Ranger

Rangers are masters of survival. Professional monster hunters, they can set deadly ambushes to slay their quarries with atypical ease.

## Adventuring

### Subclasses

Archetypes: *Beast Master, Gloom Stalker, Horizon Walker, Hunter, Monster Slayer*.

## Sociocultural Information

### Places

The Wilderness

“
*Don't run. You'll only die tired.*
”
— Gristan Treestrider, a Hunter.
**Rangers** are deadly hunters and warriors, fighting on behalf of nature against those who would besmirch or exploit it.

Far from the bustle of cities and towns, past the hedges that shelter the most distant farms from the terrors of the wild, amid the dense-packed trees of trackless forests and across wide and empty plains, rangers keep their unending watch, protecting and defending the environment from human and monster alike.

## Abilities

Druids are carekeepers and stewards, but not warriors. That responsibility--the responsibility of fighting for nature--belongs to Rangers.

Rangers are the best survivalists and explorers of the land. With exceptional tracking and survival abilities, and with a healthy dose of spellcasting to boot, Rangers can prowl after their prey, stalking it from a distance. Then, Rangers spring a deadly ambush, striking at the most opportune moment.

Given the nature of their duties, most rangers prefer agility-based weapons over brute force. A bolt or an arrow allows a ranger to strike from the treetops with near-impunity; a fine rapier or a small dagger allows them to fully exploit their nimbleness in close-quarters.

## History

The Primeval Circle is one of the oldest organizations of the world. After the First Age, though, preserving nature alone would not be sufficient in order to safeguard it against all of its enemies: monsters, the undead, and the looming threat of the burgeoning Divine Empires.

For this reason, the Circle created the Order of Rangers, which eventually subdivided into a broad range of archetypes. The Rangers would become the weapon of the Primeval Circle, targeting and destroying nestling threats--be they human or monstrous--before they could besmirch the pristine environment with their foul influence.

## Organizations

Although many rangers are members of other organizations, the primary ranger organization is the Primeval Circle. While the Druids of the Circle focus on preserving nature, Rangers go on the offensive against those who would destroy it. Druids are caretakers; Rangers are weapons, honed and tempered to deadly precision.

## Subclasses

Ranger subclasses refer to specific orders within the Primeval Circle, known as Ranger Archetypes. These archetypes are dedicated to individual pursuits within the broader mission of the Primeval Circle.

### Beast Master

The Beast Master is a ranger that shares affinity for a creature of the wilds, generally an animal or beast.

### Gloom Stalker

Gloom stalkers are at home in the darkest places: deep under the earth, in gloomy alleyways, in primeval forests, and wherever else the light dims. Most folk enter such places with trepidation, but a gloom stalker ventures boldly into the darkness, seeking to ambush threats before they can reach the broader world. Such rangers are often found in the Underdark, but they will go any place where evil lurks in the shadows.

### Horizon Walker

Horizon walkers guard the world against threats that originate from other planes or that seek to ravage the mortal realm with otherworldly magic. They seek out planar portals and keep watch over them, venturing to the Inner Planes and the Outer Planes as needed to pursue their foes. These rangers are also friends to any forces in the multiverse – especially benevolent dragons, fey, and elementals – that work to preserve life and the order of the planes.

### Hunter

Some rangers seek to master weapons to better protect civilization from the terrors of the wilderness. These Rangers, called Hunters, learn specialized fighting techniques for use against the most dire threats, from rampaging ogres and hordes of orcs to towering giants and terrifying dragons.

### Monster Slayer

A monster slayer seeks out vampires, dragons, evil fey, fiends, and other magical threats. Trained in supernatural techniques to overcome such monsters, slayers are experts at unearthing and defeating mighty, mystical foes.

## Notable Rangers

* Gristan Treestrider: Elven Ranger and Hunter. The principal trainer of the Order of Rangers, based in Vantion.

## Appendix

Classes
Artificer • Barbarian • Bard • Cleric • Druid • Fighter • Monk
Paladin • **Ranger** • Rogue • Sorcerer • Warlock • Wizard

## References

1. ↑ Player's Handbook.
2. ↑ *Note: As is well-documented, the Beast Master suffers from poor action economy mechanics. For that reason, in my homebrew, commanding a beast is only a bonus action rather than an action or attack. This makes the BM Ranger competitive from a mathematical and mechanics perspective. For more information, see Homebrew.*
3. ↑ Xanathar's Guide to Everything
4. ↑ Xanathar's Guide to Everything
5. ↑ Player's Handbook.
6. ↑ Xanathar's Guide to Everything