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.

 

[mellored]

Here the rub.

1. There is no exploration pillar focus in D&D 5e.
2. Even if there were, many groups would skip it.

The best way to invoke these aspects of the Ranger in a way that can be swapped out for combat abilities .

That's spells or infusions or Invocations.
Or a ranger only feat that rangers get for free like 3.5e

IMO: let hunters mark be cast on tracks. And you can automatically follow them though soft soil, along with the +1d6 damage.

At higher levels, you can track enemies across stone, across water, across air, and across plains.

 

[Rocker26a]

It is just not how I imagine a ranger.

I can absolutely understand having issues with Ranger's spells being just the wrong flavour or whatever, but. I think kneecapping their ability to utilize spells in combat at all is lame.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I can absolutely understand having issues with Ranger's spells being just the wrong flavour or whatever, but. I think kneecapping their ability to utilize spells in combat at all is lame.

Ok. I understand that. And disagree.

 

[Minigiant]

I almost feel like I'm speaking the wrong language. I just don't see the problem, really. I don't see how what currently exists is inadequate for creating an at least acceptable situation. The game has skill checks, conditions, and situations that can be overcome with a class toolkit. There is sometimes some crossover, but usually a given class is best suited for the job; A Cleric can cleanse a haunted house, a Rogue can navigate an enemy stronghold, a Barbarian can do gladiatorial combat etc. The tools for doing these things are not only useful for those things. I don't really get why the same can't be true of Ranger.

Because again

1. Ranger's thematic skills are Dexterity (Stealth), Wisdome (Nature), and Wisdom (Survival)
2. Rangers don' have enough Expertise
3. Rangers have limit ability to channel all their various features into there iconic aspects
4. Tables skip Ranger stuff often
5. Even when they don't skip Ranger stuff, it comes up to infrequently to be worth an Expertise

A Wizard currently would be better at identifying a poisonous plant than
A Druid currently are better at tracking a giant than a Ranger

You know what's cheap?
Preparing a spell that gives you +10 to Nature or Survival

 

[Rocker26a]

Rangers don' have enough Expertise

I mean. We're talking about building out Ranger's levelling table. Why can't Ranger be given enough Expertise? I gave them 2 at 4th level, another 2 at 8th level.

Tables skip Ranger stuff often
Even when they don't skip Ranger stuff, it comes up to infrequently to be worth an Expertise

You could say "Survival is a somewhat nebulous skill, poorly conveyed by the game/given insubstantial weight for what it should cover", and I'd agree. But that's a solveable problem, and some DMs have without WOTC walking them to that pier personally.

You know what's cheap?
Preparing a spell that gives you +10 to Nature or Survival

Wouldn't a feature that gives you a Reliable Talent style buff for those specific skills (in conjunction with those skills being given their proper weight) be better suited? (that's something else my homebrew features.)

 

[Minigiant]

IMO: let hunters mark be cast on tacks. And you can automatically follow them though soft soil, along with the +1d6 damage.

At higher levels, you can track enemies across stone, across water, across air, and across plains.

There were spells for this in 3e.

• Embrace the Wild
• Implacable Pursuer
• Living Prints
• Mark Object
• Mark of the Hunter
• Stalking Brand

WotC never ported them over. Neither do most DMs. Nor 3rd party publishers.. I do.
That's the issue with 5e's design.

5e was designed with gaps do DMs could go to older editions and plug in missing aspects. But few DMs nor 3pps do.

 

[Minigiant]

I mean. We're talking about building out Ranger's levelling table. Why can't Ranger be given enough Expertise? I gave them 2 at 4th level, another 2 at 8th level.

Sure but it doesn't solve the problem.

Nature, Survival, and Animal handling are bad picks for Expertise unless the DM is handcuffed into being forced to use them.

That's the central problem.

+1 Expertise means the Ranger take Athletics or Perception Expertise

 

[ECMO3]

Obviously. But you'd be choosing to delay your sneak attack progression, other class abilities and the jump in power that each 4th level gives, in order to get a couple +1d4s per day. It's a ridiculous proposition.

Well to be clear that is not all you would be getting (or even most). You would also be gettin, skill in one more proficiency and one more skill with expertise, medium armor proficiency, and perhaps most significant; martial weapon proficiency that offers sneak attack with a d10 weapon and a melee weapon with reach.

 

[ECMO3]

Sure but it doesn't solve the problem.

Nature, Survival, and Animal handling are bad picks for Expertise unless the DM is handcuffed into being forced to use them.

That's the central problem.

+1 Expertise means the Ranger take Athletics or Perception Expertise

I see nature and survival checks quite often in play. Animal Handling, not so much.

 

[ECMO3]

I'm sure it doesn't need to be said, but. Right or wrong, a lot of people care about damage It's fun to roll dice, it's good to feel tangibly useful, it sucks to feel hopelessly outclassed by your peers.

If people care about doing high damage, I don't understand why they would CHOOSE to play a Ranger, or for that matter a Rogue, Cleric, Druid or Wizard.

I think this is a player issue more than a class issue. I played a lot of Rangers and I never kept up with other builds at the table in terms of damage, but I never felt outclassed by them either. I also played Rogues, Clerics and Wizards and the same can be said for those characters.

People should make sure their feelings are a good fit for their class choice and their style of play.