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.

 

[Gammadoodler]

I'm not sure the Ranger has a strong identity, I mean, is the Ranger:

Tarzan, Lord Greystoke?

Aragorn son of Arathorn?

Daniel Boone, King of the Wild Frontier?

Drizz't Do'Urden?

Robin Hood?

Simo Häyhä, The White Death?

A Druidic or Fey Knight, a counterpart to the Paladin?

What features do we want them to have? Dual-wielding? Archery? Peerless tracking? Camouflage? Trap and snare making? Herbalism? The ability to live off the land indefinitely? Monster Hunting? Animal Taming? Beast speaking? Terrain mastery? Fast movement? Ignoring difficult terrain and natural hazards? Ignoring exhaustion and extreme weather? Learning combat abilities from beasts? Are they aligned with Druids or Nature priests? Do they gain powers and boons from sylvan creatures and the fey? Shapeshifting (either as a Druid or something as transformative as turning into a Treant, like 2e's Limbant Ranger?). Do they have climbing and swim speeds? Can they call upon primal spirits, conjure and call protectors of the forests?

There's a lot of different things that's been thrown into this nebulous category we call "Ranger".

I think of the Ranger as the environmental martial. Where Fighters excel in personal skill at arms and Paladins gain strength from the power of their convictions, Rangers know about the world/their enemies and how to use that knowledge in a fight.

In terms of abilities, I'd expect:

• stuff to help them know about their environment/enemies
• stuff that capitalizes on that knowledge in and out of combat.

I think most any effective suite of abilities that deliver these two capabilities would deliver the "Ranger experience".

Specific abilities can vary by subclass, but I'd expect all of the subclasses to express some kind of connection to the land (or sea, or whatever), and a mechanism to translate that connection to combat effectiveness.

 

[Chaosmancer]

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

of finesse property is now just for free?

If there is a d8 light weapon, what is the point of a d8 non-light weapon? The light weapon would be immediately superior, because it unlocks being able to dual-wield d8 weapons. It also makes the Dual-Wielder feat largely pointless, because there are no better 1-handed weapons to be dual-wielded anymore.

 

[CreamCloud0]

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.

i have repeatedly said now my issue is not that it's magic, it's that it's spellcasting, trying to funnel the majority of granular ranger customisation through spellcasting is ultimately a restriction having to work with both existing spells and the spellcasting structure, and this is not saying ranger spellcasting is bad either! just that i don't think it is the optimal avenue to enact new customisation on the ranger.

 

[Chaosmancer]

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

Who claimed that the Ranger was supposed to get two expertise there? They get Expertise, a Fighting Style Feat, and two languages. Whether or not those languages have the same value of expertise isn't the point at all.

The point I was responding to was that languages didn't make sense for the Ranger. And argue, they do make sense thematically for the Ranger, who is the ultimate traveler.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

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

of finesse property is now just for free?

Yeah, why not? It is not a great property. Same as versatile.

On the other hand: what wpuld be that weapon that fits the description?

 

[Horwath]

If there is a d8 light weapon, what is the point of a d8 non-light weapon? The light weapon would be immediately superior, because it unlocks being able to dual-wield d8 weapons. It also makes the Dual-Wielder feat largely pointless, because there are no better 1-handed weapons to be dual-wielded anymore.

exactly,
that is why if we have d8 finesse weapon(rapier), we need d10 non finesse weapon.
now if there would be d10 non finesse weapon, maybe that awful Flex masteryfrom UA would not be that bad.

then you could dual wield:

STR:
main hand, d12(Flex included), off hand d8 light(nick)

DEX:
main hand, d8 finesse(Vex), off hand d6, light(nick), finesse

 

[Horwath]

Yeah, why not? It is not a great property. Same as versatile.

actually it is.

If gives opportunity to have same ability used for both melee and ranged attacks.

it's well worth a damage die reduction.

 

[CreamCloud0]

If there is a d8 light weapon, what is the point of a d8 non-light weapon? The light weapon would be immediately superior, because it unlocks being able to dual-wield d8 weapons. It also makes the Dual-Wielder feat largely pointless, because there are no better 1-handed weapons to be dual-wielded anymore.

i think this says more about the faults of the inclination to give out full blocks of weapon proficiency rather than meaningful curation of what classes can use what, as well as the lacklustre array of weapons in general.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

actually it is.

If gives opportunity to have same ability used for both melee and ranged attacks.

it's well worth a damage die reduction.

Many throwing weapons use only strength. Works well with shield equipped. But we are derailing the thread.

Edit: and before I reduce rapier damage, I'd increase the longsword damage etc.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Yeah, why not? It is not a great property. Same as versatile.

On the other hand: what wpuld be that weapon that fits the description?

does this mean you'll be willing to give my dex character a d12 finesse weapon? because 'finesse isn't actually all that great'