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]

That's not my idea of the Ranger trope. Where are you getting that from?

D&D

Rangers had spells since 1e. However due to when they got them and how magic works, the only useful ones Rangers would cast are the buffs and the utility spell.

A common trope ffromAD&D and beyond is Rangers casting Speak with Animals, Charm Animal, and Animal Messenger.

Ranger fans would be the ones most often talking to animals to replicate Dar the Beastmaster, Bard, Aquaman, Tarzan, George of the Jungle, and other Nature heroes.

This is where more of the spell-less Ranger disconnect come from.

Many Druid/Ranger spells are recreation of magical, mythical, and superhero features of nature heroes from media.
Rangers use them utility spells more iconically because Druids needed their spells for combat/healing.

So when someone says Rangers need spells its because they might want their ranger to breath water like Mariner from Waterworld.

 

[Rocker26a]

I just don't think it will qualify for Magic Initiate, so the only other classes that can cast it without multi-classing paladin would be the Bard if they used Magical Secrets. I don't think there is a feat that would allow someone to gain a 1st level evocation spell without going through the main spell lists.

See yeah, the idea that a Bard can just get the Paladin's main thing is definitely weird to me. I don't get the appeal.

So, would it be better if Hunter's Mark wasn't a divination spell so that you couldn't get it with Fey-Touched? Because that's about the only difference between Divine Smite and Hunter's Mark right now.

For me, not really, because I dislike Hunter's Mark itself, not just the notion of a pre-existing spell being made a signature class feature. I dislike the idea, and the candidate.
If it was a better spell, and you got better buffs for it, I'd still dislike it in principle but I might not worry about it.

the problem is simply "I don't like it" not a lack of identity like people keep trying to say.

I don't like it, but y'know, not for no reason.
I'd say there's a meaningful difference between things like Divine Smite, which they made a kind of spell this time where it wasn't before, and the situation with Ranger and Hunter's Mark which is the only idea for Ranger's signature feature for a while now. If it was their first crack at it, as is the case with the Smite thing, I might not have been as bothered. But they've been banging that drum for ages!

 

[Rocker26a]

Ranger who can't talk to animals ain't a real ranger.

That requires magic.

There i said it.

The ranger trope is the ranger whistling, a bird or squirrel coming down, the ranger and critter speak, the critter darts off into the distance, and then a while late the bird or squirrel comes back and says "I didn't see orcs but the chipmunks did. That way"

I agree, and more broadly that Ranger having magic is correct, but. Will say I prefer the animal kinship thing coming innately. Like Revised Ranger did.
I think Revised Ranger got a fair bit admirably right. Just a shame about Favoured Enemy.

 

[mellored]

But that's not the Ranger trope

The ranger trope is the ranger whistling, a bird or squirrel coming down, the ranger and critter speak, the critter darts off into the distance, and then a while late the bird or squirrel comes back and says "I didn't see orcs but the chipmunks did. That way"

The trope is the druid wildshaping into a mouse and scouting the castle

The trope of the ranger is sneaking into the castle garden and asking the mice who already live there.

So your saying...

All rangers need beast companions.

 

[Minigiant]

I agree, and more broadly that Ranger having magic is correct, but. Will say I prefer the animal kinship thing coming innately. Like Revised Ranger did.
I think Revised Ranger got a fair bit admirably right. Just a shame about Favoured Enemy.

It would be nice.

But like I said, there are too many iconic Ranger stuff that no publisher would dedicated enough space to rewriting spells already in the back of the book.

 

[Minigiant]

So your saying...

All rangers need beast companions.

No.

Rangers talk, charm, and manipulate to beasts and plants like bards do people.

Bards don't get people companions, right?

 

[Micah Sweet]

D&D

Rangers had spells since 1e. However due to when they got them and how magic works, the only useful ones Rangers would cast are the buffs and the utility spell.

A common trope ffromAD&D and beyond is Rangers casting Speak with Animals, Charm Animal, and Animal Messenger.

Ranger fans would be the ones most often talking to animals to replicate Dar the Beastmaster, Bard, Aquaman, Tarzan, George of the Jungle, and other Nature heroes.

This is where more of the spell-less Ranger disconnect come from.

Many Druid/Ranger spells are recreation of magical, mythical, and superhero features of nature heroes from media.
Rangers use them utility spells more iconically because Druids needed their spells for combat/healing.

So when someone says Rangers need spells its because they might want their ranger to breath water like Mariner from Waterworld.

Sure seems to me like you're speaking about druids. No objection to them casting spells.

 

[Chaosmancer]

So something they could do and they talked about doing is not putting those spells in the characters class list. Imagine if Divine Smite, Hunters Mark Find Steed and the like weren't on any list and you only received them via the class feature. This would prevent even a bard from getting them and make them feel more unique to that class.

Sure, I'm perfectly fine with that.

Honestly, the Bard just has better options at 10th level for getting spells than 1st level spells like hunter's mark or Divine Smite. So I've never seen it as an issue, but then taking them off the lists also isn't something I mind doing, since it won't hurt anything either.

 

[Azzy]

Bards don't get people companions, right?

Oh, no... Bards get a temporary people companion in each town the visit.

Nudge, nudge, say no more.

 

[Chaosmancer]

See yeah, the idea that a Bard can just get the Paladin's main thing is definitely weird to me. I don't get the appeal.

Honestly, most Bards don't get the appeal either, but everyone is always very upset that Bards can get it.

For me, not really, because I dislike Hunter's Mark itself, not just the notion of a pre-existing spell being made a signature class feature. I dislike the idea, and the candidate.
If it was a better spell, and you got better buffs for it, I'd still dislike it in principle but I might not worry about it.

Honestly, I don't get the problem. Hunter's Mark was a unique ranger spell. It was clearly inspired by the 4e ability and the 3.5 Spell "Mark of the Hunter", so the idea of it being a "pre-existing spell" just doesn't come into my calculations. Like, the Abjurer wizard is getting free dispel and counterspell. The paladin is getting free Find Steed. The Cleric domains and Warlock patrons give free spells, like the Archfey Warlock getting Misty step for free. Arcane Trickster gets Mage Hand for free. I give Artficers Mending and Identify for free.

It is just a common thing in the design.

I don't like it, but y'know, not for no reason.
I'd say there's a meaningful difference between things like Divine Smite, which they made a kind of spell this time where it wasn't before, and the situation with Ranger and Hunter's Mark which is the only idea for Ranger's signature feature for a while now. If it was their first crack at it, as is the case with the Smite thing, I might not have been as bothered. But they've been banging that drum for ages!

Well, to be fair to the designers, most of the alternative abilities that have been proposed in this thread are... Hunter's Mark but not a spell. Which they tried, and wasn't as popular as free Hunter's Mark.