The Outdoorsman Guide to Natural Ranging: A Rangers Guide
Work In Progess (Still learning text formats)
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Races
3. Ability Scores, Proficiencies, Backgrounds, and Class Features
4. Archetypes
5. Feats
6. Spells
7. Beast Companions
8. Multiclassing
9. Why you are better then everyone else thinks you are...
Standard Color Values for Ratings:
Red: To each their own… do you have a backup character though?
Purple: Not the best of choices… If you can make it work then more power to you!
Black: Average. This shouldn’t hurt your character.
Blue: Good pick up
Sky-Blue: Really good.
Gold: Amazing, a must have.
Part 1: Introduction
However you want to build your ranger, from Park Ranger to Power Ranger, this guide will help you get there. The 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons Ranger has a familiar feel to it which has the player channeling her inner champion of nature for sure. Will you be a master of the ranged attack? Bringing a volley of death down upon your foes with an accuracy of that rivals that of Robin Hood. Or will you fray into combat with melee weapon(s) ready to strike dead all those before you? Ranged or Melee, this guide will break down all the pros and cons of every power, skill and build. First thing to ask yourself is what kind of ranger do I want to build, melee or ranged?
Melee: There are two base routes you can go with a melee ranger that can off-shoot into many other builds. Those two base routes are Dexterity vs Strength builds. Lets go over the grand idea of each. I'm not going to use the color system here because this is just conceptual thoughts I want folks to think about before building their character. I will break down dex vs str in the ability section in much great detail.
Dexterity: Go this route if you like the idea of wearing light armor, dodging fireballs, striking with finesse and hiding in the shadows.
Strength: Go this route if you want to use brute force to swing your weapons and make use of medium armor.
Ranged: The twang of the bow sending arrows of death at your foe! Ranger is iconic in gaming for being a master of ranged attacks A ranged weapon weilding Ranger will almost always use Dexterity as their main stat. A Strength based thrower can be done if you want to hurl thrown weapons at your foe instead.
Keep these ideas in mind while we explore all the options of Ranger.
Part 2: Races
Hill Dwarf: +1 Wisdom, +2 Constitution and +1 extra HP per level is good for any Ranger. Mountain Dwarf: +2 Strength and +2 Constitution are pretty solid stats but for any build other then a strength ranger (BLACK ranking for strength based Ranger) this isn't the best race to pick, Dwarven armor training (like Combat Training) is redundant. Mountain Dwarf just doens't bring enough to the table for me. Elf: In past editions Elf has been the top race to select for Rangers with their high dexterity and being freaking children of nature. Pros: +2 Dexterity, proficiency in Perception, Fey Ancestry and Trance are all amazing for Rangers, seems like Elf might still be alpha wolf… High Elf: +2 Dexterity is tops adn +1 Intelligence helps with many great skills for ranger. Getting a free wizard cantrip is amazing, I recommend any of the non-spell attack or DC cantrips. Some that stand out are blade ward, minor illusion, message and true strike. Elf Weapon Training is redundant. Wood Elf: Most likely the best choice for Ranger in the game. +1 wisdom is very nice and +2 dexterity is just so damn sexy. Fleet of foot for a base 35ft speed and Mask of the Wild, which lets you attempt to hide while lightly obscured by natural phenomena is simply amazing. Elf weapon training is again redundant. Down side is there will be lots of wood elf rangers out there are you might not feel unique. Dark Elf (Drow) or If Underground): The race that made rangers famous thanks to Drizzt Do’Urden. Oh 5th edition... you take back what 4th had given the players… which was a playable Drow. Pros: +2 Dexterity, Amazing darkvision, Drow Magic is top notch with dancing lights, faerie fire and darkness. Cons: Weapon training again…+1 Charisma is kind of meh, and the big whopper… Sunlight Sensitivity. Unless you are playing an underdark campaign sunlight sensitivity makes drow unplayable. Halfling: +2 Dexterity makes Halflings a front runner for top race. Other factors one why Halfling make some of the best rangers are: first and foremost the Lucky ability, being able to reroll a 1 on a d20 for attacks, saves and ability checks is unreal. Brave gives the Halfling advantage on saves for frightened which can save your hide. Halfling nimbleness is great for those dungeon crawls with tight spaces, while other races are stuck waiting their turn to move Halfling go where they please. The only cons are lower speed at 25 feet and no darkvision. Lightfoot Halfling: +2 Dexterity is win, +1 Charisma is meh… but gaining naturally stealthy is awesome. Melee or ranged can gain benefits from being able to hide behind larger party member’s. At lvl 14 Halfling rangers really come into power with the vanish ability. Stout halfling: +2 Dexterity is wonderful, +1 Constitution will be of more benefit to a melee ranger and advantage and resistance when it comes to poison is great when you need it. Stout lacks the flair of Lightfoot but it is for sure a solid choice. Human: +1 to all your stats is great! But that is about all you are getting from this race. Variant Human: Aragorn stand tall and be proud, Humans (Variant) have dethroned Elves as alpha wolf and now claim the throne as top race for rangers. +1 to two stats of choice (Dexterity or Strength and Wisdom or Constitution based on your build) a free skill and language and the real prize, a feat at first level. There are some feats that are game changers for Rangers which we will go over later. But trust in me that this alone makes Variant Human your top choice for race when it comes to Rangers.
Part 3: Ability Scores, Proficiencies, Backgrounds, and Class Features
Strength - For Strength Builds: Besides athletic skill, strength checks, saves and encumbrance, Strength just doesn't do much for Ranger (Besides Strength builds) Again, if you want to use a non finesse melee weapon then you WILL have to do a Strengthbuild. This can be a dump stat for non strength builds. For strength builds have a 16-17 to start.
Dexterity: Dexterity is the best stat for Rangers hands down. It adds to Attack and Damage for Finesse Melee weapons and Ranged Weapons, Armor Class, Dex Saving Throws, three skills, and initiative. Start with a 16 or 17 if dexterity based. Strength based start with a 14 to help your armor class.
Constitution: Everyone needs Constitution. Melee Rangers should put a bit more into it for survivability. It also helps with concentration check for when you have a concentration spell cooking. Melee Ranger 12-16, Ranged Ranger 10-14.
Part 4: Archetypes
I will be giving two different assessments for each archetype based one Melee or Ranged builds. Each archetype gains powers at lvl 3, 7, 11, and 15.Part 5: Feats
Alert: This feat is great for any class. Going soonier in combat is a plus and no one likes getting blown up by the rogue... That being said this isn't a must for any Ranger build but if you can fit it in, go for it!
Athlete: (+1 STR/DEX for rangers with an odd str/dex stat) A nice feat if you want to make a Jackie Chan type character, running up walls and jumping off cliffs like a ninja not to mention doing 'kip ups' from prone at the cost of only 5 feet movement is pretty neat.
Actor: You should not be the face of the group. Unless you are playing a ranger in a traveling acting group... stay away from this.
Charger: If you take the dash action (and move at least 10ft in a straight line) you can take a single attack as a bonus action with a +5 to hit on that attack. It also lets you do a push attack rather then a normal attack that pushes the target 10ft, this can be really nice for breaking the line and getting into the soft back ranks of the bad guys. Charger combos nicely with the Great Weapon master feat... but I don't see many ranger weilding great weapons (it's doable though!) Only take this feat if going melee.
Crossbow Expert: One of the best feats a ranged attack Ranger could take. First you ignore the loading quality of crossbows which makes crossbows usable for when you have multiple attacks. Second, you can now shoot crossbows in melee without disadvantage. These means you are now a ranged AND melee character! Third, you gain a bonus attack with a crossbow when you attack with a one handed weapon. This feat has been under some strong debates on the forums about how the bonus action is triggered and what weapon(s) are needed in hand. I am in the camp that you can use this feat with a Single Hand Crossbow. Double check with your DM on their ruling for how they want feat to function. Crossbow Expert is the best option if you start play as a Variant Human and want to be a ranged attack ranger. The down side is that you are going to be using a Hand Crossbow which is a d6 on damage.
Defensive Duelist: If you are not making use of your reaction this is a good feat to pick up. As a reaction you can add your proficiency bonus to your AC against a SINGLE melee attack. . At higher levels this power gets better... +6 to AC to a single attack gives Defensive Duelist a better rating.
Dual Wielder: for any non dual weapon build. While this feat isn't a must for a dual weapon build it has some very nice perks. Adding +1 to AC is wonderful, a damage boost for both weapons (I recomend Rapiers for Dex Build and any 1d8 Weapon for Strength builds), and being able to draw or stow both your weapons as part of your move is very useful. A nice feat to pick up at lvl 12 after getting your main stat to 20 for melee dual weapon builds.
Dungeon Delver: This feat is nice to pick up only if you are doing a lot of dungeon crawls and you are the main perception guy for your group.
Durable: +1 to constitution is nice if you have an odd con score. The second benifit is great if you have a high con score and no healer in your party. Durable gets bumped up for high con melee rangers but only if they have an odd constitution score.
Elemental Adept: You are not an arcane dealer of death, this feat is not for you. MAYBE... once you get the lightning arrow spell, but even then not the best use of a feat.
Grappler: This is a very specific feat for a specific build. If you are a strength build ranger this feat could be a lot of fun. If you can make a target restrained by pinning it, you've just made all your parties attacks on it at advantage and all the enimes attacks at disadvantage. Grappler is very strong for the right build and a strength ranger wouldn't be a bad choice for it. Couple it with Tavern Brawler for even more fun.
Great Weapon Master: An interesting feat. At first glance this feat is not for rangers being that must Rangers won't be weilding a Heavy Weapon. However this feat becomes slightly better for sword and board Rangers being that you still get the bonus action attack on Crts/Kills even if you are not using a Heavy Weapon. The second part of the feat you still need a Heavy Weapon to make use of. Think of this feat on a sword and board Hunter Ranger with Horde Breaker... you'd make pretty quick work of those packs of soft HP targets. This feat rates higher with Strength builds but using a two handed weapon doesnt give you many options with your fighting style.
Healer: A nice feat to take if you don't have a healer OR if your healer likes to play in the front ranks and is falling in combat a lot. Although rangers do get the cure wounds spell with your limited spell slots ANY extra healing in a limited healing party would make this feat an okay investment.
Heavily Armored: Heavy armor for any dex build ranger is a bad, bad idea. Totally different story for a Strength Build. If you are a strength build ranger with a 10 strength and LIVED to 4th level, this is an excellent feat for you, even better if you have a 17 Strength because the feat gives +1 to strength. Pick up some splint or plate armor and you are now a walking tin can with a great AC. You will be sacraficing of stealth for heavy armor.
Heavy Armor Master: Again, this is not for any dex build ranger. Strength Builds with access to heavy armor this is an okay feat for you, much stronger at low levels and likely to have the DR ignored at mid and high levels.
Inspiring Leader: With your tanked Charisma score this feat isn't being optimally used. Beast Masters will make better use out of this with your pet but you are better off asking the Face of your group to pick it up instead.
Keen Mind: This feat has some neat ranger fluff with always knowing the hours left before sunrise/sunset and always knowing the way north, however the +1 Int is not best used on you.
Lightly Armored: Already proficient with light armor... just take +2 Dex/Str instead.
Linguist: Save this feat for the Wizards. If you want to play an Archaeologist Ranger, while not optimal, this feat would be great.
Lucky: I love picking this feat up at level 12 plus for any ranger build. With those three luck points you can basically roll advantage on attacks, saves and ability checks at crucial moments. It's also great to stop crts from wrecking you by making the attacker take your luck dice roll instead of the DM's nat 20. Overall one of the best feats out there.
Mage Slayer: A great feat for the melee ranger. While you are within 5 feet of a spellcaster you own them. It gives you an AoO if they cast a spell next to you, a much needed defense to your saving throws verse spell casters and you have a great chance to knock their concentration spells down when you damage them. If you DM likes casters (thats ALL DM's btw) then pick this feat up if you are a melee build!
Magic Initiate: This feat can help really custumize your character with spells. You get two cantrips and one first level spell from a class of your choice. If you are taking attack or DC based spells you really need to take a close look at your stats. If you tanked all the mental slots this feat can still work for you, just take buff/no attack/no DC spells. Some great cantrips for rangers are as follows: True Strike, Minor Illusion, Message, Guidance and Shillelagh to name a few. First level spells that stand out are: Sleep, Shield, Find Familiar, Bless, Healing Word, and Magic Missle. *some people feel that the first level spell is added to your spelllist which would bump this feat up but I'm in the camp that the feat allows you to cast the spell once and it is not on your spell list, so as always, check with your DM.
Martial Adept: This feat could be really fun with any ranger build (many of the maneuvers can be used on ranged attacks). You gain two maneuvers from the Battle Master fighter archetype as well as one 1d6 superiority die. While limited to only useable once per short rest this could lead to some interesting combos. One that stands out to me is to take the Commander's Strike maneuver with a beast master, at level 5 you can now have your beast attack twice in the same round which can be very deadly with the high damage striker pets. Again only usable once per short rest so while its 'fun' its a one and done power.
Medium Armor Master: For all Dex build rangers...for Strength builds that don't want heavy armor. The only time I see a Dex build ranger taking this feat is if you get an amazing Half-Plate magic item.
Mobile: This is a great feat for the Melee Ranger. 10 extra feet of movement is BIG for closing ground on your prey. The dash action ignores difficult terrain isn't going to come into play much unless you multiclass 2 levels of rogue, which could be pretty strong. Which really makes this feat a great one to pick up for ANY ranger is that when you make a melee attack (hit or miss) on a target your movement doesn't trigger opportunity attacks from that target for the rest of the turn. Lets break this down more: a melee ranger can swing once at the ogre he is in melee with and then run straight to the mage without having the ogre clobber him. A very useful trick for getting to the target that you want to kill. Now for the ranged attack ranger. How is this feat good for him? Lets say the ogre is on the ranger with a bow. With the feat the ranger just has to draw a dagger attack with it once and then run away from the ogre, drop the dagger and stick the ogre with arrows with any remaining attacks.
Moderately Armored: You already are proficient with medium armor.
Mounted Combatatant: Mounts are lots of fun until the dungeon crawl starts and then they are left at the entrance. When you are able to use mounts this feat is great! Advantage on melee attacks versus creatures smaller then your mount, you can force a target to attack you instead of your mount as a free action, your mount also gets evasion! This feat gets bumped up for small sized Beast Masters, who can use their beast friends as mounts. This will be covered in much more detail in the animal companion chapter.
Observant: A good feat if you have an odd wisdom score. Getting +5 to your passive perception and passive investigation is pretty solid. It's a shame this feat doesn't help with your tracking at all which is a survival check.
Polearm Master: For strength build Rangers only. Do NOT pick this up for a dex build Ranger. This feat makes Quaterstaffs and polearms some of the best weapons in 5th eddition. Not only are you getting a bonus action attack with glaives, halberds and quarterstaffs but you are also getting a very reliable attack of opportunity if you wield a glaive, halberd, pike or quarterstaff. Because pike doesnt get the bonus attack I would stay clear from it, but the other three weapons are tops. This just might just be your first feat (even over strength bumps) for a strength build NON duel weapon ranger. This is the other feat that makes Variant Human so amazing.
Resilient: Saving throws versus High Level Spells and effects become the greatist threat to characters. If you still have a low wisdom saving throw versus a Dominate Person spell or worse then you are now a major problem for your party to deal with. Worse then that is when you start getting the save or die (or removed from combat) type spells. My preference is to start taking this feat at lvl 12 (once my main stat is to 20) and then again at 16 and 20. Take the saves that you are having the most issues with, Widsom for starts, then Constitution, the last one being your preference. Constitution Resilient is also a big deal for your concentration spells in that you are now proficient for those concentration checks. When you are damaged and you have Swift Quiver or Freedom of Movement up, youll be happy you took Resilient 'constitution'. I feel that it is a designer flaw that these feats become a MUST at high levels. To get the most bang for your buck, have odd stats in the ability scores that you plan to take Resilient in.
Ritual Caster: If you don't have a cleric in the party this could be a great pick up. Having access to spells like augry and silence could make the difference in a successful mission. This shouldn't be your job, but if there is a need, you have a way to fill it.
Savage Attacker: This feat leaves me wanting more. Slightly better on the hunter ranger that took Colossus Slayer.. but even then not a good pick up.
Sentinel: A great feat for a tank... which you are most likely not. If you did go sword and board ranger and you feel pretty survivable then this is a much better feat for you but make sure you have a buddy in combat with you to make this feat work. Also a good pick up for melee build Beast Master rangers that want to keep their animal buddy up longer.
Sharpshooter: This feat is a must for any ranged attack build. Ignoring all but full cover is crazy good. Against low AC targets this feat is deadly when you -5 to hit for +10 damage. Couple this power with the hunter Colossus Slayer and you will be putting out a world of hurt at even low levels.
Shield Master: This feat is a waste on any ranger build other then Sword and Board. With this feat the tanky ranger now has a great bonus action use to knock targets prone or to push targets back 5 feat. Adding +2 to your dex saves is always good and the once per turn evasion power is really nice and makes it so that Hunter Rangers can take Uncanny Dodge or Stand Agaisnt the Tide instead of Evasion.
Skilled: A great option in a campaign where the DM favors RP and leg work over combat.
Skulker: While not a bad feat skulker just doesn't make the cut until higher levels for a Ranger. Once a ranger has Vanish at lvl 14 the value of Skulker goes way up. Skulker makes it easier to hide if you are obscured, doesnt give you disadvantage on perception checks in dim light and most importantly for Ranged Attack builds it doesn't bring you out of stealth if you miss your target while hidden. If you are a stealthy ranged ranger take this feat at lvl 16 or maybe even early at lvl 12.
Spell Sniper: While this is an awesome feat... it doesn't make any viable ranger build awesome. Leave this to warlocks and such.
Tavern Brawler: If you are building a strength grappling ranger that is the only time you really want to think about this feat.
Tough: Take resilient Constitution over this feat ALWAYS. If you already have 20 constitution and resilent feat and you want to be extra beefy.. then by all means have at it.
War Caster: At first I wanted to rate this feat higher but after some thought I put it where its at. My thought process is this, as nice as it is to have advantage on concentration checks and to be able to cast spells while weilding a bow or two weapons... there are ways around those things. First off, again I would take resilent Constitution before this feat, its just better. Second, as for casting spells... just stow your weapon and cast the spell OR cast your spell and then draw your weapon. The only time this won't work well is when you have a reaction spell.
Weapon Master This feat makes rangers want to club baby seals. I'm still shaken my head after reading it. They should call the feat, 'weapon master wannabe', because damn it, Rangers are already the Masters of all Weapons!
Part 6: Spells
Note for later, no spell focus for rangers 
((((
Part 7: Beast Companions
Part 8: Multiclassing
Part 9: Why you are better then everyone else thinks you are...
Part 10
Turn it to 11...
I don't think you should completely discount Strength builds without properly explaining why you think Dexterity is wholly superior, and therefore why Mountain Dwarf is Red...
Saying you might as well make a fighter is insufficient, both classes can make ranged, dual-Str, dual-Dex, Dueling-Dex or Dueling-Str builds.
With a Str build your stealth doesn't even have to suffer if you choose the Medium Armor Master feat.
Also you're overrating Wisdom. Only a handful of Ranger spells use the spell DC, and most of those are ranged-only. It's pretty much Black for any melee build, they'd be better pouring those points into Con.
Greatly overrating Defense in general. It's black at best. A Polearm Master Ranger has no other real choice, but sword-and-board should definitely take Dueling instead.
Getting ahead of you for a few spells of note, since those are what really seem to make the Ranger go despite some highly situational at best features:
- Hunter's Mark (Lv. 1) is gold for sure. That should've been a bloody class feature.
- Barkskin (Lv 2) is pretty much red. How the mighty have fallen. By the time you get access to it at Lv. 5 you'll already be at AC 16 with just studded leather + DEX 18.
- Spike Growth (Lv. 2) is sky blue for archers. The damage adds up fast, and archers are also more likely to boost WIS for a good DC.
- Conjure Animals (Lv. 3) is at least sky blue, debatably gold even. Never underestimate the damage a pack of CR 1/4 animals (wolves especially) can do. You can even upcast it with a 5th-level slot for double the creatures. Doesn't need WIS or even a material component, either.
- Conjure Woodland Beings (Lv. 4) is probably purple, though. Unless there are any CR 1/4 fey that are a good step above a pack of wolves? (I'm still waiting for my MM, so ...)
1eejit wrote:
Just a formatting suggestion: Consider bolding each of the coloured items. Maybe it's just me, but I find the sky blue and gold items particularly difficult to read.
Otherwise, I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the guide. I think that the Ranger is a class that has a fair number of built in traps that players need to be mindful of, so I'm interested in seeing your approach. I'll add my two cents once you have the rest of the guide up.
Thanks for all the feed back guys. I will really take every comment to heart and then change things that make the most sense to me. I want this guide to be a resource that peopele take serious and will help get more rangers out there!
I totally forgot that quarterstaff requires strength for ranger (blush) Polearm master is a major feat option for them so I will for sure reweigh strength as a build for them.
Jell_Moo thanks for the formatting suggestion! I will for sure bold each colored word, I too noticed the skyblue and gold where hard to read.
I think I'm going to also add a section in Part 1 explaining the main ranger build conceps and my thoughts on them to help people better understand my raitings that follow.
Thanks again!
GladiusLegis wrote:
The Ranger in our party is strength-based. I just let him switch from Hunter to Beastmaster, but up until now (level 5) he was destroying the fighters in the group in terms of damage, with duel attack (and the two weapon feat), Colossus Slayer, and casting Hunter's Mark with his bonus action. Seriously, his spinning twin battle axes of death (one of which is magic) really deal sick amounts of damage at these levels. I really think you're underestimating both strength builds, and two weapon fighting builds. I am sure they get outpaced at high levels, but most time in a campaign isn't spent at high levels (if you ever even get to high levels) so why not discuss how useful they are at the typical levels people play the most of?
Mistwell wrote:
I'd suggest Mountain Dwarf should be Black overall, or Purple for Dex rangers and Dark Blue for Strength.
IxidorRS wrote:
mellored wrote:
Oh wait. FLYING KILLER WHALES FOR AN HOUR
IxidorRS wrote:
MINDTHINK
OK, so Conjure Woodland Beings (Pixies) is sky blue, then.
The only thing to worry about is that if you somehow lose concentration, the pixies disappear along with any concentration magic they cast on your party. So I guess just be careful in that event and don't take all the risks in combat while polymorphed.
GladiusLegis wrote:
Fantastic stuff, thanks so much for all the effort!
I am currently playing a dex ranger (with rolled stats that are pretty damn good to be truthful) with the Archery fighting style. I picked Orcs and Goblins for my favoured enemny and that has proved extremely useful to our group, as has my high Wisdom helping with the perception checks. I am thinking about adding the feat that lets you pick three skills to become profficiant in because the skill checks have been really key to our role playing and succeding in tasks.
Also being the human variant and picking the Sharpshooter feat to go with my long bow has been INSANELY bloody useful!
Can't wait to read more tips 
Rancid_Rogue wrote:
Thanks for this! Can you list non-class skills, too, please :-x
IxidorRS wrote:
Timborama wrote:
Probably also a good idea to note that the Ranger is the only class that HAS to provide the actual material components to cast M spells. Since they don't get a focus option. Granted, most of those materials are easy to gather, but still should be noted.
GladiusLegis wrote:
Timborama wrote:
dwgautier wrote:
PhillPowell wrote:
So how is a melee-fighter supposed to keep hunter's mark up? Are resilient (con) or warcaster essentially mandatory as a first feat at level 4?
I disagree with listing variant human as a gold racial choice. It's saying that all rangers should be humans with a feat. There are some useful feats, to be sure, but is a feat better than every racial feature in the book? I believe the variant human should be sky blue at best: an excellent choice, but not a mandatory choice.
ppaladin123 wrote:
The main downside to variant human is the lack of darkvision.
Which, given a ranger's usual knack for stealth, can be hurtfull.
dwgautier wrote:
dwgautier wrote:
The Feats Chapter is finished! Please discuss and debate to help me adjust feats as needed. I'm more then willing to change well thought out reasons for change.
I think your underestimating Defensive Dualist. Not getting hit 1/round is great.
Paticularlly since you rate uncanny dodge blue.
mellored wrote:
Hey, you label Great Weapon Fighter as RED because of never using a heavy weapon.
Then labels Polearm Master as SKY BLUE when using a glaive or halberd (both heavy weapons....)
Coredump00 wrote:
dwgautier wrote:
Oh, I am looking forward to your spell review...
Yeah, Great Weapon Master is at the very least Blue. Not having Great Weapon Fighting Style is a little disappointing, sure, but it's hardly a dealbreaker if you still want to go that route. Plus its hit-for-damage trade applies to the bonus-action attack from Polearm Master just as well, if you wanted to stack those.
I've moved Great Weapon Master to blue for Strength builds. I'm keeping polearm master at skyblue because always getting that bonus attack and often getting that AoO outways the sometimes getting a bonus attack and the power attack features of great weapon master.
Just a note: you can't take resilient twice becaue it doesn't explicitly say you can so you have to pick one or the other of wisdom or con.
Since every class gets one "common" save (DEX, CON or WIS) and one "uncommon" save (STR, INT, CHA) by design, those should really be rated vs. each other in the same category.
"Uncommon"
STR: Purple? Easily the most, uh, common of the uncommon, but the effects for failing are typically a minor inconvenience at most.
INT: Black. Least common in the game, but the few effects that exist are quite nasty.
CHA: Black, maybe blue. Only slightly more common than INT, but the few effects are some of the most vicious. Getting banished from a plane entirely tests CHA, and that would be no fun.
"Common"
DEX: Purple. DEX saves are typically against just damage.
CON: Sky blue. Not only the most frequently tested save, but failures can result in pretty nasty outcomes. Plus concentration checks.
WIS: Blue. Less frequent than CON, but failures are extremely nasty (fear, charm, Hold spells), so still a good one to pick up.
ppaladin123 wrote:
dwgautier wrote:
Also, looking at your ratings of the races, it's appears that you're considering this an archer-first guide. Would it make sense to actually make it an archer ranger guide? It might save you some work, and the builds seem different enough that it might be warranted.
I say that as a dude who wrote a guide for half a class as well.
Direach wrote:
FluffyBunbunKittens wrote:
This guide getting done soon? Figured I should probably chime in with spells, since Rangers learn them rather than prepare them, and they can only learn such a small amount of them.
I'll just do the golds and sky blues (or what I see as those ratings). And note any traps.
1st-level
Gold:
Hunter's Mark - Should've just been a class feature. Your main damage buff and Concentration spell for your first 9 levels, at least.
Sky blue:
Goodberry - 10 berries on one person > 1st-level Cure Wounds' average even with a 20 WIS. Otherwise, spread the wealth and cover everyone's need to eat for a day.
Longstrider - Never underestimate the benefits of extra speed. Doesn't require Concentration either.
Trap (red):
Cure Wounds: Goodberry is more or less strictly better in every way that counts.
2nd-level
No Golds
Sky blue:
Spike Growth - Only sky blue for archers, who are more likely to have a high WIS for a good DC. For them, a terrific field control spell that can quickly pile on the damage. Concentration.
Trap (red):
Barkskin - How the mighty have fallen. You'll pretty much never need this by the time you get it, in practical terms. Unless you get caught naked somehow? But holy hell that's way too situational for your precious spell learning opportunities.
3rd-level
Gold:
Conjure Animals - Summoning 8 wolves (or even 16 if you upcast it later with a 5th-level slot) is THE way to skyrocket your DPR as a Ranger. Requires Concentration, and past Lv. 9 as a Ranger is your primary use of Concentration even above Hunter's Mark.
Sky blue:
Conjure Barrage - A really good anti-horde spell. The mediocre damage is made up for with a crazy massive area of effect (60-foot cone). Not a bad idea for even a melee Ranger to keep a thrown weapon on hand to cast this with.
4th-level
Gold:
Freedom of Movement - Immunity to paralysis and automatic escapes from grapples are very, very, very good things. Doesn't need Concentration, either.
Sky blue:
Conjure Woodland Beings - Pixie shenanigans, as discussed earlier in this thread. Pixies can cast Fly, Sleep, and Polymorph.
Stoneskin - Debatably gold for melee Rangers even with the 100 gp cost. Important for them when fighting a horde of enemies likely not to use magical weapons. Concentration competes with Hunter's Mark or Conjure Animals, but the impacts of those spells are diminished versus a horde, so that's not really an issue. Not nearly as necessary for archers, though.
5th-level
Gold:
Swift Quiver - Gold only for archers, obviously, but for them it's their premier buff at this level against things that can either quickly AoE your wolves all to death or are unlikely to be hit much by your wolves (anything with an AC higher than 20). Concentration required.
Sky blue:
Conjure Volley - MASSIVE area of effect (4 times that of a Fireball, in fact), with the damage actually marginally better than a Fireball upcast with a 5th-level slot. The ultimate anti-horde spell for Rangers. Even a melee Ranger should keep a thrown weapon on hand to cast this with.
Ranger 4 / Variant Human (using only point buy stats) having a 21 AC (and 23 AC once/turn vs. melee) by 4th level while still allowing the PC to be stealthy (and utilize other DEX skills) is pretty massive IMHO. And the Def.Duelist benefit bumps up +1 at 5th level right away due to proficiency increase (so 24 AC). To me, this suggests Medium Armor Master feat, Defense Duelist feat and Defensive Fighting Style should get a serious nod when used in combination to be tank-like, Dex-based, melee guy.
Medium Armor Master (1st), Defensive Duelist (4th)
27 pt buy: Str 10, Dex 15 (+1 race) = 16, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 15 (+1 race) = 16, Cha 8
21 AC [half plate armor (15 ac) shield (+2), Dex (+3, due to feat), defensive fighting style (+1)]
skills: (race) survival, (class) nature, perception, investigation [for traps], (urchin background) sleight of hand, stealth, disguise kit, thieves' tools
Using studded leather and both feats for bumping DEX 16 to 20 is fine for the archery style, but the above is just to point out an alternative.
PhillPowell wrote:
PhillPowell wrote:
I have a question on the Goodberry Vs Cure wounds. It says that it takes one action to eat on berry, so in a fight when you need to heal someone up cure wounds would be the better option, right?
In my D&D group we don't have a cleric, just my Ranger and a Paladin.
PhillPowell wrote:
PhillPowell wrote:
Do folks think there would be a problem to allow eating multiple berries at the same time?
Yes GB is more healing, but would need to be cast beforehand, and would still take an action (or more) to use in combat.
Coredump00 wrote:
I will also say that if it's up to a Ranger to cast Cure Wounds during a combat, giving up their attack to do so, then the party's in pretty sad shape already.
GladiusLegis wrote:
I would rate Primeval Awareness as red. It's pretty much useless as written. Not only do you have to spend a spell slot, but all you get is the knowledge that various creatures are within a certain distance of you. The area is quite large and the ability doesn't tell you what direction they're in, so you could be wandering around for quite a while trying to find the creature you're looking for (or you could stumble right into the creature you're trying to avoid).
dwgautier wrote:
Foe Hunter is highly situational depending on your favored enemies, though, so purple is a fair rating even given all the points above.
GladiusLegis wrote:
GladiusLegis wrote:
With Giant killer, is your reaction all your attacks? I have 2 attacks. Does that mean I attack twice for a reaction and again twice when it's my turn?
With Multiattack Defense, if 2 or more creatures hit me, do you gain +4 AC to all the attackers?
For Whirlwind Attack, does that apply to only opponents next to me or can I use my movement and keep attacking creatures on the way
NirvanS wrote:
Why do Rangers have a limited number of spells and can't change them until a new level. Paladins have special abilities, can change spells after long rest, and increase number they know based on Wisdom modifier.
Makes no sense. The ranger is categorized as a sorcerer. It seems the casters (excluding Bards) who can change spells are also able to increase the number known.
So the ranger, sorcerer, and warlock are being double penalized
In my opinion, that's bullXXX
Number of Paladin spells prepared is based on Charisma, not Wisdom.
Level 8 Paladin, Cha 20: 9 prepared spells
Level 20 Paladin, Cha 20: 15 prepared spells
Level 8 Ranger: 5 known spells
Level 20 Ranger: 11 known spells
Paladins and Rangers always have the same number of spell slots.
So it looks like Paladins have more utility based on having more spells to choose from, even if they can't cast any more spells per day than a Ranger. However, Smite burns spell slots so while they have more spells to choose from they will likely end up casting fewer spells per day, in favor of using Smite.
Charisma. Used to 2e play where it was wisdom. But the ranger is limited in some abilities due to needing certain type of environments ie artic, grasslands as opposed to Paladins. To restrict the ranger further is frustrating
Paladins get Oath spells, so those numbers are actually 13 and 25, respectively.
Flavor-wise I can see why Rangers know rather than prepare spells, but I probably wish they would've let them learn as many as a Sorcerer or Warlock.
I'd be interested to see what you have to say about Small characters mounting their companion, because I have been trying to build this character and the DM approved it, but I have no idea what style or anything to go with.
Well, i've been checking the rules recently and please correct me if i'm wrong but... ranger dps is.. amazing to say the least.
A lv 8 Ranger lv2 Fighter(lv10 mc(variant human)) and Crossbow Expert could make 3 (2 EA + 1 CE) attacks per turn.
With Hunter's Mark that would be 6d6 + 15/ turn and 12d6 + 30 burst damage with acton surge
And if u ally that dps with a prior turn hitting 4d6 + 10 and using Lightning arrow spell in 2 turns you would give 10d6 + 25 + 4d8 and 16d6 + 40 + 4d8 burst damage with action surge.
That would be:
1 Turn:
Min:21
Max:51
Avg:36
1 Turn Burst
Min:42
Max:102
Avg:72
2 Turns Burst with Lightning Arrow
Min:60
Max: 178
Avg:114
mpz_93 wrote:
Can you coment on the modifying classes page, specificaly the Ranger part.
Link Here: http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/modifying-classes
1eejit wrote:
What do you think of a Wisdom based build? Variant human with Magic Initiate to pick up Shillelagh and Magic Stone, grab Polearm Master later... Great at tracking, best Spell DCs... A 8/14/16/10/16/8 starting stat array with point-buy?
SpedGuy wrote:
I regards to Bestial Fury, you only get 3 attacks bewteen you and your pet. While it is true that when you command your pet to take the Attack action, it makes 2 attacks and you can make 1 weapon attack, your weapon attack is not an Attack action, but rather a benefit of having your pet take your Attack action. The rules of two-wepaon fighting state that in order to make an off-hand attack as a bonus action, you must use the Attack action to attack. When your pet is using your Attack action, that cancels out your TWF ability as well as your extra attack ability.
That being said, I did enjoy this guide. I find myself refering back to it quite often. Good work!