So I'm new to this. Very new. I've been wanting to play for years and finally decided to do it. In the meantime I'd been watching DnD related stuff and some research (I love me some facts and figures).
So I made this character that's a Wildhunt Shifter Ranger...I'm now wondering if I screwed up because I know very little about the actual gameplay mechanics, but enough to know that a character can be useful or wasted based on how well the player knows how to use that character
Did I bite off more than I can chew?
I also admit that choosing Shifter was more of an asthetic choice than a tactical one and I'm hoping that won't be problematic later
Wildhunt shifter looks like a great choice for a ranger! I love rangers, but a lot of folks think they're underpowered -- but really it's more certain subclasses that have issues. What subclasses were you thinking about? Are you planning on going ranged or melee?
Honestly I'm not sure. I have handaxes, a quarterstaff and a bow, so I'm thinking I might favor melee, especially since I made strength one of my higher stats. It would make more sense than trying to shoehorn this character into a ranged fighting style. Or I could change my character.. which honestly I don't have the will to do right now
As for subclasses, I don't even know how to do that yet, so I have no idea
There are a bunch of short tuorials on how to play the game on youtube. Deck of many and Handbooker helper are probably the simplest one. RPGBOT is a website that has some good guides on making good characters if you are more interested in the optimizing side of D&D.
That said, unless you rolled really bad on your stats or you took the "wrong" skills on purpose, it's actually quite hard to make a completely worthless character in 5E. The most important things is getting a good team together so that you cover most if not all bases. You play a ranger so you should be pretty good at sneaking and fighting, use that to help the party's cleric who then can focus on healing, for example.
As a ranger you don't pick a subclass until level 3, so you have a little time to figure out what subclass would work well for you and benefit the party. Though if you've figured out what you're going to pick sooner, that gives you time to build up to it in your RP. Once you've picked your subclass you'll also know whether or not you'll want to go high on your WIS or not - most spellcasters want to max out their spellcasting stat, but 95% of ranger spells are ones you cast on yourself/the party, so having a high save DC or attack bonus is only truly necessary for a few of the subclasses.
Phb ranger is tactical to get full optimization out of ranger but most games don't require full optimization.
I prefer dex based ranger but strength can work too. Note axes can be thrown with strength (unless I am misremebering)
When you here complaints about a ranger look at how few can actually justify their position. Some are actually justified but tend to be tied to highly restricted builds preference rather than function.
Tasha's is simpler to play than the phb. Both have their place. Choose the one that suits you.
Wildhunt Shifter is definitely a solid racial option for a Ranger, both mechanically and thematically. Survival is a skill you probably would have chosen as a Ranger anyway, so getting it for free means being able to choose something else from the Ranger list. You can use your Shifting ability out of combat to aid in skills like Perception and Survival, or us it in combat to prevent nearby enemies from gaining Advantage against you("Suck it, Pack Tactics!"). As pocketmouse said, the choice to pump your Wisdom score will depend on what spells you plan to use. If they involve spell attack rolls, or having creatures make saving throws against your spell save DC, then a higher Wisdom score becomes more important. But spells that simply buff you & your party(Hunter's Mark, Pass Without Trace, Flame Arrows etc) aren't affected by your Wisdom score. Neither are the spells to summon creatures to aid you in battle. Healing spells are a bit more effective when your Wisdom is high, but are still useful without it. And as Roscoeivan said, using Dex as your weapon attack stat is usually easiest for a Ranger, but a Strength-based build is possible. I wouldn't suggest doing it with a Dex of less than 14 though, to get the most out of Medium Armor(save up for a Breastplate to avoid the Stealth penalty). With the options in Tasha's Cauldron, you can also choose to use Wisdom as your primary stat, using the Druidic Warrior fighting style to grab two Druid cantrips and use them as your main attacks. If you do, I would definitely recommend that Thorn Whip be one of them. There are some creatures that are resistant to magical piercing damage, but nothing from the official books is immune to it. Plus, even though it has a 30-foot range, it's a melee spell attack so you aren't penalized when using it to attack someone in melee range. Shillelagh is another solid choice, you'd be able to use Wisdom to attack with your quarterstaff. Just as with a Strength-based Ranger, I would make sure your Dex is at least 14 to max out your AC with Medium Armor.
When it comes to picking a subclass, they all have something to offer. Some may be more mechanically powerful if you run the numbers on a spreadsheet, but I place a higher priority on picking a subclass that's fun to play and represents the type of character I'm trying to create. So my advice would be to read through them all and just see what speaks to you.
Thanks everyone.. I am definitely gonna stick with Wildhunt Shifter Ranger.. now only one question remains...
Gloomstalker Wildhunt Shifter Ranger
OR
Horizonwalker Wildhunt Shifter Ranger
I've been doing A LOT of research and I can really see the positive attributes of both choices to be honest.
On the one hand you have a build that is basically Batman and that's freaking cool.
On the other hand the ability to teleport long distances and detect portals is probably also super OP..
Horizon walker uses your bonus action alot more. meaning your BA not free for other stuff. good builds can be made but some people are less than satified.
I have never seen anyone complain about gloom stalker features.
In the end pick what you want and have fun. overthinking choices can be a problem too.
Thanks everyone.. I am definitely gonna stick with Wildhunt Shifter Ranger.. now only one question remains...
Gloomstalker Wildhunt Shifter Ranger
OR
Horizonwalker Wildhunt Shifter Ranger
I've been doing A LOT of research and I can really see the positive attributes of both choices to be honest.
On the one hand you have a build that is basically Batman and that's freaking cool.
On the other hand the ability to teleport long distances and detect portals is probably also super OP..
Choices, choices
I don’t think a person can build a bad ranger. I do think a person can play a ranger poorly.
As much as it pains me to suggest you jump on the popularity band wagon, gloomstalker is just as solid as the other subclasses and, most importantly, a tried and true fan favorite. You should play gloomstalker now and put that notch on your bedpost.
I am definitely leaning toward the gloomstalker. It's just too cool to ignore. It is apparently popular, and I'm no bandwagon-er, but.. I was pretty sold when one person's review on yt of the class said "Gloomstalker is pretty much the Batman of ranger builds" lol.
So I'm new to this. Very new. I've been wanting to play for years and finally decided to do it. In the meantime I'd been watching DnD related stuff and some research (I love me some facts and figures).
So I made this character that's a Wildhunt Shifter Ranger...I'm now wondering if I screwed up because I know very little about the actual gameplay mechanics, but enough to know that a character can be useful or wasted based on how well the player knows how to use that character
Did I bite off more than I can chew?
I also admit that choosing Shifter was more of an asthetic choice than a tactical one and I'm hoping that won't be problematic later
Thoughts?
Wildhunt shifter looks like a great choice for a ranger! I love rangers, but a lot of folks think they're underpowered -- but really it's more certain subclasses that have issues. What subclasses were you thinking about? Are you planning on going ranged or melee?
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
Honestly I'm not sure. I have handaxes, a quarterstaff and a bow, so I'm thinking I might favor melee, especially since I made strength one of my higher stats. It would make more sense than trying to shoehorn this character into a ranged fighting style. Or I could change my character.. which honestly I don't have the will to do right now
As for subclasses, I don't even know how to do that yet, so I have no idea
There are a bunch of short tuorials on how to play the game on youtube. Deck of many and Handbooker helper are probably the simplest one. RPGBOT is a website that has some good guides on making good characters if you are more interested in the optimizing side of D&D.
That said, unless you rolled really bad on your stats or you took the "wrong" skills on purpose, it's actually quite hard to make a completely worthless character in 5E. The most important things is getting a good team together so that you cover most if not all bases. You play a ranger so you should be pretty good at sneaking and fighting, use that to help the party's cleric who then can focus on healing, for example.
As a ranger you don't pick a subclass until level 3, so you have a little time to figure out what subclass would work well for you and benefit the party. Though if you've figured out what you're going to pick sooner, that gives you time to build up to it in your RP. Once you've picked your subclass you'll also know whether or not you'll want to go high on your WIS or not - most spellcasters want to max out their spellcasting stat, but 95% of ranger spells are ones you cast on yourself/the party, so having a high save DC or attack bonus is only truly necessary for a few of the subclasses.
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
Phb ranger is tactical to get full optimization out of ranger but most games don't require full optimization.
I prefer dex based ranger but strength can work too. Note axes can be thrown with strength (unless I am misremebering)
When you here complaints about a ranger look at how few can actually justify their position. Some are actually justified but tend to be tied to highly restricted builds preference rather than function.
Tasha's is simpler to play than the phb. Both have their place. Choose the one that suits you.
Wildhunt Shifter is definitely a solid racial option for a Ranger, both mechanically and thematically. Survival is a skill you probably would have chosen as a Ranger anyway, so getting it for free means being able to choose something else from the Ranger list. You can use your Shifting ability out of combat to aid in skills like Perception and Survival, or us it in combat to prevent nearby enemies from gaining Advantage against you("Suck it, Pack Tactics!"). As pocketmouse said, the choice to pump your Wisdom score will depend on what spells you plan to use. If they involve spell attack rolls, or having creatures make saving throws against your spell save DC, then a higher Wisdom score becomes more important. But spells that simply buff you & your party(Hunter's Mark, Pass Without Trace, Flame Arrows etc) aren't affected by your Wisdom score. Neither are the spells to summon creatures to aid you in battle. Healing spells are a bit more effective when your Wisdom is high, but are still useful without it. And as Roscoeivan said, using Dex as your weapon attack stat is usually easiest for a Ranger, but a Strength-based build is possible. I wouldn't suggest doing it with a Dex of less than 14 though, to get the most out of Medium Armor(save up for a Breastplate to avoid the Stealth penalty). With the options in Tasha's Cauldron, you can also choose to use Wisdom as your primary stat, using the Druidic Warrior fighting style to grab two Druid cantrips and use them as your main attacks. If you do, I would definitely recommend that Thorn Whip be one of them. There are some creatures that are resistant to magical piercing damage, but nothing from the official books is immune to it. Plus, even though it has a 30-foot range, it's a melee spell attack so you aren't penalized when using it to attack someone in melee range. Shillelagh is another solid choice, you'd be able to use Wisdom to attack with your quarterstaff. Just as with a Strength-based Ranger, I would make sure your Dex is at least 14 to max out your AC with Medium Armor.
When it comes to picking a subclass, they all have something to offer. Some may be more mechanically powerful if you run the numbers on a spreadsheet, but I place a higher priority on picking a subclass that's fun to play and represents the type of character I'm trying to create. So my advice would be to read through them all and just see what speaks to you.
Thanks everyone.. I am definitely gonna stick with Wildhunt Shifter Ranger.. now only one question remains...
Gloomstalker Wildhunt Shifter Ranger
OR
Horizonwalker Wildhunt Shifter Ranger
I've been doing A LOT of research and I can really see the positive attributes of both choices to be honest.
On the one hand you have a build that is basically Batman and that's freaking cool.
On the other hand the ability to teleport long distances and detect portals is probably also super OP..
Choices, choices
Horizon walker uses your bonus action alot more. meaning your BA not free for other stuff. good builds can be made but some people are less than satified.
I have never seen anyone complain about gloom stalker features.
In the end pick what you want and have fun. overthinking choices can be a problem too.
I don’t think a person can build a bad ranger. I do think a person can play a ranger poorly.
As much as it pains me to suggest you jump on the popularity band wagon, gloomstalker is just as solid as the other subclasses and, most importantly, a tried and true fan favorite. You should play gloomstalker now and put that notch on your bedpost.
I am definitely leaning toward the gloomstalker. It's just too cool to ignore. It is apparently popular, and I'm no bandwagon-er, but.. I was pretty sold when one person's review on yt of the class said "Gloomstalker is pretty much the Batman of ranger builds" lol.
Gloomstalker is incredible. Go with it and never look back.
Extra attack in every first round of combat. On demand Invisibility at some scenarios. Initiative bonus. Wisdom save prof at level 7.
Gloomstalker is a top 3 subclass in this game.