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.

 

[Horwath]

And that is already mostly true.

that is only true for 2Handed heavy weapon set.

for 1H+shield and dual wield is almost completely the same.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

that is only true for 2Handed heavy weapon set.

for 1H+shield and dual wield is almost completely the same.

Nope. Melee with shield is better for str, as equipping shields takes an action. So you end up woth a free hand more often than you might like. With new unarmed rules str can make more of it. Versatile weapon can be used two handed on top.
And if you have a shield, you can opt to attack at medium range with a javelin. Good? Not really. But sometimes you need a bit of reach, if your combats happen on 3d terrain, not only on ground level. Dex builds can only use daggers. And last I checked, javelin's range and damage die is bigger.

Dual wield is mostly even. Although with the feat, str is way more flexible.

 

[Chaosmancer]

STR better for melee(in all weapon configurations)
DEX better for ranged

it's simple.

Simple doesn't mean it fixes the actual issue of dex being better than strength.

 

[Chaosmancer]

but weapon access is already used to balance specific classes, it's just used in an incredibly simple fashion with little nuance, a cleric only has simple weapons, a paladin has martial ones.

and my point about adding weapons is less about balance and more about customisation, IMO there are some weird gaping holes in the weapon table as it exists,

Yeah, because "I can use staves, spears, sickles, arming swords, darts, light crossbows, slings, handaxes, battle axes, shortswords, parrying daggers" would be a better system? Yes it is simple, that's the good thing about it. You shouldn't need to reference a checklist to see if you can use a weapon, especially not for martial characters. Plus, in terms of writing it on your character sheet, it is better to write a category than to have to write out twenty-five different weapons.

I also don't know what "Gaping holes" you are referring to. There are a few minor omissions I've filled on occasion, but nothing vital.

 

[Chaosmancer]

A Ranger is/ought to be the ultimate traveler. They are not, however, a holiday maker. They don't roam the world to get to know the locals necessarily. Their work does not strictly involve immersing themselves in other cultures. Not to say that they definitely wouldn't, but it's not such a part of the Ranger identity to stick it on the levelling table.
More than that, I just find it very bizarre to grant languages via the base class in general. Subclasses based around particular things, fine. "you're a fey pact warlock, you are imparted knowledge of the sylvan language if you didn't have it already", that makes sense. How can that work for a base class?
It feels very "extra hour in the ballpit" in terms of things on the levelling table. It seems like they didn't want to grant Expertise as normal, perhaps because they were terrified of them sharing space with the Rogue and/or Bard, so they thought "what low value thing can we swap the 2nd Expertise out for".

Have you ever watched River Monsters? Or, better yet, you get to a town in DnD. How do you learn about the monster in the nearby swamps? You talk to the locals. You can't learn about local problems without talking to local people for clues.

Now, yes, I fully understand that 90% of campaigns have everyone speaking Common (the human tongue) to make it easier for the PCs to do this. And I don't disagree with the impulse, because I played in a game where the DM insisted that none of the characters could speak the local language, and it was miserable to spend multiple game sessions playing charades and trying to figure out what people wanted or were doing. But also, having experienced that? Knowing that there is an entire feat that gives extra languages and the designers likely play in games where language matters? In the right game, those extra languages will be a huge help. And, again, thematically it makes sense.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Simple doesn't mean it fixes the actual issue of dex being better than strength.

It is not. Especially with new improved grapple and trip in mind.

 

[Rocker26a]

And, again, thematically it makes sense.

And, again, I'd argue it's a reach. A reach for any class to get languages from their base levelling table, though Ranger getting them is especially weird. I'd put Wizard above that, then probably Bard, if anyone. I would not be content having things like languages dictated by class choice. It's weird. Especially when it's not even a 1st level feature, like just overnight after clearing a dungeon the day before you learn two languages? Dumb. Ridiculous. Imposes on sensical roleplay for the most minute of benefits.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Have you ever watched River Monsters? Or, better yet, you get to a town in DnD. How do you learn about the monster in the nearby swamps? You talk to the locals. You can't learn about local problems without talking to local people for clues.

Now, yes, I fully understand that 90% of campaigns have everyone speaking Common (the human tongue) to make it easier for the PCs to do this. And I don't disagree with the impulse, because I played in a game where the DM insisted that none of the characters could speak the local language, and it was miserable to spend multiple game sessions playing charades and trying to figure out what people wanted or were doing. But also, having experienced that? Knowing that there is an entire feat that gives extra languages and the designers likely play in games where language matters? In the right game, those extra languages will be a huge help. And, again, thematically it makes sense.

rather than being actual languages i feel like language proficiencies would be more useful in DnD as like, vocabularies used for specific purposes, as an offshoot of social mechanics, rather than elven, dwarvish and draconic you presume everyone is already able to communicate and have aristocratic, merchant, arcane and military, which provide bonuses/advantages for using/knowing them in applicable situations.

 

[Horwath]

Simple doesn't mean it fixes the actual issue of dex being better than strength.

well, we can link ALL armor with min STR, starting with 10 for leather and 18 for fullplate.

 

[mellored]

And, again, I'd argue it's a reach. A reach for any class to get languages from their base levelling table, though Ranger getting them is especially weird. I'd put Wizard above that, then probably Bard, if anyone. I would not be content having things like languages dictated by class choice. It's weird. Especially when it's not even a 1st level feature, like just overnight after clearing a dungeon the day before you learn two languages? Dumb. Ridiculous. Imposes on sensical roleplay for the most minute of benefits.

And what about Druidic or Thives Cant?

Those are effectively language that have been on the level table for several editions.