Character Class
Ranger: Warden of the Wilds
Rangers live where maps become uncertain. They scout ahead, read tracks, survive hostile country, hunt dangerous creatures and bring martial skill to places where roads, walls and organised armies offer little protection. Their strength is not simply the bow: it is the ability to understand a landscape, choose the ground and find the enemy before the enemy finds them.
A ranger can be a frontier warden, mounted scout, monster hunter, caravan guide, forester, wilderness guardian, ruin-delver or relentless pursuer. Some rely primarily on weapons and fieldcraft; others deepen their connection to animals, spirits and the primal magic of the living world.
Choose Your Rules
Use one rules panel for your campaign. Statistics, terminology, class features and advancement remain native to that ruleset rather than being blended together.
5.5e Ranger
The Ranger class chassis and Hunter subclass on this page follow SRD 5.2.1. The complete current Ranger spell list is checked against the 2024 D&D Free Rules, which contain thirteen Ranger spell names not included in the smaller CC-licensed SRD 5.2.1 Ranger spell-list subset. Those thirteen spells are identified below rather than incorrectly attributed to the SRD.
Core Ranger Traits
| Primary abilities | Dexterity and Wisdom |
|---|---|
| Hit Point Die | d10 per Ranger level |
| Saving throws | Strength and Dexterity |
| Skills | Choose 3: Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Stealth or Survival |
| Weapons | Simple and Martial weapons |
| Armour | Light armour, Medium armour and Shields |
| Starting equipment | Studded Leather Armour, Scimitar, Shortsword, Longbow, 20 Arrows, Quiver, Druidic Focus (sprig of mistletoe), Explorer’s Pack and 7 GP; alternatively 150 GP. |
Ranger Progression
| Level | PB | Features | Favored Enemy | Prepared | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +2 | Spellcasting, Favored Enemy, Weapon Mastery | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | +2 | Deft Explorer, Fighting Style | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | +2 | Ranger Subclass | 2 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 2 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | +3 | Extra Attack | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 6 | +3 | Roving | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 7 | +3 | Subclass feature | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 8 | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 9 | +4 | Expertise | 4 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 10 | +4 | Tireless | 4 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 11 | +4 | Subclass feature | 4 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 12 | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 13 | +5 | Relentless Hunter | 5 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 14 | +5 | Nature’s Veil | 5 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 15 | +5 | Subclass feature | 5 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 16 | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 17 | +6 | Precise Hunter | 6 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 18 | +6 | Feral Senses | 6 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 19 | +6 | Epic Boon | 6 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20 | +6 | Foe Slayer | 6 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Class Features
Spellcasting — Level 1
You begin with two prepared level-1 Ranger spells and two level-1 spell slots. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability.
Your number of prepared spells increases according to the table. Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can replace one prepared Ranger spell with another Ranger spell for which you have spell slots.
Spells that another Ranger feature says are always prepared do not count against the Prepared Spells column. A Druidic Focus can serve as your Spellcasting Focus.
Favored Enemy — Level 1
Hunter’s Mark is always prepared. You can cast it without expending a spell slot a number of times shown in the Favored Enemy column. Expended free uses return after a Long Rest.
Weapon Mastery — Level 1
Choose two weapon kinds with which you are proficient. You can use their mastery properties. You can change those choices whenever you finish a Long Rest.
Deft Explorer — Level 2
Gain Expertise in one skill proficiency that does not already benefit from Expertise and learn two languages of your choice.
Fighting Style — Level 2
Gain a Fighting Style feat for which this feature qualifies you. Instead, you may choose Druidic Warrior, learning two Druid cantrips of your choice. Those cantrips count as Ranger spells for you, and Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for them.
Whenever you gain a Ranger level, you may replace one of those cantrips with another Druid cantrip.
Ranger Subclass — Level 3
Your subclass grants features at levels 3, 7, 11 and 15. The open subclass presented here is the Hunter.
Ability Score Improvement
At levels 4, 8, 12 and 16, gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat for which you qualify. Level 19 grants an Epic Boon or another qualifying feat.
Extra Attack — Level 5
When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make two attacks instead of one.
Roving — Level 6
While you are not wearing Heavy armour, your Speed increases by 10 feet. You also gain a Climb Speed and Swim Speed equal to your Speed.
Expertise — Level 9
Choose two more skill proficiencies that do not already have Expertise. Those skills gain Expertise.
Tireless — Level 10
As a Magic action, gain Temporary Hit Points equal to 1d8 + your Wisdom modifier, minimum 1.
Uses equal your Wisdom modifier, minimum once, and all uses return after a Long Rest.
Whenever you finish a Short Rest, your Exhaustion level, if any, decreases by 1.
Relentless Hunter — Level 13
Taking damage cannot break your Concentration on Hunter’s Mark.
Nature’s Veil — Level 14
As a Bonus Action, give yourself the Invisible condition until the end of your next turn. Uses equal your Wisdom modifier, minimum once, returning after a Long Rest.
Precise Hunter — Level 17
You have Advantage on attack rolls against the creature currently marked by your Hunter’s Mark.
Feral Senses — Level 18
Gain Blindsight out to 30 feet.
Foe Slayer — Level 20
The damage die of your Hunter’s Mark becomes a d10 rather than a d6.
Current 5.5e Ranger Spell List
This is the complete Ranger spell list presented in the current 2024 D&D Free Rules.
A linked title opens the existing SpiralWorlds spell entry. An unlinked title is deliberately left plain rather than pointing to a different spell with a similar name or to an unverified destination.
A dagger (†) marks the thirteen spell names that appear on the current Free Rules Ranger list but are not included in the SRD 5.2.1 Ranger spell-list subset.
Level 1
Alarm, Animal Friendship, Cure Wounds, Detect Magic, Detect Poison and Disease, Ensnaring Strike, Entangle, Fog Cloud, Goodberry, Hail of Thorns†, Hunter’s Mark, Jump, Longstrider, Speak with Animals.
Level 2
Aid, Animal Messenger, Barkskin, Beast Sense†, Cordon of Arrows†, Darkvision, Enhance Ability, Find Traps, Gust of Wind, Lesser Restoration, Locate Animals or Plants, Locate Object, Magic Weapon, Pass without Trace, Protection from Poison, Silence, Spike Growth, Summon Beast†.
Level 3
Conjure Animals, Conjure Barrage†, Daylight, Dispel Magic, Elemental Weapon†, Lightning Arrow†, Meld into Stone, Nondetection, Plant Growth, Protection from Energy, Revivify, Speak with Plants, Summon Fey†, Water Breathing, Water Walk, Wind Wall.
Level 4
Conjure Woodland Beings, Dominate Beast, Freedom of Movement, Grasping Vine†, Locate Creature, Stoneskin, Summon Elemental†.
Level 5
Commune with Nature, Conjure Volley†, Greater Restoration, Steel Wind Strike†, Swift Quiver†, Tree Stride.
Do not substitute similar older spell names. Cure Wounds is not Cure Light Wounds; Detect Poison and Disease is not Detect Poison or Detect Disease; Hunter’s Mark is not Mark of the Hunter; Locate Animals or Plants is not Detect Animals or Plants; and Dominate Beast is not Dominate Animal.
Those names remain plain until their own matching SpiralWorlds destination exists or is verified.
Additional SpiralWorlds Ranger Spells
SpiralWorlds has a much larger Ranger spell tradition accumulated across earlier rules libraries. Those spells are not deleted. Until an entry receives its own modern conversion, its existing mechanics remain legacy mechanics rather than automatically becoming 5.5e rules.
The legacy level headings below preserve where those spells currently sit in the SpiralWorlds Ranger archive. They do not automatically determine the level of a future 5.5e conversion.
See the full Ranger Spells library.
Additional legacy 1st-level Ranger spells
- Air Bubble
- Analyze Fertility
- Artemis’ Blessing
- Anticipate Peril
- Bless Growth
- Blight Growth
- Calm Animals
- Camouflage
- Charm Animal
- Dawn
- Delay Poison
- Detect Animals or Plants
- Detect Disease
- Detect Favored Enemy
- Detect Poison
- Detect Pregnancy
- Detect Snares and Pits
- Dolphin Companion
- Endure Elements
- Hawkeye
- Hide from Animals
- Horrible Taste
- Magic Fang
- Merciful Weapon
- Pop Corn
- Quickswim
- Read Magic
- Remove Scent
- Resist Energy
- Sniper’s Shot
- Summon Nature’s Ally I
- Synthesis
- Waste Strider
Additional legacy 2nd-level Ranger spells
Additional legacy 3rd-level Ranger spells
Additional legacy 4th-level Ranger spells
Hunter
Hunters specialise in identifying prey, surviving retaliation and applying weapon pressure to the most dangerous creature on the field.
Hunter’s Lore — Level 3
While a creature is marked by Hunter’s Mark, you know whether it has Immunities, Resistances or Vulnerabilities and learn what they are.
Hunter’s Prey — Level 3
Choose Colossus Slayer or Horde Breaker. You can exchange your choice whenever you finish a Short or Long Rest.
- Colossus Slayer: once per turn, when you hit a creature with a weapon, the weapon deals an extra 1d8 damage if the target is missing any of its Hit Points.
- Horde Breaker: once on each of your turns when you make an attack with a weapon, you can make another attack with the same weapon against a different creature that is within 5 feet of the original target, within the weapon’s range, and that you have not attacked this turn.
Defensive Tactics — Level 7
Choose Escape the Horde or Multiattack Defense. You can exchange the choice after a Short or Long Rest.
- Escape the Horde: Opportunity Attacks against you have Disadvantage.
- Multiattack Defense: after a creature hits you with an attack roll, that creature has Disadvantage on all its other attack rolls against you during the current turn.
Superior Hunter’s Prey — Level 11
Once per turn when you damage a creature marked by Hunter’s Mark, you can also deal the spell’s extra damage to a different creature you can see within 30 feet of the marked creature.
Superior Hunter’s Defense — Level 15
When you take damage, use your Reaction to gain Resistance to that damage and further damage of the same type until the end of the current turn.
Other Ranger Subclasses
Beast Master, Fey Wanderer and Gloom Stalker are additional current Player’s Handbook Ranger choices. Their complete subclass mechanics are not reconstructed here. Hunter is the complete subclass supplied by the open rules used for this page.
Common Rulings
- Spellcasting begins at level 1.
- Base Rangers do not automatically know cantrips. Druidic Warrior is the class-feature route to two Druid cantrips.
- Hunter’s Mark remains a Concentration spell. Relentless Hunter prevents damage from breaking that Concentration; it does not remove Concentration from the spell.
- Favored Enemy’s free casts are separate from spell slots. Hunter’s Mark is also always prepared.
- Tireless uses Wisdom modifier, not Proficiency Bonus.
- Nature’s Veil lasts until the end of your next turn.
- Feral Senses grants 30-foot Blindsight.
- Foe Slayer changes Hunter’s Mark’s damage die to d10.
Official Ranger Overview
Official Dungeons & Dragons overview of the revised Ranger and the Player’s Handbook Ranger subclasses.
Pathfinder 1E Ranger
This panel follows the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook Ranger. Favored Terrain, Hunter’s Bond, Quarry and Master Hunter belong to this progression and must not be imported into the 3.5e class.
Core Ranger Traits
| Alignment | Any |
|---|---|
| Hit Die | d10 |
| Base Attack Bonus | Full |
| Good saves | Fortitude and Reflex |
| Skill ranks | 6 + Intelligence modifier per level |
| Class skills | Climb, Craft, Handle Animal, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (nature), Perception, Profession, Ride, Spellcraft, Stealth, Survival and Swim |
| Weapons | All simple and martial weapons |
| Armour | Light armour, medium armour and shields except tower shields |
Ranger Progression
| Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +1 | +2 | +2 | +0 | 1st Favored Enemy, Track, Wild Empathy | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | +2 | +3 | +3 | +0 | Combat Style Feat | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | +3 | +3 | +3 | +1 | Endurance, 1st Favored Terrain | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | +4 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Hunter’s Bond | 0 | — | — | — |
| 5 | +5 | +4 | +4 | +1 | 2nd Favored Enemy | 1 | — | — | — |
| 6 | +6/+1 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Combat Style Feat | 1 | — | — | — |
| 7 | +7/+2 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Woodland Stride | 1 | 0 | — | — |
| 8 | +8/+3 | +6 | +6 | +2 | Swift Tracker, 2nd Favored Terrain | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 9 | +9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +3 | Evasion | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| 10 | +10/+5 | +7 | +7 | +3 | 3rd Favored Enemy, Combat Style Feat | 2 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 11 | +11/+6/+1 | +7 | +7 | +3 | Quarry | 2 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 12 | +12/+7/+2 | +8 | +8 | +4 | Camouflage | 2 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 13 | +13/+8/+3 | +8 | +8 | +4 | 3rd Favored Terrain | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | +14/+9/+4 | +9 | +9 | +4 | Combat Style Feat | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +9 | +5 | 4th Favored Enemy | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 16 | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +10 | +10 | +5 | Improved Evasion | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 17 | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +10 | +10 | +5 | Hide in Plain Sight | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 18 | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +11 | +11 | +6 | 4th Favored Terrain, Combat Style Feat | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 19 | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +11 | +11 | +6 | Improved Quarry | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20 | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +12 | +12 | +6 | 5th Favored Enemy, Master Hunter | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Class Features
Favored Enemy
At 1st level choose a favored enemy type. Against that type you gain +2 on appropriate Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive and Survival checks, and +2 on weapon attack and damage rolls.
Knowledge checks made to identify a favored enemy can be attempted untrained. Gain another favored enemy at levels 5, 10, 15 and 20. Each time, increase one existing Favored Enemy bonus by another +2.
Track
Add half your Ranger level, minimum +1, to Survival checks made to follow tracks.
Wild Empathy
Influence an animal with 1d20 + Ranger level + Charisma modifier.
You and the animal must normally be within 30 feet of one another under normal visibility conditions. Influencing an animal generally takes 1 minute, although circumstances may alter that time.
You can influence a magical beast with Intelligence 1 or 2 at a –4 penalty.
Combat Style Feats
At level 2 choose Archery or Two-Weapon Combat. Gain style feats at levels 2, 6, 10, 14 and 18 without needing their normal prerequisites.
The style works in light armour, medium armour or no armour, but not heavy armour. Once the combat style is chosen, it cannot normally be changed.
Endurance
Gain Endurance as a bonus feat at level 3.
Favored Terrain
At level 3 choose a terrain. While there, gain +2 on initiative and on Knowledge (geography), Perception, Stealth and Survival checks.
You normally leave no trail in Favored Terrain unless you choose to do so. Further terrains arrive at levels 8, 13 and 18; at each interval, one existing Favored Terrain bonus may also increase by +2.
Hunter’s Bond
At level 4 choose a bond with your companions or an animal companion. Once the form is chosen, it cannot normally be changed.
A companion bond lets you spend a move action to grant half your Favored Enemy bonus against one target of the appropriate type to allies within 30 feet who can see or hear you.
The shared bonus lasts a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier, minimum 1. It does not stack with a Favored Enemy bonus an ally already possesses; that ally uses the higher bonus.
If you choose an animal companion, your effective Druid level is Ranger level −3. The companion shares your Favored Enemy and Favored Terrain bonuses.
Spellcasting
Spellcasting begins at level 4. Rangers prepare divine spells from the Ranger list.
To prepare or cast a spell, Wisdom must equal at least 10 + the spell’s level.
Spell save DC = 10 + spell level + Wisdom modifier. Through level 3 you have no caster level; from level 4 onward your caster level is Ranger level −3.
When the Ranger table shows 0 spells per day at a spell level, you receive no base spell at that level but may still receive bonus spells if your Wisdom score is high enough.
You must spend 1 hour each day in quiet meditation to regain your daily spell allotment and choose your prepared spells.
Woodland Stride
From level 7, move normally through ordinary natural undergrowth. Magically altered vegetation can still hinder you.
Swift Tracker
From level 8, track at normal speed without the normal –5 penalty and take only –10 when tracking at up to twice normal speed.
Evasion
At level 9, a successful Reflex save against an effect that normally deals half damage instead deals no damage. This works in light armour, medium armour or no armour.
Quarry
At level 11, as a standard action, designate one visible target as your quarry. Its creature type must correspond to one of your Favored Enemy types.
While tracking your quarry at normal speed you can take 10 on Survival checks without penalty. You gain a +2 insight bonus on attack rolls against it, and critical threats against it are automatically confirmed.
You can have only one quarry at a time. You may dismiss it as a free action, but after voluntarily dismissing it you cannot select another quarry for 24 hours. If you see proof that the quarry is dead, you may select another after 1 hour.
Camouflage
From level 12, use Stealth in any Favored Terrain even when the terrain itself provides no cover or concealment.
Improved Evasion
At level 16, a successful qualifying Reflex save deals no damage and a failed save deals only half damage.
Hide in Plain Sight
At level 17, while in Favored Terrain you can use Stealth even while being observed.
Improved Quarry
At level 19, selecting a quarry becomes a free action, tracking it can use take 20 at normal speed, and the insight bonus to attacks becomes +4. If the quarry is killed or dismissed, another may be selected after 10 minutes.
Master Hunter
At level 20, tracking can always be performed at full speed without penalty. Against a Favored Enemy, you can make a single attack as a standard action. On a hit, the target must make a Fortitude save against DC 10 + half Ranger level + Wisdom modifier or die.
You may instead attempt to deal nonlethal damage equal to the target’s current Hit Points; a successful save negates that damage. The ability is limited to once per day for each Favored Enemy type and cannot be used against the same creature more than once in 24 hours.
PF1e Favored Enemy Choices
Humanoid and Outsider choices require an appropriate subtype. If a creature falls into more than one Favored Enemy category, the bonuses do not stack; use the higher applicable bonus.
| Favored Enemy | Favored Enemy |
|---|---|
| Aberration | Humanoid (reptilian) |
| Animal | Humanoid (other subtype) |
| Construct | Magical beast |
| Dragon | Monstrous humanoid |
| Fey | Ooze |
| Humanoid (aquatic) | Outsider (air) |
| Humanoid (dwarf) | Outsider (chaotic) |
| Humanoid (elf) | Outsider (earth) |
| Humanoid (giant) | Outsider (evil) |
| Humanoid (goblinoid) | Outsider (fire) |
| Humanoid (gnoll) | Outsider (good) |
| Humanoid (gnome) | Outsider (lawful) |
| Humanoid (halfling) | Outsider (native) |
| Humanoid (human) | Outsider (water) |
| Humanoid (orc) | Plant |
| Undead | Vermin |
PF1e Hunter’s Bond — Animal Companion Choices
| Standard choices | Aquatic campaign option |
|---|---|
| Badger; bird; camel; cat (small); dire rat; dog; horse; pony; snake (viper or constrictor); wolf | Shark |
The companion shares the Ranger’s Favored Enemy and Favored Terrain bonuses. Its effective Druid level is Ranger level −3.
Core Combat Styles
| Style | Initial choices | Added at Ranger 6 | Added at Ranger 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | Far Shot, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot | Improved Precise Shot, Manyshot | Pinpoint Targeting, Shot on the Run |
| Two-Weapon Combat | Double Slice, Improved Shield Bash, Quick Draw, Two-Weapon Fighting | Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Defense | Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Rend |
Favored Terrain Choices
Cold; Desert; Forest; Jungle; Mountain; Plains; one specific plane other than the Material Plane; Swamp; Underground; Urban; or Water.
Common Rulings
- Favored Enemy adds both attack and damage.
- Combat Style feats function in medium armour. Heavy armour suppresses them.
- Hunter’s Bond is gained at level 4.
- An animal companion uses Ranger level −3 as effective Druid level.
- Spell caster level is Ranger level −3.
- Favored Terrain begins at level 3.
- Quarry begins at level 11 and must match a Favored Enemy type.
- Camouflage is level 12 and works in Favored Terrain.
- Improved Evasion and Master Hunter belong to this progression.
Related mechanics libraries: Skills, Feats, Armour, Weapons and Ranger Spells.
Pathfinder Ranger Analysis
D6Damage’s Pathfinder First Edition class analysis discusses Favored Enemy, Favored Terrain, Combat Style, Hunter’s Bond and practical Ranger play. It is commentary rather than the rules authority for the panel above.
D&D 3.5 Ranger
This is the Revised D&D 3.5 SRD Ranger. It deliberately retains its d8 Hit Die, first-level ×4 skill points, light-armour Combat Style restriction, half-level companion progression and half-level caster level.
Core Ranger Traits
| Alignment | Any |
|---|---|
| Hit Die | d8 |
| Skill points at 1st level | (6 + Intelligence modifier) ×4 |
| Skill points thereafter | 6 + Intelligence modifier |
| Class skills | Climb, Concentration, Craft, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Jump, Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (nature), Listen, Move Silently, Profession, Ride, Search, Spot, Survival, Swim and Use Rope |
| Weapons | All simple and martial weapons |
| Armour | Light armour and shields except tower shields |
Ranger Progression
| Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +1 | +2 | +2 | +0 | 1st Favored Enemy, Track, Wild Empathy | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | +2 | +3 | +3 | +0 | Combat Style | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | +3 | +3 | +3 | +1 | Endurance | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | +4 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Animal Companion | 0 | — | — | — |
| 5 | +5 | +4 | +4 | +1 | 2nd Favored Enemy | 0 | — | — | — |
| 6 | +6/+1 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Improved Combat Style | 1 | — | — | — |
| 7 | +7/+2 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Woodland Stride | 1 | — | — | — |
| 8 | +8/+3 | +6 | +6 | +2 | Swift Tracker | 1 | 0 | — | — |
| 9 | +9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +3 | Evasion | 1 | 0 | — | — |
| 10 | +10/+5 | +7 | +7 | +3 | 3rd Favored Enemy | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 11 | +11/+6/+1 | +7 | +7 | +3 | Combat Style Mastery | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 12 | +12/+7/+2 | +8 | +8 | +4 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 13 | +13/+8/+3 | +8 | +8 | +4 | Camouflage | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 14 | +14/+9/+4 | +9 | +9 | +4 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +9 | +5 | 4th Favored Enemy | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 16 | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +10 | +10 | +5 | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +10 | +10 | +5 | Hide in Plain Sight | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 18 | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +11 | +11 | +6 | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 19 | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +11 | +11 | +6 | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20 | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +12 | +12 | +6 | 5th Favored Enemy | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Class Features
Favored Enemy
At level 1 choose a favored enemy. Gain +2 on relevant Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot and Survival checks against that enemy and +2 on weapon damage rolls against it.
Add another Favored Enemy at levels 5, 10, 15 and 20. At each interval, one Favored Enemy bonus also increases by +2.
This feature does not provide Pathfinder’s attack-roll bonus.
Track
Gain Track as a bonus feat at level 1.
Wild Empathy
Influence an animal with 1d20 + Ranger level + Charisma modifier. A magical beast with Intelligence 1 or 2 can be influenced at –4.
Combat Style — Level 2
Choose Archery or Two-Weapon Combat.
- Archery: treated as having Rapid Shot.
- Two-Weapon Combat: treated as having Two-Weapon Fighting.
Style benefits work only while wearing light armour or no armour.
Endurance — Level 3
Gain Endurance as a bonus feat.
Animal Companion — Level 4
Gain an animal companion functioning like the Druid ability, but your effective Druid level is one-half your Ranger level.
Standard choices are badger, camel, dire rat, dog, riding dog, eagle, hawk, light or heavy horse, owl, pony, Small or Medium viper, or wolf.
If the campaign takes place wholly or partly in an aquatic environment, add manta ray, porpoise, Medium shark and squid.
You may also use the Druid’s alternative animal-companion lists, but your effective Druid level remains one-half Ranger level, and an alternative companion cannot be selected if its adjustment would reduce your effective Druid level below 1st.
Spellcasting — Level 4
Beginning at level 4, prepare divine Ranger spells in advance. Wisdom must equal at least 10 + spell level.
Spell save DC = 10 + spell level + Wisdom modifier. Through level 3 you have no caster level; from level 4 onward caster level is one-half Ranger level.
When the progression table shows 0 spells per day at a spell level, you receive no base spell at that level but may still receive bonus spells from a sufficiently high Wisdom score.
Rangers prepare and cast spells in the manner used by Clerics, choosing their Ranger spells during daily meditation. Unlike a Cleric, a Ranger cannot discard a prepared spell to cast a cure spell spontaneously.
Improved Combat Style — Level 6
- Archery: treated as having Manyshot.
- Two-Weapon Combat: treated as having Improved Two-Weapon Fighting.
Woodland Stride — Level 7
Move normally through natural undergrowth. Magically manipulated vegetation can still impede you.
Swift Tracker — Level 8
Follow tracks at normal speed without the normal –5 penalty, or at up to twice normal speed with –10 rather than –20.
Evasion — Level 9
On a successful qualifying Reflex save, take no damage instead of half. Evasion works only in light armour or no armour.
Combat Style Mastery — Level 11
- Archery: treated as having Improved Precise Shot.
- Two-Weapon Combat: treated as having Greater Two-Weapon Fighting.
Camouflage — Level 13
Use Hide in natural terrain even when the terrain does not provide cover or concealment.
Hide in Plain Sight — Level 17
In natural terrain, use Hide even while being observed.
D&D 3.5 Favored Enemy Choices
Unlike Pathfinder, Giant and Elemental are their own Favored Enemy categories here. Humanoid and Outsider choices use the listed subtypes.
| Favored Enemy | Favored Enemy |
|---|---|
| Aberration | Humanoid (reptilian) |
| Animal | Magical beast |
| Construct | Monstrous humanoid |
| Dragon | Ooze |
| Elemental | Outsider (air) |
| Fey | Outsider (chaotic) |
| Giant | Outsider (earth) |
| Humanoid (aquatic) | Outsider (evil) |
| Humanoid (dwarf) | Outsider (fire) |
| Humanoid (elf) | Outsider (good) |
| Humanoid (goblinoid) | Outsider (lawful) |
| Humanoid (gnoll) | Outsider (native) |
| Humanoid (gnome) | Outsider (water) |
| Humanoid (halfling) | Plant |
| Humanoid (human) | Undead |
| Humanoid (orc) | Vermin |
Common Rulings
- The Hit Die is d8, not d10.
- First-level skill points are multiplied by four.
- Favored Enemy improves weapon damage but does not provide Pathfinder’s attack-roll bonus.
- Combat Style works only in light armour or no armour.
- The animal companion uses one-half Ranger level as effective Druid level.
- The aquatic companion additions are manta ray, porpoise, Medium shark and squid.
- Ranger caster level is one-half Ranger level.
- Camouflage arrives at level 13 and applies in natural terrain.
- There is no Favored Terrain class feature.
- There is no Quarry, Improved Quarry, Improved Evasion or Master Hunter progression.
Related mechanics libraries: Skills, Feats, Armour, Weapons and Ranger Spells.
How to Play a Ranger
The Ranger is strongest when the adventure begins before the fight. Ask what the ground looks like, where the tracks lead, what the weather is doing, which route offers concealment and whether the enemy is moving toward you or away from you. Information turns fieldcraft into party-wide advantage.
Scout Before Committing
Use observation, stealth and movement to discover the shape of an encounter before the party walks into it. Sentries, escape routes, difficult ground and hidden approaches can matter more than another point of damage.
Choose the Important Target
Rangers reward focus. Decide which enemy must fall, be contained or be followed. Do not waste your best hunting tools on the first creature within reach.
Control Distance
A bow is useful because it preserves options, not because every Ranger must be an archer. Use terrain, movement, cover, reach and narrow approaches so the enemy must fight on inconvenient terms.
Keep a Reserve
Wilderness expeditions rarely end with the first encounter. Preserve enough magic, ammunition, healing and mobility to survive the route home as well as the fight ahead.
Read Creatures as Part of the Landscape
Droppings, damaged vegetation, feeding sites, abandoned nests, unusual silence and frightened livestock are clues. Creature knowledge matters most when it changes a decision before combat begins.
Make Travel Matter
Track destination, pace, weather, water, food, visibility and the cost of delay. A Ranger becomes more interesting when wilderness travel contains choices rather than being skipped between encounters.
Building the Character Around the Journey
Start with the work the character performed before becoming an adventurer. A forester watching a hunting ground, a guide crossing winter passes and a monster hunter searching abandoned villages may all be Rangers, but they should not carry identical skills, equipment or habits.
Global Ranger Archetypes
There is no single historical profession that maps neatly onto the fantasy Ranger. Around the world, however, hunters, scouts, guides, foresters, outriders and border watchers perform parts of the Ranger’s job.
These concepts are built for the campaign present of 1454. Equipment, supernatural connections, subclass inspirations and fighting approaches are character directions rather than compulsory cultural packages.
1. The Steppe Falconer
Open grassland rewards the Ranger who can read distance, weather, hoofmarks, water and herd movement at a glance. A mounted scout may see another party’s dust long before either group can identify the other.
2. The Ashikaga Mountain Warden
Mountain tracks, forest roads and fortified approaches reward patience more than spectacle. A local warden, hunter or military scout learns which ridge can hide movement, which stream can be crossed after rain and where a warning must reach before an armed column arrives.
3. The Highland Warden
A Highland Ranger knows glens, bog crossings, deer paths, mountain weather and the approaches to isolated settlements. The same ground that hides raiders can conceal supernatural predators.
4. The Nubian River-and-Desert Scout
The Nile corridor forces travellers to understand both water and desert. A scout watches river routes, rocky ground, cultivated margins and the tracks leading away from permanent settlement.
5. The Vinland Seer and Trail-Warden
Where Norse communities survive across the western Atlantic, Rangers move between coast, river and deep forest. They read weather, ice, game trails and the signs of travellers far beyond settled farms.
6. The Bhil Forest Scout
A forest Ranger knows streams, animal routes, hill paths and the difference between ordinary silence and the silence that means a predator is near.
7. The Arctic Coast Ghost-Watcher
Sea ice, snow cover, visibility, animal migration and changing weather decide whether a journey succeeds. The environment itself is the first adversary.
8. The Māori Pathfinder
Dense forest, rivers, ridgelines, coastal routes and fortified pā create a Ranger tradition centred on footwork, navigation, observation and intimate knowledge of local terrain.
9. The Xolo Sentinel
A Ranger may patrol agricultural margins, mountain paths and roads between cities while tracking human enemies, dangerous animals or supernatural intruders.
10. The Ob-Ugrian Taiga Spirit-Watcher
A taiga Ranger travels by river, forest track, ski or sled according to season, following game and people through country where distances are vast.
11. The Rift Valley Cattle-Watcher
The archetype centres on finding water, guarding livestock, recognising predators and watching human movement across open country.
12. The Slavic Fen Watcher
A fen-watcher knows which patches of apparently solid ground will swallow a horse, where winter ice is unreliable and which channels allow a boat to vanish behind reeds.
Non-Human Ranger Archetypes
These are not real-world peoples recast as fantasy species. They are Ranger traditions belonging to the actual non-human peoples and supernatural communities of SpiralWorlds.
Homeland, occupation and local danger matter more than ancestry alone. The structured fields describe one useful character direction rather than claiming that every member of a people fights or worships in the same way.
Elf — The Glade Sentinel
Elven Rangers watch ancient forests, coastal approaches and roads leading toward places their communities have guarded far longer than nearby human states have existed.
Dwarf — The Holdroad Warden
Dwarven Rangers patrol dangerous routes between holds, mines, guild communities, enclaves and isolated families. Their wilderness may be an avalanche slope, abandoned gallery or under-road rather than a forest.
Orc — The Muster Tracker
Orc Rangers scout beyond the marching body, locate water and forage, test roads for heavy movement and find enemies attempting to avoid the main host. Others work independently as hunters, frontier guards or brutal bounty trackers.
Triton — The Tide Watcher
For a Triton Ranger, currents replace footpaths. Water temperature, fish movement, disturbed silt and the behaviour of seabirds can reveal ships, predators and intruders.
Halfling — The Hollowpath Forager
Halfling Rangers know field boundaries, riverbanks, safe camps, edible plants, quiet lanes and the habits of larger neighbours.
Dragonborn — The Ember Scout
Dragonborn Rangers work where dangerous terrain and dangerous bloodlines overlap. They may watch old dragon roads, guard nesting grounds or hunt creatures drawn to volcanic and magical wastes.
Tiefling — The Riftward Seeker
Tiefling Rangers are particularly valuable where ordinary tracks intersect with supernatural movement. They watch places where a road, ruin or cave sometimes opens somewhere it should not.
Aarakocra — The Windcliff Talon
An Aarakocra Ranger reads rising air, cloud, exposed ridges and movement on the ground below. Flight extends the scouting radius but does not remove the need to understand weather or concealment.
Gnome — The Rootbound Tinker
Gnome Rangers apply patient observation to both creatures and mechanisms. They are excellent trap-setters, spoor readers and field repairers, especially where wilderness roads meet engineered defences.
Catfolk — The Sand-and-Reed Strider
Catfolk Rangers move between cultivated river country and harsh desert within the same patrol. They watch canals, reed beds, caravan approaches, burial grounds and ruined places where supernatural predators may awaken.
Yuan-ti — The Veiled Fang
Yuan-ti Rangers specialise in environments where heat, water, venom and dense vegetation defeat outsiders. Their knowledge can make them protectors, hunters or deeply unsettling pursuers depending on allegiance.
Satyr — The Briar Scout
Satyr Rangers know wild ground by sound as much as sight. Bird calls, disturbed music, broken branches and sudden silence can reveal intrusion before footprints are found.
Tracking Before the Fantasy Ranger
Medieval hunters understood that pursuit was an information problem. Tracks, disturbed vegetation, scent, droppings, feeding signs and the behaviour of hounds could reveal where an animal had passed and where it was likely to go next.
Military scouting relied on the same larger discipline: notice evidence early, understand what it means and make a useful decision before the enemy does.
Gaston Phébus’s fourteenth-century hunting tradition is especially useful visual context because it depicts people actively attempting to recover the scent and trail of quarry. The scene is closer to what a Ranger actually does in play than a later romantic portrait of a mounted warrior.
Further Viewing: The Fantasy Ranger
This discussion explores the Ranger as a medieval-fantasy archetype and considers weapons suited to that role. It is retained as interpretation and further viewing, not as the historical authority for the section above.
For another exploration of the class’s literary and game-history identity, see Dungeons and Dragons Lore: The Ranger — AJ Pickett .
Is Ranger the Right Class?
Choose Ranger if…
- You want martial competence without giving up wilderness utility.
- You want tracking and reconnaissance to be part of the character’s identity.
- You like choosing a target and pursuing it relentlessly.
- You want magic to support exploration and hunting rather than dominate every scene.
Common Ranger Questions
Does a Ranger have to use a bow?
No. The bow is iconic because distance, observation and mobility fit the class, but Rangers can be built around paired weapons, sword and shield, spear, thrown weapons or other campaign-appropriate fighting methods.
Does every Ranger have an animal companion?
No. Animal-companion access depends on the rules and character choices being used. The Ranger concept itself does not require a permanent companion.
What is the Ranger’s job outside combat?
Find routes, detect danger, read tracks, scout positions, identify creatures, gather food and information, recognise bad terrain and help the group reach difficult places safely.
Are the additional SpiralWorlds Ranger spells already converted to 5.5e?
No. The class page preserves the wider Ranger spell archive so older SpiralWorlds material remains discoverable. A conversion-pending spell keeps its existing mechanics until that spell receives a modern rules treatment.
Why are some current 5.5e Ranger spells marked with a dagger?
Those spell names appear on the complete current Ranger spell list in the 2024 D&D Free Rules but are not contained in the smaller CC-licensed SRD 5.2.1 Ranger spell-list subset. They remain current Ranger spells; the marker records the source and licensing distinction.
Why are some Ranger spell names links and others plain text?
A linked title has a matching verified SpiralWorlds spell entry. Plain text is used when no matching destination has been verified or where an older similarly named spell is actually a different spell.
Is a Ranger just a wilderness Fighter?
No. A Fighter’s central identity is martial mastery. A Ranger combines combat capability with pursuit, reconnaissance, survival and primal magic. The overlap in weapons is real, but their problem-solving roles differ.
What makes a good Ranger adventure?
Give the Ranger evidence to interpret and decisions to make: an incomplete trail, two possible routes, changing weather, a creature whose habits can be learned, a border that must be crossed unseen or a quarry that reacts intelligently to pursuit.
Rules Sources and Attribution
-
SRD 5.2.1 Creative Commons attribution.
This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at https://www.dndbeyond.com/srd . The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode . - 2024 D&D Free Rules — Ranger. The complete current Ranger spell-list membership was checked against the official Free Rules Ranger. Spell names marked † on this page appear on that current Ranger list but are not contained in the CC-licensed SRD 5.2.1 Ranger spell-list subset. Official Free Rules Ranger .
- Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook — Ranger. Paizo Publishing. Legacy Pathfinder Reference Document .
- Revised D&D 3.5 System Reference Document — Ranger. d20 SRD Ranger .
- SpiralWorlds Ranger spell archive. Ranger Spells . The expanded lists preserve existing SpiralWorlds spell names, links and legacy catalogue grouping without declaring unconverted mechanics to be current 5.5e rules.
- Historical illustration. “Nobleman in Hunting Costume, preceded by his Servant, trying to find the Scent of a Stag,” after material associated with Gaston Phébus’s medieval hunting tradition. Public domain. Wikimedia Commons source .
Open Game Content designation. The Pathfinder First Edition and Revised D&D 3.5 mechanical material on this page is designated Open Game Content only to the extent that it derives from material already released as Open Game Content under the Open Game License v1.0a.
Original SpiralWorlds setting material, the 1454 campaign material, Global Ranger Archetypes, Non-Human Ranger Archetypes, historical framing, original explanatory prose, page design, artwork selection and editorial presentation are not designated Open Game Content.
Material derived from SRD 5.2.1 is used separately under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.
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