D&D (2024) 2024 Player's Handbook reveal: "New Ranger"

"More than any other class, the ranger is a new class."

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It has been a year (less a day) since we last saw the Ranger in UA Playtest 6. There still could be a lot of change. My sense is that they are more or less happy with three of the subclasses (Fey Wanderer, Beastmaster, and Gloom Stalker), but many questions remain: Will anyone be happy with the favored enemy/relation to the land abilities? Will Hunter's Mark be foregrounded in multiple abilities? Will rangers at least get a free casting of the Barrage/Volley spells? For the Hunter, will the "Superior" abilties at levels 11 and 15 continue to be things you didn't choose at lower levels? For the Gloom Stalker, will they pull out 3rd level invisibility from "Umbral Sight"? Any chance for a surprise substitution of the Horizon Walker? Let's find out.

OVERVIEW

• "widely played, but ... one of the lowest rated"
• Spellcasting and Weapon Mastery at 1 (as with Paladin). Spellcasting can change spells after long rest (not every level)
• NEW: Favored Enemy: Hunters Mark always prepared, and X castings per day. (was level 2 in PT6, where it was WIS times/day)
• NEW: Fighting Style at 2 (no limits on choice). or you may choose two cantrips (again, like Paladin).
• NEW: Deft Explorer at 3: expertise in a proficient skill, +2 languages. NO INTERACTION WITH LAND TYPES. This is a nerf from PT6, where at least you got a bonus to Intelligence (Nature) checks.
• Extra attack at 5, Roving at 6 (+10' move, Climb Speed, Swim speed).
• Two more expertise options, at 9, presumably. Compared to the playtest, this is a nerf: PT6 gave 1 expertise, the spell Conjure Barrage always prepared, and +2 land types for Explorer. These had problems, but it's a lot to lose for one additional expertise.
• At 10, Tireless (as in PT6) -- THP and reduced Exhaustion.
• NEW: At 13, Damage no longer breaks concentration with Hunter's Mark.
• At 14, Nature's Veil -- invisibility. At 18, Blindsight.
• NEW: At 17, advantage vs person marked with Hunter's Mark.
• NEW: Damage of Hunter's mark increases to d10, not d6. (This too is a nerf from the playtest, which gave +WIS to hit, and +WIS to damage.)

The clear expectation is you are using Hunter's Mark, occupying your concentration and taking your first Bonus action every combat, from levels 1-20.

SUBCLASSES
Beastmaster

• command Primal Beast as a bonus action, and higher level abilities as in PT6, apparently.
• stat blocks level up with you (as in Tasha's and PT6). Beast gets Hunter's Mark benefits at 11.

Fey Wanderer

• vague on specifics; apparently just as in Tasha's.

Gloom Stalker

• as in PT6, Psychic damage bonus a limited number of times per day. +WIS to initiative (cf. Assassin and Barbarian)
• Umbral Sight, darkvision bonus, and invisible in the dark.
• NEW: psychic damage goes up at level 11. Mass fear option of Sudden Strike mentioned, nothing about Sudden Strike.

Hunter.

• Hunter's Lore at 3: know if there are immunities/resistances of creature marked by Hunter's Mark.
• NEW: Hunter's Prey at 3: you have a choice and can change your choice every short/long rest.
• NEW: Defensive Tactics at 7: you have a choice, and again can choose after a rest. The choices are Escape the Horde, Multiattack defense (not Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, and Hunter's Leap, as in PT6).
• NEW: At 11, Hunter's mark now "splashes" damage onto another target.
• NEW: you can choose to take resistance to damage, until the end of your turn.

 

[Gladius Legis]

That's another thing.

What's the point of extra uses of Hunter's mark if you can upcast it for 8 hours.

So that I can use my 5th-level spell slots for something better than simply keeping up my damage baseline.

WAIT A SECOND

Is this why this Ranger is getting extra uses of Hunter's Mark? To recast it after casting another concentration spell?

It does appear to work out that way, yes. From that D&D Beyond article, you have 6 free castings of it by level 17, which means at that point you likely won't even have to spend any 1st-level slots on it, let alone 5th.

 

[Minigiant]

It does appear to work out that way, yes. From that D&D Beyond article, you have 6 free castings of it by level 17, which means at that point you likely won't even have to spend any 1st-level slots on it, let alone 5th

Cast Hunter's Mark

Cast Conjure Woodland Beings, switch concentrations

Recast Hunters Mark, switch concentration

Repeat Step2-3 8 times

 

[Gladius Legis]

Cast Hunter's Mark

Cast Conjure Woodland Beings, switch concentrations

Recast Hunters Mark, switch concentration

Repeat Step2-3 8 times

I'd most likely lead off with the conjure spell, but otherwise that's the general idea.

 

[Minigiant]

I'd most likely lead off with the conjure spell, but otherwise that's the general idea.

It's more holding conjure spells from another fight.

You'll have 4 1st level slots. So that 4-10 Hunter's Marks a day.

This is enough to throw out a Lightning Arrow or Conjure X then throw back up HM.

Then when you get to level 9 or 10, you won't have to worry about HM dropping to force you into reapplying Hunter's Marks. So favorite enemy would just be pretty much giving you the ability to recast Hunter's Mark next turn.

 

[Remathilis]

So what? You let the hyper-soecialist show off, but you also hit them where they're weak, which is increasingly large the more specialized they get.

I don't suppose your DM ever hit you in your weaknesses, ie, everything except ranged combat?

What weakness? I was nominally worse with a longsword than a regular elf ranger and got all my points by forgoing things that weren't going to harm me. oh noes, I can't wear magical chainmail! I'll never get followers at name level! I'm never going to dual wield without penalty! It was basically free real estate.

I'm not saying point buy systems can't work. Played too many other RPGs to say that. But point buy D&D, especially retrofitted after the fact, was a min/maxers wet dream. Maybe a 6e built from the ground up with that in mind might work, but I question how much it would resemble "D&D".

 

[GarrettKP]

They will be okay at exploring, but hardly noticeably better than a rogue. Especially before tier 4.

Having expertise just isn’t that great, and has no focus whatsoever on exploration.

Yep. And two languages is fine I guess but like…hardly unique.

Most rogues aren’t picking Survival and Nature for their expertise. On top of that, Rogues don’t have the utility spells that Rangers have for exploration.

So yes, Ranger will be better at exploration that the average rogue.

 

[Kobold Stew]

Most rogues aren’t picking Survival and Nature for their expertise.

Rogue Scout came with expertise in both!

 

[Parmandur]

Rogue Scout came with expertise in both!

Real talk: how many tables are going to have someone playing the Scout Rogue, the intentional option for people who want a non-magical Ranger, alongside a Ranger? And competing for exploration limelight?

 

[Kobold Stew]

Obviously, I can't say -- no one could. I'm playing a Scout in one game, loving it, and in the original party there was a Ranger.

 

[Parmandur]

Obviously, I can't say -- no one could. I'm playing a Scout in one game, loving it, and in the original party there was a Ranger.

And has that...been a problem...?