Ranger Guide
The best armor is no armor ^
There was once a Drow Ranger, born in the depths of Menzoberranzan - the capital of Dark Elf society. The hateful Drow who dwell there thrive on betrayal, power, and fear. Oddly though, this particular Dark Elf never truly embraced his evil nature. The rejection of this Ranger’s evil ways as well as his journey to the surface world have forged him in the fires that only this unique experience could yield.. This journey turned the Ranger into a unique and compelling figure, one who’s story is worth being told. It is evident that this Drow feels conflicted and is struggling to find an identity. He struggles with the Hunter inside, falling into old habits and brutal tactics to survive. All the,while he is trying to change and live a moral and meaningful life. This dark elf’s story MUST be told! I am of course talking about Orion, the Drow Ranger I came up with for my current run through of The Lost Mines of Phandelver. Imagine my surprise when I told my friends all about Orion, and they said “So, you made Drzzt?”. My reply was a cool, “What the fuck is a Drzzt?”. Yeah - I missed the boat on that one and am now catching up on the fantastic Drzzt Do’Urden novels, written by R A Salvatore. I’ve recently read through the Dark Elf trilogy, and find myself hooked. BUT that is not why we are here! Let us discuss the Ranger Class!
Lots of smoke should help.
Why play a Ranger in Dungeons and Dragons, 5E
Close your eyes. Ask yourself… who would I call if I needed to slaughter a hundred Orcs, find some leaves with rare yet potent healing abilities, as well as assist me in stalking into the shadows with a cool nickname like Strider? Hopefully your first guess was Aragon, son of Arathorn… I think he’s a good comp for the Ranger class. Extremely versatile and proficient both in ranged combat as well as melee. Rangers have some cool spell casting as well, all of which is outlined below.
What races make a good Ranger
As a Ranger, you'll want to choose a race that complements your abilities. For example, Elves and Half-elves have a natural affinity for archery, while Dwarves and Gnomes make excellent trackers. As for your background, consider choosing one that gives you useful skills or equipment, such as the Outlander background, which gives you proficiency in survival and a hunting trap. As mentioned above, I went with a Dark Elf (Drow), which has a +1 to Dexterity and some fun race abilities such as Faerie Fire, which is always super helpful. I think Humans are good for almost any class, but boring thematically. Aarakocra get +2 to Dexterity and +1 to Wisdom, which is a fantastic start. Talk to your DM about the setting and what works, but make sure to have fun with your choice.
Spells of note: Ranger’s aren’t OP when it comes to spell casting, which makes sense. Sure, lots of cool things to be done for yourself or the party, but if you are looking to break the game with casting through spells - look elsewhere! Check out the list of Ranger Spells and the highlights below.
Cantrips: Easiest part of the article to write. None. Next question.
But yeah for real…. Rangers are one of two classes that cannot use cantrips. Paladins are the other class.
First Level Spells
The goodest of berries.
Goodberry: When Frodo needed help after being stabbed by that creepy-fucking-human-zombie-ring-wraith with the magical dagger who was afraid of fire, did Aragorn sit back and watch?! No, he basically used Goodberry. For real though, as we have mentioned previously on this site, 10 points of healing at low levels is a ton! My low level Ranger never leaves home without this spell.
Hunter’s Mark: Hunter’s Mark is a must have for any Ranger. As a bonus action this spell allows you to mark any target, giving you bonus damage rolls in the form of 1d6 against them. The fun part however; is being able to move the mark to another creature when the target drops to 0 hit points. The drawback here is concentration, but what else are you concentrating on? Keep this up and enjoy.
Second Level Spells
Pass Without Trace: As an action, you can mask those around you (30 foot radius) in a veil of shadows, providing a +10 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks. And as a kicker, you can’t be tracked except by magical means. Yes, this spell is fantastic, and can provide for some fun encounters, sneaking around your DMs mobs… cheating through the dungeon!
Silence: For the duration, no sound can be heard or can pass through a 20 foot sphere for up to 10 minutes via concentration. Listen, (although maybe you can’t because of the Silence…), this spell is deceptively great. Its come into handy a few times in my campaigns over the years. Silence has assisted us in getting out of sticky situations, or at least helping my party bide time while we make a plan for the impending battle. It should also be noted that Silence renders verbal spells completely useless. The range is 120 feet, so the ranger can sit back and help take an enemy Wizard out of the fight, at least for a round or two. Uses in and out of combat.. sign me up.
Third Level Spells
Water Walk: Water Walk is fun. You have the ability to move across any liquid surface such as water, acid, mud, snow, quicksand and LAVA. Thematically, it's super cool. Water Walk won’t win you any battles, but part two of the spell is actually quite nice. If the target is submerged in a liquid, the spell carries the target to the surface (60 feet per round). No concentration on this hour long ability, so you won’t be working too hard while walking on water.
Plant Growth: Maybe shocking to see on a best list, but hear me out. As an action, you channel vitality into plants within a specific area, granting all plants within a 100 foot radius, nourishment to become thick and overgrown, slowing the movement speed to 4 ft for ever 1ft moved. I like this for control in the throws of battle, especially given the 150 range and lack of concentration. The other part of the spell is simply for fun, but if you cast the spell over 8 hours… the surrounding area is enriched for 1 year. Sort of love that, especially after kicking some Goblin ass for an hour likely damaged the grass.
Fourth Level Spells
Guard that Nature!
Guardian of Nature: Xanathar brought us some fun updates, and one of those for me is Guardian of Nature. As a bonus action, you can transform into a powerful guardian for up to 1 minute… either the Primal Beast or the Great Tree.
Primal Beast increases your walking speed, grants you dark vision, provides advantage on strength based attack rolls, and your melee weapon deals an extra 1d6 force damage.
Great Tree provides 10 temp hit points, provides advantage on constitution saving throws, provides advantage on dexterity and wisdom based attack rolls, and makes the ground around you difficult terrain.
I love this. I'm typically finding myself in the Great Tree form for that attack roll advantage and all the other benefits it provides. Finding ways to gain advantage on attack roles as you play at higher levels is crucial, and this does just that. Only downside is concentration, but the benefits are worth it!
Freedom on Movement: If you can’t tell, I really like spells that don’t rely on concentration. At level four, you gain access to Freedom of Movement, which allows you to provide a buff on a willing creature's movement. Movement is unaffected by difficult terrain, spells, and other magical effects that would reduce, paralyze or restrain. Not OP by any means, but based on your party make up, you may be able to pair this with a spell like Plant Growth (see above), effectively limiting the enemies speed, while you and your party remain unaffected. Got a Druid in the party? Set up the battlefield with juicy overgrown plants while you provide the movement buff, and run circles around them baddies.
Fifth Level Spells
Swift Quiver: This spell has to be mentioned as it provides two extra attacks as a bonus action from ammunition from your quiver…. Even a strength based Ranger may find the need to perch up in a tree and fire off some shots, and now you can do it 3 times per turn if desired. You could also cast a spell as an action, and still make two attacks as a bonus action to finish the turn. For a ranged based Ranger, I have a hard time not running up to the podium with this spell. It is concentration based, so no Hunter’s Mark while this spell is up, but if you built your ranger out with the Sharpshooter feat, you likely won’t be missing out on any damage.
Favorite Subclass: Gloom Stalker Ranger
60% of the time, your first attack hits - every time…
Do you enjoy shooting your enemies from safety? How about skulking around the dark and waiting for the right time to pounce? For the Gloom Stalker Ranger, get pumped up for that first attack. When it hits, get ready for all that extra damage. Good excuse for us Dice Goblin’s to keep accruing.. The Gloom Stalker Ranger is a master of the shadows, using their skills and abilities to stalk in the darkness, proving burst damage from afar.
Lets walk through the features that make this class a stalking delight. Not a sentence I thought I would ever say…
Umbral Sight: At the third level. the Gloom Stalker Ranger gains darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. In addition, they are invisible to creatures with darkvision who are trying to see them in darkness. Knowing your setting helps, but if dungeon crawling or the under dark plays a large role in your campaign - this will pay off again and again.
Dread Ambusher: At the third level, the Gloom Stalker Ranger gains an additional attack on their first turn of combat. If the second attack hits, you may roll an additional d8 as damage of the weapon type used. Initially I had to read this a few times, to ensure I understood the mechanic. You get to make an attack, and then a second attack, AND THEN add an additional d8 damage on that second hit. Pretty nuts for a level attack. In terms of the battle, you can help put down a mob during the first round of combat, or put some initial burst damage on a “boss” right away. Hell of a way to set the tone!
Iron Mind: At the seventh level, the Gloom Stalker Ranger gains the ability to resist mind altering powers. This translates to proficiency in Wisdom saving throws. If you already have this proficiency, you instead gain proficiency in Intelligence or Charisma saving throws (your choice). Not bad!
Stalker's Flurry: At the eleventh level, the Gloom Stalker Ranger gains the ability to attack with unexpected and unnatural speed. If the Ranger misses with an attack, they can make another attack as part of the same action. So if you are keeping track, the Gloom Stalker is essentially invisible in the dark, taking extra attacks and adding extra damage to the extra attacks… and can now attack again if the first attack missed. This pleases me.
Gloom Stalker Magic: The Gloom Stalker Ranger gains access to additional spells, including spells like Pass without Trace and Invisibility.
Shadowy Dodge: At 15h level, Gloom Stalker Rangers gain access to the Shadowy Dodge ability. Through Shadow Dodge, you may dodge in unforeseen ways, with wisps of supernatural shadow around you. Whenever a creature makes an attack roll against you and doesn't have advantage on the roll, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on it. The downside here is that you must use this feature before you know the outcome of the attack roll. No Divination Wizard role-play here, but still pretty good in a pinch.
Overall, the Gloom Stalker Ranger is a fun subclass that allows for a unique playstyle. If you enjoy stealth, ambush tactics, and going first every combat, you should be playing Gloom Stalker. With their abilities to move and strike from the shadows, Gloom Stalker Rangers will always be welcome to an aspiring adventuring party.
-DJDiabeets