Ranger
Scouts, trackers, and wanders in the wild, Rangers are at home in the remote places of the world. Skilled in tracking, surviving, and armed with a deep knowledge of the natural world, rangers are some of the most formidable skirmishers.
| Level | Spell Slots per Day | Combat Proficiency Bonus | Ranger Bonus | Favored Enemy | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | ||||
| 1st | - | - | - | - | +1 | +2 | 1st |
| 2nd | - | - | - | - | +2 | +2 | |
| 3rd | - | - | - | - | +3 | +2 | 2nd |
| 4th | - | - | - | - | +4 | +2 | |
| 5th | 2 | - | - | - | +5 | +4 | |
| 6th | 2 | - | - | - | +6 | +4 | 3rd |
| 7th | 2 | - | - | - | +7 | +4 | |
| 8th | 2 | 1 | - | - | +8 | +4 | |
| 9th | 2 | 1 | - | - | +9 | +4 | 4th |
| 10th | 2 | 1 | - | - | +10 | +6 | |
| 11th | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | +11 | +6 | |
| 12th | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | +12 | +6 | 5th |
| 13th | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | +13 | +6 | |
| 14th | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | +14 | +6 | |
| 15th | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | +15 | +8 | 6th |
| 16th | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | +16 | +8 | |
| 17th | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | +17 | +8 | |
| 18th | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | +18 | +8 | 7th |
| 19th | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | +19 | +8 | |
| 20th | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | +20 | +10 | |
| Level | Abilities |
|---|---|
| 1st | Favored Enemy 1, Quarry, Track, Wild Empathy, Technique |
| 2nd | Combat Style |
| 3rd | Studied Terrain, Endurance, Technique |
| 4th | Hunter's Bond, Ability Score Increase |
| 5th | Spells, Natural Skill Focus |
| 6th | Woodland Stealth, Technique, extra attack |
| 7th | Woodland Stride |
| 8th | Swift Tracker, ability score increase |
| 9th | Evasion, Technique |
| 10th | -- |
| 11th | Party Stride, extra attack |
| 12th | Camouflage, Technique, ability score increase |
| 13th | Improved Quarry |
| 14th | Quick Quarry |
| 15th | Technique |
| 16th | Hide in Plain Sight, ability score increase |
| 17th | -- |
| 18th | Technique |
| 19th | -- |
| 20th | Master Hunter, ability score increase |
Class Features
Prime Ability: Wisdom
Hit Points: d10 + Con bonus per level
Skill Points: Medium (4 per level)
Knowledge Points: Medium (4 per level)
Save DC: 10 + Character Level + Wis Bonus
Spell Attack Bonus: Character Level + Wis Bonus
Starting Proficiencies
Weapon Proficiency: Simple Weapon Proficiency, Martial Weapon Proficiency (all)
Armor Proficiency: Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shields Proficiency
Other: Tracker
Favored Enemy
Select a creature type to be your favored enemy from the following list: Aberration, Animal, Construct, Dragon, Fey, Giant, Humanoid (aquatic, dwarf, elf, giant, goblinoid, gnoll, gnome, Halfling, human, orc, or reptilian), Magical beast, Monstrous humanoid, Ooze, Outsider (air, chaotic, earth, evil, fire, good, lawful, native, water), Plant, Undead, or Vermin. You have specialized knowledge about your favored enemy, allowing you to study, track, and subdue them easier. Every three levels, you gain another favored enemy (at levels 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18).
Quarry
As an expert hunter, you can study targets carefully to understand their motivations, habits, and combat tactics. To study a target, you must take a standard action to study a target in line of sight or a minute to study some trace of the creature (tracks, its lair, an object it used). If the target is one of your favored enemies, these times are reduced greatly, allowing you to use a bonus action to study a creature in line of sight or a standard action to study traces.
You can have no more than one quarry at a time, though you may target one discrete group together (a family, group, pack, pride, gang, or other organization). You may not switch the target until your all of your quarry is dead/captured or until you take a short rest.
When a creature is your quarry you get the following.
- When making Tracks checks for your quarry, treat any roll of 9 or lower as a 10.
- In combat, you apply your Ranger Bonus to attack and damage rolls.
- You apply your Ranger bonus to skill checks related to your quarry (Perception, Deception, Track, Insight, etc.).
Monster Lore
As soon as you select your quarry, you can roll a standard knowledge skill check to see if you can identify it. However, if you don't have ranks is the appropriate knowledge skill, you can roll an intelligence check instead. You may add your Ranger Bonus to either of these checks.
Unlike other classes, you may re-roll knowledge check each time you learn a little more about your quarry, though you may only learn one new fact each time you succeed. When tracking quarry, you may stumble across fresh victims, signs of the creature's living habits, items in its lair, discarded food samples, or other evidence of the creature's nature. Generally, the GM should make these available as you succeed on Track, Investigation, or Perception checks. In combat, you may re-roll a check when either you or your quarry scores a critical hit. Each time you make a new, successful knowledge check, you learn one new fact about your quarry.
Ranger Traps
You gain the trapper proficiency, but it can only be used to create simple traps such as snares, deadfalls, pit traps, and similar devices. Normally, an investigation check is all that is needed to detect simple traps, though you are able to use your traps ability, if it is higher.
Wild Empathy (Ex)
A ranger gets the Wild Empathy ability.
Combat Style (Ex)
At 2nd level, a ranger must select one combat style to pursue. The benefits of the ranger's chosen style are lost when wearing heavy armor. Once a ranger selects a combat style, it cannot be changed. Combat style options:
Archery
At level 2 and level 10, you may choose from among Precise Shot, Far Shot, or Snapshot abilities. You do not need to meet the prerequisites for these common abilities.
Crossbow
At level 2, you gain the Rapid Reload technique for free. At level 6, you gain Lighting Reload. At level 10, you may choose from among Precise Shot, Far Shot, or Snapshot common abilities.
Mounted
At level 2, you gain Mounted Combat Proficiency. At levels 4, 8, and 10, you gain a new technique from among one of the following: Mounted Combat Expertise, Mounted Shield Expertise, Mounted Charge Expertise, and Shock Charge.
Two-Weapon Combat
At level 2, you gain the Two-Weapon Fighting proficiency. At levels 4, 8, and 10, you gain two-weapon fighting technique of your choice from the following list: Two-Weapon Defense, Two-Weapon Feint, Two-Weapon Rend, and Two-Weapon Specialization.
Skirmisher
At level 2, you gain the Mobility ability. At level 6 and level 10, you may each choose from among the following techniques: Skirmish, Vital Strike, Manyshot, Maneuver, Quick Withdraw, Sidestep, Nimble Moves, or Parting Shot.
Endurance
A ranger gains the Endurance ability at 3rd level.
Studied Terrain(Ex)
At 3rd level, you gain the ability to study your terrain and adapt to it. As an expert outdoorsman, you are used to adapting to a number of different wild environments. Upon arriving in a new terrain, you may make take some time to survey the land, examine local flora and fauna, and get a feel for how wild things live and hunt in that land. Studying the terrain takes one hour of dedicated, uninterrupted study devoted only to this effort. A terrain can be any piece of land in the prime material plane, as designated by the GM, that is distinct in some way from its surrounding environment. A small forest surrounded by a vast plain may require a separate studied effort. Likewise, just because one studies one forest doesn't mean he is familiar with all forests. You must make a separate study of each new land entered to gain the benefits. The GM may even decide that one part of a forest is distinct enough from another part, so as to require two separate study efforts. Note: Studied terrain only works in wild terrains, not in urban or civilized areas (farmland, cities, etc.).
Once studied, you have a better understanding of that geography and gain certain benefits in relation to it. If you revisit the terrain later, the GM may decide you are still familiar enough with the terrain to gain the same benefits without restudy, especially if the land is frequently traveled. For less frequent terrain, the GM may decide a new period of study is necessary or may even allow you to jog your memory after a shorter period of study.
You gain the following benefit from studied terrain:
- You may apply your Ranger Bonus to initiative checks.
- You may apply your Ranger Bonus to Nature, Dungeoneering, Perception, Stealth, and Track skill checks. If tracking a quarry, these bonuses are only applied once.
- You leave no trail and cannot be tracked through the terrain if you don't want to be.
Hunter's Bond (Ex)
At 4th level, you form a meaningful bond that takes one of the following forms. Once chosen, it cannot be changed.
Bond of Friendship - You have a particularly strong bond with your adventuring companions. You gain the Leadership common ability and can impart its benefits to your allies.Bond of Companionship - You form a close bond with an animal companion. You can choose from the following list (or any other animal approved by your GM): badger, bird, camel, cat (small), dire rat, dog, horse, pony, snake (viper or constrictor), or wolf. If the campaign takes place wholly or partly in an aquatic environment, you may choose a shark instead. This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies you on your adventures as appropriate for its kind. Your animal companion shared your ranger bonus when attacking quarry. It also shares your bonuses for studied terrain. See Animal Companions.Bond of Terrain - You form a particularly close bond with the land around you and rely on it to guide your decisions. Once per day, while in studied terrain, you can use a standard action to commune with the land, letting it give you guidance about a planned action. This functions as if casting augury. At level 8 and every four level afterward, you can use this ability one more time.Healer's Bond - Trained in the art of healing, you form a particularly strong bond with your patients. As a standard action, you can administer healing to a target you can touch, granting them a number of hit points equal to twice your ranger bonus. Targets can only benefit from this healing once per day. In addition, you can use your ranger bonus on medicine checks made to stabilize a dying character. When you successfully use a medicine check to treat poison or disease, your patients can use your ranger bonus as a bonus to their saving throw, instead of the standard bonus.
Spells
Beginning at 5th level, you gain the ability to cast a small number of spells, which are drawn from the ranger spell list. For the sake of spell casting, your effective caster level is your Ranger Level - 4 (e.g. at 5th level you are caster level 1).
You must choose and prepare your spells each morning after a long rest. The number of spells you can prepare is equal to your caster level + your wisdom bonus. You can select any of the spells from the Ranger Spell List, assuming you are able to cast them.
To cast a spell, you must expend a spell slot of the appropriate level. You start out with two first-level spell slots. To cast a first level spell, you simply expend one of those spell slots. You get all of your spell slots back each morning, but if you run out of slots during the day, you are no longer able to cast spells until you get them back.
Natural Skill Focus (Ex)
At level 5, you may choose Skill Focus (Nature), Skill Focus (Dungeoneering), or Skill Focus (Animal Handling).
Woodland Stealth (Ex)
At 6th level, you can now hide as a bonus action as long as you are in studied terrain.
Extra Attacks (Ex)
At level 6 and again at level 11, you gain an extra attack that you can make when making a full attack. In a full attack, all attacks except for your first are made at a -5 penalty.
Woodland Stride (Ex)
Starting at 7th level, you may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at your normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. Thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that are enchanted or magically manipulated to impede motion, however, still affect you.
Swift Tracker (Ex)
At 8th level, you gain the Swift Tracker common ability. At level 13 you gain the second level ability of Swift Tracker.
Evasion (Ex)
At level 9, you gain the Evasion ability.
Party Stride (Ex)
At level 11, when moving over a long distance in a studied terrain, your entire party gains the benefit of your woodland stride ability.
Camouflage (Ex)
At 12th level or higher, you can use Stealth to hide in a studied terrain, even if there is no cover.
Improved Quarry (Ex)
At 13th level, your ability to hunt your quarry improves. You can now take 20 while using Track to track your quarry. You may also switch your quarry after a short rest, instead of a long rest.
Quick Quarry (Ex)
At 13th level, you can study your quarry more quickly. You can now select a quarry as a bonus action in line of sight (free action for your favored enemies), or as a standard action when studying traces of the creature.
Hide in Plain Sight (Ex)
At level 16, while in studied terrain, you can use Stealth even while being observed without taking the standard -20 penalty.
Master Hunter (Ex)
A ranger of 20th level becomes a master hunter. You can, as a standard action, make a single attack against your quarry at your full attack bonus. If the attack hits, the target takes damage normally and must make a Con save or die (vs. Class DC). You can choose instead to deal an amount of nonlethal damage equal to the creature's current hit points. A successful save negates this damage. You can use this ability once per long rest.