following types of creatures are present within 5 miles of you: aberrations, celestials, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead. This feature doesn’t reveal the creatures’ location or number.

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

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.

Tireless

6th-level ranger feature

As an action, you can give yourself a number of temporary hit points equal to your ranger level + your Wisdom modifier. You can use this action a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

In addition, whenever you finish a short rest, your exhaustion level, if any, is decreased by 1.

Land's Stride

8th-level ranger feature

Moving through nonmagical difficult terrain costs you no extra movement. You can also pass through 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 those created by the entangle spell.

Nature's Veil

10th-level ranger feature

You draw on the powers of nature to hide yourself from view briefly. As a bonus action, you can magically become invisible, along with any equipment you are wearing or carrying, until the start of your next turn.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Roving Explorer

10th-level ranger feature

Your walking speed increases by 10, and you gain a climbing speed and a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.

Ambuscade

14th-level ranger feature

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 can't be surprised.
• You have advantage on initiative rolls.
• You can take the Hide action as a bonus action on your turn.

Foe Slayer

14th-level ranger feature

You can add your Wisdom modifier to the attack roll or the damage roll of an attack you make against one of your favored enemies. You can choose to use this feature before or after the roll, but before any effects of the roll are applied.

Feral Senses

18th-level ranger feature

When you attack a creature you can’t see, your inability to see it doesn’t impose disadvantage on your attack rolls against it, and other creatures don’t gain advantage on attack rolls against you as a result of being unseen by you.

Additionally, you have blindsight with a range of 30 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn’t behind total cover, even if you’re blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.

Beast Master

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.

Fey Wanderer Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Fey Wanderer Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.

Dreadful Strikes

3rd-level ranger feature

You can augment your weapon strikes with mind-scarring magic, drawn from the gloomy hollows of the Feywild. When you hit a creature with a weapon, you can deal an extra 1d8 psychic damage to the target, which can take this extra damage only once per turn.

Otherworldly Glamour

3rd-level ranger feature

Your fey qualities give you a supernatural charm. As a result, whenever you make a Charisma check, you gain a bonus to the check equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of +1).

In addition, you gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Deception, Performance, or Persuasion.

Beguiling Twist

7th-level ranger feature

The magic of the Feywild guards your mind. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

In addition, whenever you or a creature you can see within 120 feet of you succeeds on a saving throw against being charmed or frightened, you can use your reaction to force a different creature you can see within 120 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. If the save fails, the target is charmed or frightened by you (your choice) for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a successful save.

Fey Reinforcements

11th-level ranger feature

The royal courts of the Feywild have blessed you with the assistance of fey beings: you know summon fey (a spell in chapter 3). It doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know, and you can cast it without a material component. You can also cast it once without a spell slot a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.

Whenever you start casting the spell, you can modify it so that it doesn’t require concentration. If you do so, the spell’s duration becomes 1 minute for that casting.

Misty Wanderer

15th-level ranger feature

You can slip in and out of the Feywild to move in a blink of an eye: you can cast misty step without expending a spell slot. You can do so a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

In addition, whenever you cast misty step, can activate one of the following effects:

• You can bring along one willing creature you can see within 5 feet of you. That creature teleports to an unoccupied space of your choice within 5 feet of your destination space.
• You are surrounded by magical mist, causing you to be heavily obscured until the start of your next turn.

Gloom Stalker Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Gloom Stalker Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.

Dread Ambusher

3rd-level ranger feature

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.

Umbral Sight

3rd-level ranger feature

You gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision from your race, its range increases by 30 feet.

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

Iron Mind

7th-level ranger feature

You have honed your ability to resist the mind-altering powers of your prey. 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).

Stalker’s Flurry

11th-level ranger feature

You learn to attack with such unexpected speed that you can turn a miss into another strike. Once on each of your turns when you miss with a weapon attack, you can make another weapon attack as part of the same action.

Shadowy Dodge

15th-level ranger feature

You can dodge in unforeseen ways, with wisps of supernatural shadow around you. Whenever a creature targets you with an attack, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on all attack rolls against you until the start of your next turn. This effect ends early if you take any damage from an attack.

Horizon Walker Magic

3rd-level Horizon Walker feature

You learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Horizon Walker Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.

Planar Warrior

3rd-level Horizon Walker feature

You learn to draw on the energy of the multiverse to augment your attacks.

As a bonus action, choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The next time you hit that creature on this turn with a weapon attack, all damage dealt by the attack becomes force damage, and the creature takes an extra 1d8 force damage from the attack. When you reach 11th level in this class, the extra damage increases to 2d8.

Detect Portal

3rd-level Horizon Walker feature

You gain the ability to magically sense the presence of a planar portal. As an action, you detect the distance and direction to the closest planar portal within 1 mile of you.

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

See the “Planar Travel” section in chapter 2 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for examples of planar portals.

Ethereal Step

7th-level Horizon Walker feature

You learn to step through the Ethereal Plane. As a bonus action, you can cast the etherealness spell with this feature, without expending a spell slot, but the spell ends at the start of your next turn.

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

Distant Strike

11th-level Horizon Walker feature

You gain the ability to pass between the planes in the blink of an eye. When you take the Attack action, you can teleport up to 10 feet before each attack to an unoccupied space you can see.

If you attack at least two different creatures with the action, you can make one additional attack with it against a third creature.

Spectral Defense

15th-level Horizon Walker feature

Your ability to move between planes enables you to slip through the planar boundaries to lessen the harm done to you during battle. When you take damage from an attack, you can use your reaction to give yourself resistance to all of that attack’s damage types until the start of your next turn.

Hunter Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Hunter Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.

Hunter’s Prey

At 3rd level, you gain one of the following features of your choice.

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. A creature can take 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. 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. 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. 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 the 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.

Monster Slayer Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Monster Hunter Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.

Hunter's Sense

At 3rd level, you gain the ability to peer at a creature and magically discern how best to hurt it. As a bonus action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you. You immediately learn whether the creature has any damage immunities, resistances, or vulnerabilities and what they are. If the creature is hidden from divination magic, you sense that it has no damage immunities, resistances, or vulnerabilities.

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

Slayer’s Prey

Starting at 3rd level, you can focus your ire on one foe, increasing the harm you inflict on it. As a bonus action, you designate one creature you can see within 60 feet of you as the target of this feature. The first time each turn that you hit that target with a weapon attack, it takes an extra 1d8 damage from the weapon.

This benefit lasts until you finish a short or long rest. It ends early if you designate a different creature.

Supernatural Defense

At 7th level, you gain extra resilience against your prey’s assaults on your mind and body. Whenever your favored enemy forces you to make a saving throw and whenever you make an ability check to escape your favored enemy’s grapple, add 1d8 to your roll.

Magic-User's Nemesis

At 11th level, you gain the ability to thwart someone else’s magic. When you see a creature casting a spell or teleporting within 60 feet of you, you can use your reaction to try to magically foil it. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC, or its spell or teleport fails and is wasted.

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

Slayer’s Counter

At 15th level, you gain the ability to counterattack when your prey tries to sabotage you. If the target of your Slayer’s Prey forces you to make a saving throw, you can use your reaction to make one weapon attack against the quarry. You make this attack immediately before making the saving throw. If your attack hits, your save automatically succeeds, in addition to the attack’s normal effects.

Swarmkeeper Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you learn the mage hand cantrip if you don’t already know it. When you cast it, the hand takes the form of swarming nature spirits.

You also learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Swarmkeeper Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.

Gathered Swarm

At 3rd level, a swarm of intangible nature spirits has bonded itself to you and can assist you in battle. Until you die, the swarm remains in your space, crawling on you or flying and skittering around you within your space. You determine its appearance, or you generate its appearance by rolling on the Swarm Appearance table.

Writhing Tide

At 7th level, you can condense part of your swarm into a focused mass that lifts or sweeps you along. As a bonus action, you gain a flying speed of 10 feet and can hover. This effect lasts for 1 minute or until you are incapacitated.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Mighty Swarm

At 11th level, your Gathered Swarm grows mightier in the following ways:

• The damage of Gathered Swarm increases to 2d8.
• If a creature fails its saving throw against being moved by Gathered Swarm, you can also cause the swarm to knock the creature prone.
• When you are moved by Gathered Swarm, it gives you half cover until the start of your next turn.

Swarming Dispersal

At 15th level, you can discorporate into your swarm, avoiding danger. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to give yourself resistance to that damage. Then, you vanish into your swarm and teleport into an unoccupied space that you can see within 30 feet of you, where you reappear with the swarm.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.