Alternate

Ranger Expanded

In 5e, the Ranger, while narratively interesting, mechanically falls short of its class fantasy. The Alternate Ranger strives to capture the fantasy of playing a master of wilds. Included below are additional options for the Alternate Ranger class:

Additional Fighting Styles. The Fighting Styles included with the Alternate Ranger emulate the most common forms of combat. Fighting Styles included here can be more exotic, specific, or dangerous for those who make use of them.

Additional Knacks. The extra Knacks included here may be harder to learn or require a specific master to teach.

Survivalist Feats. The Feats included here allow all player characters to share in the abilities of the Alternate Ranger.

Additional Ranger Conclaves. Finally, included here are nine additional Conclaves for Rangers to choose from.

Alternate Crossbow Expert

Updated version of the Crossbow Expert Feat
You have trained extensively with the crossbow and can use it more efficiently than most. You gain the following benefits:

• You can ignore the loading property of all crossbows.
• You can load a crossbow with a hand that is holding a
  one-handed weapon, shield, or another Tiny object.
• Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature does not impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls with crossbows.
• When you take the Attack action and make an attack with a one-handed melee weapon, you can use a bonus action on that turn to make an attack with a hand crossbow.

Alternate Dual Wielder

Updated version of the Dual Wielder Feat
You have trained extensively to effectively fight wielding two melee weapons at once. You gain the following benefits:

• You gain a +1 bonus to your Armor Class while you are wielding a separate melee weapon in each hand.
• You can engage in two-weapon fighting even if the one-handed melee weapons you are wielding are not light.
• You can draw or stow two one-handed weapons when
  you would normally be able to draw or stow only one.
• When you make an opportunity attack while engaging
  in two-weapon fighting you can make an attack against
  the creature with both melee weapons you are wielding.

Alternate Sharpshooter

Updated version of the Sharpshooter Feat
You have trained extensively with ranged weapons to become a master marksman. You gain the benefits listed below:

• Attacking a target within a ranged weapon's long range does not impose disadvantage on your attack roll.
• Your attacks with ranged weapons can ignore half-cover, and treat three-quarters cover as half-cover.
• You can use a bonus action to give yourself advantage on your next ranged weapon attack roll on your current turn.

Survivalist Training

You have been trained to survive, track, and explore in the wild, much like a Ranger. You gain the benefits listed below:

• Increase either your Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, or Wisdom score by 1, up to a maximum of 20.
• You learn one Knack of your choice from those available to the Alternate Ranger. If the Knack requires you to roll a Quarry Die, you roll a d4 unless your Quarry Die is higher. If the Knack forces a saving throw, the DC is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.

Wild Companion

Prerequisite: Wisdom of 13 or higher
You have forged a bond with an animal companion that will adventure by your side. Choose a beast of CR 1/8 or lower to be your Wild Companion. This Companion is friendly to you, and it obeys your commands to the best of its abilities.

Your Companion uses its normal stat block, but it learns
to understand one language of your choice that you speak. You and your Companion can communicate simple ideas to each other using a series of clicks, whistles, and gestures. It gains all the normal benefits of both short and long rests.

In combat, your Wild Companion acts during your turn. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but it will only take the Dodge action on its turn unless you use a bonus action to command it to take an action from its stat block or another action. If you are incapacitated, your Companion will defend itself to the best of its ability. If you die, your Companion will do everything in its power to flee and return to its home.

If your Companion dies, you can spend 8 hours tracking
      and training a new Wild Companion, but only if a suitable
                                                beast of CR 1/8 or lower can be
                                                    found in your local area within
                                                             an 8-hour period.

Dead or Alive

3rd-level Bounty Hunter Conclave feature
When you make a Strength (Athletics) check to grapple
or shove your Quarry, you add one roll of your Quarry Die
to the result. Also, being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn't impose disadvantage on your attack rolls with nets.

Ear to the Ground

3rd-level Bounty Hunter Conclave feature
Your line of work has granted you a unique familiarity with the underbelly of civilization. After you complete a long rest in a settlement, you have advantage on all ability checks to gather information on its contacts, factions, or underworld.

Martial Exploits

3rd-level Bounty Hunter Conclave feature
You have studied various martial exploits to better counter the humanoids you hunt. You gain the following features:

Exploit Dice. The Bounty Hunter Exploits table shows how many Exploit Dice you have to use Exploits. To use an Exploit, you expend an Exploit Die, and you regain all your expended Exploit Dice when you finish a short or long rest.

High Degree. Your Ranger level limits the technicality of Exploits you are able to learn an use. This limit is reflected in the High Degree column of the Bounty Hunter Exploits table.

Exploits. You learn two Martial Exploits of your choice from those available to the Alternate Fighter. You can only use one Exploit per ability check, attack, or saving throw.

When you gain a Ranger level, you can replace one Exploit you know with another Martial Exploit of your choice.

Saving Throws. If an Exploit requires a creature to make a saving throw, the saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Buccaneer Spells

3rd-level Buccaneer Conclave feature
You always have certain spells prepared at the Ranger levels in the table below. The spells count as Ranger spells for you, but they don't count against the spells you prepare each day.

Sea Legs

3rd-level Buccaneer Conclave feature
The time you have spent at sea grants you abilities that land-locked Rangers lack. You gain the benefits listed below:

• You gain the Mariner Fighting Style. If you already have this Fighting Style you gain another Fighting Style of
  your choice from those available to the Ranger class.
• You learn the Aquatic Adept Knack, but it doesn't count against your total Knacks Known. If you already know
  this Knack you learn another Knack of your choice.
• Whenever you make a Wisdom (Perception) check that relies on your sense of sight, you gain a bonus to your
     roll equal to one roll of your Quarry Die.

Windswept Hide

7th-level Buccaneer Conclave feature
Your experience has granted you increased resistance to the dangers of the sea. You gain resistance to cold, lightning, and thunder damage. Whenever you make an ability check or saving throw to resist being knocked prone or moved against your will, you add one roll of your Quarry Die to your roll.

Wrath of the Sea

11th-level Buccaneer Conclave feature
You carry the magic of the high seas whether you are on sea or land. Once per turn when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can imbue the strike with watery magic, forcing it to make a Strength saving throw against your Spell save DC. On a failed save, it takes cold damage equal to a roll of your Quarry Die and is knocked back 10 feet in a straight line.

Watery Resilience

15th-level Buccaneer Conclave feature
When a creature you can see hits you with an attack, you can use a reaction to temporarily take on a watery form, halving the damage you would take from the triggering attack.

As part of this reaction, you can also move up to 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.

Warden's Rite

3rd-level Grim Warden Conclave feature
You have passed through the Warden's Rite, an unholy
alchemical ritual that suffuses your blood with the
sinister power of monsters. You change in the
ways listed below, which cannot be reversed:

• You gain proficiency with alchemist's
  supplies and in Religion. Whenever
  you make a check with either of
  these, you add one roll of your
  Quarry Die to your result.
• You count as a humanoid and
  monstrosity for magical purposes.
• Your hit point maximum increases by
  3, and increases by 1 again each time
  you gain a level in this class.

Grim Warden Spells

3rd-level Grim Warden Conclave feature
You always have certain spells prepared at Ranger
levels indicated below. They count as Ranger spells
for you, but don't count against the spells you prepare.

Crimson Mark

3rd-level Grim Warden Conclave feature
You can use your sinister blood magic to empower the mark on your foes. Whenever you mark a creature as your Quarry, you can make a blood sacrifice instead of expending a use of Ranger's Quarry. When you do, you reduce your current and maximum hit points by one roll of your Quarry Die.

Any reductions to your maximum hit points by this feature
are undone at the end of your next long rest.

For the duration, you can choose for the bonus damage of Ranger's Quarry to be necrotic. Necrotic damage dealt in this way ignores resistance and treats immunity as resistance.

Finally, when you deal necrotic damage to your Quarry in this way, it cannot regain hit points for the next minute.

Dark Augmentation

7th-level Grim Warden Conclave feature
The sinister magic in enhances your physical capabilities. Your walking speed increases by 10 feet. Also, whenever you make a Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution ability check, you gain a bonus to your roll equal to one roll of your Quarry Die.

Nomad Conclave

Whether by birth, happenstance, or a ritual, the mind of every Nomad has been connected to the mystical web of knowledge known as the Noosphere. This psionic link allows Nomads to access knowledge from far-off places and distant lives. These strange wanderers spend their lives collecting hidden lore to add to this web of information that connects every Nomad.

Drawing on this network, these Rangers can use psionic abilities to slip through cracks in reality, assault the minds
of their foes, and draw on the knowledge of other Nomads.

Limited Wild Shape

3rd-level Shifter Conclave feature
You can draw on primal nature magic to take the shape
of beasts, much like a Druid does. You gain the ability to
Wild Shape. As a bonus action on your turn, you can use
this ability to assume the form of any beast that you have physically touched while it was living.

Your Ranger level determines the maximum CR of
the beasts that you can transform into, as
shown in the table below. You must obey
all the other rules for Wild Shape as they
are detailed in Druid's Wild Shape feature
in the Player's Handbook. See the table below:

Constellation Magic

3rd-level Stargazer Conclave feature
You draw your power from the constellations of the night sky. Each time you finish a long rest, you attune yourself to one of the Constellations below. While attuned, you always have the corresponding Constellation spells, one cantrip and 1st-level spell, prepared. They become Ranger spells for you, but they don't count against the total number of spells you prepare. They also count as your Conclave Spells for 3rd level.

You can cast your 1st-level Constellation spell once without expending a spell slot, at the level of your highest level slot as shown on the Ranger table for your level, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a short or long rest.

Trapper Conclave

While all Rangers have some skill with snares and traps, few are true masters of the craft. These Trappers are meticulous planners with mechanical minds who use their skills to plan ambushes and set snares for their foes. They have a talent for anticipating their foe's next move and laying the perfect trap.

Wastelander

While all Rangers have the skills to survive in the wilds, those known as Wastelanders are true masters of survival. Rugged wanderers, they have adapted to survive in the harshest lands imaginable; arid deserts, frozen tundra, great alpine heights, and magical wastelands. These survivalists combine a talent for illusion magic and protective gear to survive anywhere.

Wrangler Spells

3rd-level Wrangler Conclave feature
You always have certain spells prepared at the Ranger levels in the table below. The spells count as Ranger spells for you, but they don't count against the spells you prepare each day.

Beast Tamer

3rd-level Wrangler Conclave feature
Your intimate understanding of animal behaviors and habits grants you certain benefits. You gain proficiency in Athletics or Animal Handling. You also gain the following features:

• You can mark beasts and monstrosities as your Quarry without expending a use of Ranger's Quarry.
• Whenever you make a Strength (Athletics) check to grapple, climb, wrestle, or subdue your Quarry, you
  can add one roll of your Quarry Die to your roll.
• Any enchantment spell you have prepared that
  could normally only target humanoids can also
  be used to target beasts and monstrosities.

Bring to Heel

7th-level Wrangler Conclave feature
You can bend creatures of the wild to your will. Whenever a beast or monstrosity that is charmed by you makes a saving throw to end the charmed condition, you can use a reaction to shout at that creature and subtract a roll of your Quarry Die from the result of its saving throw.

You can also command the monsters you tame. Any beast or monstrosity charmed by you acts during your turn for the duration of that charm effect. If you are within 30 feet of the charmed creature and it can hear you, you can use an action to command it to take one of the actions from its stat block.

Monster Tamer

11th-level Wrangler Conclave feature
Your ability to tame and train creatures is near-supernatural in scope. Any Wrangler feature that normally affects beasts and monstrosities also affects celestials, dragons, fey, fiends, giants, plants, and oozes that have an Intelligence score less than or equal to your Ranger level.

Also, you can command any creature that is charmed by you to take an action from its stat block with a bonus action, so long as that creature is within 30 feet and can hear you.

Wrangler of Legends

15th-level Wrangler Conclave feature
Once you charm a creature, there is little it can do to escape. When you cast an enchantment spell on a beast, monstrosity, or one of the creature types listed for Monster Tamer, your concentration cannot be broken unless you wish it to be.

Moreover, creatures that are charmed by you gain all of the
    benefits of Ranger's Quarry (including any of your Knacks
     that enhance it), and whenever one of these creatures is
       forced to make a saving throw, you can use your reaction
        to shout and add one roll of your Quarry Die to the result
        of its roll, so long as it is within 30 feet and can hear you.