Not All Who Wander are Lost: A Ranger's Guide

[EvilAnagram]

I only just saw that you posted, Flötenschlumpf.

-You forgot to include the Hide in Plain Sight class feature!

Good catch!

-Goodberry: I would rate this spell higher. There is no limit on how many goodberrys you can eat and they last for 24 hours. With healing being a scarce resource in 5e, goodberry is a good option for spending unused spell slots after a lazy adventuring day or on the eve of a long dungeon crawl. A level 5 ranger could thus create a pool of 60 hitpoints for healing between encounters.

You get this at the same time you get Cure Wounds. I wouldn't give up the latter for the former, and there aren't enough spell slots to waste on a second healing spell that doesn't compare to the first one.

-Hail of thorns: I would give this the highest possible rating. The ranger has a very narrow selection of 11 spells and quite a few abilities like Volley, Horde Breaker or Colossus Slayer that require a ranged attack or could be used together with a ranged attack. Therefore every spell enhancing ranged attacks that can be activated with a bonus action, triggered by shooting your bow and scaling with spell slot used is pure gold for the ranger.

I like your reasoning. Great suggestion.

-Conjure Barrage: I would rate this lower. Granted, it affects a large area but, the damage is rather mediocre and it is not scalable and at this point Volley is only two levels away.

Volley is eight levels away at this point. It's two spell levels, but it will take eight Ranger levels and thousands of experience points to get there.

-Freedom of movement: I would rate this definitely higher. It is a long term non-concentration buff that protects you from some of the worst things that can happen to a mobile warrior. Quite a lot of the larger monsters have very deadly auto success grappling attacks that normally would force you to waste an action on a dexterity/strength check in order to escape.

Good point, but you're going to have a solid chance of saving no matter what with your STR or DEX. And remember, Black isn't a bad rating. It just means it's not overwhelming.

- Horde Breaker: This is at least two categories better (it is actually in the highest category if you stick to your premise of rating the ranger's features within the boundaries of the class). Two targets standing within five foot of one another is not that rare a situation and the feature clearly calls only for a weapon attack not a melee attack. So as long as you use your bow for the first attack you will never have a problem with the “within range of your weapon requirement”. Furthermore Horde Breaker combines excellently with other spells and features of the ranger. A fifth level ranger encountering two enemies within five feet of one another could use a bonus action to cast Hail of Thorns in a second level spell slot and use the attack action to shoot his bow at the first enemy, inflicting D8 +4 damage. Hail of Thorns would trigger for another 2D10 damage to both targets (assuming failed saves). Horde Breaker would trigger allowing an attack on the second target for additional D8 +4 damage. Finally the ranger would be free to direct his extra attack on whichever target he wants for a final D8 +4 damage. The same combo works with Volley for even more devastation. The ranger could cast Hail of Thorns, upon hitting with the first Volley attack, Hail of Thorns and Horde Breaker are triggered (assuming there is a valid target), the ranger could continue shooting his remaining volley attacks (including shooting again at the target just hit with Horde Breaker).

Okay. I'm convinced.

- Colossus Slayer: I think this is overvalued and should be moved down one step. Sure it is a practically guaranteed additional D8 of damage per round, but as you already noted: It does not scale. Now not growing in an environment of universal inflation equals shrinking (like saving money in your mattress). The feature is the strongest right when you get it and I would take it any day, if I would only play up to level five, but in mid to long term perspective it is a mediocre choice.

It doesn't grow, but it stacks with spells like Hunter's Mark. It's consistent extra damage

- Strength saving throw: This is definitely more useful than just purple. The value of saving throws in 5e looks like this DEX, CON, WIS > STR >> INT, CHA. Intelligence and Charisma only come up in a few fringe cases, but the Monster Manual is packed with Monsters demanding Strength saving throws to avoid extra damge, beeing pushed around, knocked down, trampled over etc. It is not right up there with the big three Dex, Con, Wis but also not too far behind. Somebody with a Dex, Str combination is better served then somebody with a Wis, Cha combination especially when being a melee combatant.

When I made this, the Monster Manual wasn't out. I changed it.

[Easy_Lee]

Barkskin: Great for a Beast Master that wants his pet safe. Otherwise, you should already have an AC above 16.

Great post. Would just like to point out that barding can also solve the AC problem. Most beasts cab conceivably wear barding to increase their AC up to half-plate or breastplate levels, plus up to two AC.

A panther companion with breastplate barding has 14 +2 (dex) + your proficiency AC and doesn't take disadvantage on stealth checks. BP barding has a cost of 1600, 33% more than plate. That's not bad.

I'm more concerned with the apparent lack of magical attacks for beasts than its AC.

[archaeo]

I'm more concerned with the apparent lack of magical attacks for beasts than its AC.

There could very well be magic items that get around this, but in the meantime, directing your pet to Help and allowing it to soak some damage will be benefit enough versus enemies that resist non-magical weapons.

But like I said, I won't be surprised to see Beast Master-specific magic items, and if one didn't appear in the DMG, I'd certainly be cool with homebrewing one to keep the pet relevant in high-level play. If nothing else, doing a little bit of creative dentistry and plastic surgery isn't out of the realm of possibility.

[Easy_Lee]

There could very well be magic items that get around this, but in the meantime, directing your pet to Help and allowing it to soak some damage will be benefit enough versus enemies that resist non-magical weapons.

But like I said, I won't be surprised to see Beast Master-specific magic items, and if one didn't appear in the DMG, I'd certainly be cool with homebrewing one to keep the pet relevant in high-level play. If nothing else, doing a little bit of creative dentistry and plastic surgery isn't out of the realm of possibility.

That's not a bad idea at all. In addition to that, I'm hoping it's possible to a) have blacksmiths / fabricate spell modify the shape and size of magical equipment and b) use awaken to make the companion smart enough to attune magic items.

[Kerleth]

I'm going to have to disagree that cure wounds obviously outclasses goodberry. As was stated, low level healing is scarce, and more healing is good. The average hp healed for a 1st level cure wounds, assuming a +5 wisdom is only 9.5. At the level where you learn the spell you will likely have a +3 or +2 wisdom, making it a 7.5 or 6.5. Goodberry conjures up 10 berries, restoring 1 hp each, for a total of 10 hp healed.

Cure Wounds Pros
Scales with higher spell slots.
Useful for mid combat healing. Not generally the best choice for your action, but when you want it, you REALLY want it.
Stabilizes a 0hp ally without having to try to make them swallow a berry.

Goodberry Pros
Higher amount of healing, especially when first gained.
Healing able to be split point by point between multiple characters.
Rider effect that provides nourishment. I assume that means both food and water, but YMMV. Not going to matter often, but when it does you are really gonna like having it. And in campaigns that tend to explore desolate environments or get trapped for days on end, this could be the only thing keeping you all alive.
Can be cast ahead of time and divvied up to multiple characters. Useful if you split the party to explore. Also, could be used to stabilize the ranger themselves if you can get them to swallow.*
*technically the person restoring the hp has to use their own action to "activate" the healing RAW, so very DM dependent there.

Myself, I actually rate goodberry higher, but that is a campaign style thing. Saying Cure Wounds is definitively better just seems flat out wrong to me, they each have their niches and are comparable.

[EvilAnagram]

I'm going to have to disagree that cure wounds obviously outclasses goodberry. As was stated, low level healing is scarce, and more healing is good. The average hp healed for a 1st level cure wounds, assuming a +5 wisdom is only 9.5. At the level where you learn the spell you will likely have a +3 or +2 wisdom, making it a 7.5 or 6.5. Goodberry conjures up 10 berries, restoring 1 hp each, for a total of 10 hp healed.

Right, but it happens immediately, doesn't depend on your stuffing yourself with berries, has the potential to heal more than 10, scales so that when cast as a level two spell it averages higher than Goodberry, and can be used on unconscious allies. I realize you already mentioned these, but let's look at Goodberry:

Higher amount of healing, especially when first gained.

Only when first gained. After you get level 2 spell slots, Cure Wounds is better.

Healing able to be split point by point between multiple characters.

This isn't all that useful. You might as well just use your recovery dice.

Rider effect that provides nourishment. I assume that means both food and water, but YMMV. Not going to matter often, but when it does you are really gonna like having it. And in campaigns that tend to explore desolate environments or get trapped for days on end, this could be the only thing keeping you all alive.

You're a Ranger. You should be able to find nourishment on your own.

Can be cast ahead of time and divvied up to multiple characters. Useful if you split the party to explore. Also, could be used to stabilize the ranger themselves if you can get them to swallow.*
*technically the person restoring the hp has to use their own action to "activate" the healing RAW, so very DM dependent there.

I'll give you this.

In general, I trust instant healing more than delayed and incremental healing.

[Easy_Lee]

Rangers can only find food if they roll survival (or use a feature/spell). Goodberry is an interesting spell in that it basically replaces the survival skill for an entire party plus. It's useful in campaigns where your DM thought stranding you in the underdark with no supplies was going to be a problem.

DM: "You have no food or water and are going to starve."
You: "Nope."

Otherwise, yeah, the cure scales better. Due to the wording on goodberry requiring an aciton to eat it (must be one hell of a large goodberry), it's not as good for combat healing as it could be.

[Kerleth]

Only when first gained. After you get level 2 spell slots, Cure Wounds is better.

Except that you have to use up those higher level spell slots to do it. Spell slots that could have been spent on other things, like the rest of your spells. At low levels it is noticeably more efficient. They don't even draw even until you max out wisdom, which may very well not be till 16th level. Technically goodberry still does .5 more than cure wounds average, but meh. Although that brings up another point. Goodberry is a dependable 10 points, cure is anywhere from 6 to 13 assuming a +5 wisdom. Since you can save those berries up and use them after the next time you are damaged, rather than "wasting" the extra on a high cure wounds roll, or not rolling high enough when you need it, I think that's another tick in goodberries favor.

This isn't all that useful. You might as well just use your recovery dice.

Disagree strongly here. It actually works excellently WITH recovery dice by allowing you to eat 2 berries rather than spend a whole die to max out. Furthermore finding 1 minute to glom down the berries and 1 hour to rest are very different things. You can even stop eating berries and get back to fighting halfway through if necessary.

In general, I trust instant healing more than delayed and incremental healing.

Cure Wounds is definitely the combat healing spell. Goodberry is the more efficient healer at low levels hands down. If you are wanting to play healer at high levels, cure wounds is the better choice, though I'm not sold on that role for the ranger. Also, nothing is stopping you from trading in goodberry for cure wounds at 5th level (when you get 2nd level slots) or a higher level when you have maxed wisdom, have lots of higher slots, and food rescources are generally less of an adventure concern.

Honestly, I think that the best thing for a guide would be to say Low levels: Goodberry heals more, cure wounds useful for mid combat. At high levels, strongly consider swapping goodberry out for cure wounds with your free spells known swap at every ranger level.

[EvilAnagram]

Honestly, I think that the best thing for a guide would be to say Low levels: Goodberry heals more, cure wounds useful for mid combat. At high levels, strongly consider swapping goodberry out for cure wounds with your free spells known swap at every ranger level.

I'm cool with this change. Informing people is the name of the game, after all.

[Kerleth]

I'm cool with this change. Informing people is the name of the game, after all.

YAY! I feel helpful.

BTW, in general a very easy to read and nice guide. Also enjoying reading the discussion going on in the paladin guide in the sig. (NOT derailing this thread by getting into it here). However, you are a poopyface, because I was honestly considering doing my first ever guide on the 5E ranger, and yours is so good I feel little need now. Poopyface.

[Psionic]

I am here SPECIFICALLY for spell choice critique. I've spent a lot of time working on the ranger spell list, and there are a few LARGE restraints on a couple spells that make them very weak in comparison to the other spells, and I'm here to point them out, specifically on the ones I feel you have far too high in rating.

1st level spells:

Note first off, that unless you plan on taking magic initiate or ritual caster, you will only take three of these in your entire ranger career, up to level 20. This is the case for every spell level PAST this as well, except worse! You only get TWO spells for every casting level past this one, so every choice matters.

Also note, You want as few concentration spells as possible! Hunter's mark is your consistant damage maker, and casting any concentrated spell should be done beforehand or NOT AT ALL as Hunter's mark can last an entire encounter otherwise. This will play a HUGE factor into which spells are picked and which aren't

Spoiler: 1st level spells

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- Ensnaring strike (down)

One big issue is this spell is blue, it can only be black at BEST. Not only is it a concentration spell (breaks hunter's mark, and vice versa) but the entirety of it's effect is balanced upon the first save. On the first save, no damage and no restraint is applied, meaning this spell provides (on average) 1.75 damage on cast, breaks your concentration, and eats one full spell slot and one possible learned level one spell. It CAN get very strong, but it's much safer to use Hail of Thorns to guarantee the damage and also provide some AOE.

- Hail of Thorns (up)

Hail of thorns is blue, and it should be light blue. It requires concentration, like Ensnaring strike, so why do I say such crazy things? Hail of thorns is bar none, the best damage spell you will get for rangers at ANY level (beats conjure barrage by a full die size, 3d8 vs 3d10!) until you reach Conjure Volley (which beats it cleanly, which is why Conjure Volley is GOLD). In addition, for the case of Colossus Slayer, it guarantees damage on the other affected targets, even with a save, and every affected target takes the full effect, as opposed to Lightning arrow, its closest competition. Possibly could be considered only blue for Horde breakers, as their combat style overlaps, but this is usually why I'd favor Colossus slayer. These two effects should ABSOLUTELY be light blue together, they both synergize and allow you to do straight DPS and area DPS effectively without sacrificing the ability to do the other. In fairness, I do not recommend taking Colossus slayer with the expectation of it scaling, I pick it up for dealing with ONE target better than any other branch can, because Hunters in general do NOT get good single target DPS scaling but their ability to AOE only gets more and more awesome. Horde breaker just seems redundant with two spell options that deal extremely well scaling, guaranteed damage to everything in a 5-foot radius, rather than to one extra enemy, ESPECIALLY after they get Volley to cover. But they never really get that straight "one guy goes down" shot, outside of Colossus slayer. Simple enough.

Volley + Hail of thorns = Everything's hurt. Volley + Hail of thorns + Horde breaker = Everything's still hurt, but one guy is just a LITTLE BIT WORSE off. Same goes for Colossus slayer.

- Goodberry (up)

Rangers want to carry things. A ranger with low strength will hardly be able to carry food, let alone supplies. If you lack strength to effectively carry all the equipment you want, this ability is BLUE. Sprig of Mistletoe is weightless, cheap, and with it, will cut ten rations, or TWENTY POUNDS (1/3 of weight limit on a 12 strength ranger) of carry weight from the character, allowing effective, wide range of equipment choices and better arms and armors. For purely Dex-Wis or low STR rangers, this is a must if you want to be any sort of adventurer. Trust me, I tried.

- Cure Wounds (down)

For the above reasons, this ability should be blue. No other reasons. Definitely the better combat effective choice, but if you want to be well supplied, cutting twenty pounds of rations
is definitely worth the cost, especially if you have either a specialized healer, a couple characters with extra healing, or a bard who's focused in cutting words and defensive spells. Still a great option.

I agree with essentially everything else in 1st level. Hunter's mark is impossible to pass up.

2nd level spells:

You MAY end up taking three spells from this one, dependant COMPLETELY on your fourth level spell choices. But for early on, you only get two. So I'm going to rate them accordingly, and you have some pretty great options here!

Spoiler: 2nd level spells

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- Spike growth (up)

Pure gold. Anytime you have the jump on an enemy, or have the ability to cast before an enemy approaches (which can be set with a reaction!) it will guarantee 8d4 damage on one target, plus countless extra 2d4's for every other melee enemy you catch, at a minimum (NO SAVE on cast, only if they try to enter!). Note also, this counts as DIFFICULT TERRAIN meaning all movement is halved. Against humanoids, most of them will spend TWO turns of movement (a full turn if they Dash) trying to exit the zone to assault your allies. Enemies who are unfortunate enough to be on the opposite side of this zone will circumvent or likely not survive trying to cross the full 16d4 diameter of spikes. It is also one of the few unique spells that will not hurt your frontline allies engaged in combat as long as they don't need to flee for safety.

The only reason you cannot put this spell in the hall of fame immediately for how amazing it is are as follows:

Concentration
Main action required
Silence

- Silence (up)

Jeez. Second level is amazing. Silence is just great. Against a wave of enemy spellcasters, this spell (along with some help from an allied Entangle or other restrictive spell) can render them absolutely useless. On the reaction, it's a pure counterspell to essentially any spell that requires verbage (nearly all of the ones you can think of) and it's no save from a RANGER who may or may not have a great spell save DC. It also is full of utility and a brilliant spell altogether. That, and only Lesser restoration really pulls on the mind as necessary for this rank, which is dependant on setting and DM, as are all picks for abilities

Both of these spells should probably be light blue

- Cordon of Arrows

I agree with where you have it, this is just a nitpick. Cordon of arrows LOOKS like a decent ability, but a couple major holds keep it from being chosen over the past two, EVEN THOUGH those last two have concentration factor. Firstly, it has no save damage, meaning that you're averaging 1.75 damage per bolt. Secondly, they can only be placed all within a 5 foot ring, meaning that at most, you can protect an area of a radius 30 feet wide. If you could plant them each 30 feet apart, you could actually make an effective defense perimeter with two or three active effects, and even one would serve the base purpose for a campground. 30 feet is 10 more feet and they're at your tent. Great reaction time. Finally, it holds a second level rating, meaning it has to compete with Silence and Spike growth, which frankly, it can't. The sole redeeming factor of Cordon of arrows is it takes no concentration, and THAT ALONE makes it worthwhile and worthy of the black rating. If it took concentration I'd heavily consider it to be the worst spell in the entire game. So it is indeed pickable because of how many good concentration abilities you don't want interrupted, and it's an effective spell nonetheless. I just hate the fact it doesn't give half damage, breaks the arrow, and you can't choose whether or not an undesignated unit is attacked if it enters the area. Nitpicks.

Lesser restoration is a good candidate for third option here, if you don't want Freedom of Movement or Stoneskin. I do dissuade returning for Cordon of Arrows if it comes up. I consider Lesser restoration blue (up) after the first pass if you return with an extra spell option.

Your picks here were pretty good.

3rd level spells:

This level is when the proverbial human feces hits the proverbial ventilation system. Remember, Concentration is the biggest factor here, and for all ranks, and many people miss it. It will mean life or death for every single option here.

Spoiler: 3rd level spells

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- Conjure Animals (down)

This spell takes CONCENTRATION which means it can be NO HIGHER THAN BLUE. Your Hunter's mark, Spike growth, Silence, Lightning Arrow, and Wind Wall are all effectively disabled for the entire time you concentrate on keeping your minions around. It will also end any concentrated effects, such as Spike Growth, should it already be in cast. This spell also scales very poorly, and in most cases will serve as a red herring for you and your party. It's a fine spell but is rated far too high due to its need to concentrate.

- Conjure Barrage (up)

The best spell at this level. Can be cast freely without breaking concentration on other spells, which is literally the only reason it is #1. Even a die size short of Hail of thorns, you may keep up your hunter's mark on a fleeing creature, sustain your spike growth or silence effects on the field, etc. The ability to use this spell, unrestricted by the effect you currently have in play is an unimaginably sweet bonus that is most definitely underrated. Remember that against larger than PC creatures you have the ability to aim your cone above and up, effectively creating a line effect while sparing the allied PC's below, making it allied safe.

- Lightning arrow (dropped)

Essentially a Hail of Thorns, but more front-heavy and not dependant on a hit. Less overall damage than Hail of thorns madeup for guaranteed damage. I both like and HATE this skill. This ability is BLACK and should not be taken, essentially ever unless used as an elemental damage splash (so that you have some non-piercing magical effects, or specifically vs lightning weak enemies) because it cuts your own damage in the place of the 4d8, which means you are giving away 1d8+1d6+~6 or 14 damage for 4d8 or 18 damage, on average. That, and it uses your bonus action, breaks concentration (remember that thing we should care about) uses a third level spell slot, and you attack for a grand total of four extra damage (about of it 9 guaranteed) and about 9 spread damage in close burst. Or, you can be sensible, load a third level hail of thorns, take two tries at the enemy, and on hit, deal 3d10+1d8+1d6+6 and 3d10 to all creatures instead of 2d8. Lightning arrow's damage is completely overshadowed by Hail of thorns, and that's simply because Hail of thorns simply scales too well. 1d10 per level is insane. The advantage you gain from lightning arrow is simple:5 more feet, and there's no DEX save on the main damage. If your spell save DC is horrible due to low wis and you are far more likely to have an enemy succeed its throw, a lightning arrow is an okay, blue option. Otherwise it's a trap. It'll cost you concentration, a spell slot, and a 3rd level option in a LOADED third level for rangers

- Protection from Energy (down)

Good, but once again, black. I like protection from energy a lot, but third level is LOADED, and if you don't go back for a second level spell at your fourth level picks, you'll probably end up back here to pick from all the leftover goodies. This one is another concentration, which will prevent you from having your most deadly spells available, and if used on yourself, can end up being a major waste, similar to stoneskin (and I will deny you on stoneskin for that reason when we get there) because as the spell's caster, you have to make your concentration after taking the damage, even if it's the damage type you're resisting in the first place! Be unlucky and you literally will have your protection spell for one turn, which is a huge waste of a third level spell slot. For that reason, I deem it black. It can be quite useful applied to an ally but very risky used on yourself.

- Wind wall

You thought I was going to disagree with you? HELL NO. One thing can ALWAYS make it on the list, and that's a spell that stands by itself to be extremely useful with no added effort. Protect yourself and your allies from a Volley of arrows. Split the enemy ranks. Give yourself another damage type, even the odds against those who would fly over your traps, spells, and tricks. This spell is light blue and it should be the only concentration spell you take the first time around in this rank. I give this the nod over conjure animals ONLY because of Woodland beings at next level. These are both quality options, and in reality should both probably be blue to Conjure barrage, but I'm assuming that you are at range, want to stay at range, and can bisect your enemy ranks using this spell to separate the melee fighters and the archers. That opening alone is what gives it the Light blue ranking.

That's all I have for 3rd level

4th level spells:

annnnnd, yeah. 4th level. Even being a concentration, Woodland Beings is a good choice, especially since there's only one other spell here that should possibly be taken:

Spoiler: 4th level spells

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- Freedom of movement (up)

This spell is solid blue. It beats a full list of spells used to restrict or halt movement, essentially makes you immune to grabs and restraints, both magical and physical, and it's the only spell in 4th level than doesn't require concentration. For that reason alone, I have it at blue. Personally, my group has a DM that just LOVES status effects and this one is a handy one to hold onto for a myriad of reasons. It can be as bad as purple or as good as light blue based solely on the setting, your allies, and the DM. Gonna go fight in the spider nest? PACK. THIS. SPELL.

That being said, There are better spells you were forced to wait on back in 3rd or 2nd level, so go diving for those gems if you don't feel this spell will have enough of an impact.

- Stoneskin (dropped)

You knew this was coming. You don't like me for this, but you probably passed up Conjure animals, Conjure Barrage, Lesser restoration, or Wind wall in your earlier levels, because you chose one of the other options over them. The wait is over! Go get one of them, and avoid this TRAP. Nonmagical damage redux and concentration, at fourth level these concentration options are hurting you more and more, especially once you get to 5th level and your swift quiver. The spell is weak on yourself, albeit QUITE effective on your non-barbarian friends, but trust me, they can take care of themselves at 13th level. You provide far too much with your concentrated spells to sell out of them with Stoneskin. Black. Blue in a no-healer, all DPS team, which is best case scenario for this worst-case spell.

Did I mention one cast of this spell also costs 100gp? oh wait, nevermind, level 13. Moving on.

5th level spells:

The only question here is not what spells to take, it's which to take first.

Spoiler: 5th level spells

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- Conjure Volley

8d8. You will not have a higher single damage spell from a ranger. It's the first spell that cleanly beats Hail of thorns for damage, and despite costing your full action, is absolutely worth it. The best part is yet to come: No concentration. This spell is instant and will not break your concentration on any of your other abilities, like Conjure barrage. The difference being this spell has a cylinder target scheme. No aiming high and sparing your allies. They will get skewered as well with improper aiming, and it's the worst of the spells for leniency

- Swift Quiver

Two extra attacks from your bonus action, which means you can Volley and fire two extra targeted arrows in one turn, or just Boromir a guy. The important thing about Swift quiver to remember is all the ammunition you fire is NONMAGICAL. This is both very beneficial and also strangely horrible. Nonmagical means it is trumped by stoneskin and other magical defenses, but it also means it fills the requirement for all of your previous spells, as nearly all of them specify using non-magical ammunition or weapons. Also, it's yet again a concentration spell. Definitely worth the concentration in this case, but will negate your hunter's mark, and your magical enhancement on any arrows you would normally fire in place of the swift quiver arrows. Conjure volley is probably the right way to go to start. Doesn't break concentration, isn't secretly bad, and it's the best pure damage spell you'll get. Ever.

That's all the spells I took issue with (not including the 5th level spells, I just wanted to mention them for the sake of completing the list.) and hope it helps.

[Demonic Spoon]

Rangers want to carry things. A ranger with low strength will hardly be able to carry food, let alone supplies. If you lack strength to effectively carry all the equipment you want, this ability is BLUE. Sprig of Mistletoe is weightless, cheap, and with it, will cut ten rations, or TWENTY POUNDS (1/3 of weight limit on a 12 strength ranger) of carry weight from the character, allowing effective, wide range of equipment choices and better arms and armors. For purely Dex-Wis or low STR rangers, this is a must if you want to be any sort of adventurer. Trust me, I tried.

Weight limit is 15 * your strength mod. A 12 strength ranger can carry 170 pounds.

[Psionic]

"The rules for lifting and carrying are intentionally simple. Here is a variant if you are looking for more detailed rules for determining how a character is hindered by the weight of equipment. When you use this variant, ignore the Strength column of the Armor table in chapter 5.
If you carry weight in excess of 5 times your Strength score, you are encumbered, which means your speeddrops by 10 feet.
If you carry weight in excess of 10 times your Strength score, up to your maximum carrying capacity, you are instead heavily encumbered, which means your speed drops by 20 feet and you have disadvantage on ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws that use Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution."

If you're playing with the simplified rules, yes. If you're playing with the variant rules, like most people do (speaking feats, etc) then you want to be under 5x your strength in weight. I specifically condition my picks along the variant rules because the base rules are pretty all-around disgustingly bad. Oh yeah, that wizard with no combat potential? He's carrying 150 pounds of weight on his back and he feels like climbing cliffs.

I should have stated "unencumbered" weight to account for dwarves and such, but I figured it should be a no brainer. ._.

[Demonic Spoon]

That depends entirely on the variant rule. Not every variant rule is commonly used. It's reasonable to assume that most people on giantITP will use feats, because people like the design of them and they don't really do much but give more options, and most posters here are veterans of tabletop RPGs.

Whether or not you use variant encumbrance rules is an entirely different matter. Given that I have never met anyone who actually liked 3.5-ish encumbrance rules, I would doubt that the vast majority of people will be using them. At the very least, it's silly to assume that so many people will that you don't even need to mention it.

[Psionic]

I have never played with a single person in 5e who thought their character could freely carry 120+ pounds excepting the one barbarian dwarf. Then again, some people don't think having weight as a factor is fun. I will never understand that kind of perspective, but there are always those kinds of people.

anyway.

The main rules assume that wizards will not buy heavy armor, and most characters will stay in their means or specialty for equipment, thus remaining under the 5x weight limit without worrying about it. That does NOT mean it was unintended. You are expected to carry no more than 5x your weight, and then if you happen upon a large treasure, story dictates the drop in movement. You aren't going to collect the entire dragon's hoard of gold into your forty sacks and then double time it back to your ship. The narrative should slow you down so that the encumbrance rules don't have to. When push comes to shove, encumbrance rules are there to specify. They aren't to ignore because the wizard desparately need ten torches, three lines of fifty foot rope, 3 pints of oil, two different types of lanterns, three daggers, and a backpack full of food and water.

P.S. That is why the end of the carrying capacity blurb states that it "is high enough that MOST characters won't have to worry about it."

[Krymoar]

Survival can be great in certain campaigns, but you might not need it in an urban setting.

Whoa, This is unforgivable, you should upgrade this color to sky blue. Why are you hating on Survival.

If you go now and directly check your Player's Handbook, you will a page in there numbered One-Hundred and Fifty-Nine.

Atop this page you will see a fancy insert to the left of a dagger and some loose coins.

Within this insert you may, if you so please, find that were you to be proficient in Survival, it would let you live the equivalent of a comfortable lifestyle!

Comfortable, what more could you ask for..

(Performance is the best for lifestyle choices, I guess as a PC, you immediately achieve star status?)

[DireSickFish]

Could we get this updated with the new races and spells from the DMG and Elemental Evil? This is a handy resource to have and the spells from Elemental Evil are really neat.

[Demonic Spoon]

That makes sense, but could those be separated out? Not every game has every supplement, so making the EE content a set of collapsible subsections would be ideal.

[DireSickFish]

That makes sense, but could those be separated out? Not every game has every supplement, so making the EE content a set of collapsible subsections would be ideal.

I'd think adding EE or DMG next to the option as a call out would work best rather than have a full separate section for the supplement.

[ruy343]

I'd also argue that the dueling style is not red, and the two weapon style is not sky blue. The dueling style allows you to be a potent damage dealer with high AC. Two weapon fighting feels like a trap, especially with archery style getting more support from spells and such. Two weapon fighting is okay at low levels when you don't have spells for your bonus action or other useful things but it quickly loses pace.

Wouldn't TWF be better because you get to add your hunter's mark and colossus slayer extra dice of damage to each attack?

(Note, I'M AFB right now)

[Totema]

Wouldn't TWF be better because you get to add your hunter's mark and colossus slayer extra dice of damage to each attack?

(Note, I'M AFB right now)

You're right about hunter's mark, but colossus slayer is just one bonus per turn.

[Easy_Lee]

You're right about hunter's mark, but colossus slayer is just one bonus per turn.

I had thought colossus slayer was once per round, but you are right that it is once per turn. Good show; this type of hunter would benefit more than usual from sources of reaction attacks.

[DireSickFish]

Wouldn't TWF be better because you get to add your hunter's mark and colossus slayer extra dice of damage to each attack?

(Note, I'M AFB right now)

The problem is to apply or move hunters mark is a bonus action, the same as the extra attack you are getting from TWF. So the bonus +2 damage to hit form duelist is more consistently applied in more situations. And as they said before colossus slayer is once per turn. Dual wielding helps you make sure you get colossus slayer damage in because you have more attacks so its more likely you will get a second attack in on a full hp target. The problem with bonus actions still persists. Sword and board also has the AC advantage.

[Gwendol]

I can't help wonder if a swashbuckler/ranger using TWF isn't a good thing. Both classes come fairly front-loaded. I'm going to give it some more thought.

[tieren]

Thanks for the guide.

I am looking for more multiclass advice.

I have a level 3 ranger now and am focused on archery. I am looking forward to how I want to build it out and I don't think it will be as a high level ranger. Waiting til level 17 to get the 5th level spells seems too long. I don't know the campaign will go that long.

I am planning to go to at least level 5 as a ranger then branching out.

My current ideas are swirling around including some rogue, or BM fighter, or war domain cleric, or some combination thereof. At one point I settled on ranger 13/ rogue 3/ BM fighter 4, but I am uncertain (I think I want more casting than that). Also considering ranger 12/ war cleric 5/ rogue 3.

I like action surge, BM trick shots, second wind, expertise, sneak attacks, cunning action, assassinate, war priest, and guided shot channel divinity.

I am variant human and already have sharp shooter. Was planning on resilience (Con), and getting Dex to 20 for my ASI's (will take 3). After that probably boost Wis if casting a lot or con if more martial.

Any suggestions?

[ravenlikestea]

I'd consider Lore Bard for multiclass after 5, if your Charisma is manageable. However, even if it's just high enough to qualify for the multiclass, I'd still really recommend it. There are some really useful spells that don't require high Cha. Also, you can use Magical Secrets to get access to those high level Ranger spells that you want.

[tieren]

I'd consider Lore Bard for multiclass after 5, if your Charisma is manageable. However, even if it's just high enough to qualify for the multiclass, I'd still really recommend it. There are some really useful spells that don't require high Cha. Also, you can use Magical Secrets to get access to those high level Ranger spells that you want.

Unfortunately my Cha is only 10. My Dex and wisdom are high so classes that base MC on those are available (rogue, fighter, cleric, druid) but the Cha and Int classes are out.

[KorvinStarmast]

Inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's Aragorn and the Rangers of the North, the Ranger first appeared as a class in one of the first original Dungeons & Dragons supplements.

Technically, this is incorrect. The Ranger (sub-class of Fighting Men) first appeared in the Strategic Review, Volume I, Issue 2 (Summer, 1975) after Greyhawk (Supp 1) was published, but before Blackmoor (Supp2)hit the streets. It did not get included in the Blackmoor, Eldritch Wizardry (sup 3), nor in Deities, Demigods, and Heroes (sup 4). Oddly enough, encounter tables in the later supplements included Rangers, as did the psionic tables. Why they didn't fold it into EW or BM I am not sure, but it probably had to do with how the early books got printed. (Interesting editorial rant by Gygax about that in SR2). You could try to get SR review issues by writing direct to TSR those days. I seem to recall that an early Dragon issue included "the best of SR" and that included the Ranger. (My old Dragons are long since gone, so I can't confirm that).

It was somewhat frustrating at the time to see references to Rangers in the supplements but not have the class info in a supplement. Not all game stores had the Strategic Review available as a resource. (A Xerox machine (copier machine as we know them now) wasn't all that common in a small business. And in those days, some folks took copyright seriously anyway). The first I saw of the class was after a college friend got a copy of Strategic Review #2 which we all used as a reference for whomever wanted to play a Ranger.

The first Ranger in a TSR manual / supplement was in AD&D 1e, PHB.

[Gwendol]

You will likely take both rogue and BM fighter, that will complement ranger nicely.

[PoeticDwarf]

I really think you are rating standard humans too high. There are maybe 3 ability scores a ranger will care about, and those can all be boosted by just being a variant human with the right feat. Oh, except those actually gain racial abilities. Standard humans also get very boring after a while, because while high elves are using their cantrip every combat and dragonborn get to scorch people, you are stuck saying: 'yeah, I am slightly better at a lot of things, half of which I'll never need'.

If you have three or more odd stats, human is a good choice. Because you need three stats as ranger, and +1 on the other three is more usefull than a cantrip.

With pointbuy


Human ranger can go for a:
16, 14, 14, 12, 12, 11

Where a wood elf has
16, 14, 14, 12, 10, 10 and maybe some higher speed and other features, but the wood elf is one of the best races for ranger anyway.