Unearthed Arcana 6: The Ranger

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The current game set up poses a challenge for the Ranger, which makes it one of the least impressive classes in D&D.. A class that is supposed to thrive on its expertise in specific environments and against specific enemies, this did not translate all that well into 5e. The class is fine, but often another class will do just as well. So I was very curious to see the next revision for One D&D.

I am doing something different for this review and breaking it up by classes. You can look at the previous class HERE.

The Heart of the Ranger

Starting off, we see that like the Bard, Ranger has had Expertise replaced. In its place, we get Deft Explorer, a feature originally offered in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. This version, slightly changed from what we get now, gives Expertise on a Ranger-specific skill, and also gives advantage to Nature and Survival checks in two chosen terrains, with the option to change one after a Long Rest. At 9th level, you can choose double the amount.

This new option is less free form than just giving double proficiency on any skill, which makes a Ranger that actually feels like what they should represent. Previously, with how it was just giving you expertise in two skills, it made the class feel a little bland and flavorless, almost like a less skilled Rogue. The bonuses based on Terrain are nice as well. I feel like offering the ability to change on a Long Rest can also help avoid making a Ranger’s early game choices pointless.

Spell casting has also changed significantly for the Ranger. Besides the broad changes with preparing spells, now Rangers can change one spell per Long Rest. Rangers lose access to cantrips entirely. Instead, they receive Weapon Mastery at 1st level.

This is an unusual way to provide a third option between spontaneous casters and prepared spellcasters. As I have talked about it before, 5E struggles the most at providing ranges of options, instead of excelling on binary options. The developers obviously want to try giving Rangers just a bit of flexibility, but finding that sweet spot is tough. I like the approach, but feel like it needs to be adjusted. Perhaps something based on their Wisdom Modifier, Class Level, or Proficiency Bonus could instead give a slightly increasing flexibility.

Regarding Weapon Mastery feels more like an added game mechanic than a Fighter/Warrior-centric mechanic. It makes sense for a Ranger to have a certain prowess with weapons. But maybe this means Fighters need something else?

They have moved favored enemy down to 2nd level instead of 1st. It no longer removes the Concentration checks from Hunter’s Mark. Instead, Rangers can cast Hunter’s Mark for free several times equal to their Wisdom Modifier.

I think this is a tricky to balance situation, for a similar situation to what Warlock has with Eldritch Blast. From a mechanical and damage dealing perspective, passing up Hunter’s Mark is a tough choice. It does a decent job, better than most. So often you will see players opt to use it over other, less effective options. Since the spell has Concentration once again, I think we see that debate resurface.

We also see that the Ranger subclass progression matches the 2014 layout, which is something that has changed across the board. As I have said previously, I think making the game backwards compatible is a good thing, though we lose some subclass customization.

At 9th level we see our first additional feature, Conjure Barrage. This class feature gives the Ranger Conjure Barrage always prepared. If you are not familiar, this spell creates a 60 ft cone of flying weapons, and does 3d8 damage.

The Ranger has 2 3rd-level spell slots at 9th level. While this is a pleasant option to have available, I feel like getting a free cast per day or something to that extent might make this ability more useful.

At 10th level, the option Tireless from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, allowing a Ranger to get Temporary Hit Points several times per day as an action. Short Rests also decrease any accumulated Exhaustion levels by one.

I like everything about this. A Ranger should have that extra bit of stamina and be able to last longer than their comrades. I think both options do that well. They were excellent additions in Tasha’s and will be excellent Core Features now.

The ranger can now use Nature's Veil at level 14 without expending a spell slot. They can become invisible multiple times equal to their Wisdom modifier per Long Rest. This action takes a Bonus Action, and it is not considered magical. The wording just specifies that it gives the ranger the Invisible condition.moving it from depending on spell slots is a pleasant bonus, and moving it to 14th level to make up for it makes sense to me as well. I could see 14 levels in Ranger followed by some levels in Rogue or another class, leading to some decent combinations in high-level combat.

At 17th level we have Conjure Valley, a stronger version of Conjure Barrage. Conjure Volley is a 5th level spell that does 8d8 damage in a 40 ft radius circle. This feature, like Conjure Barrage, makes it always prepared.

My complaints about this are the same as Conjure Barrage. Rangers have a single 5th level spell slot at 17th level. This gives more flexibility, but does not do more than that. I would again like to see some added benefits here, like a single casting for free.

At 18th we have Feral Senses, moved up from 15th level. Blindsight up to 30 feet is a nice bonus, and feels in line with a Ranger being attuned to their senses. It would feel more thematic if they tied this to the environments chosen with Deft Explorer, but I think the hindrances would outweigh any sort of benefit.

20th level we have the previous 18th level feature, Foe Slayer. This ability has had an additional effect added. Now if a Ranger misses an attack, they can add their Wisdom modifier to it to make the attack hit. As before, Foe Slayer also adds a Ranger’s Wisdom modifier to any damage rolls.

This was always a nice capstone, and I think the addition helps it be a more exciting 20th level feature.

Core class Thoughts

I have mixed feelings in this rewrite. To start off, I think making Hunter’s Mark Concentration again leaves the Ranger in a weird place, and I dislike it. We have a character that, like Warlock, feels like it has to take this spell. Considering that the spell itself has been reduced in power, it feels like a step down for the Ranger. The spell casting feels indecisive, allowing a single spell to be changed per long rest, but no more. They should definitely scale or switch to prepared casting to represent the innate flexibility given to Rangers. It feels like a letdown to only receive a single prepared spell, especially when the spell slot is limited.

There were some elements of this that I liked. All the Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything changes becoming permanent makes sense. When that version of the Ranger came out, it did a lot for the class overall. Deft Explorer is a way better option than just giving Expertise, and having it double at 9th is nice as well. Tireless is also another powerful and flavorful ability, so I am happy to see it again. The capstone itself was nice as well. So while I think this class needs more work, there were some solid adjustments.

Ranger Subclasses

The Ranger class playtest features three of its subclasses: Beast Master, Gloom Stalker, and Hunter. I had hoped to see a new subclass introduced, similar to what was done with the Bard class, but it seems that may be asking too much for a class that hasn't been as well-received.

Beast Master: Tamed or Untamed?

The most iconic of the subclasses, the Beast Master, sees a few changes in this most recent update. Mirroring the methods employed in the core class, we see that the Primal Companion feature from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything has become a core element. Providing those three stat blocks gives a much simpler way of creating the animal companion, and has always been a solid option.

At 7th level we now get Exceptional Training, which gives two enormous improvements to the Animal Companion. Rangers can now use their Bonus ACtion to have the beast use its Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action. A beast’s attacks ignore damage resistance from magical attacks by being Force Damage if the player so chooses.

I'm not fond of this feature. It seems that the game’s continuous addition of minor features has rendered it fairly weak. If we look at the Artificer’s 3rd-level Battle Smith feature Steel Defender, we see that at level 3 players can command a Steel Defender to take an action of its choosing, leaving it open to do a lot of options. If the Battle Smith retains its current form, the Animal Companion should be reconfigured to match its power level. I really dislike how they let the Primal Companion overcome magical resistance. Instead of saying “In addition, whenever the beast hits with an attack and deals damage, it can deal with your choice of Force damage or its normal damage type”, they should just say that the attacks are magical for overcoming resistance and immunity.

Finally, Bestial Fury has had an addition, now allowing the Primal Companion to benefit from Hunter’s Mark the same way the Ranger does. While this is a welcome addition, it goes back to my previous comment about that spell being a tax that most Rangers will feel obligated to take. Now, Beast Masters find themselves with yet another reason to select that spell.

The changes made to Beast Master don't overly impress me. I feel like there were some changes made that were obvious, like the Primal Companion stat block. But overall, this just feels weaker than other options that are available.

Gloom Stalker: The Dark Horse

One of the more popular classes from XTGE, we see a slightly updated version here, with four noted changes. To begin with, the capabilities of Dread Ambusher have expanded. Originally, this feature only gave a bonus to initiative rolls and damage on the first turn of combat. Now it has a third element, called Frighten. This allows extra damage once per turn, its type being Psychic. Players can do this part a number of times equal to the Ranger’s wisdom modifier. Immediately like that there is something else to offer this class besides the beginning of combat abilities.

The next feature, Umbral Sight, has had its bonus doubled for anyone who already has Darkvision. Originally, if a character already had Darkvision, they got an additional 30 feet. That has been doubled to 60 feet, which means many species will end up with Darkvision 120’ as a Gloom Stalker. While this enhancement is mechanically sound, it seems to render light levels redundant, given that Darkvision is already widespread.

The second to last feature, Stalker’s Furry, now synergizes with the newly introduced feature in Dread Ambusher. Besides being able to make another attack when you miss, you can also choose to make all creatures within 10 feet of your target make a Wisdom Saving throw or become frightened until the start of your next turn. It should be noted, however, that the Sudden Strike portion of the ability now specifies that you cannot target the enemy that you missed with your re-roll. I like the addition, but the specification feels a bit pushed. Honestly, I think it should be returned to the original, simpler version.

Finally, Shadowy Dodge now allows you to teleport up to 30 feet when it forces an attack to miss. This additional bit of mobility feels like it would be very useful in later levels, where most of the tough enemies would have multiple attacks in a turn.

Overall, this feels like a decent amount of buffs. Improving the usability of these features means that a Gloom Stalker Ranger won’t feel like they lose most of their features after the first round of combat. I do, however, think some of the given abilities are a bit lackluster. The specific requirements of Stalker’s Furry can be complex, potentially limiting the instances where a ranger can use that ability to retry an attack.

Hunter: A Return to the Core or a Step Away?

One of the core classes, and the one I have seen most often used, Hunter finishes up the ranger subclasses in this play test. This class has a decent amount of changes made to it versus what we say in the original play test.

First, we see that Hunter’s Prey has been reverted to the 2014 PHB version, with Giant Killer changed to Retaliator. Retaliator now works for any size creatures, not just large sized ones. This replaces the previous option, which gave an additional 1d8 damage on an attack against a target that was missing any of its Hit Points, and could be done once per turn (basically just Colossus Slayer). I definitely like this. I think the original version took too much choice away from the players.

Hunter’s Lore has moved down to 3rd level from 6th level. The ability remains the same as before, giving you Immunities, Resistances, and Vulnerabilities of any creature marked by your Hunter’s Mark spell. I really like this ability, and that is an understatement. It feels in line with what a Ranger is supposed to be at the core, and it improves one of their key abilities. I like this so much that I think that Hunter’s Lore should be a part of the core Ranger. Hunter’s Lore should then build off it, providing more ability.

At 7th level, we see Defensive Tactics returning, this time with three new abilities to choose from. Hunter Rangers can choose to have the Evasion feature (that Rogue is known for), the ability to move in reaction to an enemy getting close to you, or Uncanny Dodge. These abilities feel more useful than the original ones, but it borrows heavily from the Rogue class. It should honestly be called “Rogue Tricks” or something. I would love to see something defensive, but a bit more tuned into being a hunter. Maybe something having to do with a Wisdom Roll to improve AC, or to gain cover.

The final two class features I will cover together. Superior Hunter’s Prey gives another choice from Hunter’s Prey. Superior Hunter’s Defense gives another option from Defensive Tactics. Ultimately, this feels lazy to me. A Tier 3 player can choose a new 3rd level option at 11th, and a new 7th level option at 15th. From my experience with Hunter Rangers, I feel like there will be two good options, and one poor one, only giving the illusion of choice. I think that the extra Defensive Tactics option is marginally better, and could stay. But the level 11 option needs to be improved. I think they should be given three new options to choose from, that are powerful enough to match the higher level ranger.

Overall, not too impressed with the changes to Hunter. I feel like most of what happened here was incorporating the 2014 options. That is fine, but the new options felt bland. Despite being the most robust subclass for Ranger, it could still use some enhancements.

Does Ranger Class Hit or Miss the Mark?

So far in my review, I have to say I am most disappointed with what I am seeing from the Ranger. A class always struggling to exist in the current style of D&D, these revisions did not improve. In the previous play test, Ranger had had Concentration removed for Hunter’s Mark. It improved their action economy. In this we see Concentration returning and the power of Hunter’s Mark getting reduced overall. Some of the class features felt underpowered or just plan wasteful, providing a small amount of utility and no improved power. The subclasses themselves were not too bad, though again I was hoping to see some more substantial changes. Hopefully, in the next UA, we will see some of these problems addressed.