HELLO

I made this "alternate" version of the Ranger for the few of us, who rather enjoy the Player's Handbook version, but find it could use a few tweaks here or there (Hence the Name). It's essentially the PHB Ranger but with improvements, buffs, or reworks to every ranger class feature.

All these rules and abilities are optional, so if there is a feature or ability you like, but want to mostly keep to the PHB ask your DM if you can exchange the feat/abilites that you like and keep the rest as is. The balance may be off so feel free to tweak or customize this for however best works for you and your DM.

The following are some of the changes and abilities added to the Ranger:

• Almost all the ranger's base class abilites are either buffed or reworked.
• The Ranger is now a Preparation Caster.
• The Ranger can used smites that are sligtly less powerful than the paladin but can be ranged.
• Two optional abilities are added to the class, that you can use as is or replace a base class feature with.
• Additionally there are some extra optional rules or abilites at the end of the document, for further customization.

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

Favored Foe

Beginning at 1st level, you have significant experience studying, tracking, hunting, and even talking to a certain type of enemy.

Choose a type of favored enemy: aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or undead. Alternatively, you can select two races of humanoid (such as gnolls and orcs) as favored enemies.

You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track your favored enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them.

When you gain this feature, you also learn one language of your choice that is spoken by your favored enemies, if they speak one at all.

Additionally 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 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.

Wild Explorer

You are particularly familiar with one type of natural environment and are adept at traveling and surviving in such regions.

Choose one type of favored terrain: arctic, coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, swamp, or the Underdark. When you make an Intelligence or Wisdom check related to your favored terrain, your proficiency bonus is doubled if you are using a skill that you’re proficient in.

Additionally you gain a passive benefit based on your chosen terrain:

• Artic: You gain resistance to Cold damage.
• Coast: You gain a swim speed equal to your walking speed and can hold your breath for an hour.
• Desert: You have resistance to Fire Damage.
• Forest: You gain expertise in 3 ranger skills you are proficient in.
• Grassland: Your base walking speed increases by five feet and you gain the ability to use the dodge action as a bonus action. Once you use this ability, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
• Mountain: You gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed and once a day you can cast Feather Fall on yourself only without expending a spell slot. Once you cast it, you must finish a long rest before you can cast it again using this ability.
• Swamp: You gain resistance to Posion damage and have advantage on saving throws against poison and disease.
• Underdark: You gain a burrowing speed equal to your walking speed and once a day you can cast Darkvision without expending a spell slot. Once you cast it, you must finish a long rest before you can cast it again using this ability.

While traveling for an hour or more in your favored terrain, you gain the following benefits:

• Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group’s travel.
• Your group can’t become lost except by magical means.
• 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.
• While tracking other creatures, you also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area.

You choose additional favored terrain types at 6th and 10th level.

Spellcasting

By the time you reach 2nd level, you have learned to use the magical essence of nature to cast spells, much as a druid does. See Spells Rules for the general rules of spellcasting and the Spells Listing for the ranger spell list.

Ranger Archetype

At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you strive to emulate: the Hunter that is detailed at the end of the class description or one from another source. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th, and 15th level.

Primeval Awareness

Beginning at 3rd level, you can use your bonus action to focus your awareness on the region around you. For 10 minutes, you can sense whether the following types of creatures are present within 1 mile of you (or within up to 6 miles if you are in your favored terrain): aberrations, celestials, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead or if it’s a creature of your favored enemy type. You know the general number of the creature types when you use this ability.

If the creature is a favored enemy, you know their general threat level (what their CR or level they are) and the general direction they are, relative to you.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.

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.

Using the optional feats rule, you can forgo taking this feature to take a feat of your choice instead.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Tweaked Beast Master

The Beast Master archetype embodies a friendship between the civilized races and the beasts of the wild. United in focus, beast and ranger fight the monsters that threaten civilization and the wilderness alike.

Beast Master Spells

When you reach certain levels in this class, you gain access to the spells listed for that level in the Beast Master Spells table. Once you gain access to one of these spells, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a spell that doesn’t appear on the ranger spell list, the spell is nonetheless a ranger spell for you.

Ranger's Companion

At 3rd level, you gain a beast companion that accompanies you on your adventures and is trained to fight alongside you. Choose a beast that is no larger than Medium and that has a challenge rating of 1/2 or lower, at level 7 the beast can be of CR level 1 or lower, at level 11 the beast can be of CR level 2 or lower, and at level 15 your creature can be of beast that is no larger than Large and has a CR of 3 or lower.

Add your proficiency bonus to the beast’s AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in. Its hit point maximum equals the hit point number in its stat block plus your ranger level or fives times your ranger level, whichever is higher. Like any creature, it can spend Hit Dice during a short rest to regain hit points.

The beast obeys your commands as best as it can. It takes its turn on your initiative. On your turn, you can verbally command the beast where to move (no action required by you). You can use your bonus action to verbally command it to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action. If you don't issue a command, the beast takes the Dodge action. Once you have the Extra Attack feature, your beast can make one of the attacks when you take the Attack action provided it's within range of the target you are attacking.

If you are incapacitated or absent, the beast acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself. The beast never requires your command to use its reaction, such as when making an opportunity attack. While traveling through your favored terrain with only the beast, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.

Wild Bond

Starting at 3rd level as a bonus action, you can expend one spell slot to regain 1 d10 hit points per level of the spell slot expended for your beast if it’s within 30 feet of you. At 20th level, the range extends to 60 feet. Additionally, any spell to revive your beast requires no material components.

If the beast dies, you expel it from your service, or is seperated from you, you can obtain a new companion by spending 1 hour magically bonding with a beast that isn’t hostile to you and that meets the requirements. If the beast is a favored foe or in your favored terrain it only takes 10 minutes to bond to it.

Beastial Fury

Starting at 7th level, when you command your beast companion to take the Attack action, the beast can make two attacks, or it can take the Multiattack action if it has that action.

In addition, the beast's attacks now count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Share Spells

Beginning at 11th level, when you cast a spell targeting yourself, you can also affect your beast companion with the spell if the beast is within 30 feet of you.​ At 20th level the range extends to 60 feet.

Savage Protection

Beginning at 15th level, any spell that would fail if cast on a creature with an intelligence higher than 4, suceed on your beast companion regardless of it's intelligence score and in comabt you can add your wisdom modifier to one attack or damage roll made by your beast on it's turn.

When an enemy attempts to attack you or an ally you can see, you can use your reaction to command your beast to attack the enemy if your beast companion is within attacking range. If the beast’s attack is successful the enemy misses that attack roll.

Hunter Features

Hunter Spells

Favored Enemy Options

In exchange for your Favored Enemy (or Favored Foes) Features you can gain access to certain abilities and magic spells from your time studying or hunting your quarry.

Favored Terrain Spells

Your mystical connection to the land infuses you with the ability to cast certain spells. At 1st level you learn a cantrip and passive benefit associated with your favored terrain. When you reach 2nd, 5th, 9th, 13th and 17th level you gain access to terrain spells connected to your favored terrain. Choose that land — arctic, coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, swamp, or Underdark — and consult the associated list of spells.

Once you gain access to a circle spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a spell that doesn’t appear on the ranger spell list, the spell is nonetheless a ranger spell for you.

(Alternatively if you or your DM believe having three seperate always prepared spell tables is too much for one character , you can instead choose to only allow one prepared spell table where you can exchange the spells only with other spells from your ranger or chosen terrain spells lists.)

Alpha of the Pack

Prerequisite: A Wisdom or Charisma Score of 15

As a bonus action, you grant temporary hit points equal to your wisdom modifier, advantage on 1 melee attack per turn and have their weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20, to all friendly creatures within 30 feet of you for one turn. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your wisdom modifier and regain all expended uses on a long rest.

Bond of the Beast

You can cast Animal Friendship, Animal Messenger, Beast Bond, Locate Animal or Plants or Speak with Animals at will without expending a spell slot and when you target a beast type creature with a spell or ability to charm it, it has disadvantage on its saving throw.

Druidic Essence

Prerequisite: 13th level, A Wisdom Score of 15

You learn one cantrip, one 1st level spell, one 2nd level spell, and one 3rd level spell from the druid spell list. These spells are considered ranger spells for you and you always have these spells prepared, but they don’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you later replace any of these spells, you must replace them with a spell of the same level from the druid or ranger spell list.

You also learn how to cast the polymorph spell on yourself without concentration as a bonus action and without expending a spell slot. You can use this feature once and can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

Eye's of the Night

You can cast the darkvision spell on yourself at will, without expending a spell slot. If you already have darkvision, you can see through magical darkness as if it were normal darkness when you cast the spell and have advantage against blinding effects for the duration of the spell.

Fast Learner

Prerequisite: An Intelligence or Wisdom Score of 15

You learn two languages of your choice, gain profieciency in three skills or artisans tools of your choice and expertise in 1 skill or tool you are proficient in.

Fey Essence

Prerequisite: 13th level, A Charisma or Wisdom Score of 15

You learn the misty step and conjure woodland beings spells and can cast one of the spells, once without expending a spell slot. You regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. These spells are considered ranger spells for you and you always have these spells prepared, but they don’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.

Additionally you have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or freightened and magic can't put you to sleep.

Flesh of the Earth

Prerequisite: A Constitution Score of 13

While you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity or Consitution modifier + your Wisdom modifier.

Additonally, you can cast the Shield spell once without expending a spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

Inner Grove of Peace

You gain the ability to channel natural energy to heal wounds. You have a pool of d6s that you spend to fuel this healing. The number of dice in the pool equal half your ranger level.

As a bonus action, you can heal one creature you touch, spending dice from the pool. The maximum number of dice you can spend at once equals your Wisdom modifier (minimum of one die). Roll the dice you spend, add them together, and restore a number of hit points equal to the total.

When a creature is healed with this ability, it can also end one spell or disease effect they are under.

Your pool regains all expended dice when you finish a long rest.

One with the Green

You can cast Entangle, Goodberry, Barkskin, Locate Animals or Plants, or Speak with Plants at will without expending a spell slot and when a plant type creature targets you with an attack or saving throw it must make a wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC, and choose a different target on a failure.

Apex Soul

Your connection to your beast companion is unparalleled. If you were previously unable to do so, you can command your beast companion to attack as a bonus action and your beast also gains two of the following benefits:

• Mystic Connection- You can cast Beast Bond, Beast Sense, locate animals and plants, and speak with animals at will on your beast and as a bonus action can sense the general location of it, as long as you are on the same plane of existence.

• Spirit Animal- You can add your wisdom modifier to any of it’s saving throws if you are within 60 feet of it and any spells to resurrect it require no material components.

• Well Trained- When combat starts, your beast gains temporary hit points equal to your ranger level if it is within 60 feet of you and you can add your wisdom modifier to one of it’s attack or damage rolls once per turn.

• Savage Deflection- If an enemy attempts to attack you, you can use your reaction to command your beast to attack that enemy if the enemy is within its melee range; if your beast's attack is successful the enemy's attack misses.

• Animal Endurance- If your beast is reduced to 0 hit points, it can use it's reaction to bring itself back to 1 hit point. It can use this ability once and regains the use of it on a long rest or when you expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher; if you expend the spell slot your beast also regains an amount of hit points equal to 10 times the spell slot level when it next uses the ability.

You can exchange any of the benefits, at the end of a long rest.

Shadow Soul

You can use your Dread Ambusher ability once on each of your turns in comabt, provided you attack and damage at least 1 creature on the previous turn.

You also choose one of the following abilities to gain:

• Shadow Leap When you are in dim light or darkness, as a free action you can teleport up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness. You then have advantage on the first weapon attack you make before the end of the turn. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

• Shadow Strike As a reaction, when you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with a spell or weapon attack you can regain hitpoints equal to your wisdom modifer plus 10 and deal an additional 2d6 necrotic damage and 1d6 psychic damaage on your next weapon attack. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

• Shadow Void As a bonus action, you manifest a 30 foot sphere of magical darkness centered on yourself that you can see through, for 1 minute. Any creatures, that start their turn inside the sphere must make a wisdom saving through. On a failure, they take 2d6 necrotic damage and 2d6 psychic damage, have their speed reduced by half and are frightened. On a successful save they take half as much damage and suffer none of the other effects. If they are a favored enemy they have disadvantage on their saving throw. You and any other creatures you choose that you can see, are unaffected by the Sphere. As a bonus action, you can dispel the sphere or move it 30 feet in any direction.
  Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

You can exchange any of the abilites, at the end of a long rest.

Extra-Planar Soul

Your expert knowledge of the different planes of existence and the effect their various energies have left on your body mark you permanently. When you use your distant strike feature your teleportation range is increased to 30 feet.

You also gain two of the following benefits:

• Astral Defense- When you use your spectral defense, the attacker receives force damage equal to your wisdom modifier if they are within 60 feet of you.

• Astral Step- When you use your ethereal step ability, you can choose to instead cast the Astral Projection Spell. When you do so the spell is cast as a bonus action, you don’t expend a spell slot or require material components and the spell ends at the end of your current turn. While in the Astral Plane, in addition to the planar portals located there you can see and travel through any teleportation portals whose sigil sequence you know or have traveled through in the past year. Alternatively you can manifest a portal within 120 feet of the location you originally used this ability.

• Astral Warrior- When you use your planar warrior ability the extra damage is increased to 3d8.

• Portal Expert- When you use your detect portal feature you know the location of all portals on the planet you are currently on, the locations they lead to and the next time you teleport you regain the use of your detect portal ability.

• Teleportation Scholar- You can add any 1st through 5th level teleportation spells to your ranger spells list and can cast the Teleport spell once without expending a spell slot. Once you do so you can't cast it again until you finish a long rest.

You can exchange any of the benefits, at the end of a long rest.

Ultimate Hunting Strategy

At 20th level, you can choose two previously unchosen features from the Hunter's Conclave and gain one of the following features of your choice:

• Primal Fury- As a bonus action, you gain resistance to non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 and you can add your wisdom modifier to all attacks or damage rolls until the end of your next turn. You can use this ability twice, and regain all expeneded uses when you finish a short or long rest.

• Spirit of the Fighter- On your turn, you regain hit points equal to your wisdom modifer, gain ten temporary hit points and can take one additional action. You can use this ability twice, and regain all expeneded uses when you finish a short or long rest.

• Weakness Exploitation- If your attack misses a target within range, you can turn the miss into a hit. Alternatively, if your attack hits, you can have that attack count as a critical hit. You can use this ability twice, and regain all expeneded uses when you finish a short or long rest.

Knowledge of the Slayer:

Your deep understanding of the monstrous foes you face grants you various boons. When you use a weapon attack on a creature, you can use your hunter’s sense on it as a free action provided you are within 60 feet of it and your weapon attack hits. If it is a favored enemy, you also learn it's movement speeds, one of it's attacks or abilites, and one of it's saving throws.

You also gain two of the following benefits:

• Slayer’s Victim- All unarmed and weapon attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage when you mark a creature with your Slayer's Prey ability. You can also add an additional 1d6 to the weapon damage of slayer’s prey and saving throws of your supernatural defense. If the creature marked by slayer’s prey is a favored enemy, the extra weapon damage from slayer’s prey and extra die to saving throws from supernatural defense is now 3d6.

• Slayer's Restitution- When you use Slayer’s Counter the target has it’s speed reduced to zero and must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the start of your next turn, if hit with your weapon attack. If you miss using Slayer’s Counter the target still takes half of the weapon damage from the attack as if it had hit.

• Slayer’s Replenishment- If you kill, banish, or reduce the target of your slayer’s Prey to 0 hit points, you can use your slayer’s prey ability again on a different creature in the next 8 hours.

• Magic-User’s Demise If the target succeeds on it's saving throw against Magic-User’s Nemesis you can expend a 1st level or higher spell slot to immediately force another saving throw. If the expended spell slot is above 1st level your spell save DC increases by an amount equal to the expended spell slot. You and the target both take force damage equal to the spell slot level expended x2 immediately after the target fails the second saving throw.

You can exchange any of the benefits, at the end of a long rest.

Fey Wanderer

Choose one of the following benefits:

Blessing of the ArchFey:- You are immune to being charmed or frightened of other creatures, you have resistance to spell/magic damage and magic can not put you to sleep.

Damnation of the Trickster- When you use beguiling twist you can target a number of creatures equal to your wisdom modifier that you can see and you can inflict the following effects on them:

• The creatures are charmed or frightened by you (your choice) for 24 hours. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a successful save.

• The creatures takes 6d10 psychic damage.

Fury of the FeyWilds- As an action, you can force a creature that you can see to make a wisdom saving throw. On a failure choose one of the effects, to inflict on the creature:

• The creature is confused or insane for 24 hours. The creature can repeat the saving throw once every hour, ending the effect on itself on a successful save.

• Roll a d4 and the creature is True Polymorphed. A roll of 1 turns the creature into a different random creature, a roll of 2 turns it into a random object, a roll of 3 lets you decide if it turns into a random object or random creature, and a roll of 4 lets you decide if it transforms into a object or creature of your choice.

• The creature is randomly teleported to another plane of existence for 24 hours.

• The creature is under the effect of the Modify Memory spell at 9th level. It loses all memory of it's past life except for a ten minute period of your choosing, which you may modify in any way you like.

You can inflict the same effect on all creatures or choose seperate effects per creature.

Swarmkeeper

You can choose two of the following benefits:

Armor of the Swarm- When you have your Gathered Swarm ability active you gain a bonus to your AC equal to your Wisdom Modifier and reduce all damage taken by amount by 10.

Fury of the Horde- As a bonus action, when you use your attack action while your "Gathered Swarm" ability is active, you can choose a number of other targets within 60 feet of you to receive the same amount of force damage.

Hive Mind Familiar- When you use your scuttling eyes you can use your swarm to cast the Find Familiar spell without expending a spell slot. It uses the chosen forms stats unless any of the Scuttling eyes stats are higher. Additionally if the familiar takes damage it can use it's reaction to either explode forcing everyone in a 15 foot radius of it to make a dexterity save or take 5d6 force damage on a failure or half as much on a success or alternatively it casts the Conjures Animals spell in the space it originally occupied with the conjured animals being all of size small or smaller beasts that are hostile to the creatures who originally attacked the familiar.

Once you use this ability, you can not so again until you finsih a short or long rest.

Form of the Masses- You can cast either Arcane Hand, Blur, or Mirror Image spell once without expending a spell slot. When you cast any of the spells in this way, the forms take that of swarming nature spirits.

Once you use this ability you can not do so again, until you finish a short or long rest.