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When you think of a ranger inDungeons & Dragons, this is probably the subclass you’re thinking of. The Hunter is the consummate survivalist, living off the land with a bow and sword (or ax, or whatever other weapons you prefer). The Hunter has multiple paths for improvement that specialize in a particular type of foe, but the Hunter is never out of its element, able to engage effectively up close or at range.
Although Hunter is one of the original ranger subclasses, it has withstood the test of time and remains one of the most effective subclasses in the game. Read on to discover how you too can join the storied ranks of the Hunters.
Hunter Ranger Features
Unlike most rangers, Hunters have choices to make at various levels. Starting at level three,Hunter’s Preyprovides three options: Colossus Slayer, Giant Killer, and Horde Breaker.
Colossus Slayeradds an extra 1d8 damage whenever you hit a creature with a weapon attack if that creature is below its hit point maximum once per turn.Giant Killerlets you use your reaction to attack a Large or larger creature within five feet of you after it attacks.Horde Breakerallows you to make a second attack against another creature within five feet of the first once per turn.
In general,Colossus Slayer is the most consistently usefulof these three options. So long as you’re not the first to act in combat, you’ll deal an extra 1d8 damage almost every time.
Defensive Tacticsat level seven provide you with another three options.Escape the Hordeimposes disadvantage on opportunity attacks made against you.Multiattack Defensegives you +4 to your armor class against every attack after the first made by any creature per turn. AndSteel Willprovides you with advantage on saving throws against becoming frightened.
As you reach higher levels, most enemies will have more than one attack, makingMultiattack Defense extremely valuable.
Multiattackat level 11 offers two options that favor different styles of Hunter.Volleylets you use your action to make a ranged attack against any number of creatures within 10 feet of a single point you may see.Whirlwind Attacklets you make a melee attack against all creatures within five feet of you.
If you’re aranged-focused Hunter, pick Volley. If you’re amelee-focused Hunter, pick Whirlwind Attack.
Superior Hunter’s Defenseat level 15 provides another three options to choose from. Much like rogues,Evasionlets you take zero damage instead of half damage if you successfully make a Dexterity saving throw.Stand Against The Tidelets you use your reaction to force a hostile creature to attack another creature if it misses you on its initial attack.Uncanny Dodgealso arrives from the rogue class and lets you use your reaction to half the damage taken from an enemy attack.
Uncanny Dodge is the most consistentlyuseful of the three options here.
Best Species For A Hunter Ranger
Any of D&D’s species can become a Hunter ranger, but there are a fewspecies that possess abilities that pair well with the features of the Hunter. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.
Autognome
Armored Casingprovides you with all the benefits of Studded Leather armor without actually needing to find it.Build For Successis a fantastic ability that can help with any of your rolls.Mechanical Natureprovides a great resistance and advantage against being paralyzed or poisoned, andHealing Machinecan be a good reason for your wizard to take the mending Cantrip.
Bugbear
Surprise Attackaugments Colossus Slayer if you happen to go first in the turn order. Anextra five feet of reachbe very helpful for melee-focused rangers, andcharm resistanceandDarkvisionare both great to have.
Duergar
Enlarge/Reduceis a useful buff or debuff, butInvisibilityis the real reason to be a Duergar.Poison resistance,advantage against being charmed or stunned, andDarkvisionto 120 feet are also great perks.
Eladrin
Horizon Walkers will rarely have a free bonus action, butFey Stepprovides very useful effects for a more melee-focused build.Darkvision,charm resistance, andperceptionare also good to have.
Half-Elf
Rangers wanta lot of ability score increases, and half-elves provide just that.Darkvision,charm resistance, anda pair of skillsare also good to have.
Human
Wantability score increases? Humans have lots of those. Or you could govariant humanto start with afree feat.
Kenku
Rangers are often the rogue replacement for parties without them.Kenku Recallgoes a long way to providing useful skill proficiencies to keep your party rolling. Low Charisma meansMimicrywon’t be as useful, andExpert Duplicationis situational at best.
Flyingspeed,stealth proficiency, andDarkvision. What more do you need?
Thri-Kreen
Secondary Armscan allow for interesting dual-wielding builds that also still have a bow available.Chameleon Carapaceis the real prize here, providing an incredible AC boostadvantage on hide checks.TelepathyandDarkvisionare also nice perks.
Warforged
Extra armor class, askill proficiency,advantage against and resistance to poison, andimmunity to disease and sleepeffects makes warforged an excellent choice for a tough-as-nails ranger.
Yuan-Ti
Poison Sprayis garbage, butAnimal FriendshipandSuggestioncan be useful. What makes Yuan-Ti desirable isMagic ResistanceandPoison Resilience, giving you protection from the most common threats in D&D.Darkvisionis also great.
Best Ability Scores For A Hunter Ranger
Rangers can often feel like they’re being pulled in multiple directions. If you’re a melee-focused ranger, you’ll likely want to have a highStrengthscore to use the highest-damaging melee weapons. If you’re a range-focused ranger, you’ll want to maximize yourDexterityto improve your abilities with a bow. You’ll also wantConstitutionfor hit points andWisdomto empower your spells.
Unless you really want to lean into melee combat at,it’s generally best to focus on Dexterity as your primary attribute. Dexterity improves your armor class, boosts your bow damage, and can still help with melee combat so long as you wield a finesse weapon like a rapier.
IntelligenceandCharisma can both be ignored. They might help with some skill checks, but you can rely on your party mates to roll these skills instead.
If you’re using the points buy system for D&D,a good starting ability score spreadmight look something like this:
10(+0)
16(+3)
14(+2)
8(-1)
Best Starting Equipment For A Hunter Ranger
Thelongbowis the ranger’s bread-and-butter ranged attack. Expect to keep this weapon for a long time. You can pair that withtwo shortswordsortwo simple melee weapons, but the shortswords are likely to be your best option to start.
Scale mailwill provide you with 16 AC with a 16 Dexterity score, but disadvantage on stealth checks.Leather armorwill provide you with 14 AC, but no disadvantage on stealth. The armor you pick will depend largely on whether you expect the party to opt for stealth rather than frontal assaults.
Try to find Studded Leather armoras soon as possible. This will give you the highest possible armor class when you max your Dexterity at 20.
Adungeoneer’s packprovides more useful goodies than the explorer’s pack, so pick that to start your adventure.
Best Spells For A Hunter Ranger
As a half-caster class, rangers get limited spell slots to augment their physical abilities. As such, you’ll want to get the most out of these spell slots by choosing the most potent spells.Here are a few suggestionsat each ranger level.
