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]

So anyone playing a melee ranger is forced into a feat tax to make the character playable?

I don't see why. You can hunters mark and TWF on the same turn now.

Even assuming you lose concentration every turn, it's a bonus action to add 2d6 damage a few times per day, 3d6 at level 5.

That's more than paladin (they still get lay on hands)

There is a feat tax at higher levels though. Since you get advantage on all attacks, and all Light weapons have Vex, your going to want Dual Wielder.

 

[Chaosmancer]

That's another thing right, it's not even always about stacking buffs, some spells that are functionally one-and-dones like Zephyr Strike use concentration as well.

I'm not sure how a problem with the design of Zephyr Strike is solved by redesigning Hunter's Mark. Sounds like something to handle by... redesigning Zephyr Strike.

 

[Chaosmancer]

But how can we make room for buffs when we have to sacrifice Four class features on the altar of Hunter's Mark??

Sacrificing Four class Features?

Levels 13 and 17 had ZERO features in the 2014 Ranger, nothing being sacrificed there. And both the original Favored Enemies and the original Favored Enemy were pretty terrible abilities. Now, the new Foe Slayer is also bad, but it wasn't "sacrificed" and level 1 Rangers still get spellcasting and weapon mastery on top of Hunter's Mark, so it isn't like they have "sacrificed" all of their level 1 abilities either.

 

[Rocker26a]

I'm not sure how a problem with the design of Zephyr Strike is solved by redesigning Hunter's Mark. Sounds like something to handle by... redesigning Zephyr Strike.

It's more that it came up as a result of "what does hunter's mark enforcing concentration prevent you from doing" being asked. Yes, Zephyr Strike in particular could do with a re-write. It's got a fair bit going on and it's a bit weirdly worded/constructed, it doesn't even specify what ends the spell.
I also homebrewed that. I made it function more like the Smite spells so the damage is applied the next time you hit, to save you whiffing and having wasted the spell and actions.

Levels 13 and 17 had ZERO features in the 2014 Ranger

You misunderstand, I said that not in comparison to anything that came before, only to itself. There are features at those levels now, presumably they would be there whatever they did.

 

[Chaosmancer]

So anyone playing a melee ranger is forced into a feat tax to make the character playable?

End it's not even a good, interesting or cool feat.

Arcane Tricksters, Clerics, Druids, various Bards... it isn't like the Ranger is the only class in the game with concentration spells and a lack of Con Save Proficiency.

 

[Chaosmancer]

You know, I don't even mind the idea of Rangers getting extra bennies for Hunter's Mark, but the ones offered do seem kind of meh. I'd prefer a more "team player" Ranger who could share the benefits of Hunter's Mark with their team. The kind of thing that'd make your party happy to have brought a Ranger along.

Woof, if you did that, it would have to be something like the capstone. With a full party at level 5 it would not be difficult to make that a bonus 13d6 damage in a single round of combat from a 1st level spell. That's nearly double what a fireball does.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I don't see why. You can hunters mark and TWF on the same turn now.

Even assuming you lose concentration every turn, it's a bonus action to add 2d6 damage a few times per day, 3d6 at level 5.

That's more than paladin (they still get lay on hands)

There is a feat tax at higher levels though. Since you get advantage on all attacks, and all Light weapons have Vex, your going to want Dual Wielder.

Do we know that all light weapons have vex?

 

[Chaosmancer]

You misunderstand, I said that not in comparison to anything that came before, only to itself. There are features at those levels now, presumably they would be there whatever they did.

That is a big assumption, with little to back it up. In the Playtest what was there was a single prepared spell of the same level (Conjure Barrage and Conjure Volley). So, are those the abilities "sacrificed" two prepared spells?

 

[Chaosmancer]

Do we know that all light weapons have vex?

They obviously don't, since many light weapons have the Nick property. They have to for Nick to even do anything. The club also looks like it originally had slow, and it is a light weapon.

 

[Minigiant]

Honestly, the big ones that WoTC likely were considering? Entangle and Faerie Fire. Mass Restrain and Mass advantage are pretty powerful abilities to get on top of your continued damage boost. But those are the only two I really see at 1st level that are both powerful combat buffs and that I don't think are going to receive more of a smite spell treatment.

Fog Cloud and Searing Smite as well

Personally I'd would have let the Ranger choose any 1st level Ranger spell with concentration for Favored Enemies extra uses and that's who I'd likely rule it.

So anyone playing a melee ranger is forced into a feat tax to make the character playable?

End it's not even a good, interesting or cool feat.

Melee rangers ready should have their own nonConcentration defense spell.

If there's any real gripe that I have I really have with WOTC, It's that they're all spells Spell spell spell spell spells... but never for half casters.