D&D (2024) 2024 Player's Handbook reveal: "New Ranger"

"More than any other class, the ranger is a new class."

​

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]

What if it was a ritual?

If your making a spell-less ranger, then sure. But assuming they are still a half caster, probably not.

Oh. Give the spell-less ranger "nature invocations", which can include Speak with Animals, and all the other ranger stuff.

You're offering all these provisos that aren't what I want, when they literally already offered what I want in a previous rendition! You're not gonna sell me on the spell format when precisely what I'm after is there, and there's no need to try either!

 

[Chaosmancer]

versatility to be able to pick and choose when building a character with all the different individual facets of what people see as ranger stuff, ranger is probably the one class in DnD with the greatest number of micro-concepts that make up it's themes, exploration, medicine, hunter's mark, stealth, nature, tracking, survival, making consumables, favoured terrain, animal companions, melee combat, ranged combat, beastmastery, magic, favoured foes, and with more granularity inside those concepts of how they're executed.

sure, but those are very large chunks, they're not very customisable, like getting housing bricks to build with when you need something more akin to duplo-sized for a finer touch.

• Exploration - The ranger has skills, increased movement speed, and can cover any terrain with swim and climb speeds. Seems to be covered.
• Medicine - The ranger can get expertise in the medicine skill, use the new crafting system to make healing items, and has a wide variety of magical healing abilities. Seems to be covered.
• Hunter's Mark - Covered
• Stealth - Expertise in stealth, stealth spells such as Pass without a Trace, and the high level ability to turn invisible. Seems to be covered.
• Nature - Expertise in nature, a variety of spells. Not sure what more you want here, seems to be covered.
• Tracking/Survival - These are the same thing? Also, between expertise in Survial, spells like enhance ability and Hunter's Mark... this seems to be covered.
• Making Consumables - New crafting system, so this is covered.
• Favoured Terrain - What do you want this to do? And how would you avoid the continuous problems that have always plagued this concept?
• Animal Companion - If the DM doesn't give you a sidekick, or you don't want to take Summon Beast or Find Familiar, and you don't want to use expertise in Animal Handling... you still have the subclass for this. Covered in multiple ways.
• Melee and Ranged combat - Covered, they are as good in melee combat as any martial, and they have spells to enhance those abilities.
• Beast Mastery... same as animal companion?
• Magic - Covered, multiple times over
• Favoured Foes - What do you want this to do? And how would you avoid the continuous problems that have always plagued this concept?

And then you want granularity. But... well, there is a bit of a give and take here isn't there? We HAVE all of the concepts covered in one class. We have a Ranger that can do all the things you want it to do, but it can't do all of them at once to the highest degree (Sorry, you can't have expertise in Perception, Survival, Nature, Stealth, Animal Handling, Medicine, AND History) and you can't cut some of the concepts out. You can't have a ranger who is bad at melee combat and doesn't have magic, but is better at crafting and having animals companions. Just like you can't have a Barbarian who is incredibly tough, but also incredibly slow and has no movement abilities. The game isn't designed for you to do that. A class is a set of abilities, and you get all of them.

Now, if you want to have more game-play and more mechanical depth in the skill system, I'll agree that would be nice, but this ranger covers everything you were asking for. And we can't just keep giving them more and more powerful and niche abilities.

is there a typo in here somewhere? you seem to hard reverse direction in what you're saying after the first sentence? 'i can't see the ranger crafting...which is now a subsystem so ranger's got that covered too'

Right, it isn't in the class, it wasn't in 2014... but considering that the new PHB has improved crafting and tool rules, then it is covered there.

i'm not saying it needs to be non-magical, but i do think making specifically spellcasting the loadbearing mechanic for all of the ranger's customisation is a terrible idea, not all magic needs to be spells, the ranger would work wonders with an invocations/infusions style system that lets it pick out a number of smaller supplementary boons to shape it alongside subclass.

Sure, but so would most classes. Sorcerers would greatly benefit from that style of system if you wanted it. Clerics would benefit from it. Fighters, Paladins, monks, barbarians... everyone could in theory benefit from an infusion style system that allows them to customize their class more. That doesn't mean that it is a good idea for every class to have that. Warlocks have Invocations, that makes them special, that is their thing. I'm not eager to start cracking that open to give to every class. And saying "just the ranger" doesn't mean anything, because someone else will have their favorite class they want to do the same thing to. I know, because I've seen multiple people say over the years that every single class in DnD should be designed exactly like the Warlock.

 

[mellored]

You're offering all these provisos that aren't what I want, when they literally already offered what I want in a previous rendition! You're not gonna sell me on the spell format when precisely what I'm after is there, and there's no need to try either!

I can't change editions.

I'm just trying to make this one fit you better.

 

[Minigiant]

i'm not saying it needs to be non-magical, but i do think making specifically spellcasting the loadbearing mechanic for all of the ranger's customisation is a terrible idea, not all magic needs to be spells, the ranger would work wonders with an invocations/infusions style system that lets it pick out a number of smaller supplementary boons to shape it alongside subclass.

Spells is a load eating system because it's a system every D&D player is willing to learn.

I think you could port Infusions to the core system because magic items is a subsystem everyone is interested in. A magic items that grant animal, plant, earth, air, etc powers would fit rangers.

Canonically 1e rangers could use crystal balls, sending stones, and other divination or communication magic items without being a magic user.

But it would still be magic.

You're not getting around that. Everybody wants nonmagic skill but nobody wants to read nonmagic skill rules.

 

[Xeviat]

I thought I'd slap together a proposed patch for the new Ranger. I know it's super early, but the Hunter's Mark concentration and the Beast Master bonus action issues are too large for me to ignore.

What do you think?

Level 1: Spellcasting: Allow the Ranger to prepare all their spells each day. Also allow bows and weapon hilts to be enhanced to function as foci (like carving runes into a bow to make it a totem like a staff).

This brings them to how they were in 3rd edition, and helps them be better prepared for upcoming situations. Strongly considering adding a cantrip progression to Ranger and Paladin as well for kicks.

Level 1: Favored Enemy: One free cast of Hunter's Mark each day (or maybe free castings up to your Wisdom modifier to make Wisdom more important early on; I don't like having it be proficiency bonus or just scaling with level because I think Wisdom should be important). Also, you can cast hunter's Mark on a creature for no action when you take the attack action to attack that creature.

See the Hunter's Mark spell below for changes, but switched to 1/round damage, scaling damage with higher level spell slots, but removed concentration and the ability to switch targets. These changes are to make it more comparable to level dipping Rogue for 1/round damage, and also so the Hunter's Mark damage boost can be compared to Smite type spells. By removing concentration from the spell rather than as a class ability, and by having it be 1/round damage, dipping concerns are gone. Letting rangers cast it for free when they attack helps with action economy issues, like Beast Master and Vanish.

Level 2: Deft Explorer: +2 languages, and gain expertise 1 skill off the Ranger’s list that you are proficient with. Also, gain proficiency in Survival; if you were already proficient, you gain expertise in Survival instead.

Fixed expertise in Survival helps make this weaker than just 2 expertises, to both differentiate it from rogue expertise, to balance the +2 languages, and to ensure that the ranger is always good at survival.

Level 3 (and 7, 11, and 15): Ranger Subclasses: all ranger subclasses gain additional spells known, 1 per spell level, so there's parity between Hunter and Beast Master and the other subclasses. There's plenty of spells that feel too fitting for a Beast Master to not have.

Level 3: Primeval Awareness: Whenever you take a long rest, you gain spells known based on the terrain you're in, 1 per spell level. These are largely exploration and survival spells.

I'm bringing this ability back but changing it. This allows the Ranger to match the Paladin’s subclass spells known, 2 per level, by mixing terrain spells with their subclass spells. It also helps the Ranger to feel always prepared for the environment they are in, which adds to the fantasy of the Ranger.

Level 6: Relentless Hunter: Moved to 6th level, but changed. You may cast Hunter's Mark upon a target with unlimited range as long as you make an attack against it or you are examining its tracks or one of its possessions. While traveling, you can track and still perform another task.

(Since I effectively removed the need for this ability, I changed it to modify the Hunter's Mark spell in ways that benefit exploration, making the signature spell useful in more situations. I could also put “remove concentration from hunters mark” here if everyone thinks concentration free doesn't work for the base spell.)

Level 9: Ranging Expertise: You gain expertise in 2 additional Ranger skills. Additionally, you can change your Primeval Awareness terrain during a short rest.

A small mostly exploration focused ability to justify changing the name of this ability, and to add to the Ranger's exploration theme.

Level 13: Precise Hunter: Moved to 13th level. You gain advantage on attacks against Hunter's Mark targets, and Hunter's Mark targets suffer disadvantage to saving throws made against your attacks and abilities.

I moved this to a lower level and buffed it so rangers who like spells have a bonus too. Barbarians and Rogues have been attacking with advantage forever.

Level 17: One with Nature: You gain resistance to poison damage and advantage to saves vs poison damage or the poisoned condition. You gain an additional resistance determined by your Primeval Awareness (fire for arid, cold for Arctic, and such like the land druid), and you have advantage on saves vs environmental or planar effects.

(I really wanted to finish off the deft explorer > ranging expertise exploration chain of abilities, but I didn't want anything offensive. Tireless is the only other defensive ability they get. So I thought they'd like this.)

Level 20: Foe Slayer: Add your Wisdom Modifier to damage against targets of your Hunter's Mark.

Reverting to something like the 5E version since my Hunter's Mark damage already scales. Barbarians get +2 to hit and damage with all attacks and +2 hp per level. Fighters get an extra attack. I don't think up to +5 damage will be a problem. But I'm the least married to this. I might also like something like a save or “die” where you can expend your Hunter's Mark mark on a target to deal + a lot of damage. Or something that feels like taking controlled aim and delivering a death shot… but that could just be a 5th level spell.

Here's my pitch for a patched Hunter's Mark (and Hex, because they should follow the same flow to me).

Hunter's Mark
1st-level divination
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: 90 feet
Components: V
Duration: 1 hour
You choose a creature you can see within range and mystically mark it as your quarry. Until the spell ends, the first time you hit the target with a weapon attack each round, you deal an extra 1d6 force damage. You also have advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) check you make to find it.

If you cast this spell upon a target currently affected by your previous casting of this spell, the first casting is replaced by the second.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd or 4th level, the spell's duration increases to 8 hours and the damage increases to +2d6. When you use a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the spell's duration increases to 24 hours and the damage increases to +3d6.

Hex
1st-level enchantment
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: 90 feet
Components: V, S, M (the petrified eye of a newt)
Duration: 1 hour
You place a curse on a creature that you can see within range. Until the spell ends, the first time you hit it with an attack each round, you deal an extra 1d6 necrotic damage to the target. Also, choose one ability when you cast the spell. The target has disadvantage on ability checks made with the chosen ability.
If you cast this spell upon a target currently affected by your previous casting of this spell, the first casting is replaced by the second. Also, a remove curse cast on the target ends this spell early.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd or 4th level, the spell's duration increases to 8 hours and the damage increases to +2d6. When you use a spell slot of 5th or 6th level, the spell's duration increases to 24 hours and the damage increases to +3d6.

(I've changed Hunter's Mark and Hex to the playtest scaling 1/round damage, but removed concentration. I believe that will balance these spells against other spell options, like Smites. Smite deals +9 average damage with a first level slot. One would have to hit 3 times to do more than that damage. 3rd level slots would be 18 damage with 3 hits to beat, and 5th level would be 27 damage with 3 hits to beat. The multiple chances of hitting once in a round of high level Eldritch Blast or ranger multiple attacks drives up the damage percentage closer to 100%, keeping it balanced with smite as well).

 

[Rocker26a]

I can't change editions.

I'm just trying to make this one fit you better.

It's probably not gonna happen! I'll probably stay on 5E and just pinch what's useful from 2024.
(Not solely because I find 2024 Ranger inadequate mind, but y'know, certainly doesn't help)

 

[UngeheuerLich]

It's probably not gonna happen! I'll probably stay on 5E and just pinch what's useful from 2024.
(Not solely because I find 2024 Ranger inadequate mind, but y'know, certainly doesn't help)

Cool. I also stay on 5e. And carry over from 2014 what I liked.

 

[Horwath]

Well, you are never going to get a d8 Light weapon.

if there is 1d6 light, finesse weapon,
then it should be 1d8 light weapon.

of finesse property is now just for free?

 

[Horwath]

Rangers range, they travel to different lands. Out of all of the classes in the game, only the Bard makes more sense to get more languages than them... and bard typically gets no extra languages as a base. The only issue is people don't often do much with extra languages.

yes, but if I were to compare then 1 expertise is about 6-10 languages worth. If it's even for comparison.

 

[Horwath]

Yeah, Pathfinder 1e Rangers still had the same issues as D&D Rangers, where their flavor is poorly defined and very broad- but Paizo leaned into that by giving us a wide variety of Ranger archetypes to choose from. So you had spellcasting fey Rangers, pet Rangers, environmental experts, rangers who focus on slaying particular foes, teamwork Rangers, bow experts, outlaws, shapeshifters, skirmishers, pirates, bounty hunters, wilderness defenders, and grizzled old mountain men.

Solution:

more feat slots, less fixed class features.