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.

 

[Rocker26a]

Even if we slightly altered it

Why does it have to be Hunter's Mark at all? Like, it's not even a convenient framework! Just make a new ability!

 

[Minigiant]

Hunter's Mark
Duration: 1 minute (concentration)
Action: Bonus Action
Range: 120 feet

Choose a target within range that you can see. If you ever lose sight of the target, the spell immediately ends.

At the start of your turn, the mark's power increases by 2d6 (by to a maximum of 10d6).

When you hit with a weapon attack, you can end the spell to do the mark's power as damage to the target.


Now this is just one crude example, it would need tuning, polishing, etc. But you can see the flashy idea, great for ambush could do incredible damage. Or a ranger might "power it up" in a fight beating up smaller enemies while always staying focused on the BBEG, and then just unleashing a massive attack. Its a lot cooler than just x damage every round.

You know 50% of the community would be degenerates and constantly step up ambushes to start every combat with +10d6 damage.

Every weapon user would snatch that spell.

The meta would warp around group Hunter's Marks.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

TBF, every weapon user should get themselves some kind of a booster spell to make use of their free Concentration slot and Con save proficiency...

 

[Minigiant]

Why does it have to be Hunter's Mark at all? Like, it's not even a convenient framework! Just make a new ability!

Favored Enemy???

I gave WOTC the blueprint in 2013

• An extra attack under certain situations
• A bonus language and a bonus when Persuading or Intimidating in that language
• A bonus to a skill

Every X levels you get a new one.
Spend Y days or a Zth level spell to swap a favored enemy.

 

[Incenjucar]

TBF, every weapon user should get themselves some kind of a booster spell to make use of their free Concentration slot and Con save proficiency...

I don't know the 5E scroll rules; are Scrolls of Hunter's mark an option?

 

[Rocker26a]

Favored Enemy???

I gave WOTC the blueprint in 2013

• An extra attack under certain situations
• A bonus language and a bonus when Persuading or Intimidating in that language
• A bonus to a skill

Every X levels you get a new one.
Spend Y days or a Zth level spell to swap a favored enemy.

I hate Favoured Enemy also, but. In terms of listed benefits. S'alright? It's better than desperately repackaging a spell into a class feature. I don't think we're quite at "yes, this is equivalent to rage, sneak attack and" etc. But. A step away from being shackled to specifically Hunter's Mark is a step in the right direction, I would say.

 

[Corinnguard]

Again, Level Up has a great spell-less ranger. Worth checking out.

They also have their own equivalent of the Gloom Stalker. The Tenebrous Stalker.

Tenebrous Stalker | Level Up

a5e.tools

But this is a Ranger who is the darkness....

 

[Micah Sweet]

They also have their own equivalent of the Gloom Stalker. The Tenebrous Stalker.

Tenebrous Stalker | Level Up

a5e.tools

But this is a Ranger who is the darkness....

I AM the night!

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

I don't know the 5E scroll rules; are Scrolls of Hunter's mark an option?

Of note is that you need to have the spell on your own spell list to cast it from a scroll.

So there's no avoiding 1-level Ranger dip.

 

[Remathilis]

Can I say how amused all this hand wringing about hunters mark is when Hex is sitting there laughing.