Ranger - general overview
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Favored Foe Dice | Spells Known | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Deft Explorer, Favored Foe | d4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | Fighting Style, Spellcasting | d4 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +2 | Ranger Archetype, Primal Awareness | d4 | 3 | 3 | ─ | — | — | — |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | d4 | 3 | 3 | ─ | — | — | — |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack | d4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 6th | +3 | Guerrilla Training | d6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 7th | +3 | Ranger Archetype feature | d6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement, Pathfinder | d6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 9th | +4 | ─ | d6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 10th | +4 | Nature's Veil, Foe Slayer | d6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 11th | +4 | Ranger Archetype feature | d6 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | d6 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 13th | +5 | ─ | d6 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 14th | +5 | Tireless | d8 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 15th | +5 | Ranger Archetype feature | d8 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | d8 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 17th | +6 | ─ | d8 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 18th | +6 | Feral Senses | d8 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | d8 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20th | +6 | Master Ranger | d8 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
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, Shields, Medium armor
- Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
- Tools: none
- Saving Throws: Strength & Dexterity
- Skills: Choose three from Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival
- Multiclass requirement: Dexterity 13 and Wisdom 13
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
Alternatively, you can ignore the equipment from your class and background, and start with 5d4 x 10 gp.
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 will be using weapons with finesse property to bypass the need for investing in Strength.)
Afterwards chose either the folk hero or outlander background.
Deft Explorer
Choose one of your skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the chosen skill.
You can also speak, read, and write two additional languages of your choice.
Favored Foe
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 for 1 minute or until you lose your concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell).
The first time on each of your turns that you hit the favored enemy and deal damage to it, including when you mark it, you can increase that damage by 1d4.
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 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.
Fighting Styles
At 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
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Archery: You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
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Defense: While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
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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.
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Two-Weapon Fighting: When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
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Druidic Warrior: You learn two cantrips of your choice from the druid spell list. They count as ranger cantrips for you, and Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for them. Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of these cantrips with another cantrip from the druid spell list.
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Thrown Weapon Fighting: You can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon. In addition, when you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.
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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 the creature successfully hides from you.
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.
Spell Slots
The Ranger table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your 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 two 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.
Author's Note: For optimal enjoyment, please consider Thunderous Smite and See Invisibility as Ranger spells.
Spellcasting Ability
Wisdom is your Spellcasting ability for your ranger Spells, since your magic draws on your Attunement and Devotion 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.
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Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
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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 know that spell.
Ranger Archetype
At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you strive to emulate. Your choice grants features at 3rd level, and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.
Primal Awareness
You can focus your awareness through the interconnections of nature: you may learn one spell of your choice from the Primal Awareness Table when you reach certain levels in this class if you don’t already know them. These spells don’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.
| Ranger Level | Spell |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Speak with Animals |
| 5th | Locate animals or plants |
| 9th | Speak with plants |
| 13th | Locate Creature |
| 17th | Commune with Nature |
You can cast each of these spells once without expending a spell slot. Once you cast a spell in this way, you can’t do so again until 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.
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.
Guerrilla Training
Upon reaching the 6th level, you can use your bonus action to take the hide or disengage action.
Additionally, your movement speed increases by 5 feet and when you reach 10th level you can't be tracked by nonmagical means, unless you choose to leave a trail.
Land’s Stride
Starting at 8th 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 those created by the entangle spell.
Nature’s Veil
Upon reaching the 10th level you can now 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.
Additionally, when you aquire this feature you can no longer be tracked by nonmagical means, unless you choose to leave a trail.
Foe Slayer
At 10th level, you become an unparalleled hunter of your enemies. Once on each of your turns, you can add your Wisdom modifier to both the attack roll and the damage roll of an attack you make against one of your enemies. You can choose to use this feature before or after the roll, but before any effects of the roll are applied.
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.
Tireless
Upon reaching the 14th level you can give yourself a number of temporary hit points equal to 1d10 + your Wisdom modifier. You can use this special action a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once), 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.
Feral Senses
At 18th level, you gain preternatural senses that help you fight creatures you can't see. When you attack a creature you can't see, your inability to see it doesn't impose disadvantage on your attack rolls against it.
You are also aware of the location of any invisible creature within 30 feet of you, provided that the creature isn't hidden from you and you aren't blinded or deafened.
Master Ranger
At 20th level, you gain unlimited uses of both Favored Foe and Foe Slayer.
Additionally, you can now use your bonus action to mark a number of creatures equal to your proficiency modifier as your Favored Foe.