Still new to dnd and I’m also trying to get in the habit of making more characters. I know the Ranger gets a lot of guff but I think it’s a decent class… If your fighting the right enemies but that’s beside the point. Please, could someone give me feedback? Still working on a backstory for her and such.
Also:
I don’t know but is there any gods that most Rangers prey too?
For most Rangers, you'll want Dexterity to be your highest stat. Rangers use either Light or Medium armor, so you'll want at least a 14 in Dex no matter what, and most people aren't going to have good enough stats to put a 14 in Dex AND pump their Strength for attacking. Your Wisdom score is also one to prioritize. It's your spellcasting stat, so the higher it is the better you'll be with spells like Hail Of Thorns, Lightning Arrow, anything that forces your target to make a Saving Throw. Do note that there are a number of Ranger spells that don't depend on your Wisdom score to be effective(like the iconic Hunter's Mark and Pass Without Trace). But Wisdom is also used for your Perception and Survival skills, which Rangers are traditionally supposed to be good at as expert hunters and scouts. With the release of Tasha's Cauldon, Rangers have the option to grab a couple of Druid cantrips as their Fighting Style, which makes it easier to build a Ranger that uses Wisdom as their attack stat instead of Strengh or Dexterity, relying on things like Thorn Whip, Primal Savagery etc. over normal weapons. For a build like that, I'd probably still make my Dex 14 to use with Medium armor, but focus on pumping Wisdom as I level up. The one stat on your sheet that made me wince a little was the Constitution score :) A low Con score means fewer Hit Points gained each time you level up, and it means a penalty to your Constitution Saving Throws. That's a challenge on two fronts, as failing a Con save against an enemy attack could mean things like poison, paralysis, temporary reduction of your max HP, etc. But Con saves are also what you make to maintain Concentration on spells when you take damage. And a LOT of Ranger spells require Concentration. Of the other three stats, the main things Strength will affect are your carrying capacity and your Athletics skill checks. For things like escaping a Grapple, you'll likely be using Acrobatics instead, but things like climbing and swimming still use Athletics. Intelligence will effect your knowledge-based skill checks like Nature, Arcana etc. Nature's probably the most Ranger-y of those, but if you use the classic Favored Enemy feature and choose things like Fiends or Aberrations, Arcana & Religion might become more meaningful. Charisma doesn't really impact any of your Ranger abilities, so choosing whether to dump it is going to be pretty much just a roleplay choice.
Now, all this being said, you may have a perfectly valid story reason for having a less common stat arrangement. There's nothing wrong with having a Ranger that's got a higher than normal Charisma, or a lower than normal Strength, etc. Or even one that's got a lower than usual score in a stat that Rangers commonly rely on. Just be aware that if you choose to have a low score in Dex, Wis or Con, it will impact your ability to do the things a Ranger is supposed to be good at. Make sure you're prepared for that, and probably give your party a heads up too, to manage their expectations.
I saw that you chose a Heavy Crossbow instead of the more traditional Longbow. Just be aware that once you hit Level 5, you won't be able to make use of your Extra Attack unless you've taken the Crossbow Expert feat(because Crossbows have the Loading property). Also, that Svirfneblin Magic feat is supposed to be for Deep Gnomes only. Be sure to check with your DM to see if they're keeping the prerequisites for feats.
As for the rest Rangers are intresting because they can focus on a lot of diffrent ways to build. (unlike many other classes) You can make almost any stat a ranger dump stat and still have a decent way to progress. Tactics and equipment and spell focus will change greatly. As of this post your stats dont look to bad and it looks like an decent foundation for a character who can last. I am assuming changes were made but low con isn't the end of the world. I have played rangers with an 8 in con. you just need to avoid getting hit this means alot of steath and range attack focus. sometimes using your whole action to doge or hide. Teamwork is key with an 8 con but it can be done. This is just an example of how rangers can be played.
High wisdom means you will probably want either archery or druidic fighting styles. since your wisdom and survival are decent I would avoid "tracking/information spells." IF you can do it mundane, don't waste a spell known on it. at low levels Hunters mark isn't too bad (athough many switch it out later in the game) as it saves alot of spell slots. [Tooltip Not Found] or entangle might be good choices for you.
Have you thought which subclass you are leaning twards? are there any restricted materials/sourcebooks?
I didn’t plan on having a subclass for this one, at least not yet. I’m kinda experimenting right now… not gonna lie I have a joke character that’s a barbarian a Rogue and a Fighter…. I don’t how or why I did it but I think I got out of hand with it. Again as a joke, but still I’m shocked that I had the nerve to do it.
I didn’t plan on having a subclass for this one, at least not yet. I’m kinda experimenting right now… not gonna lie I have a joke character that’s a barbarian a Rogue and a Fighter…. I don’t how or why I did it but I think I got out of hand with it. Again as a joke, but still I’m shocked that I had the nerve to do it.
I get it building theory is fun and ranger builds are very diverse. You can literally build for "any" party role with a ranger.
subclass for rangers carry alot of the weight of of the class damage and tone (not all but a lot). Tashas Beastmasters want High wisdom. regular beasmasters don't often need HIgh wisdom because the beast can do most tracking and survival and perception stuff. swarmkeepers will have and want to cast alot of spells that force saving throws(high wisdom). Gloomstalkers and hunters will probably want a higest dex stat. monster hunters will probably want to use more intellegence checks(more theme than any thing) but can really be build with wisdom,strengh or dex for attacking.
As Roscoe said subclasses carry a lot of weight but at L1 your still just aiming for one not selecting so it’s not essential but it’s worth a few minutes thought. Personally I would switch the intimidation for perception as it will get a lot more use in all likely hood. I’m not sure why you took the heavy crossbow over the longbow but you have both and can switch easily enough. I would also switch out your spare short sword for a scimitar (think of it as a machete) giving you a choice of slashing or stabbing weapons. Sverfeblin magic as a bonus feat for a variant human is interesting. It’s a racial feat meant only for sverfeblin gnomes but it’s abilities are certainly useful for a ranger. As a DM however I’m not sure I would allow it. Other feats you might consider are the human racial feat prodigy for more skills, crossbow expert, sharpshooter for improved bow use, warcaster for improved casting later, Fey touched for a couple of useful spells right away, or one of the initiate feats for 2cantrips and a L1spell right away. Which would probably depend at least in part on your backstory. Given the already relatively high high charismayou might want to look into the Feylost background and Fey touched feat to replace the sverfeblin magic feat at variant human.
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Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
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https://ddb.ac/characters/63761078/5Hs6q4
Still new to dnd and I’m also trying to get in the habit of making more characters. I know the Ranger gets a lot of guff but I think it’s a decent class… If your fighting the right enemies but that’s beside the point. Please, could someone give me feedback? Still working on a backstory for her and such.
Also:
I don’t know but is there any gods that most Rangers prey too?
another note, is here stats good or average?
For most Rangers, you'll want Dexterity to be your highest stat. Rangers use either Light or Medium armor, so you'll want at least a 14 in Dex no matter what, and most people aren't going to have good enough stats to put a 14 in Dex AND pump their Strength for attacking. Your Wisdom score is also one to prioritize. It's your spellcasting stat, so the higher it is the better you'll be with spells like Hail Of Thorns, Lightning Arrow, anything that forces your target to make a Saving Throw. Do note that there are a number of Ranger spells that don't depend on your Wisdom score to be effective(like the iconic Hunter's Mark and Pass Without Trace). But Wisdom is also used for your Perception and Survival skills, which Rangers are traditionally supposed to be good at as expert hunters and scouts. With the release of Tasha's Cauldon, Rangers have the option to grab a couple of Druid cantrips as their Fighting Style, which makes it easier to build a Ranger that uses Wisdom as their attack stat instead of Strengh or Dexterity, relying on things like Thorn Whip, Primal Savagery etc. over normal weapons. For a build like that, I'd probably still make my Dex 14 to use with Medium armor, but focus on pumping Wisdom as I level up. The one stat on your sheet that made me wince a little was the Constitution score :) A low Con score means fewer Hit Points gained each time you level up, and it means a penalty to your Constitution Saving Throws. That's a challenge on two fronts, as failing a Con save against an enemy attack could mean things like poison, paralysis, temporary reduction of your max HP, etc. But Con saves are also what you make to maintain Concentration on spells when you take damage. And a LOT of Ranger spells require Concentration. Of the other three stats, the main things Strength will affect are your carrying capacity and your Athletics skill checks. For things like escaping a Grapple, you'll likely be using Acrobatics instead, but things like climbing and swimming still use Athletics. Intelligence will effect your knowledge-based skill checks like Nature, Arcana etc. Nature's probably the most Ranger-y of those, but if you use the classic Favored Enemy feature and choose things like Fiends or Aberrations, Arcana & Religion might become more meaningful. Charisma doesn't really impact any of your Ranger abilities, so choosing whether to dump it is going to be pretty much just a roleplay choice.
Now, all this being said, you may have a perfectly valid story reason for having a less common stat arrangement. There's nothing wrong with having a Ranger that's got a higher than normal Charisma, or a lower than normal Strength, etc. Or even one that's got a lower than usual score in a stat that Rangers commonly rely on. Just be aware that if you choose to have a low score in Dex, Wis or Con, it will impact your ability to do the things a Ranger is supposed to be good at. Make sure you're prepared for that, and probably give your party a heads up too, to manage their expectations.
I saw that you chose a Heavy Crossbow instead of the more traditional Longbow. Just be aware that once you hit Level 5, you won't be able to make use of your Extra Attack unless you've taken the Crossbow Expert feat(because Crossbows have the Loading property). Also, that Svirfneblin Magic feat is supposed to be for Deep Gnomes only. Be sure to check with your DM to see if they're keeping the prerequisites for feats.
Yikes, here I thought I made an even character. :) thanks for the feedback!
Gods are kind of funny for rangers. You can follow most without too mamy problems. Chauntea or Mielikki are good ones to start with.
Here is a thread to help in that area. https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/class-forums/ranger/5765-ranger-gods .
As for the rest Rangers are intresting because they can focus on a lot of diffrent ways to build. (unlike many other classes) You can make almost any stat a ranger dump stat and still have a decent way to progress. Tactics and equipment and spell focus will change greatly. As of this post your stats dont look to bad and it looks like an decent foundation for a character who can last. I am assuming changes were made but low con isn't the end of the world. I have played rangers with an 8 in con. you just need to avoid getting hit this means alot of steath and range attack focus. sometimes using your whole action to doge or hide. Teamwork is key with an 8 con but it can be done. This is just an example of how rangers can be played.
High wisdom means you will probably want either archery or druidic fighting styles. since your wisdom and survival are decent I would avoid "tracking/information spells." IF you can do it mundane, don't waste a spell known on it. at low levels Hunters mark isn't too bad (athough many switch it out later in the game) as it saves alot of spell slots. [Tooltip Not Found] or entangle might be good choices for you.
Have you thought which subclass you are leaning twards? are there any restricted materials/sourcebooks?
I didn’t plan on having a subclass for this one, at least not yet. I’m kinda experimenting right now… not gonna lie I have a joke character that’s a barbarian a Rogue and a Fighter…. I don’t how or why I did it but I think I got out of hand with it. Again as a joke, but still I’m shocked that I had the nerve to do it.
I get it building theory is fun and ranger builds are very diverse. You can literally build for "any" party role with a ranger.
subclass for rangers carry alot of the weight of of the class damage and tone (not all but a lot). Tashas Beastmasters want High wisdom. regular beasmasters don't often need HIgh wisdom because the beast can do most tracking and survival and perception stuff. swarmkeepers will have and want to cast alot of spells that force saving throws(high wisdom). Gloomstalkers and hunters will probably want a higest dex stat. monster hunters will probably want to use more intellegence checks(more theme than any thing) but can really be build with wisdom,strengh or dex for attacking.
As Roscoe said subclasses carry a lot of weight but at L1 your still just aiming for one not selecting so it’s not essential but it’s worth a few minutes thought. Personally I would switch the intimidation for perception as it will get a lot more use in all likely hood. I’m not sure why you took the heavy crossbow over the longbow but you have both and can switch easily enough. I would also switch out your spare short sword for a scimitar (think of it as a machete) giving you a choice of slashing or stabbing weapons. Sverfeblin magic as a bonus feat for a variant human is interesting. It’s a racial feat meant only for sverfeblin gnomes but it’s abilities are certainly useful for a ranger. As a DM however I’m not sure I would allow it. Other feats you might consider are the human racial feat prodigy for more skills, crossbow expert, sharpshooter for improved bow use, warcaster for improved casting later, Fey touched for a couple of useful spells right away, or one of the initiate feats for 2cantrips and a L1spell right away. Which would probably depend at least in part on your backstory. Given the already relatively high high charismayou might want to look into the Feylost background and Fey touched feat to replace the sverfeblin magic feat at variant human.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.