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.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Ranger has become: "Hunter's mark, The Class"

Like paladin is smite the clasd. Seems like a theme for half casters.

 

[Rocker26a]

Like paladin is smite the clasd. Seems like a theme for half casters.

That is kind of true, but please point out the Paladin's base class features that hinge off of the Divine Smite ability/spell. Either in 5E, or this one. That's what bugs me (in part).

 

[Horwath]

Like paladin is smite the clasd. Seems like a theme for half casters.

no future features depend on usage of smite. Except one ability of Glory subclass, that can be spent on other things not keyed to Smite
Smite does not occupy Conc slot.
And up till now it did not cost any actions to use.

you just needed to know is it worth spending spell slot for adding damage to your attacks.

 

[Rocker26a]

no future features depend on usage of smite. Except one ability of Glory subclass, that can be spent on other things not keyed to Smite
Smite does not occupy Conc slot.
And up till now it did not cost any actions to use.

you just needed to know is it worth spending spell slot for adding damage to your attacks.

That's what I was driving at, yeah. I am actually compelled by Ranger being a thematic and mechanical parallel to Paladin, I've said it in previous discussions, but. The scales remain tipped in Paladin's favour, even with this nerf Divine Smite got.

 

[mellored]

no future features depend on usage of smite. Except one ability of Glory subclass, that can be spent on other things not keyed to Smite
Smite does not occupy Conc slot.
And up till now it did not cost any actions to use.

you just needed to know is it worth spending spell slot for adding damage to your attacks.

And for hunters mark you just need to know if it's worth a bonus action.

No spell slot.
No competition for concentration.
*(Assuming Zephyr Strike is fixed).

 

[Rocker26a]

No spell slot.

Only twice per long rest at the baseline. Given that it's the method for obtaining additional damage that your class is based around, you will probably want to cast it more than your free casts allow for.

No competition for concentration.

We don't know for sure about how it's changed until they reveal the spells, but Ranger's spells competing for concentration has always been a bother if not a problem. Until now, you could at least acknowledge that you weren't required to give Hunter's Mark de-facto access to your concentration to make the most of your class.

*(Assuming Zephyr Strike is fixed).

Would be nice of course, but it's also assuming they don't add any new spells for Ranger worth a damn. Which, to be fair, may be a safe assumption.

 

[mellored]

Only twice per long rest at the baseline. Given that it's the method for obtaining additional damage that your class is based around, you will probably want to cast it more than your free casts allow for.

Infinite uses at level 1 would be too much.

Though it does really seems like you should get one back on a short rest. Perhaps you do.

We don't know for sure about how it's changed until they reveal the spells, but Ranger's spells competing for concentration has always been a bother if not a problem. Until now, you could at least acknowledge that you weren't required to give Hunter's Mark de-facto access to your concentration to make the most of your class.

Hunters Mark has been the de-facto use of concentration since 2014.

Would be nice of course, but it's also assuming they don't add any new spells for Ranger worth a damn. Which, to be fair, may be a safe assumption.

Assuming they don't add concentration spells worth a dam.

But yes, it's an assumption.

I am also assuming Hunters Mark didn't change. They may have removed the bonus action or something.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

no future features depend on usage of smite. Except one ability of Glory subclass, that can be spent on other things not keyed to Smite
Smite does not occupy Conc slot.
And up till now it did not cost any actions to use.

you just needed to know is it worth spending spell slot for adding damage to your attacks.

Yeah. Complaning about freebies.
(except for the capstone, which is bad)

 

[UngeheuerLich]

That is kind of true, but please point out the Paladin's base class features that hinge off of the Divine Smite ability/spell. Either in 5E, or this one. That's what bugs me (in part).

Ok. Just remove those features. Done.

 

[Rocker26a]

Infinite uses at level 1 would be too much.

Though it does really seems like you should get one back on a short rest. Perhaps you do.

I wasn't advocating for infinite uses, only noting that they are definitely finite.
Short rest refresh would help, but I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't offer that.

Hunters Mark has been the de-facto use of concentration since 2014.

I mean it depends. You might situationally prefer Zephyr Strike (since you are forced to choose vanilla), Pass Without Trace, Enhance Ability etc. But beyond that, I wouldn't say it's the de-facto combat use by choice, it's just. The card Ranger has been dealt. If they were offered something better, I imagine that would be appreciated.

Assuming they don't add concentration spells worth a dam.

But yes, it's an assumption.

I am also assuming Hunters Mark didn't change. They may have removed the bonus action or something.

I'm cynical personally, I doubt they'd add a bonus action to Divine Smite and remove it from Hunter's Mark. Maybe it's a full action now! Maybe it'll take your whole turn! Who can say!