D&D4 Wiki
Don't have an account?
Register
Advertisement
Register
D&D4 Wiki
Dungeons & Dungeons 4e Wiki
7,457
pages
in: Ranger, Classes, Strikers,
and 3 more

Ranger

Sign in to edit
Ranger Player's Handbook
This illustration of an elf by William O'Connor introduced the ranger in the Player's Handbook.

Ranger is a class in 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons. There are three ranger subclasses: original ranger, a martial striker,[PH:103] hunter, a martial and primal controller,[HotFK:149] and scout, a martial and primal striker.[HotFK:175]

Class traits[]

The following traits are common to original rangers, hunters, and scouts.

A 1st-level ranger begins with hit points equal to 12 plus the ranger's Constitution score, and a +1 bonus to Fortitude and Reflex defenses. A ranger gains 5 hit points per level thereafter.

A 1st-level ranger begins with simple melee, military melee, simple ranged, and military ranged weapon proficiencies.

Class skills[]

Elf ranger

Original rangers, hunters, and scouts are trained in either:

Plus any four skills from the ranger class skill list:

Original ranger[]

The original ranger is the subclass of ranger introduced in the Player's Handbook.[PH:103]

An original ranger has healing surges per day equal to 6 plus the ranger's Constitution modifier, and cloth, leather, and hide armor proficiencies.

Characteristics: You combine fast, hard-hitting melee attack power with excellent ranged attack ability, and shift easily from melee to ranged combat. You are moderately resilient in battle, but you prefer hit-and-run attacks or ambushes to prolonged slugging matches. Hit hard, get out; that’s the ranger’s way.

Religion: Rangers favor deities of nature and of the hunt. They often revere Kord, Melora, or the Raven Queen. Evil or chaotic evil rangers usually worship Gruumsh or Zehir.

Races: Elves are ideal archer rangers. Humans, halflings, dragonborn, and eladrin are all sometimes drawn to the wandering life of a two-blade ranger.

Original rangers gain the following class features at 1st level:

Beast Mastery[]

Original rangers may choose the Beast Mastery class feature to replace the Fighting Style and Prime Shot/Running Attack features.[MP:38]

Rangers receive a beast companion from these categories: bear, boar, cat, horse[Dr392:24], lizard, raptor, serpent, simian[Dr392:24] , spider or wolf. These describe general categories rather than a specific animal - anything beyond statistical details are free to be changed.

Beast Mastery alters the Hunter's Quarry feature - the quarry may be closest to the enemy nearest you or the enemy nearest to your beast companion, although you need to see the enemy in either case. You or your beast companion can deal extra damage from Hunter's Quarry.

Your beast companion is considered a creature and ally, and may be affected by powers.

You may only have one beast companion at a time. You can dismiss a companion at any time, but gaining a new one requires a bit more work. To get a new one, you need to spend a few hours seeking a replacement in an environment where it can be found. In rare cases, the GM may assign an adventure to obtain your replacement.

As part of training, you learned the Raise Beast Companion ritual, and can use it to revive your companion from the dead even if you are otherwise unable to perform rituals.

Your beast companion doesn't normally take actions during combat. It acts on your turn as you direct it, requiring you to spend your actions to instruct the beast to perform some actions:[MP:41]

  • Attack (Standard action): Your beast companion makes a melee basic attack against an enemy of your choice.
  • Defend (Standard action): Your beast companion (or both of you) go on total defense. If you are adjacent to each other, the bonus to defenses is +3 instead of +2.
  • Move (Move Action): Your beat companion or both of you take a move action. These actions need not be the same.
  • Opportunity Attack (Immediate Interrupt): When a creature provokes an opportunity attack from your beast companion, you spend an immediate interrupt to command the beast to make the attack.
  • Second Wind: When you use your second wind, your beast companion can use second wind as well.
  • Other healing: When adjacent to your beast companion, you can spend a minor action and one of your healing surges to heal the beast companion.
  • Other actions: You spend the required action, and your beast completes it.
  • Independent actions: If you can't command your beast companion (e.g. if your unconscious, dead or absent), the beast can act independently. It may take a standard, move and minor action on each of its turns.
    • If you are present in the encounter but incapable of commanding it, it must move as far as it can towards you each round, choosing the safest route possible. Once adjacent to you, the beast companion can act in any manner you wish.

Powers that rely on your beast companion to attack use the beast's attack bonus and use |B| to denote the beast's damage die.

Fighting Style[]

Original rangers who do not choose the Beast Mastery class feature gain the Fighting Style class feature at 1st level, and choose one of the following options. Each option grants a bonus feat, regardless of whether the ranger has met the feat's normal prerequisites, and may have additional effects.

Fighting style Bonus feat Additional effects
Archer Fighting Style

[PH:104]

Defensive Mobility —
Hunter Fighting Style

[MP2:32]

Quick Draw free action to sheathe weapons, and +4 AC vs. opportunity attacks provoked by ranged attacks
Marauder Fighting Style

[MP2:32]

Two-Weapon Defense +1 speed while not using a shield or two-handed weapon
Two-Blade Fighting Style

[PH:104]

Toughness treat one-handed weapons as off-hand

Hunter's Quarry[]

Main article: Hunter's Quarry

Original rangers receive the Hunter's Quarry class feature.

A ranger with the Hunter's Quarry class feature can, once per turn as a minor action, designate the nearest visible enemy as his or her quarry. This designation lasts until the encounter ends, the quarry is defeated, or the ranger designates a different target. Once per round, the ranger deals 1d6 per tier damage when hitting his or her quarry with an attack.[PH:104][U

7/2008]

Prime Shot[]

Main article: Prime Shot

Original rangers who do not choose the Beast Mastery or Running Attack class features receive the Prime Shot class feature.

If none of your allies are nearer to your target than you are, you receive a +1 bonus to ranged attack rolls against that target.

Running Attack[]

Main article: Running Attack

Original rangers who do not choose the Beast Mastery or Prime Shot class features receive the Running Attack class feature.

If you use a standard action that lets you move (such as a charge or the skirmish shot power), and you end that movement at least 2 squares away from where you began that move, you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls made as part of that standard action.[MP2:32]

Hunter[]

Hunter is a subclass of ranger introduced in Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms.[HotFK:149]

A hunter has healing surges per day equal to 6 plus the ranger's Constitution modifier, and cloth and leather armor proficiencies.

Hunters do not gain leveled at-will, encounter, or daily attack powers, and instead receive improvements to their class feature powers.

Hunters gain the following class features at 1st level:

Archery Style[]

Hunters gain the Archery Style class feature at 1st level, and choose one of the following options. Each option grants a bonus feat, and may have additional effects.

Archery style Bonus feat Additional effects
Bow Hunter[HotFK:155] Bow Expertise —
Crossbow Hunter[HotFK:155] Crossbow Expertise free action to reload crossbows

Aspects of the Wild (hunter)[]

Disruptive Shot[]

Hunters gain disruptive shot as an encounter power at 1st level. Disruptive shot deals damage and immobilizes or dazes a target on a hit, or deals half damage and slows a target on a miss.[HotFK:156]

Expert Archer[]

Hunters gain aimed shot, clever shot, and rapid shot as at-will powers at 1st level. Each of these powers allows a hunter to make a ranged basic attack with an additional benefit.[HotFK:155]

Weapon Talent[]

Hunters gain the Weapon Talent class feature at 1st level. Hunters with the Weapon Talent class feature gain a +1 bonus to weapon attack rolls.[HotFK:157]

Scout[]

Scout is a subclass of ranger introduced in Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms.[HotFK:175]

A scout has healing surges per day equal to 7 plus the ranger's Constitution modifier, and cloth, leather, and hide armor proficiencies.

Scouts do not gain leveled at-will, encounter, or daily attack powers, and instead receive improvements to their class feature powers.

Scouts gain the following class features at 1st level:

Aspects of the Wild (scout)[]

Attack Finesse[]

Scouts gain the Attack Finesse class feature at 1st level. Scouts with the Attack Finesse class feature can use their Dexterity modifiers instead of their Strength modifiers for both the attack rolls and damage rolls of melee basic attacks.[HotFK:181]

Dual Weapon Attack[]

Scouts gain dual weapon attack as an at-will power at 1st level. Dual weapon attack is an off-hand melee weapon attack made as a free action once per round, triggered by hitting with a melee basic attack on the scout's turn.[HotFK:181]

Power Strike[]

Scouts gain power strike as an encounter power at 1st level. Power strike triggers on a melee basic attack that hits, and adds extra damage to the attack.[HotFK:182]

Two-Weapon Style[]

Scouts gain the Two-Weapon Style class feature at 1st level, and choose one of the following options.

Two-weapon style Effect
Flashing Blade Mastery[HotFK:181] +1 to weapon attack rolls while wielding a light blade off-hand
Spinning Axe Mastery[HotFK:181] +2 to weapon damage rolls while wielding an axe off-hand

Wilderness Knacks[]

Hunters and Scouts choose two of the following knacks and gain an additional choice at 4th level, and again at 8th level.

Wilderness Knacks Effect
Ambush Expertise[HotFK:160] Whenever you make a Stealth check, each ally within 10 squares of you gains a +2 bonus to their next Stealth check before the end of your next turn.
Beast Empathy[HotFK:161] You gain a +2 bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks against beasts. You can communicate simple concepts and commands to such creatures, though they are under no compulsion to obey you. With a successful Insight check (DC determined by the DM), you can read a creature's body language and vocalizations enough to understand basic messages from it.
Mountain Guide[HotFK:161] Whenever you succeed on an Athletics check to climb, you reduce the DC of that climb by 2 for your allies until the end of the encounter. Only allies who see you make the climb gain this benefit.
Watchful Rest[HotFK:161] When you take an extended rest, you and any allies also taking the rest do not take the -5 penalty to Perception checks for sleeping.
Wilderness Tracker[HotFK:161] During a short rest, you can make a Perception check (DC determined by the DM) to inspect the area around you. This area can be as large as 10 squares on a side. If your check succeeds, you determine the number and nature of the creatures that have moved through the area in the past 24 hours. You ascertain when and where they entered the area, as well as when and where they left.

Ranger powers[]

Ranger powers, having a martial or primal power source, are also called exploits or evocations.

At-will attack powers
(Original ranger only)

1st level

Encounter attack powers
(Original ranger only) 		Daily attack powers
(Original ranger only) 		Utility powers

1st level

1st level

2nd level

3rd level 5th level 6th level
7th level 9th level 10th level
13th level 15th level 16th level
17th level 19th level 22nd level
23rd level 25th level
27th level 29th level
Unleveled powers
Key
B
Beast keyword or range
 
H
Hunter Fighting Style rider
S
Strength based attack roll or effect
 
D
Dexterity based attack roll or effect
 
W
Wisdom based effect

Ranger feats[]

Heroic Tier feats

Paragon Tier Feats

Epic Tier Feats

Ranger paragon paths[]

Multiclass rangers[]

Characters who did not start as rangers and who do not already have a multiclass feat of a type other than multiclass ranger may multiclass as rangers by taking one of the following entry feats.

Ranger entry feat Prerequisites Benefits
Two-Blade Warrior

[MP:150] || Str 13
Dex 13

The character can wield a one-handed weapon in his or her off hand as though it were an off-hand weapon.
Warrior of the Wild

[PH:208]s Handbook (June 2008)" data-rte-attribs=" title=?Player's Handbook (June 2008)?">PH:208]​ || Str 13 or Dex 13

The character gains the Hunter's Quarry ranger class feature, but can use it only once per encounter, and it lasts only until the end of the character's next turn.[U :6/2008]

In addition, each ranger entry feat grants all of the following benefits:

  • The character counts as a ranger, in addition to his or her original class, for the purpose of meeting prerequisites for feats, paragon paths, etc.
  • The character gains training in one skill from the ranger class skill list.
  • The character may take Novice Power, Acolyte Power, and Adept Power feats to exchange powers for ranger powers.
  • If the character takes a multiclass encounter, a multiclass utility, and a multiclass daily feat (such as Novice, Acolyte, and Adept Power), the character can paragon multiclass in ranger instead of taking a paragon path. Paragon multiclassed rangers select additional ranger powers instead of paragon path powers, and may take the Courageous Shooter[MP:149] feat to gain the Prime Shot ranger class feature.

Hybrid rangers[]

A character may be created as a hybrid of ranger and another class other than ranger. The hybrid ranger bonus to defense is either +1 Fortitude or +1 Reflex. A hybrid ranger is trained in one extra skill from the ranger class skill list. The hybrid's ranger class feature is Hunter's Quarry (hybrid), which is the same as Hunter's Quarry except that it deals damage only when hitting the quarry with a ranger class power or ranger paragon path power.

When a hybrid ranger gains the Hybrid Talent feat, he or she chooses one hybrid talent option from either of his or her hybrid classes. The ranger hybrid talent options are:

Ranger Armor Proficiency
The hybrid ranger gains armor proficiency with leather and hide armor.
Ranger Combat Talent
The hybrid ranger gains one of the following ranger class features: Prime Shot, or Running Attack.
Ranger Fighting Style
The hybrid ranger gains one of the following ranger class features: Archer Fighting Style, Beast Mastery (hybrid), Hunter Fighting Style, Marauder Fighting Style, or Two-Blade Fighting Style. Beast Mastery (hybrid) is the same as Beast Mastery except that the hybrid ranger's beast takes a −1 penalty to all attack rolls and defenses.[PH3:148]s Handbook 3 (March 2010)" data-rte-attribs=" title=?Player's Handbook 3 (March 2010)?">PH3:148]​
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
More Fandoms
Advertisement

Fan Feed

More D&D4 Wiki