Ranger

Rough and wild looking,
a human stalks alone
thraugh the shadows of
trees, hunting the orcs he
knows are planning a raid
on a nearby farm, Clutching
a shortsword in each hand,
he becomes a whirlwind of
steel, cutting down one enemy
after another.
After tumbling away from a cone of
freezing air, an elf finds her feet and draws
back her bow to loose an arrow aI the white
dragon. Shrugging off the wave of fear that emanates
from the dragon like the cold of its breath, she sends
one arrow after another to find the gaps between the
dragon’s thick scales.
Holding his hand high, a half-elf whistles to the hawk
that circles high above him, calling the bird back to his
side. Whispering instructions in Elvish, he points to
the owlbear he’s been tracking and sends the hawk to
distract the creature while he readies his bow.
Far fram the bustle of cities and towns, past the
hedges lhat shelter the most distant farms fram the
terrors of the wild, amid lhe dense-packed trees of
trackJess forests and across wide and empty plains,
rangers keep their unending watch.
DEADLY HUNTERS
Warriors of the wilderness, rangers specialize in
hunting the monsters that threaten the edges of
civilization-humanoid raiders, rampaging beasts and
monstrasities, terrible giants, and deadly dragons. They
learn to track their quarry as a predator does, moving
stealthily thraugh the wilds and hiding lhemselves in
brush and rubble. Rangers focus their combat training
on techniques that are particularly useful against their
specific favored foes.
Thanks to their familiarity with the wilds, rangers
acquire the ability to cast spells that harness nature’s
power, much as a druid does. Their spells, like their
combat abilities, emphasize speed, stealth, and the hunt.
A ranger’s talents and abilities are honed with deadly
focus on the grim task of protecting lhe borderlands.
INDEPENDENT ADVENTURERS
Though a ranger might make a living as a hunter, a
guide, or a tracker, a ranger’s true calling is to defend
the outskirts of civilization fram lhe ravages of monsters
and humanoid hordes lhat press in from the wild. In
some places, rangers gather in secretive orders or join
forces with druidic circles. Many rangers, though, are
independent almost to a fault, knowing that, when a
dragon or a band of orcs attacks, a ranger might be lhe
first-and possibly the last-line of defense.
This fierce independence makes rangers well suited
to adventuring, since they are accustomed to life far
fram the comforts of a dry bed and a hot bath. Faced
with city-bred adventurers who grouse and whine about
the hardships of the wild, rangers respond with some

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p” Rl I I’ SE
89

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 lhe relief from solitude
that they offer?

CLASS FEATURES
QUICK BUILD
Vou 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.

Proficiency Spells -Spell Slots per Spell Level-
Levei Bonus Features Known 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

1st +2 Favored Enemy, Natural Explorer
2nd +2 Fighting Style, Spellcasting 2 2
3rd +2 Ranger Archetype, Primeval Awareness 3 3
4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 3 3
5th +3 Extra Attack 4 4 2
6th +3 Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer improvements 4 4 2
7th +3 Ranger Archetype feature 5 4 3
8th +3 Ability Score Improvement, Land’s Stride 5 4 3
9th +4 6 4 3 2
10th +4 Natural Explorer improvement, Hide in plain Sight 6 4 3 2
11th +4 Ranger Archetype feature 7 4 3 3
12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 7 4 3 3
13th +5 8 4 3 3 1
14th +5 Favored Enemy improvement, Vanish 8 4 3 3 1
15th +5 Ranger Archetype feature 9 4 3 3 2
16th Ability Score Improvement 9 4 3 3 2
17th 10 4 3 3 3 1
18th Feral Senses 10 4 3 3 3 1
19th Ability Score Improvement 11 4 3 3 3 2
20th Foe Slayer 11 4 3 3 3 2

mixture of amusement, frustration, and compassion.
But they quickly learn that other adventurers who can
carry their own weight in a fight against civilization’s
foes are worth any extra burden. Coddled city folk might
not know how to feed themselves or find fresh water in
the wild, but they make up for it in other ways.
CREATING A RANGER As a ranger, you gain the following class features.
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 lhe 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. Vou
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
toa much of lhe destruction these monsters cause and
commit yourself to reining in their depredations? [s
your adventuring career a continuation of your work
in protecting the borderlands, or a significant change?

HIT POINTS
Hit Dice: 1dlO per ranger levei
Hit Points at 1st LeveI: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher LeveIs: ldl0 (or 6) + your
Constitution modifier per ranger levei 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, Insight, [nvestigation, Nature, Perception,
Stealth, and Survival
EQUIPMENT
Vou start with the following equipment, in addition to
the equipment granted by your background:

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PART 1 I CLASSES

(a) scalemail or (b) leather armor
(a) two shortswords or (b) two sim pie melee weapons
(a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
A longbow and a quiver of 20 arrows
FAVORED ENEMY
Beginning at 1st levei, you have significant experience
studying, tracking, hunting, and even talking to a certain
type of enemy.
Choose a type of favored enemy: aberrations,
beasts, celestiais, 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.
Vou 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 alI.
Vou choose one additional favored enemy, as well as
an associated language, at 6th and 14th leveI. As you
gain leveis, your choices should reflect the types of
monsters you have encountered on your adventures.
NATURAL EXPLORER
Vou 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.
While traveling for an hour or more in your favored
terrain, you gain the following benefits:
Difticult terrain doesn’t slow your group’s traveI.
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.
Vou choose additional favored terra in types aI 6th
and 10th leveI.
FIGHTING STYLE
At 2nd levei, you adopt a particular style of fighting as
your specialty. Choose one of the following options.
Vou can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once,
even if you later get to choose again.

ARCHERY
Vou gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with
ranged weapons.
DEFENSE
While you are wearing armor, you gain a +I 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.
SPELLCASTING
By the time you reach 2nd levei, you have learned to
use the magical essence of nature to cast spells, much
as a druid does. See chapter 10 for the general rules of
spellcasting and chapter 11 for the ranger spell Iist.
SPELL SLOTS
The Ranger table shows how many spell slots you have
to cast your spells of 1st leveI and higher. To cast one of
these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s leveI
or higher. Vou regain ali expended spell slots when you
finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-levei spell animal
friendship and have a 1st-levei and a 2nd-leveI spell slot
available, you can cast animal friendship using either slot.
SPELLS KNOWN OF 1ST LEVE L AND HIGHER
Vou know two 1st-levei spells ofyour choice from the
ranger spelllist.
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 levei for which you have

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spell slots. For instance, when you reach 5th levei in this
c1ass, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd leveI.
Additionally, when you gain a levei in this c1ass,
you can choose one of the ranger spells you know
and replace it with another spell from the ranger
spelllist, which also must be of a leveI for which you
have spell slots.
SPELLCASTING ABILITY
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your ranger
spells, since your magic draws on your attunement to
nature. Vou use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers
to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your
Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw De for
a ranger spell you cast and when making an attack roll
with one.
Spell save De ~ 8 + your proficiency bonus +
your Wisdom modifier
Spell altack modifier ~ your proficiency bonus +
your Wisdom modifier
RANGER ARCHETYPE
At 3rd leveI, you choose an archetype that you strive
to emulate: Hunter or Beast Master, both detailed at
the end of the c1ass description. Your choice grants
you features at 3rd levei and again at 7th, 11th,
and 15th leveI.
PRIMEVAL AWARENESS
Beginning at 3rd levei, you can use your action and
expend one ranger spell slot to focus your awareness on
the region around you. For 1 minute per leveI of the spell
slot you expend, 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 terra in):
aberrations, celestiais, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends,
and undead. This feature doesn’t reveal the creatures’
location or number.

ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT
When you reach 4th levei, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th,
and 19th levei, 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 leveI, you can attack twice, instead of
once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turno
LAND’S STRIDE
Starting at 8th leveI, moving through nonmagical
difficult terra in costs you no extra movement. Vou 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.
HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT
Starting at 10th leveI, you can spend 1 minute creating
camouflage for yourself. Vou must have access to fresh
mud, dirt. plants. soot. and other naturally occurring
materiaIs with which to create your camouflage.
Once you are camouflaged in this way, you can try
to hide by pressing yourself up against a solid surface,
such as a tree or wall, that is at least as tall and wide
as you are. Vou gain a +10 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth)
checks as long as you remain there without moving or
taking actions. Once you move or take an action or a
reaction, you must camouflage yourself again to gain
this benefit.
VANISH
Starting at 14th levei, you can use the Hide action as a
bonus action on your turno AIso, you can’t be tracked by
nonmagical means, unless you choose to leave a trail.
FERAL SENSES
At 18th levei, 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 il.
Vou 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.
FOE SLAYER
At 20th levei, you become an unparalleled hunter of your
enemies. 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.
Vou can choose to use this feature before or after the
roll, but before any effects of the roll are applied.

RANGER ARCHETYPES
The ideal of the ranger has two classic expressions: the
Hunter and the Beast Master.
HUNTER
Emulating the Hunter archetype means accepting your
place as a bulwark between civilization and the terrors
of the wilderness. As you walk the Hunter’s path, you
learn specialized techniques for fighting the threats
you face, from rampaging ogres and hordes of ores to
towering giants and terrifying dragons.
HUNTER’S PREY
At 3rd levei, you gain one of the following features
of your choice.
C%ssus S/ayer. Your tenacity can wear down
the most potent foes. When you hit a creature with a
weapon attack, the creature takes an extra ld8 damage
if it’s below its hit point maximum. Vou can deal this
extra damage only once per turno
Giant Ki//er. 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 leveI, you gain one of the foIlowing features
of your choice.
Escape the Horde. Opportunity attacks against you
are made with disadvantage.
Mu/tiattack Defense. When a creature hits you
with an attack, you gain a +4 bonus to AC against
ali subsequent attacks made by that creature for the
rest of the turno
Stee/ Wi//. Vou have advantage on saving throws
against being frightened.
MULTIATTACK
At 11th levei, you gain one of the following features
of your choice.
Vo//ey. Vou 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. Vou
must have ammunition for each target, as normal, and
you make a separate attack roll for each target.
Whir/wind Attack. Vou can use your action to make a
melee attack against any number of creatures within 5
feet of you, with a separate attack roIl for each target.
SUPERIOR HUNTER’S DEFENSE
At 15th levei, you gain one of the following features
of your choice.
Evasion. Vou can nimbly dodge out of the way of
certa in area effects, such as a red dragon’s fiery breath
or a lightning bolt spel!. When you are subjected to an
effect 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 fai!’
Stand Against the Tide. When a hostile creature
misses you with a mele e 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.
BEAST MASTER
The Beast Master archetype embodies a friendship
between the civilized races and the beasts of the world.
United in focus, beast and ranger work as one to fight
the monstrous foes that threaten civilization and the
wilderness alike. Emulating the Beast Master archetype
means committing yourself to this ideal, working in
partnership with all animal as its companion and friend.
RANGER’S COMPANION
At 3rd levei, 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 chaIlenge rating of 1/4 or lower
(appendix O presellts statistics for the hawk, mastiff,
and panther as examples). Add your proficiency bonus
to the beast’s AC, attack roIls, and damage rolls, as weIl
as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in. Its
hit poinl maximum equals its normal maximum or four
times your ranger leveI, whichever is higher.
The beast obeys your commands as best as it cano It
takes its turn on your initiative, though it doesn’t take an
action unless you command it to. On your turn, you can
verbally command the beast where to move (no action
required by you). Vou can use your action to verbally
command it to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge,
or Help action. Once you have the Extra Attack feature,
you can make one weapon attack yourself when you
command the beast to take the Attack action.
While traveling through your favored terrain with only
the beast, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
lf the beast dies, you can obtain another one by
spending 8 hours magicaIly bonding with another beast
that isn’t hostile to you, either the same type of beast as
before or a different one.
EXCEPTIONAL TRAINING
Beginning at 7th levei, on any of your turns when
your beast companion doesn’t attack, you can use a
bonus action to command the beast to take the Dash,
Disengage, Dodge, or Help action on its turno
BESTIAL FURY
Starting at 11th leveI, your beast companion can
make two attacks when you command it to use the
Attack action.
SHARE SPELLS
Beginning at 15th levei, 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.