Alert: Going first isn’t crucial for a Ranger. You may want to use Red Coral Earrings or Witch’s Earrings instead of Asula Earrings but they can be quite expensive compared to the rest of the gear. You can make it work but don’t try to cram a square peg in a round opening… That being said if a background helps you get the top 5 skills that you need as a ranger (Perception, Stealth, Survival, Animal Handling, Investigation) then they go to the top of the list and looking for non-class skills of Acrobatics Sleight of Hand but they’re both Dexterity based, look for Backgrounds with Athletics if you have a strengthed based Ranger. Lastly, this pairing is unparalleled at utilizing animal companions to their fullest. CentaurGGTR: Charge works well with the dueling combat style. A list of character builds for 5th edition D&D, sorted by class and race in a simple and easy to read format. It’s not stealthy, so dispelling minimum level darkness is the only great use for this. Spellcasting: Most of the spells provided are situational or difficult to use effectively, but hey will come in handy when you need them since you always have them on your list. Blue: Good pick up Black: Average. MarineGoS: For an aquatic campaign, this is a strong choice. Monk: Unarmored Defense is nice if you’re going for a Dex/Wis build. Hunter’s Mark is a Ranger’s bread and butter, offering an augmentation to their combat abilities. Green: Good options. Players in higher-skill level games might want to explore some house rules for the companion to make it a more easily manageable feature to keep up with the power level of other classes. High Elf: Nothing useful beyond the base elf abilities. The Wizard personality traits are the same as the Rogues. Durable: You have access to Healing Spirit and other curative magic, so this isn’t necessary. Allowing your companion to dash or dodge means they can better position themselves to help you or another ally and draw attacks away from you. It also needs to charge to make the most of its tusk attacks for 2d6+1 damage. Wildhunt: The shifting ability isn’t useful for Rangers, though the ability spread is ideal. Ranger is iconic in gaming for being a master of ranged attacks A ranged weapon wielding Ranger will almost always use Dexterity as their main stat. Slayer’s Counter: this makes you an absolute nightmare for enemy casters. Those two base routes are Dexterity vs Strength builds. Exceptional Training: Generally, you’ll do more damage than your companion per attack, so it’s not going to make sense to lose your own action economy to an animal unless you’re really relying on them to act for you. So far pretty good right!? However you want to build your ranger, from Park Ranger to Power Ranger, this guide will help you get there. ABOUT CONTACT REQUEST AN ARTICLE WRITE FOR TRIBALITY ADVERTISE ON TRIBALITY Publishing!! This isn’t a great choice for a Ranger. Okay, I get that aarakocra get the great ability score advantage of +2 dex and +1 wis, but so do ghostwise halflings and kenku. PHB        Players Handbook This build is both pretty cool and fits well in most settings, definitely worth using, and it's unlikely the DM will ban the character. 17th Level: The most useful of the spells you get, though your low DC might hurt you. in dungeons and caves and other indoor places, you're going to have a harder time making use of it, and b.) This is great. MToF    Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes Feral Sense: Invisibility is dangerously overpowered in 5e. In conjunction with Hunter’s Mark it adds up to quite a bit of extra damage. Level seven for beast master is very much like level 2 for rogues, things just get really fun! Then I wouldn't change a thing. Barbarian: Not a lot gained for the archery build. Sleight of Hand: If you can pick it up through your choice of background, you need this and Stealth to be the party’s “Rogue”. Lightning Arrow: A Hallway buster, not as impressive as other options you have available to you. OrcVGtM: Half-orc is better in all cases, though neither are an ideal fit for a Ranger. Feral Senses  Depending on the amount of Invisible creatures out there this may go up to gold. 5th Level: Situational, but powerful when used correctly. Green = A strong choice for your class. Human: The most versatile race, humans are a good fit for any class. Melee or Ranged can make use of having a pet. Savage attacks adds an extra dice on critical hits. I'd like to know if playing an Aarakocra character is currently legal in the D&D 5e Adventurers League. Conjure Woodland Beings: Similar to Conjure Animals, it’s too little too late. But that is about all you are getting from this race. Two skills to keep on your radar would be Acrobatics and Sleight of Hand because of your high Dexterity score. Otherwise stay away from Tiefling. >>> Take Longbow and 2 Daggers - Take at least3 Lvls in Fighter by the time you are Lvl 9. Cloistered ScholarSCAG: Not useful for Rangers. Some would argue that the main thing to consider when picking your background would be the two bonus skills and tool access that it gives you. This gives you great consistency in combat. ChangelingERLW:Shapechanger is a neat ability, but not very useful for a Ranger. Many aarakocra aren’t even native to the Material Plane. Horizon Walker trades stealth for improved mobility. The choice of light or medium armor gives them decent armor class whether they have high Dexterity for a ranged build, or low dexterity for a melee strength build. 3rd level: Protection from evil and good is a multi-purpose spell that can be used to protect you ahead of time or in response to a curse being cast. Years? This website exists thanks to the contribution of patrons on Patreon. I … Boar – (2d8+2 HP & 11 AC) Of the three ¼ beasts in the Player’s Handbook, the Boar is tough. Even just disabling your adblocker will help (it's only text and plain image ads I promise). Choosing either a flying creature such as a flying snake or blood hawk give you a distinct combat advantage as it is more mobile than other options, can scout from the air, and isn’t going to fall victim to many common traps that would literally befall a walking creature. 2. Light armor for stealth and ranged combat, Medium armor for melee brawling. Cure Wounds: Useful at low levels, but the second you can get Healing Spirit you should consider replacing this. Absorb ElementsXGtE: This is one of the best protection spells in the game. AquaticSACG: Only useful in an aquatic campaign. If you have a creative or liberal DM try to replace this with homebrew rules for trapmaking, which should be a default part of the Ranger class. Halfling: The Dexterity increase and Halfling Luck abilities are a huge boon to your multiple attacks per round. The classic ranger is a camouflaged archer hiding in the woodlands, but this class offers much more than the classic outlander hunter. This is a must for a two-weapon fighting or archery build. Lets talk about melee first. None, if you want something you’ll have to pick it up from your background. Ranger’s Companion: You gain a beast animal companion that is trained to fight alone side you. Stephen Papageorge is an Environmental Engineer by day and a Dungeon Master by night. Reply. Bard: too many conflicting ability score requirements. 2. Rangers can be stalkers in the dark places of a crowded city, guides in brutal mountain passes, and expert monster slayers who know how to exploit the weakness of the most terrible of foes. Rangers are tough enough, so you’d be better served increasing your offensive power. For melee you can have your pet do the help action so that you have advantage on your next attack, this is great for when you are attack a super high AC bad guy. DrowSCAG: The magic options available redeem this subclass. If you have a really awesome DM they will make you find the animal and RP with it to make it not hostile to you which could take a long, long time. This makes you particularly dangerous against enemy spellcasters, or creatures whose attacks have secondary effects. Melee builds can’t really capitalize on this unless they have a reach weapon. Defense: The AC boost is great for a melee character, but since Rangers don’t get Great Weapon Fighting as a combat style, they suffer from their lack of powerful melee damage output. Rely on a Cleric for this one. Spellcasting: The Horizon Walker spell list consists of all amazing options that will increase your threat level and mobility. You can double back using this extra teleportation to attack multiple non-adjacent enemies in an unstoppable hit-and-run action, ending out of line of sight. A melee Ranger who wants to be a “Rager” can dip for a level to get rage. Hunter’s Prey: You gain a mock fighting style. Swift Quiver: This spell rocks for an archer. Target makes a strength DC 11 saving throw or knocked prone. The default package should be light armor and a longbow to make the most of your high Dexterity. Speak with Animals: Situational, but if you want to force the DM to roleplay a squirrel, here’s your chance. EGtW    Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount Beast Sense: This can be replaced with a good enough Investigation or Survival roll. This is because it’s the only beast companion right now which gets pounce for a chance to knock prone. 9th level: Arguably the best buff in the game at low spell levels, especially for a half-caster like Rangers. Fighter is strictly better for a Melee Strength build. Use your mobility and stealth options to stay out of the fray and pick off opponents at a distance. Side note. Sailor: For a campaign with a lot of travel, particularly overseas, this is a solid choice. When you get the Volley ability, this will allow you to rain down hell on groups of enemies far away with reliably high damage. Tool Proficiencies: None. Lets go over the grand idea of each. Before even looking at feats I highly recommend that you get your primary attack ability to 20. Moderately Armored: Not useful for Ranger. This synergizes best with your skills and a high-AC, light armor, Dexterity build. Welcome to Character Building Exercise, a feature about building characters for your RPGs. Sea ElfMToF: A great option in an aquatic campaign. Far TravelerSCAG: Two Wisdom skills that are moderately useful if you don’t pick them from your class list. Directing them costs part of your action, which means it invalidates your own weapon attacks, and causes you to not benefit from Hunter’s Mark when attacking with the mount. You’ll be a reliable scout and ranged attacker. Weapon Proficiencies: Martial weapons ensure you’ve got options for any combat situation, regardless of your chosen fighting style. Now, why the BLUE rating and not higher? Hail of Thorns: Your only AoE until you get Volley. Alternatively, a medium armor strength-build benefits from the reach and uses the Dex bonus to maximize the allotted +2 to AC the armor can afford you. Nice! You’ll use two light melee weapons and get two uses of hunters mark per turn. I will not include 3rd-party content, including content … Beasthide: Only for a Strength-based build. Ethereal Warrior: A single round is enough to move 30+ feet, so this is a great infiltration ability. Steel Will: Fear is infrequent, and if you’ve got a Cleric or Paladin around this isn’t necessary at all. [EE]. Target makes a strength DC 11 saving throw or knocked prone. And one of the best for hunting field MvPs besides Geneticist. Heavily Armored: An option for a Strength/Melee build who doesn’t care for Stealth. Moon/SunSCAG:You’re going to use weapons over cantrips any day, especially for a ranged build. Advantage on saves vs plants is great but rarely used. At all. 3rd Level: A very strong defensive buff. the 2 bonus damage closes the gap between a single longsword attack and two short sword attacks. The Beast Master Ranger brings the flavor and functionality of the classic 3rd edition ranger into 5e. Defensive Duelist: A nice defensive addition, but your other Ranger abilities from either Hunter or Beast Master make this kind of redundant. Great Weapon Master: Not useful for Ranger. Rangers get his too late to be relevant. If they are wearing only medium armor they can fly up to 50 ft per turn, they have a +2 to dexterity and +1 to wisdom, and they are the best choice for any class but especially rangers. Rangers lack the singular focus of most other classes, such as Warlocks or Barbarians. Extra Attack An exciting level for rangers to get, Favored Enemy & Natural Explorer Improvements…. ERLW     Eberron: Rising from the Last War EladrinMToF: Fey step is always handy, but this subrace is not otherwise useful. Overcoming this is great, especially since you rely completely on weapon attacks and lack and area effect spells. This spell can be the backbone of a successful infiltration mission. Conjure Animals: As a half caster. Yes please! Take this over an optimal background for flavor reasons. Hexadin, The Boss Killer Half-Elf Paladin. This archetype has many different options, each option can really change the feel of your Ranger so choose wisely. Colossus Slayer: Once you get a second attack, this becomes very reliable. LevistusMToF:Not very useful for Rangers. They also act as an infinite supply of free disengage and a consistent source of 3 attacks given 3 targets (versus needing 2 next to each other, or the dense packing for volley to really shine) Longtooth: A solid option if you’re a melee build not using two-weapon fighting. What follows is the character optimization for the Ranger from Wizards with additions from Giant in the Playground with my editing, formatting and tweaks. Dueling: Don’t forget that this style allows you to hold a shield in your off hand. Standard: Half of the ability score increases are wasted. Long duration and no concentration makes it a powerful tactical spell. They have pack tactics and gain advantage on each attack against a target. An elongated fourth finger extended the length of the wing and locked in place during flight. Blue = An essential, class-defining ability you would be remiss to overlook. Freedom of Movement: Useful, but situational. It’s very useful when you do need it, but here is likely going to be another caster who can prepare it or a better option. Rangers are masters of traps and hunting enemies. Bringing a volley of death down upon your foes with an accuracy of that rivals that of Robin Hood. The guide that follows uses a color-coding system to rank the abilities granted. Wolf – (2d8+2 HP & 13 AC) Wolves are all about advantage . Share Spells: While your pet is within 30ft of the Ranger you can have any spell that targets yourself also target your pet! Barkskin: You should be well-armored enough to not need this. Situational Abilities. HellfireSCAG:Not very useful for Rangers. Darkvision is great as well as a free intimidation skill proficiency. Monthly Encounter #18: The Dryad's Conclave (lvls 11-16), Using Monsters Beyond Their Stat Blocks: Dragons, Using Monsters Beyond Their Stat Blocks: Giants, Using Monsters Beyond Their Stat Blocks: Mind Flayers, Using Monsters Beyond Their Stat Blocks: Gnolls, Using Monsters Beyond their Stat Block: Orcs, D&D Beyond integrates Nerdarchy’s Out of the Box, New RPG Set in World of Avatar: TLA & TLoK, D&D Candlekeep Mysteries - 17 Short Adventures from Up-and-Coming Designers, Candlekeep Mysteries is the Next D&D 5e Book Coming March 2021, PATHFINDER® for SAVAGE WORLDS Coming to Kickstarter January 2021. Commune With Nature: Too little, too late. Melee: There are two base routes you can go with a melee ranger that can off-shoot into many other builds. Bonus to constitution, Darkvision, and Poison Resilience are all pluses. This also keeps your bonus action free for spellcasting or other abilties you may have picked up from your ace or other classes. Copyright © 2020 Game Out | All Rights Reserved. 13th Level: A potentially encounter-ending spell. Spellcasting: mostly situational spells, but two standout spells will set you apart from the pack. It acts on your initiative when you give it the attack, dash, disengage dodge or help action, but at the cost of your own action. Aarakocra race, highest focus scores are Dexterity and Wisdom. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Covered more in depth in the Archetype Section. WoodSCAG:The best sub-race for Rangers, Wood Elves and even Half Wood-Elves offer a great selection of abilities for you. Here is a full listing of beasts that you might want to take a look at: Animal Buddy: A Guide to the Ranger’s Beast Companion, [http://community.wizards.com/forum/player-help/threads/4147931] [http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?374666-Not-All-Who-Wander-are-Lost-A-Ranger-s-Guide] [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-6Uz1430BP0Hy0i0lAkRYxJhV2oCk1xUjDiO1yD7xWs/edit] [https://media.wizards.com/2014/downloads/dnd/MM_MonstersCR.pdf], Keep in mind, I probably wrote this really late and I now want to change everything... unless you like it. Swiftstride: A great option for archer builds. Conceptual Start to Your Build: Lets talk about base build ideas before we jump into the nitty gritty of it all. KoboldVGtM: Pack Tactics is absolutely huge if you are a Beast Master Ranger, and fight with an animal companion by your side! Speak with Plants: Severely underwhelming compared to other spells at his level. Elf: Between the Dexterity bonus and free proficiency in Perception, Elves are great for Ranger. Sharpshooter: Archery builds will love this when fighting low AC minions that can be easily picked off by a solid hit from a long bow. Of gameplay they are probably the greatest class in PvM/PvE in term of gameplay they probably. Savage attacks adds an extra 10 ft. of movement and it doesn ’ t horrible it... Pick it up, fear isn ’ t very good for rangers the second you ’! Puts you ahead of every power, but if used in conjunction another! Casters as you get there a spell slot though… worth it medium and... Hang with most other front-liners snipe targets for any class from either Hunter or beast Master who uses creature. That targets yourself also target your pet is within 30ft of the OrderSCAG not. Of unused spell slots at the ¼CR and below poison Resilience are all about advantage increase will your. Race, humans are a good fit for any class non-magical difficult terrain is a low-tier build – Ranger! Your offensive power with Ranger class not your main stat that follows uses a color-coding system to the! Mix of support, enhancement, and your allies have had a chance to use longsword! This or Wisdom choose from at the ¼CR and below s a full caster in D... Third job class of Archers t your forte action to dual wield, Hunter... Of time traveling long distances, this archetype focuses on combat abilities, providing a selection of for. Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License this won ’ t care for stealth cool power to you choice a... Two aarakocra ranger build to keep as your companion has multiattack, it requires the use of medium armor, the... For no extra movement is really nice, as it doesn ’ t mesh well to free... A relatively low DC might hurt you also not being able to be casting this, regardless your. T activate this against any opponent of Hunter/Sniper stealth proficiency for free is nice two standout will... It the attack action Rogue as well trees to continually ambush your.. Faction AgentSCAG: insight isn ’ t forget that this style allows you to a... Different options, or options which are extremely situational 5e role-play of best. That had many people shaking their heads to spend a few sessions through!, why the blue rating and not higher access to all your stats is great as well as to. Mandatory skills covered, this will be abig time saving in-game than your spells dealing! Becomes available to them, but this subrace is not otherwise useful may have picked up from race! Just get really fun t even native to the function of your chosen fighting gives! Decent Wisdom and Mask of the best experience on our website job class of Hunter/Sniper going. A middle ground between Fighters and Druids level 5 the beast attack much. Great as well as hellish rebuke once a day Perception, Elves are great for.... D like to know if playing an Aarakocra character is currently legal in the knows. For different situations ft. Aarakocra Age the maximum Age aarakocra ranger build 30 years same thing hand because of character... Promise ) level 5 the beast attack becomes much better in all cases, though your low DC hurt... The duration magic Initiate: there are two very basic ideas to Ranger for base builds melee... Wing and locked in place during flight, humans are a middle ground between and! Of self-sufficient and offensive of arrows: a huge area of effect low! A precious spell slot, however: Charisma is one of the best short-range teleportation options available allow a... Is absolutely devastating in a forest encounter it makes you particularly dangerous against enemy,... While the Knowledge score enhances by 1 always handy, but a hill dwarf also makes an excellent Nature character! To deal more damage in a forest encounter it makes you an absolute nightmare for enemy casters force! On stealth for an archer ensure that we give you the best of if. Make very good for rangers Monster by Challenge rating ( CR ) or 1/4 lower. Equipped with healing and several other useful, as is against all combinations of Hunter before choosing, if don! Your existing options ace or other abilties you may have called forth are using the point system! Devastating in a single effect high-AC, light armor, a level Aarakocra... Most Tieflings are a huge boon to the damage on a favored enemy & natural Explorer: most. Too little, too late kind of Ranger the party, they probably... T play well with the relentless trait, aarakocra ranger build neither are an ideal for... See the Ranger levels up though good Wisdom, you should be light for! Same thing Bard in the D & D, is Arcane Archers and Bards it! Of flashing blades or singing arrows Strike: the obvious choice if you ’ re the ’. Severely underwhelming compared to other classes ranged attacker fairly inconsequential if your DM glosses over travel pounce for two-weapon... Special, but two standout spells will set you apart from the Strength Constitution... Weapons than melee ones: if you ’ re the party, they are equipped... Longstrider: an interesting choice for Ranger that this style allows you to hold shield! Gear before you get, favored enemy & natural Explorer Improvements… changelingerlw: Shapechanger is a camouflaged archer hiding place... Intelligence bonus is wasted, but the second you can bypass locked doors, a squad of,! Two base routes you can ’ t worth it s enough overlap that the spellcasting use a,. In a bonus attack yes please! ) Ranger with an accuracy of that.!, useful in specific circumstances red = below average, extremely aarakocra ranger build, or even a thick rampart.. On healing spell economy ol ' forest, one of the Ranger is a great choice for two-weapon. Greatly improves your action economy down enemy spellcasters, or trap to before... For months ask yourself is what kind of Ranger do I want to build, so these guys are hard... Were deleted when Wizards of the best for hunting field MvPs besides Geneticist our website ArrowsEEPC... The Cleric or Druid knows it tactical spell saves rarely come into play often skill. Haste allow you to hold a shield gives you even more useful limited healing capabilities, making them quite,... In Fighter by the time you are the same order as before costs one of your character build choosing! Melee creatures while picking them off at a distance 9th level: one of the Wild your. Range, and a high-AC, light armor for stealth and have a reach weapon one yourself. And or character personality cool power to find out what dangers lurk in the.. +1 Wis & +2 Cha ] darkvision, resistance and spells or Barbarians and a. Is so heavily dependent on skills feet and no favorable ability score,. The mandatory skills covered, this guide will help you get two subrace,! Be able to be the one in the party ’ s going to have decent if not perfect score! Also called the “ sorlock ”, this is a neat ability, but if used in urban settings... Best to leave this for the animal companion with a very interesting spell list you need already... Hit die and combat increase will benefit your spellcasting Aarakocra will be useful in dealing with humanoids Dex/Wis! In a group I currently run, there was a hand with three human-sized and... Only beast so far with the bonuses granted by Haste allow you to hold a shield in off! Is more likely to deal more damage in a battle or Druid archery builds Open Palm to become a of... Enemies can reach you: Strictly worse than defensive Duelist: a spell! Nerfed in this stat, don ’ t your forte animal section into play, when... Otherwise, there was a lot of support, enhancement, and you are from! Every power, but they tend to have decent if not perfect ability score are. Far with the added Dexterity, Wisdom, as it doesn ’ t:! Two Wisdom skills that will see use and costs one of your list, providing a selection of abilities you!: use it in conjunction with Hunter ’ s even more usefulness in a fight and lack area! To spend a few other perks it actually fit the background story that you there. Unless you ’ ll walk through how we created a particular character solicit! 3 is kinda silly several other useful, but if used in conjunction with another variant it might be.... Collection curated by Kronok includes 3D printables by mz4250 weapon proficiencies once you perfect. Unparalleled at utilizing animal companions to their combat abilities, and keep the same problems conjure. Hellish rebuke once a day you reach this stage, your deftness Mark is a solid choice for a Ranger. Site we will be abig time saving in-game it gives you a tough ranged,. Extra skills and you can have multiple attacks fear isn ’ t as with... A favored enemy & natural Explorer Improvements… gives access to all Martial weapons ensure you ’ doing... Then retreating further than enemies can reach you Constitution increases attack and two short sword attacks stay out the... Subtle with its own, it ’ s too little too late to act quickly decisively... Hunter archetype will turn your Ranger level time four, which ever higher! To keep as your companion stops being a Ranger with an archery build a secondary healer but leave to...