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.

 

[mellored]

So have we agreed on a simple revision for our purposes?

I vote remove concentration from Hunter's Mark when cast by a Ranger, like War Cleric gets for sacred weapon and shield of faith. Then we just need a different level 13 ability.

That would be too OP for some builds, Hunter's Mark + Spirit Shroud for instance.

Remove concentration from Zephyr instead.

 

[g00se99994]

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[Minigiant]

https://screenrant.com/dnd-new-players-handbook-rangers-concentration-hunters-mark/

Jeremy Crawford:

People are going to see that, while there are certain things like hunter’s mark that required Concentration in 2014 and continue to require it in 2024, there are other things that used to require Concentration that no longer do. And we were particularly mindful of that for classes like the Ranger that have key features that require Concentration.

 

[mellored]

https://screenrant.com/dnd-new-players-handbook-rangers-concentration-hunters-mark/

Jeremy Crawford:

Yea. I expect it's not nearly the deal people are making it out to be.

Still think it's unimaginative, but it will be functional.

 

[Minigiant]

Yea. I expect it's not nearly the deal people are making it out to be.

Still think it's unimaginative, but it will be functional.

Depends on which spells lose concentration.

Rangers have a few "good" spells which are unused because they compete for concentration and cannot stack with others.

 

[mellored]

Depends on which spells lose concentration.

Rangers have a few "good" spells which are unused because they compete for concentration and cannot stack with others.

Zephyr Strike, Hail of Thorns, and Ensnaring Strike are the main ones i strongly expect to lose concentration. Or nearly any other "attack and..." spell.

Much of the rest of the Ranger spells are exploration.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Zephyr Strike, Hail of Thorns, and Ensnaring Strike are the main ones i strongly expect to lose concentration. Or nearly any other "attack and..." spell.

Much of the rest of the Ranger spells are exploration.

Swift quiver. That thing needs to lose concentration. Or the bonus action requirement. Or both.

 

[g00se99994]

https://screenrant.com/dnd-new-players-handbook-rangers-concentration-hunters-mark/

Jeremy Crawford:

I just thought it was funny.

 

[mellored]

Swift quiver. That thing needs to lose concentration. Or the bonus action requirement. Or both.

That too.

And they need to do something with Flame Arrow while they are at it.

Maybe completely rewrite it to be a fireball arrow.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

That too.

And they need to do something with Flame Arrow while they are at it.

Maybe completely rewrite it to be a fireball arrow.

Flame arrow in 2e was interesting.

It did 1d6 piercing + 4d6 damage per arrow. 1 arrow for every 5 levels of the caster.

Or 10 arrows deal 1 point of exra fire damage, but also caused inflamable thing to burn.

Not great compared to fireball on first glance, but:

• 1d6 piercing isn't halved on successful save, nor is it resisted -> guaranteed damage.
• friendlier to uses vs single targets in the midst of battle
• conjuration/summoning instead of invocation/evocation so available to illusionists.
• The second use comes in handy once in a while.

So some version of that would be great. Flame arrow right now is lets say, very bad.