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.

 

[Minigiant]

But it doesn't require spellcasting, and you can reserve actual magic for higher levels.

Do you expect any major publisher to rewrite 3-4 pages of spells as "not spells"?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Do you expect any major publisher to rewrite 3-4 pages of spells as "not spells"?

I again point you to Level Up's spell-less (unless you take an archetype that has spells) ranger.

 

[Minigiant]

I again point you to Level Up's spell-less (unless you take an archetype that has spells) ranger.

And again do you expect any major publisher to rewrite 3-4 pages of spells as "not spells"?

ENPublishing did a good job making a fighter with a green cloak.

The A5e Ranger has one knack equal to a Tier 2 spell and zero Tier 3 & 4 knacks.

Because

the A5e Rangers scales... wait for it... by being a fighter.

Most spell-less rangers or magic-less rangers homebrew, published, or houeruled are fighters with 3-4 rewritten 1st level ranger spells as not-spells.
They are fighters in green cloaks.

 

[Micah Sweet]

And again do you expect any major publisher to rewrite 3-4 pages of spells as "not spells"?

ENPublishing did a good job making a fighter with a green cloak.

The A5e Ranger has one knack equal to a Tier 2 spell and zero Tier 3 & 4 knacks.

Because

the A5e Rangers scales... wait for it... by being a fighter.

Most spell-less rangers or magic-less rangers homebrew, published, or houeruled are fighters with 3-4 rewritten 1st level ranger spells as not-spells.
They are fighters in green cloaks.

Agree to disagree, and a little offended at your description of what I see as an excellent take on the ranger. Thst could have been worded more politely.

 

[Minigiant]

Agree to disagree, and a little offended at your description of what I see as an excellent take on the ranger. Thst could have been worded more politely.

Fighter in Green Cloak is an obscure D&D term for a ranger player who plays the ranger strictly like a fighter and only picked ranger for the combat bonuses.

They are often anti-spells, complain the ranger's weakness to fighters, and ignore all ranger features except stealth.

They also would likely be better served playing a fighter/rogue multiclass but they refuse to.

 

[Corinnguard]

And again do you expect any major publisher to rewrite 3-4 pages of spells as "not spells"?

ENPublishing did a good job making a fighter with a green cloak.

The A5e Ranger has one knack equal to a Tier 2 spell and zero Tier 3 & 4 knacks.

Nope. I am more interested in a version of the class that meets most of my expectations of what I think a Ranger could be. I like to think that the Level Up Ranger currently meets those expectations.

Is the Level Up Ranger a fighter with a green cloak? I don't think so because the Level Up Ranger has features that sets it apart from the Level Fighter. Two completely different class concepts.

Don't forget the combat maneuvers. In Level Up, combat maneuvers are the martial equivalent of spells. So, you could say that the Level Up Fighter and the Level Up Ranger are the equivalent of Half-Casters.

 

[Minigiant]

Nope. I am more interested in a version of the class that meets most of my expectations of what I think a Ranger could be. I like to think that the Level Up Ranger currently meets those expectations.

Is the Level Up Ranger a fighter with a green cloak? I don't think so because the Level Up Ranger has features that sets it apart from the Level Fighter. Two completely different class concepts.

Don't forget the combat maneuvers. In Level Up, combat maneuvers are the martial equivalent of spells. So, you could say that the Level Up Fighter and the Level Up Ranger are the equivalent of Half-Casters.

The Level Up Ranger doesn't scale in Rangering.

It scales purely in combat ability.

It's level 16 noncombat ability is to create fire.

Level 16.

The level 16 5e ranger can summon.an elemental, scry their target over the plane, and give themselves fiery rocket boots.

The level 16 A5e ranger can summon a torch.

 

[Corinnguard]

It scales purely in combat ability.

While having features that meet the other two pillars in role-playing- exploration and social interaction. The classes in 5e need to focus more on those two pillars.

 

[ECMO3]

But it doesn't require spellcasting, and you can reserve actual magic for higher levels.

Talking to animals doesn't require spellcasting?

 

[Minigiant]

While having features that meet the other two pillars in role-playing- exploration and social interaction. The classes in 5e need to focus more on those two pillars.

But that's no excuse to be weaker in exploration.

The A5e Ranger is worse at rangering than the 5e and the 5.5e Ranger.

Why?

Because no major publisher will rewrite 3-4 pages of spells as "not spells"

That's the point I keep making

Rangering is like 30-50 little rules. Or more.

D&D eases this by making them all individual spell and letting rangers choose which rule/spell they will break.