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]

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?

I mean. Sure. They probably had those spells there, and then replaced them with the Hunter's Mark gubbins.
So yes, I think it seems nominally likely that they probably would have put something there either way, given that they put things at those levels on two out of the two versions of the class we've been shown. They just happened to both be not very good. (The new level 17 feature is at least useful, but I still don't like that it ties 4 features on your levelling table to Hunter's Mark.)
My assumption is that they'd adhere to that small pattern, and anything better is what's being "sacrificed" in the name of; spells I don't care about, or buffs for spells I don't care about.
But also mainly it was just a silly joke at WOTC's expense.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

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.

Ok. I meant besides nick, as nick does nothing in your primary hand.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Do we know that all light weapons have vex?

If you're a Dex warrior, your options are really limited. Vex + Nick, you're done.

Then all the non-Finesse Light weapons are also only Vex or Nick, so Str TWF warriors aren't any better off (Dual Wielder just isn't worth paying the feat tax for unless they buff it come release, but then they wouldn't have nerfed it in the first place)

 

[UngeheuerLich]

View attachment 371157

If you're a Dex warrior, your options are really limited. Vex + Nick, you're done.

Then all the non-Finesse Light weapons are also only Vex or Nick, so Str TWF warriors aren't any better off (Dual Wielder just isn't worth paying the feat tax for unless they buff it come release, but then they wouldn't have nerfed it in the first place)

Did you just repost the UA table? Which is not what I asked for. You could have as well said no.

And you are wrong on top. The club would be light with slow mastery.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Did you just repost the UA table? Which is not what I asked for. You could have as well said no.

You presented a question. I gave you a reference that answers that question.

And you are wrong on top. The club would be light with slow property.

That's a non-property, you silly goose.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

You presented a question. I gave you a reference that answers that question.

Nope. You gave me an outdated list.

That's a non-property, you silly goose.

Why is it a non-property mr-got-reported?
Except you really wanted to correct me that it is a mastery, not a property.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Nope. You gave me an outdated list.

Guess we'll see all the vast changes that WotC has implemented to the weapons list that remained the same through the playtests, and got a very positive reaction as is.

Why is it a non-property?

Because no-one is going to be 'oh boy, I've been looking for a weapon with Slow on it!' They could conceivably say that about... yep, every other effect. They have a purpose. This one is just there to fill out the list.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Guess we'll see all the vast changes that WotC has implemented to the weapons list that remained the same through the playtests, and got a very positive reaction as is.

I did not say they changed it. I wanted to know if we know if it is the same. So no.

Because no-one is going to be 'oh boy, I've been looking for a weapon with Slow on it!' They could conceivably say that about... yep, every other effect. They have a purpose. This one is just there to fill out the list.

So ok. You still were wrong... and since you then started ad hominems, i guess you knew that and did not know how to otherwise defend your point.

 

[mellored]

Do we know that all light weapons have vex?

As of the last playtest, all the Finesse or Light weapons have Nick or Slow except...

Club has Light and Slow, but not finesse
Whip has Finess and Slow, but not light.

Slow if available on longbows.
And Push on heavy crossbows (requires a feat).

You need to use Str for anything else.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

As of the last playtest, all the Finesse or Light weapons have Nick or Slow except...

Club has Light and Slow, but not finesse
Whip has Finess and Slow, but not light.

Slow if available on longbows.
And Push on heavy crossbows (requires a feat).

You need to use Str for anything else.

So the latest playtest is indeed our last information. So probably it stays as it was. But maybe we are lucky.

But if it stays as is, this is some kind of oversight by tge designers. Although there coud be situations where vex could help. When it was your last hit and you lose hunter's mark in between and you don't want to recast it. Still a bit lousy.