Ranger Players Handbook (PDF)

Ranger
R ou gh and w ild looking,
a hum an stalks alone
through the sh ad ow s o f
trees, hunting the ores he
k n ow s are planning a raid
on a nearby farm. Clutching
a sh ortsw ord in each hand,
he b e c o m e s a w hirlw ind of
steel, cutting dow n on e enem y
after another.
After tum bling away from a c o n e o f
freezin g air, an elf finds her feet and draw s
ba ck her b o w to lo o s e an arrow at the white
dragon. S h ru g gin g o ff the w ave o f fear that em anates
from the dragon like the cold o f its breath, she sen ds
on e arrow after another to find the gaps betw een the
dragon ’s thick scales.
H olding his hand high, a half-elf w histles to the hawk
that circles high above him, calling the bird b a ck to his
side. W h isp erin g instructions in Elvish, he points to
the ow lbea r h e’s b een tracking and sen ds the haw k to
distract the creature w hile he readies his bow.
Far from the bustle o f cities and tow ns, past the
h ed ges that shelter the m ost distant farm s from the
terrors o f the w ild, am id the den se-pa ck ed trees o f
trackless forests and a cro ss w id e and em pty plains,
ran gers k eep their unending w atch.

D eadly H unters
W arriors o f the w ildern ess, rangers sp ecia lize in
hunting the m on sters that threaten the ed g es o f
civilization—hum anoid raiders, ram paging beasts and
m onstrosities, terrible giants, and deadly dragons. T h ey
learn to track their quarry as a predator d oes, m oving
stealthily through the w ild s and hiding them selves in
brush and rubble. R a n gers focu s their com bat training
on tech niques that are particularly useful against their
sp ecific favored foes.
Th an ks to their fam iliarity w ith the w ilds, rangers
acqu ire the ability to cast spells that h arness nature’s
pow er, m uch as a druid d oes. Th eir spells, like their
com bat abilities, em phasize speed, stealth, and the hunt.
A ranger’s talents and abilities are h oned w ith deadly
focu s on the grim task o f protecting the borderlands.

In d epen d en t A dven turers
T h ou gh a ranger m ight m ake a living as a hunter, a
guide, or a tracker, a ran ger’s true calling is to defend
the outskirts o f civilization from the ravages o f m onsters
and h um anoid h ordes that p ress in from the w ild. In
so m e places, rangers gather in secretive orders or join
forces w ith druidic circles. M any rangers, though, are
independent alm ost to a fault, k n ow in g that, w hen a
dragon or a band o f orc s attacks, a ranger m ight be the
first—and p ossib ly the last—line o f defense.
This fierce in depen den ce m akes rangers w ell suited
to adventuring, sin ce they are accu stom ed to life far
from the c om forts o f a dry bed and a hot bath. Faced
with city-bred adventurers w h o g rou se and w hine about
the hardships o f the w ild, rangers respon d w ith som e

T

he

Ra

n g e r

— Spell Slots per Spell Level—

Level

Proficiency
Bonus

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

—

—

—

—

—

—

Spells
Known

Features

—

1st

—

2nd

—

3rd

4th

— —

5th

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

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

+5

4

3

3

2

—

+6

Ability Score Improvement
—

9

17th

10

4

3

3

3

1

18th

+6

Feral Senses

10

4

3

3

3

1

19th

+6

Ability Score Improvement

11

4

3

3

3

2

20th

+6

Foe Slayer

11

4

3

3

3

2

W hat m ade you join up with a band o f adventurers?
D o you find it challen ging to teach n ew allies the w ays
o f the w ild, or do you w elcom e the relief from solitude
that they offer?
Q
m ixture o f am usem ent, frustration, and com pa ssion .
But they quickly learn that other adventurers w h o can
carry their ow n w eight in a fight against civilization’s
fo e s are w orth any extra burden. C odd led city folk might
not k n ow h ow to feed them selves or find fresh w ater in
the w ild, but they m ake up for it in other ways.

C r e a t in g

a

R

anger

A s you create your ranger character, con sider the nature
o f the training that gave you your particular capabilities.
D id you train with a single mentor, w an dering the w ilds
together until you m astered the ran ger’s w ays? Did you
leave your apprenticeship, or w a s your m entor slain—
perhaps by the sam e kind o f m on ster that b e ca m e your
favored enem y? Or perhaps you learned your skills as
part o f a band o f rangers affiliated with a druidic circle,
trained in m ystic paths as well as w ilderness lore. You
might b e self-taught, a recluse w ho learned com bat
skills, tracking, and even a m agical conn ection to nature
through the n ecessity o f surviving in the w ilds.
W h at’s the sou rce o f your particular hatred o f a
certain kind o f enem y? D id a m on ster kill som eon e
you loved or destroy your h om e village? Or did you see
too m uch o f the destruction th ese m on sters cau se and
com m it y ou rself to reining in their depredations? Is
your adventuring career a continuation o f your w ork
in protectin g the borderlands, or a significant change?

u ic k

B u il d

You can m ake a ranger quickly by follow in g these
suggestion s. First, m ake D exterity your highest ability
score, follow ed by W isdom . (S o m e rangers w h o focu s
on tw o-w eapon fighting m ake Strength higher than
Dexterity.) S econ d , c h o o s e the outlander background.

C lass Featu r es
A s a ranger, you gain the follow in g class features.
H

it

P o in t s

Hit Dice: 1d 10 per ranger level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution m odifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d 10 (or 6) + your
C onstitution m odifier per ranger level after 1st
P r o f ic ie n c ie s
Arm or: Light armor, m edium armor, shields
W eapons: S im ple w eapon s, m artial w eapon s
Tools: N one
Saving Throws: Strength, D exterity
Skills: C h oose three from A nim al Handling,
A thletics, Insight, Investigation, Nature, P erception,
Stealth, and Survival
E q u ip m

ent

You start w ith the follow in g equipm ent, in addition to
the equipm ent granted by your background:

•
•
•
•

(a) scale m ail or (b) leather arm or
(a) tw o sh ortsw ords or (b) tw o sim ple m elee w eap on s
(a) a du ng eon eer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack

A

rchery

You gain a +2 bon u s to attack rolls you m ake with
ranged w eapon s.

A lon g b ow and a quiver o f 20 arrow s
D

Fa v o r e d E n e m y
B egin ning at 1st level, you have significant experience
studying, tracking, hunting, and even talking to a certain
type o f enemy.
C h oose a type o f favored enem y: aberrations,
beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elem entals, fey,
fiends, giants, m on strosities, ooze s , plants, or undead.
Alternatively, you can select tw o races o f hum anoid
(such as gnolls and orc s) as favored enem ies.
Y ou have advantage on W isd om (Survival) ch eck s to
track your favored en em ies, as w ell as on Intelligence
ch eck s to recall inform ation about them.
W h en you gain this feature, you also learn one
language o f your ch oice that is sp oken by your favored
en em ies, if they sp eak on e at all.
You c h o o s e on e additional favored enemy, as w ell as
an a ssocia ted language, at 6th and 14th level. A s you
gain levels, your c h o ice s should reflect the types o f
m on sters you have en cou ntered on your adventures.

N atural Explorer
You are particularly fam iliar w ith one type o f natural
environm ent and are adept at traveling and surviving in
such regions. C h oo se on e type o f favored terrain: arctic,
coast, desert, forest, grassland, m ountain, sw am p,
or the U nderdark. W h en you m ake an Intelligence or
W isd om ch eck related to your favored terrain, your
proficiency bon u s is dou bled if you are using a skill that
you ’re proficient in.
W h ile traveling for an hour or m ore in your favored
terrain, you gain the follow in g benefits:
• Difficult terrain d oesn ’t slow your grou p’s travel.
• Your group can ’t b e c o m e lost except by m agical
m eans.
• Even w h en you are engaged in another activity w hile
traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking),
you rem ain alert to danger.
• If you are traveling alone, you can m ove stealthily at
a n orm al pace.
• W h en you forage, you find tw ice as m uch food as you
norm ally w ould.
• W h ile tracking other creatures, you also learn their
exact num ber, their sizes, and h ow lon g ago they
pa ssed through the area.
You c h o o s e additional favored terrain types at 6th
and 10th level.

F i g h t i n g St y l e
At 2nd level, you adopt a particular style o f fighting as
your specialty. C h o ose on e o f the follow in g options.
Y ou ca n ’t take a Fighting Style option m ore than on ce,
even if you later get to c h o o s e again.

efense

W h ile you are w earing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
D

u e l in g

W h en you are w ielding a m elee w eap on in on e hand and
no other w eapon s, you gain a +2 bon u s to dam age rolls
w ith that w eapon.
Tw

o

-W

eapon

F ig h

t in g

W h en you engage in tw o-w eapon fighting, you can add
your ability m odifier to the dam age o f the se co n d attack.

Spellca stin g
By the tim e you reach 2nd level, you have learned to
u se the m agical e ss e n ce o f nature to cast spells, m uch
as a druid d oes. S e e chapter 10 for the general rules o f
sp ellcastin g and chapter 11 for the ranger spell list.
Spell Slo ts
T h e R anger table sh ow s h ow m any spell slots you have
to cast your spells o f 1st level and higher. To cast one o f
th ese spells, you m ust expend a slot o f the sp ell’s level
or higher. You regain all expen ded spell slots w hen you
finish a long rest.
F or exam ple, if you kn ow the 1st-level spell animal
friendship and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot
available, you can cast animal friendship using either slot.
Spe lls K

now n of

1s t L

evel and

H

ig h e r

Y ou k n ow tw o 1st-level spells o f you r c h oice from the
ranger spell list.
T he S p ells K n ow n colu m n o f the R anger table sh ow s
w h en you learn m ore ranger sp ells o f your ch oice. Each
o f th ese sp ells m ust be o f a level for w hich you have

spell slots. F or instance, w hen you reach 5th level in this
class, you can learn on e n ew sp ell o f 1st or 2nd level.
Additionally, w hen you gain a level in this class,
you can c h o o s e on e o f the ranger sp ells you kn ow
and rep lace it w ith another spell from the ranger
spell list, w hich also m ust be o f a level for w hich you
have spell slots.
Sp e l l c a s t in g A

b il it y

W isd om is your sp ellcastin g ability for your ranger
spells, sin ce your m a gic draw s on your attunem ent to
nature. You use your W isd om w henever a spell refers
to your sp ellcastin g ability. In addition, you u se your
W isd om m odifier w hen setting the saving th row D C for
a ranger spell you cast and w hen m akin g an attack roll
with one.
Spell save D C = 8 + your proficiency bonus +

your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus +

your Wisdom modifier

A b il it y Sco r e Im pr o v e m e n t
W h en you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th,
and 19th level, you can in crease on e ability s c o r e o f your
ch oice by 2, or you can in crease tw o ability s c o r e s o f
your ch oice by 1. A s norm al, you ca n ’t in crease an ability
sc o r e above 20 using this feature.

Extra A ttack
B egin n in g at 5th level, you ca n attack tw ice, instead o f
on ce, w henever you take the A ttack action on your turn.

L a n d ’s S t r i d e
Starting at 8th level, m oving through n onm agical
difficult terrain co sts you no extra m ovem ent. You can
also pass through n onm agical plants w ithout being
slow ed by them and without taking dam age from them if
they have thorns, spines, or a sim ilar hazard.
In addition, you have advantage on saving throw s
against plants that are m agically created or m anipulated
to im pede m ovem ent, such th ose created by the
entangle spell.

R anger A rchetype
At 3rd level, you c h o o s e an archetype that you strive
to emulate: Hunter or B east Master, both detailed at
the end o f the class description. Your ch oice grants
you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th,
and 15th level.

P r im eval A wareness
B egin n in g at 3rd level, you can use your action and
expend on e ranger spell slot to focu s your aw areness on
the region around you. F or 1 m inute per level o f the spell
slot you expend, you can sen se w hether the follow in g
types o f creatu res are present w ithin 1 m ile o f you (or
w ithin up to 6 m iles if you are in your favored terrain):
aberrations, celestials, dragons, elem entals, fey, fiends,
and undead. T h is feature d oesn ’t reveal the creatu res’
location or number.

H id e in P l a i n S ig h t
Starting at 10th level, you can sp en d 1 m inute creating
cam ou flage for yourself. You m ust have a c c e s s to fresh
mud, dirt, plants, soot, and other naturally o ccu rrin g
m aterials w ith w hich to create your cam ou flage.
O n ce you are cam ou fla ged in this way, you can try
to hide by p ressin g y ou rself up against a solid surface,
such as a tree or w all, that is at least as tall and w ide
as you are. You gain a +10 bon u s to D exterity (Stealth)
ch eck s as long as you rem ain there without m oving or
taking actions. O nce you m ove or take an action or a
reaction, you m ust cam ou flage y ou rself again to gain
this benefit.

Va n ish
Starting at 14th level, you can u se the H ide action as a
bon u s action on your turn. A lso, you ca n ’t b e tracked by
n onm agical m eans, u n less you c h o o s e to leave a trail.

F e r a l Senses
At 18th level, you gain preternatural se n se s that help
you fight creatu res you ca n ’t see. W h en you attack a
creature you ca n ’t see, your inability to see it d oesn ’t
im p ose disadvantage on your attack rolls against it.
You are also aware o f the location o f any invisible
creature w ithin 30 feet o f you, provided that the
creature isn’t hidden from you and you aren’t
blinded or deafened.

Foe Sla ye r
At 20th level, you b e c o m e an unparalleled hunter o f your
enem ies. O n ce on each o f your turns, you can add your
W isd om m odifier to the attack roll or the dam age roll o f
an attack you m ake against one o f your favored en em ies.
You can c h o o s e to use this feature before or after the
roll, but b efore any effects o f the roll are applied.

R an g er A rchetypes
The ideal o f the ranger has tw o classic expression s: the
Hunter and the B east Master.

H unter
Em ulating the Hunter archetype m eans a cceptin g your
place as a bulw ark b etw een civilization and the terrors
o f the w ildern ess. A s you w alk the H unter’s path, you
learn sp ecia lized tech niques for fighting the threats
you face, from ram paging og res and h ord es o f orc s to
tow ering giants and terrifying dragons.
H

u n t e r ’s

Prey

At 3rd level, you gain on e o f the follow in g features
o f y ou r choice.
Colossus Slayer. Y our tenacity can w ear dow n
the m ost potent foes. W h en you hit a creature w ith a
w eap on attack, the creature takes an extra 1d8 dam age
if it’s b elow its hit point m axim um . You can deal this
extra dam age only o n ce per turn.
Giant Killer. W h en a Large or larger creature w ithin
5 feet o f you hits or m isses you w ith an attack, you can
u se your reaction to attack that creature im m ediately
after its attack, provided that you can see the creature.
Horde Breaker. O n ce on each o f your turns w hen you
m ake a w eap on attack, you can m ake another attack
w ith the sam e w eap on against a different creature that
is w ithin 5 feet o f the original target and w ithin range
o f your w eapon .
D

e f e n s iv e

T a c t ic s

At 7th level, you gain on e o f the follow in g features
o f your ch oice.
Escape the Horde. O pportunity attacks against you
are m ade w ith disadvantage.
Multiattack Defense. W h en a creature hits you
w ith an attack, you gain a +4 b on u s to AC against
all subsequent attacks m ade by that creature for the
rest o f the turn.
Steel Will. Y ou have advantage on saving throw s
against bein g frightened.
M

u l t ia t t a c k

At 11th level, you gain on e o f the follow in g features
o f your ch oice.
Volley. You can u se your action to m ake a ranged
attack against any n um ber o f creatu res w ithin 10 feet
o f a point you can see w ithin your w ea p on ’s range. You
m ust have am m unition for each target, as norm al, and
you m ake a separate attack roll for each target.
Whirlwind Attack. Y ou can u se your action to m ake a
m elee attack against any num ber o f creatu res w ithin 5
feet o f you, w ith a separate attack roll for each target.
Su p e r i o r H

u n t e r ’s

D

efense

At 15th level, you gain on e o f the follow in g features
o f your choice.
Evasion. You can nim bly d odge out o f the w ay o f
certain area effects, su ch as a red dragon ’s fiery breath
or a lightning bolt spell. W h en you are su bjected to an
effect that allow s you to m ake a D exterity saving th row
to take only h alf dam age, you instead take no dam age

if you su cce e d on the saving throw, and only half
d am age if you fail.
Stand Against the Tide. W h en a hostile creature
m isses you with a m elee attack, you can u se your reaction
to force that creature to repeat the sam e attack against
another creature (other than itself) o f your choice.
Uncanny Dodge. W h en an attacker that you can see
hits you w ith an attack, you can use your reaction to
halve the attack’s dam age against you.

B east M aster
T h e B east M aster archetype em b od ies a friendship
betw een the civilized races and the beasts o f the w orld.
United in focu s, beast and ranger w ork as on e to fight
the m on strou s fo e s that threaten civilization and the
w ildern ess alike. Em ulating the B east M aster archetype
m eans com m itting y ou rself to this ideal, w ork in g in
partnership w ith an anim al as its com p a n ion and friend.
R

a n g e r ’s

C

o m p a n io n

At 3rd level, you gain a beast com p a n ion that
accom p a n ies you on your adventures and is trained to
fight alongside you. C h oose a beast that is no larger than
M edium and that has a challen ge rating o f 1/4 or low er
(appendix D presen ts statistics for the hawk, mastiff,
and panther as exam ples). A dd your proficiency bon u s
to the bea st’s AC, attack rolls, and dam age rolls, as w ell
as to any saving th row s and skills it is proficient in. Its
hit point m axim u m equals its n orm al m axim u m or four
tim es your ranger level, w hich ever is higher.
The beast obeys your com m a n d s as best as it can. It
takes its turn on your initiative, though it d oesn ’t take an
action u n less you com m a n d it to. O n your turn, you can
verbally com m a n d the beast w h ere to m ove (no action
requ ired by you). You can use your action to verbally
com m a n d it to take the Attack, Dash, D isengage, D odge,
or Help action. O nce you have the Extra A ttack feature,
you can m ake on e w eap on attack y ou rself w hen you
com m a n d the beast to take the A ttack action.
W h ile traveling through your favored terrain w ith only
the beast, you can m ove stealthily at a n orm al pace.
If the beast dies, you can obtain another on e by
sp ending 8 hours m agically b on d in g w ith another beast
that isn’t hostile to you, either the sam e type o f beast as
b efore or a different one.
E x c e p t io n a l T

r a in in g

B egin ning at 7th level, on any o f your turns w hen
your beast com p a n ion d oesn ’t attack, you can use a
bon u s action to com m a n d the beast to take the Dash,
D isengage, D odge, or Help action on its turn.
B e s t ia l F u r y
Starting at 11th level, your beast com p a n ion can
m ake tw o attacks w hen you com m a n d it to u se the
A ttack action.
Sh a r e Spells
B egin ning at 15th level, w hen you cast a spell targeting
yourself, you can also affect your beast com p a n ion with
the spell if the beast is w ithin 30 feet o f you.