Just made my character today. Haven't played D & D in ages but ready to start again. Would love your thoughts on my character and what to focus on moving forward.
Also looking to join a campaign if anyone is willing to take on a beginner.
Consider point buy instead of rolling, wood elf ranger northern region orientated alright hater of giants. Pretty normal, I'd say out of the more than a million of already similar elf archetype of elven ranger's I'd say this character is your own so this is fine. Suggest pickaxe and ropes and such.
Just made my character today. Haven't played D & D in ages but ready to start again. Would love your thoughts on my character and what to focus on moving forward.
Also looking to join a campaign if anyone is willing to take on a beginner.
Thanks all!
Have you chosen a background yet? You should have at least 2 more skill proficiencies, and since I don't see any background information, I assume you haven't chosen one yet.
Can I ask why you chose the arctic as your favored terrain? Is it because of the giants as a favored enemy? That is thematically a good choice, but don't let that lock you into the arctic. Giants are everywhere, and much of what you know about them could be from inferred from other giants, studying, or word of mouth. I would encourage you to pick a favored terrain from where your character has been living and might be adventuring. You could work with your DM on this. Forest is a safe bet, especially on the sword coast (which is almost all of the published adventures) as they feature a lot of forest.
Actually, looking at your character sheet again, you are playing in a campaign that takes place on the Sword Coast in Faerun. You should choose coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, or swamp. I would suggest grassland or forest. Probably forest, given your racial choice. On top of that, grassland is almost never a choice worthy of natural explorer as it isn't slow, dangerous, or difficult to traverse. Navigation is a low DC, as is foraging. You have a far clear distance to see danger, and these areas also feature lots of the roads in Faerun, so even less reason for a ranger's skills.
I'd switch your strength score for your Con. You don't really need Str as a ranger.
While this change is smart .....the other way can be done too. It just means you have to plan having lower hit points but a litte better at str activities. My current dm makes us roll Alot of athletics and acrobatics checks. (mostly while swiming or climbing)
I will say rangers (especially PHB ones) are all about skills and spells balance. I suggest talking with your dm on what "related" and "recall" mean. I find knowlege skills can help end combat before it starts or at least downgrade dificulty by a bit but that is only if your dm is on board and willing to work with you.
I find giants a less useful Favored enemy but that is not to stop you from taking it. I would say talk to your dm about how you can use "giant information." I have never played lost mines of phandelver but my guess is you will see alot more beast related checks. but as a dm am very open to connecting skills and F.E. Saying things like could this bridge hold a giant. or could a giant throw this rock. stuff like that could let you figure out weights and structures and maybe leverage them to your advantage.
It is an image of the player's map for the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure. It shows a very clear picture of what is and what isn't present, geographically speaking.
Sorry catching up on posts - if you can I would switch your wisdom and con - as a wood elf you get a +1to wisdom which would get you the minimum required wisdom of 13 and that is actually good enough to start while the 14 in con gets you an extra HP each level and improves your ability to maintain your spells when hit. As Frank said you need to select a background - outlander would solve a couple of problems giving you the athletics skill to deal with climbing, swimming etc and the survival skill you need to make full use of your ranger abilities. You also potentially could take both the elven accuracy and wood elf magic racial feats which would also improve your stats. A good language to go along with the beasts as favored enemy might be goblin as goblinoids seem to have replaced orcs as the prime humanoid foes at tier 1 and 2. Finally you might want to go back over equipment. I get that you want to be stealthy but if you take the scale mail(AC 14+2dex=16) then exchange it it for studded leather (AC12+3dex=15) you end up with a better AC and the stealth. Similarly you might want to consider a scimitar and short sword combo rather than 2 short swords as one is then slashing and the other piercing damage which can matter in some campaigns. I’ve assumed your an archer first, melee second ranger given the Dex and strength so as you get cash you might want to get at least another 20 arrows and a second quiver as arrows run out surprisingly quickly.( I once watched a skilled longbowman put 18 arrows into a chest sized target at 100m in 1 minute)
I'd switch your strength score for your Con. You don't really need Str as a ranger.
While this change is smart .....the other way can be done too. It just means you have to plan having lower hit points but a litte better at str activities. My current dm makes us roll Alot of athletics and acrobatics checks. (mostly while swiming or climbing)
That can easily be solved by picking proficiency in Athletics (via background or changing the ones they have). That +1 to Con is much more useful in the long run than the occassional +1 to Strength checks.
I'd switch your strength score for your Con. You don't really need Str as a ranger.
While this change is smart .....the other way can be done too. It just means you have to plan having lower hit points but a litte better at str activities. My current dm makes us roll Alot of athletics and acrobatics checks. (mostly while swiming or climbing)
That can easily be solved by picking proficiency in Athletics (via background or changing the ones they have). That +1 to Con is much more useful in the long run than the occassional +1 to Strength checks.
while proficiency carries a lot of weight some times you want both. I would go as far to say failing a skill you are proficient in "feels worse" than having to run because your hp is low. but yes 75% having a high con is the right choice.
As for backgrounds. I "always" take custom background to pick skills and tools over a preset one. I also think the outlander feature does things that a ranger already should be able to do via skills. I would instead take a feature that gives you some options in areas that you are weak. Like folk hero or haunted one.
The problem with that is that for a straight up ranger (not a bounty hunter etc ) you really should have 6 skills: Nature, Survival, Perception, Stealth, Athletics and Animal Handling. Ranger gives you 3 and outlander gives you 2 more. For other ranger based builds you have much the same problem that you need/want more skills than ranger gives you so the background is often chosen to get most of the ones you don’t get from ranger. Custom background is perfect when no preset background fits well.
The problem with that is that for a straight up ranger (not a bounty hunter etc ) you really should have 6 skills: Nature, Survival, Perception, Stealth, Athletics and Animal Handling. Ranger gives you 3 and outlander gives you 2 more. For other ranger based builds you have much the same problem that you need/want more skills than ranger gives you so the background is often chosen to get most of the ones you don’t get from ranger. Custom background is perfect when no preset background fits well.
Here me out..... depending on what spells you have you may not need one or more of athletics, animal handling or even stealth. (beastmasters don't need perception-pets do it better) do you really need stealth if your planing on taking Passwithout a trace? do you need animal handling if your taking animal spells(animal friendship or speak with animals)? athletics may be not as necessary if you use tools that grant advantage(climbers kits and crowbars. ect) this is especially important for PHB rangers who want to get Favored terrain bonus's on arcana, history, investigation or medicine.
as the old ranger saying goes "there is more than one way to skin a bobcat" if you know the strengths and weaknesses to each approach you can then respond appropriately. This is why there are so many diverse opinions about ranger builds any single " ranger choice can be optimal if you line up the other pieces right"
Agreed that it can be done in other ways but those ways typically use a limited resource, if you can do it without then that resource is available when needed in emergencies not already used up by day to day activities. Now I will grant that, as typically played, the life of a ranger in DnD is nothing but emergencies but that ,to my mind, makes being able to do things outside of massive real time need all the more important. Spells and other limited abilities need to be saved for combat and/situations where failure is not an option.
I would agree that which 4-7 skills you need will depend on your build and some like stealth can often be left out.
Many ranger spells bridge gaps in build focus. Handbook rangers can greatly reward a ranger in their favored terrain with skill proficiencies.
Personally, as a DM, I implement the variant encumbrance, so strength always has value.
I find hit points, and therefore, but indirectly, constitution, to be one of the most over rated resources. It is very easy to not die in this edition, healing and temporary hit points are easier and easier to come by, and perhaps most of all, enemy hit points are the first "dial" that a DM can change at will to keep the tension and fun at a high level.
Just made my character today. Haven't played D & D in ages but ready to start again. Would love your thoughts on my character and what to focus on moving forward.
Also looking to join a campaign if anyone is willing to take on a beginner.
Thanks all!
I think you.would benefit greatly from actually playing and getting some firsthand experience. You should find a DM who can and will go over your character to make sure it's legal (e.g. I don't think you have a background, which isn't legal). Any advice I could give you would be largely superfluous at this juncture. Only one issue jumps out at me at first glance, and even then if you tried playing rhe character you'd realize it in short order: except for Strength giving you more carrying capacity and, in some circumstances, longer jumps, odd ability scores don't do anything in 5E, so you should avoid them as a general rule. There are advanced reasons to start with a maximum of 3 odd values (you can find online builds for 17/17/15/8/8/8, for example), but you're just beginning, no need to worry about that.
Once you've actually played a game, we can have an open and honest discussion about how most ttrpgs, including D&D, punish you for having many mediocre stats rather than some great and some awful ones.
You honestly can't go wrong if you pick fun things. Help your team - make sure that's right - but after that, just pick fun stuff.
Level 2, unless you have something amazing to do in your Bonus Actions, get Hunter's Mark. That one lasts an hour if you can avoid getting hit too much, so get it goin'. (Bows best here, of course)
If your party is terribly low on healing, Goodberry is a great use of a slot to heal (guaranteed 10 healing between fights) - but it takes your Mark slot, and early life you're better killing things faster (everything that dies a turn faster is a turn of damage you avoid). Really only consider this if you've got some levels or a DM who does short fighting days (i.e. if you have a spell slot left at the end of the day, cast Goodberry. They last a whole day).
Also level 2: get Archery unless your party desperately needs a front liner. That +2 is amazing.
Level 3, all the Ranger options are fun. I've got a love of Swarmkeeper, but whatever you like. Consider if you're going to multi-class later on (level 5 or more, usually) - Rangers can do that really well, so work out if you want a sub-class here that is good at whatever level you intend to get to. It's not worth worrying about if you don't know yet, though. Default to fun.
For level 4 it is going to be REALLY hard to resist the +1 to dex and wis. But if you're liking the bow the Sharpshooter feat is worth a long look. Might be better waiting until the next chance, but give it a think. If you have a magic bow by now to make up the accuracy, for example, or if you have a DM who is working those cover rules.
Level 5, you get your level 2 spells, and you cannot go past Pass Without Trace and Healing Spirit. The first gives +10 stealth (!) to the whole party, allowing surprise attacks, and the second is a massive clutch ability. It's not quite Healing Word (which gets people up when you cast it, saving them from death saves if something else hits them before their next turn, while Healing Spirit doesn't kick in until the start of their turn), but you get to use Spirit a few times. Move it around, just a Bonus Action, and you're getting all sorts of amazing saves (e.g. plonk it on the next to go down - it heals at the START of their turn).
Note very well, though, that both of these are concentration spells, so they'd override Mark.
After level 5 it's all open. A level 5 Ranger is, for example, in an excellent position to multiclass into Rogue.
Good luck, ye excellent! There's heaps of online games around, so I hope that works for ya (the Roll20 forums have heaps, if I am remembering it right).
I'd switch your strength score for your Con. You don't really need Str as a ranger.
While this change is smart .....the other way can be done too. It just means you have to plan having lower hit points but a litte better at str activities. My current dm makes us roll Alot of athletics and acrobatics checks. (mostly while swiming or climbing)
That can easily be solved by picking proficiency in Athletics (via background or changing the ones they have). That +1 to Con is much more useful in the long run than the occassional +1 to Strength checks.
while proficiency carries a lot of weight some times you want both. I would go as far to say failing a skill you are proficient in "feels worse" than having to run because your hp is low. but yes 75% having a high con is the right choice.
You said it yourself, a majority of the time you want a better Con. Especially if you want to use spells that have concentration. A +1 from Strength is worth a lot less on a skill check (especially at high levels) than +1 from Con (including HP).
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Just made my character today. Haven't played D & D in ages but ready to start again. Would love your thoughts on my character and what to focus on moving forward.
Also looking to join a campaign if anyone is willing to take on a beginner.
Thanks all!
Consider point buy instead of rolling, wood elf ranger northern region orientated alright hater of giants. Pretty normal, I'd say out of the more than a million of already similar elf archetype of elven ranger's I'd say this character is your own so this is fine. Suggest pickaxe and ropes and such.
Thanks for the feedback!
I'd switch your strength score for your Con. You don't really need Str as a ranger.
Thank you!
Have you chosen a background yet? You should have at least 2 more skill proficiencies, and since I don't see any background information, I assume you haven't chosen one yet.
Can I ask why you chose the arctic as your favored terrain? Is it because of the giants as a favored enemy? That is thematically a good choice, but don't let that lock you into the arctic. Giants are everywhere, and much of what you know about them could be from inferred from other giants, studying, or word of mouth. I would encourage you to pick a favored terrain from where your character has been living and might be adventuring. You could work with your DM on this. Forest is a safe bet, especially on the sword coast (which is almost all of the published adventures) as they feature a lot of forest.
Actually, looking at your character sheet again, you are playing in a campaign that takes place on the Sword Coast in Faerun. You should choose coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, or swamp. I would suggest grassland or forest. Probably forest, given your racial choice. On top of that, grassland is almost never a choice worthy of natural explorer as it isn't slow, dangerous, or difficult to traverse. Navigation is a low DC, as is foraging. You have a far clear distance to see danger, and these areas also feature lots of the roads in Faerun, so even less reason for a ranger's skills.
Here is a map of your homeland. https://media.wizards.com/2015/images/dnd/resources/Sword-Coast-Map_LowRes.jpg
Forest, mountain, and swamp are all solid choices, in that order from first to last.
While this change is smart .....the other way can be done too. It just means you have to plan having lower hit points but a litte better at str activities. My current dm makes us roll Alot of athletics and acrobatics checks. (mostly while swiming or climbing)
I will say rangers (especially PHB ones) are all about skills and spells balance. I suggest talking with your dm on what "related" and "recall" mean. I find knowlege skills can help end combat before it starts or at least downgrade dificulty by a bit but that is only if your dm is on board and willing to work with you.
I find giants a less useful Favored enemy but that is not to stop you from taking it. I would say talk to your dm about how you can use "giant information." I have never played lost mines of phandelver but my guess is you will see alot more beast related checks. but as a dm am very open to connecting skills and F.E. Saying things like could this bridge hold a giant. or could a giant throw this rock. stuff like that could let you figure out weights and structures and maybe leverage them to your advantage.
If you don't want any kind of pre game knowledge (which I think is a little silly for any game, as characters live in the world before the players show up), then do NOT click this link https://mygamenightblog.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/phandelver-map-exterior-player.jpg?w=800&zoom=2.
It is an image of the player's map for the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure. It shows a very clear picture of what is and what isn't present, geographically speaking.
Sorry catching up on posts - if you can I would switch your wisdom and con - as a wood elf you get a +1to wisdom which would get you the minimum required wisdom of 13 and that is actually good enough to start while the 14 in con gets you an extra HP each level and improves your ability to maintain your spells when hit. As Frank said you need to select a background - outlander would solve a couple of problems giving you the athletics skill to deal with climbing, swimming etc and the survival skill you need to make full use of your ranger abilities. You also potentially could take both the elven accuracy and wood elf magic racial feats which would also improve your stats. A good language to go along with the beasts as favored enemy might be goblin as goblinoids seem to have replaced orcs as the prime humanoid foes at tier 1 and 2. Finally you might want to go back over equipment. I get that you want to be stealthy but if you take the scale mail(AC 14+2dex=16) then exchange it it for studded leather (AC12+3dex=15) you end up with a better AC and the stealth. Similarly you might want to consider a scimitar and short sword combo rather than 2 short swords as one is then slashing and the other piercing damage which can matter in some campaigns. I’ve assumed your an archer first, melee second ranger given the Dex and strength so as you get cash you might want to get at least another 20 arrows and a second quiver as arrows run out surprisingly quickly.( I once watched a skilled longbowman put 18 arrows into a chest sized target at 100m in 1 minute)
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
That can easily be solved by picking proficiency in Athletics (via background or changing the ones they have). That +1 to Con is much more useful in the long run than the occassional +1 to Strength checks.
while proficiency carries a lot of weight some times you want both. I would go as far to say failing a skill you are proficient in "feels worse" than having to run because your hp is low. but yes 75% having a high con is the right choice.
As for backgrounds. I "always" take custom background to pick skills and tools over a preset one. I also think the outlander feature does things that a ranger already should be able to do via skills. I would instead take a feature that gives you some options in areas that you are weak. Like folk hero or haunted one.
The problem with that is that for a straight up ranger (not a bounty hunter etc ) you really should have 6 skills: Nature, Survival, Perception, Stealth, Athletics and Animal Handling. Ranger gives you 3 and outlander gives you 2 more. For other ranger based builds you have much the same problem that you need/want more skills than ranger gives you so the background is often chosen to get most of the ones you don’t get from ranger. Custom background is perfect when no preset background fits well.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Here me out..... depending on what spells you have you may not need one or more of athletics, animal handling or even stealth. (beastmasters don't need perception-pets do it better) do you really need stealth if your planing on taking Passwithout a trace? do you need animal handling if your taking animal spells(animal friendship or speak with animals)? athletics may be not as necessary if you use tools that grant advantage(climbers kits and crowbars. ect) this is especially important for PHB rangers who want to get Favored terrain bonus's on arcana, history, investigation or medicine.
as the old ranger saying goes "there is more than one way to skin a bobcat" if you know the strengths and weaknesses to each approach you can then respond appropriately. This is why there are so many diverse opinions about ranger builds any single " ranger choice can be optimal if you line up the other pieces right"
Agreed that it can be done in other ways but those ways typically use a limited resource, if you can do it without then that resource is available when needed in emergencies not already used up by day to day activities. Now I will grant that, as typically played, the life of a ranger in DnD is nothing but emergencies but that ,to my mind, makes being able to do things outside of massive real time need all the more important. Spells and other limited abilities need to be saved for combat and/situations where failure is not an option.
I would agree that which 4-7 skills you need will depend on your build and some like stealth can often be left out.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Many ranger spells bridge gaps in build focus. Handbook rangers can greatly reward a ranger in their favored terrain with skill proficiencies.
Personally, as a DM, I implement the variant encumbrance, so strength always has value.
I find hit points, and therefore, but indirectly, constitution, to be one of the most over rated resources. It is very easy to not die in this edition, healing and temporary hit points are easier and easier to come by, and perhaps most of all, enemy hit points are the first "dial" that a DM can change at will to keep the tension and fun at a high level.
I think you.would benefit greatly from actually playing and getting some firsthand experience. You should find a DM who can and will go over your character to make sure it's legal (e.g. I don't think you have a background, which isn't legal). Any advice I could give you would be largely superfluous at this juncture. Only one issue jumps out at me at first glance, and even then if you tried playing rhe character you'd realize it in short order: except for Strength giving you more carrying capacity and, in some circumstances, longer jumps, odd ability scores don't do anything in 5E, so you should avoid them as a general rule. There are advanced reasons to start with a maximum of 3 odd values (you can find online builds for 17/17/15/8/8/8, for example), but you're just beginning, no need to worry about that.
Once you've actually played a game, we can have an open and honest discussion about how most ttrpgs, including D&D, punish you for having many mediocre stats rather than some great and some awful ones.
You honestly can't go wrong if you pick fun things. Help your team - make sure that's right - but after that, just pick fun stuff.
Level 2, unless you have something amazing to do in your Bonus Actions, get Hunter's Mark. That one lasts an hour if you can avoid getting hit too much, so get it goin'. (Bows best here, of course)
If your party is terribly low on healing, Goodberry is a great use of a slot to heal (guaranteed 10 healing between fights) - but it takes your Mark slot, and early life you're better killing things faster (everything that dies a turn faster is a turn of damage you avoid). Really only consider this if you've got some levels or a DM who does short fighting days (i.e. if you have a spell slot left at the end of the day, cast Goodberry. They last a whole day).
Also level 2: get Archery unless your party desperately needs a front liner. That +2 is amazing.
Level 3, all the Ranger options are fun. I've got a love of Swarmkeeper, but whatever you like. Consider if you're going to multi-class later on (level 5 or more, usually) - Rangers can do that really well, so work out if you want a sub-class here that is good at whatever level you intend to get to. It's not worth worrying about if you don't know yet, though. Default to fun.
For level 4 it is going to be REALLY hard to resist the +1 to dex and wis. But if you're liking the bow the Sharpshooter feat is worth a long look. Might be better waiting until the next chance, but give it a think. If you have a magic bow by now to make up the accuracy, for example, or if you have a DM who is working those cover rules.
Level 5, you get your level 2 spells, and you cannot go past Pass Without Trace and Healing Spirit. The first gives +10 stealth (!) to the whole party, allowing surprise attacks, and the second is a massive clutch ability. It's not quite Healing Word (which gets people up when you cast it, saving them from death saves if something else hits them before their next turn, while Healing Spirit doesn't kick in until the start of their turn), but you get to use Spirit a few times. Move it around, just a Bonus Action, and you're getting all sorts of amazing saves (e.g. plonk it on the next to go down - it heals at the START of their turn).
Note very well, though, that both of these are concentration spells, so they'd override Mark.
After level 5 it's all open. A level 5 Ranger is, for example, in an excellent position to multiclass into Rogue.
Good luck, ye excellent! There's heaps of online games around, so I hope that works for ya (the Roll20 forums have heaps, if I am remembering it right).
Thanks for all the info!
You said it yourself, a majority of the time you want a better Con. Especially if you want to use spells that have concentration. A +1 from Strength is worth a lot less on a skill check (especially at high levels) than +1 from Con (including HP).