Revised ranger multiclass help.

[DarcyFinn]

Hello GiTPG forum,

I am playing a revised ranger (hunter) and have now reached level 5. I am a Woodelf with high Dex and Wis stats. I have specialised in undead as my FE, Hoard-breaker and Archery.

We are playing a curse of Strahd module, and I have been very tempted by multi-classing next level.

Lots of the multi-classing guides appear to be written before revised ranger, so it's hard to determine if it is worth switching, as the lvl 20 RR capstone is better than the PHB capstone. However character wise there has been a lot of moralistic choices in our game, and my character is on a bit of a precipice going towards more chaotic or more lawful.

So I was thinking either I could remain ranger, or follow a more chaotic path and multi class into Rogue, or a more lawful path into either a life (thematic with my hating undead background)/war (less thematic but some interesting powers) cleric.

I am finding it hard to know how much to dip into each of these others if I were to do so, but I suspect that only a little dip into Rogue would be beneficial, where as I think if I went Cleric it would make more sense to remain cleric for the rest of my advancement now having got my extra attack.

Please could I get some advice on which people think would be frankly a more powerful build (I do like having a impact in combat) or conversely what would be less good, and how much of a dip would be most useful. I am happy if my character is not 'optimal' but I don't wanna to be really crippling myself.

Rogue seems great for sneak attack and asassinate, which both mix really well with RR I think as you get initive advantage in combat, and also the wood elf ability to hide.

Cleric seems good as it means I can keep the party alive and also take my casting up much further than just ranger but still with Wis being useful. Plus turn undead is frankly fun and very useful in cursenif Strahd.

TLDR - Should revised ranger hunter lvl5, multiclass at all? And if it does should it take rogue or cleric, and if so to how much of a dip?

[Rusvul]

Firstly: don't worry about level 20 capstones. Most campaigns--CoS included--don't go up to 20th level, so capstones are pretty immaterial.

Secondly: Clerics are well-suited to CoS, with all the undead and all. If you have low Wisdom, it becomes much less good: you'd probably want to use mostly buffs anyway, but Wisdom is important for Turn Undead and, depending on domain, how often you can use your domain abilities.

I'd think about your party composition. If you already have a Cleric (or something similar, like Divine Soul Sorcerer), I'd take 3-4 levels of Rogue (probably Swashbuckler or AT, or maybe Assassin if your DM gives you opportunities to ambush). If you've got a Rogue or a sneaky Fighter or something, but no divine types, I'd go with 2-4 levels of Cleric. Both multiclasses can be pretty good, so in your place, I'd focus on filling a niche that nobody else in your party fills. (In particular, Turn Undead would be useful if you've got good Wis.)

I wouldn't recommend Life Cleric unless your party is really hurting for healing (in which case it's pretty solid). If you do dip Cleric, I would go for a domain that lets you do something you can't otherwise do: War is a solid option if you don't already have bonus action attacks (but if you're dual wielding, I'd leave it). Light could be fun too, though I wouldn't recommend it if you have low Wis. Grave is thematic too, but I'm AFB and haven't read it in a while.

[CTurbo]

What do you want out of your character? What are your stats?

option #1 - Cleric
War - Bonus action attack Wis mod times per day is very strong for an archer Ranger. Extra spells and cantrips are great.
Tempest - Trade extra bonus attack for reaction damage on hit. 2 levels lets you maximize thunder or lightning damage once every short rest. Awesome.
Light - Impose disadvantage when attacked Wis mod times per day. Very good for an archer.
I don't think I'd take more than 2 levels of Cleric though. Most of the Cleric's features work best in or near melee.

option #2 - Rogue
Assassin - Awesome first turn, but not much else specifically from this subclass without huge investment
Scout - My personal favorite for Archer Ranger combo. Everything here works perfectly for what you do.
Arcane Trickster - Extra Wizard spells and some utility. Gets you a familiar, but otherwise works best in or near melee IMO. Probably the #2 Rogue pick IMO
If you choose Rogue I'd probably take at least 5 levels if not more. Usually Ranger/Rogues work best with mostly Rogue levels.

option #3 - Fighter
Champion - Extra crit range, but nothing else exciting. Still good
Battle Master - Maneuvers are great for Archers. trip, disarm, and goad are all so fun to do from a distance
The Fighter class if effective if not boring, but adding a second Fighting style, second wind, and action surge are all great for you.

option #4 - Monk
Not sure what your Dex + Wis are but if they're better than 16/16, a 2 level Monk dip would be pretty decent for you. Unarmored defense and some extra mobility are good things. Martial Arts could come in handy if you get caught in melee.

option #5 - a combination of the above
Ranger 5, Fighter 2, Rogue X is an extremely effective Archer. Probably the best possible combo IMO.
IF your stats are high enough, and you don't NEED feats, add a single level War Cleric to the above.
Leave Fighter out, and go Ranger 5, War Cleric 1, and then Rogue from there. This is a combo of what you were thinking anyway.

[daemonaetea]

The Fighter class if effective if not boring, but adding a second Fighting style, second wind, and action surge are all great for you.

Mostly great advice, but unfortunately you can only get the Fighting Style class feature once, outside high level Champion Fighters.

[Copper_Dragon]

Mostly great advice, but unfortunately you can only get the Fighting Style class feature once, outside high level Champion Fighters.

Pretty sure you have that mixed up with Extra Attack. You just can't take the same style option more than once.

[DarcyFinn]

What do you want out of your character? What are your stats?

option #1 - Cleric
War - Bonus action attack Wis mod times per day is very strong for an archer Ranger. Extra spells and cantrips are great.
Tempest - Trade extra bonus attack for reaction damage on hit. 2 levels lets you maximize thunder or lightning damage once every short rest. Awesome.
Light - Impose disadvantage when attacked Wis mod times per day. Very good for an archer.
I don't think I'd take more than 2 levels of Cleric though. Most of the Cleric's features work best in or near melee.

Thank you for the very comprehensive reply. Based off it I think that cleric does really fulfill the roleplay aspect I am keen to go down, of him being an outcast ranger and then finding that a more ordered path is destined for him. I have good enough Wisdom (14) to be a cleric I think and can use ASI to get it higher later. I still want to shoot things with my bow, but I would also enjoy being able to obliterate undead (more roleplay opertunity especially in CoS), and I did like the war domain as well as the light domain. I would enjoy being more able to buff the party and help out with a wider range of spells, rather than just shoot things (fun but not particularly creative (yes I know maybe picking ranger initally might have been a poor idea but lessons learnt. I like the character a lot and I still think I can have fun. I just don't want to ruin him). We have a paladin and also a moon druid in the party, an maybe domain of life would be overkill on the healing.

However, why not just now fully invest in cleric, what is the mechanical downside to doing that? It looks like I would get continued casting progression, and also many of the cool class features. The features going up on RR side of things don't look as interesting past level 5, but I am sure I can be corrected on that.

Our DM has adapted CoS so has told us that lvl 15 is achievable over the course of the game. So I could drop 10 points in a cleric class. I am not sure if what I would be giving up/gaining having never played either RR or cleric before.

[daemonaetea]

Pretty sure you have that mixed up with Extra Attack. You just can't take the same style option more than once.

My apologies, you are correct! The way I'd always read the line referring to "option" was that you didn't get an "option" twice, but upon reading it again, and checking around, I was just completely wrong on that. That's actually super helpful to know.

[CTurbo]

Thank you for the very comprehensive reply. Based off it I think that cleric does really fulfill the roleplay aspect I am keen to go down, of him being an outcast ranger and then finding that a more ordered path is destined for him. I have good enough Wisdom (14) to be a cleric I think and can use ASI to get it higher later. I still want to shoot things with my bow, but I would also enjoy being able to obliterate undead (more roleplay opertunity especially in CoS), and I did like the war domain as well as the light domain. I would enjoy being more able to buff the party and help out with a wider range of spells, rather than just shoot things (fun but not particularly creative (yes I know maybe picking ranger initally might have been a poor idea but lessons learnt. I like the character a lot and I still think I can have fun. I just don't want to ruin him). We have a paladin and also a moon druid in the party, an maybe domain of life would be overkill on the healing.

However, why not just now fully invest in cleric, what is the mechanical downside to doing that? It looks like I would get continued casting progression, and also many of the cool class features. The features going up on RR side of things don't look as interesting past level 5, but I am sure I can be corrected on that.

Our DM has adapted CoS so has told us that lvl 15 is achievable over the course of the game. So I could drop 10 points in a cleric class. I am not sure if what I would be giving up/gaining having never played either RR or cleric before.

Mechanically speaking, I don't think investing heavily in Cleric offers you, an archer Ranger, very much. Thematically speaking though, it may be the thing you're looking for. I just recommend you check out the Cleric's spell list to see if it interests you. Keep in mind that with a 14 Wis, your spell DC is going to be easy to pass, and you're looking at 2 more possible ASIs at most in which to bump Wis. You're likely going to have trouble maintaining concentration on important spells unless you stay way back but then again, you have to stay within 30ft of the friends you bless.

I just personally don't see much synergy in taking a lot of Cleric levels. This is just my opinion. If it fits what you want for your character, go for it. You'll have fun.

I'd rather take a 1 or 2 level Cleric dip and go back to Ranger or go Rogue from there. So much more synergy for an archer Ranger in the Rogue class.

[Montesquieu P.]

Dipping at least 2 levels into Rogue makes good sense, because you get Cunning Action -- and an Archery-based Ranger can use the extra movement, or the ability to Hide after regular movement, more than a melee-based Ranger can. I've been playing a 'straight PHB' Ranger5 who multiclassed into Rogue (and just made level 10, which is going into Rogue5). The Sneak Attack and Hunter's Mark definitely add to his combat punch -- especially when firing at a bad guy within 5' of an ally.

I'd focus on your 'action economy' -- does getting Cunning Action aid you, or interfere? Swapping Hunter's Mark target when the current target dies, requires your Bonus action, so there's a minor conflict. Getting a triple-distance move (move, move-action, Cunning-Action-move) gives you a 50% bonus over most baddies' potential responses -- very nice for an Archer. Casting spells = melee combat for most spells; and if you're 'buffing', you want to avoid being hit (most better buffs take Concentration).

Then look for synergies -- casting mostly conflicts with combat; while the Guidance cantrip works well with rogue skill-checks or anybody's Strength/Dex ability checks. So Cleric has + and - aspects.

Don't overlook Druid -- it shares two of the key buffs (Guidance cantrip; Enhance Ability, Lvl. 2 spell) that clerics have. If you dip Rogue2 and go on to Druid 2nd, your Wild Shape gets the Cunning Action. Just a thought to tantalize you with.

[Azgeroth]

if you want a more combat focused sneaky build, 2 or 3 lvls of rogue would be good. cunning action, sneak attack, expertise!

do you like jumping and trees?, try thief expertise acrobatic long jump checks should be a breeze, also bonus action use an object, like that bear trap you carry,

Scout gets you expertise Survival and Nature, and a run away! half your movement no AoO's reaction ability,

and plenty more beside, chasing more rogue will get you more sneak attack, and things like Uncanny Dodge, More Expertise! and Evasion, in exchange for your caster progression, no level 3 spells here my friend, its Sneak Attack! for you.

or, you could go cleric for 1 or 2 levels. (3 + 1C = Caster level 4), instantly giving you another 2nd level Spell Slot, and some first level cleric spells and cantrips, plus a domain feature. 2nd level of cleric, takes you to Caster Level 5, giving you a level 3 spell slot, and channel divinity.

im going to recommend nature cleric, for thematics. being able to ask plants about what has happened in the past 24 hours, is super handy for tracking people, you know, like a ranger.

Light, if you want a light aoe, that targets wisdom, and does radiant damage. but unless you commit to cleric hard, its never going to be much damage, with a wis mod per day, 'you have disadvantage' reaction ability is also pretty sweet.

War, lets you add a +10 to somebody elses attack roll, if you already have a rogue, they will love this, so much.. be that hero. also, a sneaky extra attack as a bonus action, as a ranged ranger, is pretty sweet.

otherwise, stick to ranger, i wouldnt take more than 2 levels of cleric, or 3 of rogue, and i would likely take some ranger levels between, unless you want to abondon the rest of the ranger features no matter what class you go into, save for some synergies, like smite and spell slots, your spells known will not match pace with your spell slots, for example, if you take 2 levels of cleric from 5 ranger, you will gain a 3rd level spell slot, but you won't know any 3rd level spells. not untill either 5th cleric, or 9th ranger do you learn 3rd level spells.

so, 5Rn - (6th level)5Rn/1C /1Rg - (7th level)6Rn/1C / 5Rn/2Rg -(8th level) 7Rn/ 1C / 6Rn/2Rg - (9th level) 8Rn/1C / 7Rn/2Rg - (10th level) 8Rn/2C / 8Rn/2Rg

that takes you to 10, nets you 2 ASI's/FEATS! gets you a 3rd level slot, and next level 11th, should be Ranger, to get you your first 3rd level slot, and an extra slot to cast it with yay!

from 12th i would choose which class i felt gave me the best options for the character. i love the idea of a hunter ranger with nature cleric abilities.

[GlenSmash!]

Since Revised Ranger has advantage on attack roles in the first turn of combat (as long as the target hasn't yet acted) 2 levels of fighter is one of my favorite RR dips. Action surging that first round of combat is a great way to maximize that advantage, especially combined with the Sharpshooter feat.

[ImproperJustice]

Revised Ranger is really worth pushing to level 6 for two good reasons:

1. Improved Favored Enemy is a solid damage boost to Both of your favored enemies. In curse of Strahd, I am assuming undead and probably fiends? The defensive features are great too.

2. An even split for spell levels. Better to complete being a 3rd level caster as a Ranger than a 2nd level caster.

Now after 6?
Life Cleric would be solid. Gets you spell slots, Heavy Armor if you like, a great Divinity Ability, and eventually radiant strikes.
A lot to really work with there.

[tieren]

You want a sneaky chaotic ranger/cleric, consider 5 levels of Trickery Domain.

I know its not a popular choice, but blessing of the trickster to give a party member adv on stealth checks, disguise self, mirror image, blink; could be cool (getting to 6/6 would be my personal goal, might not make it by end of CoS though, I believe its designed to end around level 10).

[PeteNutButter]

My biggest problem with the phb ranger is level 6. It's a kick in the $*%#. You get absolutely nothing, meaning there could be no better time to bail on the class. Hence all the Ranger 5/x builds out there.

I like to compare what that next level gets, as you never know if it'll be the character's last. So let's look at the revised ranger:

At ranger 6 you get an improvement to your [functional] favored enemy. If you are playing in CoS, that's +2 more damage against a lot of things. Ranger 7 gives a defensive boost, for hunter multiattack defense isn't bad. If you have a passable AC to start, it makes it tough for foes to land more than one hit, and they'll probably have to crit to land a third hit. This scales well as higher level foes tend to have 3+ attacks, but isn't as useful on an archer if you can keep away from melee. Ranger 8 is an ASI and a bonus action dash, can't go wrong with ASIs. Ranger 9 is 3rd level spells which are just fun. Hide in Plain Sight at 10 is good when paired with cunning action, but probably unnecessary taking into account expertise. This is a weaker level. Ranger 11 is likely Volley. It's ok, but generally disappointing. 12 is an ASI, so win. 13th is actually pretty strong giving 4th level spells. There is some good stuff there.

With all that in mind, if I were to MC the revised ranger, I'd leave it after ranger 6, 9, or 13. Fighter (4 levels max), Cleric, Druid, and Rogue are all solid picks, with different strengths. Pick whichever best fits your character/playstyle.

[Wildarm]

RR is good to take to at least level 6 before considering MC. Bumping your damage vs undead FE to +4 is great. You also gain +4 vs another type. I like fiends as you get advantage vs their spells and abilities with GFE.

After that, I'd probably go for Battlemaster Fighter 6+ to get better at bow DPS(Action surge, +2 Dex and Sharpshooter) and adding lots of utility.

Rogue 3 is another option for some sneak attack damage and bonus action utility via cunning action.

[Max_Killjoy]

Is it safe to assume that "revised Ranger" refers to this:

https://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/d...isedRanger.pdf


If so, that's a heck of a useful 1-level dip, and not just for the reworked FE. Natural Explorer, freed of the terrain-specific limitations, becomes a heck of a set of abilities to add to any adventurer's bag of tricks, and Ranger already has some generous Multiclassing with the armor profs, weapon profs, and Skill for Classes that are otherwise without profs for martial weapons, medium armor, and/or shields.

[MrStabby]

I played a similar setup - campaign from levels 6 to 10. I was a revised ranger Gloom stalker.

I added both cleric and rogue, somewhat for RP reasons but it was really effective. I was a witch hunter that hunted down fiends and undead and the casters that summoned them. The rogue dip (just 2 levels) and the knowledge cleric dip gave me some serious knowledge skills. Cunning action and channel divinity are both awesome and the extra spells known/ability to prepare from the cleric made the whole setup a lot more versatile.