I am level 5 human ranger (horizon walker) and I am getting bored of my character. I'm wondering what interesting things I can do with my ranger build as I level up in the future. Maybe upgrade my equipment? What would you suggest to make my ranger more exciting? Any tips?
one thing I like to do with rangers is get ritual caster or Skilled or skill expert over combat feats. depending on what you took at level 4 maybe you could ask your dm to switch up your last ASI choice.
Alot of the fun to me is finding creative solutions or uses for things. try making an effort to use your skills or tools. maybe take find familiar or unseen servant and see if you can leverage one of those for combat. (Hint: multiple unseen servants can exist at the same time+ action use items like caltrops or traps.)
Try poison harvesting. RAW every poisonous creature can be harvested. it has slight risk but that creates interesting scenarios too. Most harvested poisons will last on an arrow or sword until washed off or used. have two weapons one poisoned one you can draw when you are sure (hey more anatomy or nature checks ... cool) to great effect. tying to use poison lets you see parts of the game as an encounter puzzle rather than just random hit chances.
Another think is mix up your spells and try different strategies. Cordon of arrows is fun if you can get your party to agree to kite-ing or trap based scenarios instead of the "attack type play most parties do."
I am level 5 human ranger (horizon walker) and I am getting bored of my character. I'm wondering what interesting things I can do with my ranger build as I level up in the future. Maybe upgrade my equipment? What would you suggest to make my ranger more exciting? Any tips?
What are you comparing your ranger to? Have you always only played full spellcasters in the past? I have several friends that HAT playing martial characters, meaning, characters that hit enemies with weapons. Is this your first D&D 5E character? 5E is just different enough from 4E and 3.5 that maybe it's the system for you. Are you playing with a group or part of Adventurers League? I got burnt out with DDAL after a couple of years.
For me, at early levels rangers are fighters with some wilderness skills/abilities and some supplemental spells. Their subclass choice at level 3 defines them more than most other classes. As rangers progress in level, their spells define them more and more, and are directly responsible for their “power” in and out of combat.
Im a ranger super fan, so I’m super biased. But people that want “the ultimate archer” are not likely to be the most happy with a ranger. Those players alarmist always play fighter archers or multiclass into rogue at some point. Rangers are tactical and play the long game concerning resources. Their druid style magic really starts to come online around level 9.
They are L5 from the original post Frank. Let me ask why you chose horizon walker? Like Frank I’m a ranger nut but if you pick the wrong subclass they can feel out of place. The other problem for a new player is that they have a lot of “moving parts” to keep track of and that can lead to misplays that make the character feel less than you thought it would be. Some possibilities to make it more interesting if your DM is willing would be to change out some spells that are not working/being used much for some others that might be more interesting to play with. If you are melee focused hunters mark is finally coming online at L5 with the additional attack which also gets the extra damage. Other options for it though are zephyr strike allowing you to move around the battle field ignoring opportunity attacks. As a horizon walker you now have misty step (2 uses max) which lets you jump around the battlefield as well. Probably the biggest thing tho is to try to push the exploration, survival skills getting the DM to make that into a significant part of the campaign. Classic rangers are a somewhat limited in standard dungeon crawls as they are pointed towards the outdoors and exploration/survival. That doesn’t mean they can’t be played well in other roles indoors or urban settings.
When in dungeon crawls, use spells. Fog cloud, hunter’s mark, spike growth, pass without trace, speak with animals, hail of thorns, all of these spells kick butt in tight spaces filled with enemies, like cities, sewers, caves, and dungeons.
Not disagreeing, but, for most first timers if they are taking ranger they are looking at the flavor text and seeing Aragorn or someone like him and dungeon crawls etc are not the thing they are picturing typically. As Rosco and Frank pointed out they actually do just fine in just about any situation but if your picturing Aragorn or someone similar then til you get a solid feel for how to play the ranger indoors/in urban, etc it can feel like it’s disappointing. That’s why I suggested pushing the DM to include more outdoors stuff if that is the OP’s image.
I am level 5 human ranger (horizon walker) and I am getting bored of my character. I'm wondering what interesting things I can do with my ranger build as I level up in the future. Maybe upgrade my equipment? What would you suggest to make my ranger more exciting? Any tips?
Are you challenging yourself with the Horizon Walker abilities? IMO, Horizon Walkers can do some amazing things with all the built-in movement mechanics. As others have suggested, try out non-combat skills and/or feats to see how they do with the exploration and role-play part of DnD. The rangers have such a great tool-box to build a character from. I would also suggest that you look at your character from the "party perspective". As in, do you feel like you are making choices because "that's what the group wants/expects"?
When I look at a Horizon Walker, they excel at battlefield control (i.e. using a bow and maximizing the movement shenanigans from their subclass abilities) and when you aren't using those abilities the subclass may feel subpar. I see the portal ability as a "throw-away ability" because that's extremely situational.
Are you using your skill choices to help with the exploration part of the game? Survival, insight, etc?
There is also the possibility that the ranger class isn't your style. There is nothing wrong with that. I hope you can find your way with your ranger and enjoy the build.
I am level 5 human ranger (horizon walker) and I am getting bored of my character. I'm wondering what interesting things I can do with my ranger build as I level up in the future. Maybe upgrade my equipment? What would you suggest to make my ranger more exciting? Any tips?
For future reference, don't play a human. They're mechanically and narratively about as dull as you can get. This is a fantasy world you're playing in - make a fantastical character.
In terms of level 6, are you playing with or without the Tasha's modifications? Assuming with, you're about to pick up a swimming speed and a climbing speed. The potentially bad news is that most of the really clever things you can do with those require Athletics checks and it may be too late for you to be any good at Athletics. The potentially good news is that if you're already good at Athletics, you can engage in some very mobile shenanigans - level 6 is a good excuse to pick up Zephyr Strike if you don't already have it.
At level 7 you can become functionally invisible and incorporeal for 1 turn 1/short rest, and that, well, that makes its own fun. There's very little in the game as interesting as being able to phase through walls vertically while nearly indestructible and nearly undetectable.
So, there's something that might be happening here as you get into DnD more especially at the beginning. Once you start to get experience with the system, how it works, the flow of combat, roleplay, checks, etc. your mind just explodes with all the possibilities of what you can make, and subsequently what you did make ends up being a bit boring or lackluster.
It's like playing an MMO - you play a character class you think looks good for about five to ten hours until you have the mechanics of the game down, and then you go back and create the character you really want to play.
Rangers are good but they tend to be more reliant on the campaign setting than any other class in the game. With things like Favored Enemy, terrain, etc you're going to feel behind the others if you aren't making use of those features the way other classes are using their own.
Regarding the poster above saying "don't play a human, they're as dull as you can get" - this is a boring, dull take. A character can be as boring or as exciting as you choose for them to be, regardless of race. If you automatically think that "not being a human" makes up for any shortfalls in this regard, to me that's lazier than playing a human in the first place.
That’s why I suggested pushing the DM to include more outdoors stuff if that is the OP’s image.
This is always a great thing to remember. A large part of the experience of the game and the balance between players can really be up the DM making sure there is something relevant for everybody to really shine.
It's like playing an MMO - you play a character class you think looks good for about five to ten hours until you have the mechanics of the game down, and then you go back and create the character you really want to play.
I'm so addicted to this. I have started over just to get an understanding and a feel for every available option more than anybody I've ever heard of.
For me, at early levels rangers are fighters with some wilderness skills/abilities and some supplemental spells. Their subclass choice at level 3 defines them more than most other classes. As rangers progress in level, their spells define them more and more, and are directly responsible for their “power” in and out of combat.
Im a ranger super fan, so I’m super biased. But people that want “the ultimate archer” are not likely to be the most happy with a ranger.
Being a ranger super fan, you very clearly have an excellent grasp of it's role and potential.
What do you think about the Swarmkeeper? It's honestly the most appealing to me as I appreciate the free mobility and control options, and especially the concept of replacing a lot of the spells flavor effects with my choice of awesome swarm.
For me, at early levels rangers are fighters with some wilderness skills/abilities and some supplemental spells. Their subclass choice at level 3 defines them more than most other classes. As rangers progress in level, their spells define them more and more, and are directly responsible for their “power” in and out of combat.
Im a ranger super fan, so I’m super biased. But people that want “the ultimate archer” are not likely to be the most happy with a ranger.
Being a ranger super fan, you very clearly have an excellent grasp of it's role and potential.
What do you think about the Swarmkeeper? It's honestly the most appealing to me as I appreciate the free mobility and control options, and especially the concept of replacing a lot of the spells flavor effects with my choice of awesome swarm.
I'm a fan! Long story short, they do all of the ranger baseline stuff well, get the "ranger damage bump" at level 3, and have lots of flavor and tactical options at their disposal.
Take an extra special look at the second "hit a creature with an attack" option for Gathered Swarm and how it interacts with the ranger spell, Spike Growth. Fun times!
I'm a fan! Long story short, they do all of the ranger baseline stuff well, get the "ranger damage bump" at level 3, and have lots of flavor and tactical options at their disposal.
Take an extra special look at the second "hit a creature with an attack" option for Gathered Swarm and how it interacts with the ranger spell, Spike Growth. Fun times!
Oh, that's really cool, bumping up the damage every single move on an already solid control spell. Do you have other really cool concepts on things to look out for (combos, weak spots, better utility)?
I always encourage rangers to use skill checks (even tashas ones). You feel like a ranger when asking questions like "what do I know about this monster?" what are its immunities? is it poisonous? (think about harvesting from every poisonous creature). Ask about surviving in a new terrain when you get there? (it could provide hints on supplies or tools to stock up on). asking the right questions leads to smart tactics. can I forage food or other supplies while traveling?
I also really like to take advantage of the fact that rangers can use ALL weapons. keep a whip for when you need a 10' melee attack. Keep a bow and a sword. keep caltrops and holy water. keep acid and fire vials. think about cold or hot weather gear. Get a pully and spare vials. get a shield and plan which fights to use it and which ones to not use it. Healers kits are a good safety net(especially with the healer feat) speaking of nets having two isn't a bad idea. Now I've probably filled up your inventory, sorry.
I'm a fan! Long story short, they do all of the ranger baseline stuff well, get the "ranger damage bump" at level 3, and have lots of flavor and tactical options at their disposal.
Take an extra special look at the second "hit a creature with an attack" option for Gathered Swarm and how it interacts with the ranger spell, Spike Growth. Fun times!
Oh, that's really cool, bumping up the damage every single move on an already solid control spell. Do you have other really cool concepts on things to look out for (combos, weak spots, better utility)?
An improvised weapon is a weapon, so things like Hunter's Mark, and many other ranger subclass damage bumps (like a Hunter's Colossus Slayer ability), trigger off of a weapon attack or weapon hit. So in a pinch, a ranger can use a frying pan, chair leg, or rock with greater effect than other non-martial (and some martial) characters.
Also, acid vials, alchemist fire, holy water, and a torch are all improvised weapons, so a ranger can deal greater damage with these items than most.
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Hi everyone,
I am level 5 human ranger (horizon walker) and I am getting bored of my character. I'm wondering what interesting things I can do with my ranger build as I level up in the future. Maybe upgrade my equipment? What would you suggest to make my ranger more exciting? Any tips?
What spells do you have, what are your stats, and proficiencies?
What campaign are you playing, or what style, and weekday is the rest of your group made up of.
The ranger is incredibly versatile, but you can quite easily shut yourself down by making less interesting choices.
one thing I like to do with rangers is get ritual caster or Skilled or skill expert over combat feats. depending on what you took at level 4 maybe you could ask your dm to switch up your last ASI choice.
Alot of the fun to me is finding creative solutions or uses for things. try making an effort to use your skills or tools. maybe take find familiar or unseen servant and see if you can leverage one of those for combat. (Hint: multiple unseen servants can exist at the same time+ action use items like caltrops or traps.)
Try poison harvesting. RAW every poisonous creature can be harvested. it has slight risk but that creates interesting scenarios too. Most harvested poisons will last on an arrow or sword until washed off or used. have two weapons one poisoned one you can draw when you are sure (hey more anatomy or nature checks ... cool) to great effect. tying to use poison lets you see parts of the game as an encounter puzzle rather than just random hit chances.
Another think is mix up your spells and try different strategies. Cordon of arrows is fun if you can get your party to agree to kite-ing or trap based scenarios instead of the "attack type play most parties do."
Arcane Rogue could be good. Lots of utility even without INT, ups your damage game.
What are you comparing your ranger to? Have you always only played full spellcasters in the past? I have several friends that HAT playing martial characters, meaning, characters that hit enemies with weapons. Is this your first D&D 5E character? 5E is just different enough from 4E and 3.5 that maybe it's the system for you. Are you playing with a group or part of Adventurers League? I got burnt out with DDAL after a couple of years.
This is my first DND game ever.
I have pass without trace, hunters mark, quite a few. I like what you said about putting myself in a corner, I will stay conscious of that. Thanks.
Got it.
For me, at early levels rangers are fighters with some wilderness skills/abilities and some supplemental spells. Their subclass choice at level 3 defines them more than most other classes. As rangers progress in level, their spells define them more and more, and are directly responsible for their “power” in and out of combat.
Im a ranger super fan, so I’m super biased. But people that want “the ultimate archer” are not likely to be the most happy with a ranger. Those players alarmist always play fighter archers or multiclass into rogue at some point. Rangers are tactical and play the long game concerning resources. Their druid style magic really starts to come online around level 9.
What level is your table right now?
They are L5 from the original post Frank. Let me ask why you chose horizon walker? Like Frank I’m a ranger nut but if you pick the wrong subclass they can feel out of place. The other problem for a new player is that they have a lot of “moving parts” to keep track of and that can lead to misplays that make the character feel less than you thought it would be. Some possibilities to make it more interesting if your DM is willing would be to change out some spells that are not working/being used much for some others that might be more interesting to play with. If you are melee focused hunters mark is finally coming online at L5 with the additional attack which also gets the extra damage. Other options for it though are zephyr strike allowing you to move around the battle field ignoring opportunity attacks. As a horizon walker you now have misty step (2 uses max) which lets you jump around the battlefield as well. Probably the biggest thing tho is to try to push the exploration, survival skills getting the DM to make that into a significant part of the campaign. Classic rangers are a somewhat limited in standard dungeon crawls as they are pointed towards the outdoors and exploration/survival. That doesn’t mean they can’t be played well in other roles indoors or urban settings.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Thanks, WildBill.
When in dungeon crawls, use spells. Fog cloud, hunter’s mark, spike growth, pass without trace, speak with animals, hail of thorns, all of these spells kick butt in tight spaces filled with enemies, like cities, sewers, caves, and dungeons.
I kind of agree with frank, dungeons don't limit ranger skills it just changes the types of checks you do.
Not disagreeing, but, for most first timers if they are taking ranger they are looking at the flavor text and seeing Aragorn or someone like him and dungeon crawls etc are not the thing they are picturing typically. As Rosco and Frank pointed out they actually do just fine in just about any situation but if your picturing Aragorn or someone similar then til you get a solid feel for how to play the ranger indoors/in urban, etc it can feel like it’s disappointing. That’s why I suggested pushing the DM to include more outdoors stuff if that is the OP’s image.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Are you challenging yourself with the Horizon Walker abilities? IMO, Horizon Walkers can do some amazing things with all the built-in movement mechanics. As others have suggested, try out non-combat skills and/or feats to see how they do with the exploration and role-play part of DnD. The rangers have such a great tool-box to build a character from. I would also suggest that you look at your character from the "party perspective". As in, do you feel like you are making choices because "that's what the group wants/expects"?
When I look at a Horizon Walker, they excel at battlefield control (i.e. using a bow and maximizing the movement shenanigans from their subclass abilities) and when you aren't using those abilities the subclass may feel subpar. I see the portal ability as a "throw-away ability" because that's extremely situational.
Are you using your skill choices to help with the exploration part of the game? Survival, insight, etc?
There is also the possibility that the ranger class isn't your style. There is nothing wrong with that. I hope you can find your way with your ranger and enjoy the build.
"Play for blood remember?"
"I was just foolin about."
"I wasn't."
For future reference, don't play a human. They're mechanically and narratively about as dull as you can get. This is a fantasy world you're playing in - make a fantastical character.
In terms of level 6, are you playing with or without the Tasha's modifications? Assuming with, you're about to pick up a swimming speed and a climbing speed. The potentially bad news is that most of the really clever things you can do with those require Athletics checks and it may be too late for you to be any good at Athletics. The potentially good news is that if you're already good at Athletics, you can engage in some very mobile shenanigans - level 6 is a good excuse to pick up Zephyr Strike if you don't already have it.
At level 7 you can become functionally invisible and incorporeal for 1 turn 1/short rest, and that, well, that makes its own fun. There's very little in the game as interesting as being able to phase through walls vertically while nearly indestructible and nearly undetectable.
Got it!
So, there's something that might be happening here as you get into DnD more especially at the beginning. Once you start to get experience with the system, how it works, the flow of combat, roleplay, checks, etc. your mind just explodes with all the possibilities of what you can make, and subsequently what you did make ends up being a bit boring or lackluster.
It's like playing an MMO - you play a character class you think looks good for about five to ten hours until you have the mechanics of the game down, and then you go back and create the character you really want to play.
Rangers are good but they tend to be more reliant on the campaign setting than any other class in the game. With things like Favored Enemy, terrain, etc you're going to feel behind the others if you aren't making use of those features the way other classes are using their own.
Regarding the poster above saying "don't play a human, they're as dull as you can get" - this is a boring, dull take. A character can be as boring or as exciting as you choose for them to be, regardless of race. If you automatically think that "not being a human" makes up for any shortfalls in this regard, to me that's lazier than playing a human in the first place.
This is always a great thing to remember. A large part of the experience of the game and the balance between players can really be up the DM making sure there is something relevant for everybody to really shine.
I'm so addicted to this. I have started over just to get an understanding and a feel for every available option more than anybody I've ever heard of.
Being a ranger super fan, you very clearly have an excellent grasp of it's role and potential.
What do you think about the Swarmkeeper? It's honestly the most appealing to me as I appreciate the free mobility and control options, and especially the concept of replacing a lot of the spells flavor effects with my choice of awesome swarm.
I'm a fan! Long story short, they do all of the ranger baseline stuff well, get the "ranger damage bump" at level 3, and have lots of flavor and tactical options at their disposal.
Take an extra special look at the second "hit a creature with an attack" option for Gathered Swarm and how it interacts with the ranger spell, Spike Growth. Fun times!
Oh, that's really cool, bumping up the damage every single move on an already solid control spell. Do you have other really cool concepts on things to look out for (combos, weak spots, better utility)?
I always encourage rangers to use skill checks (even tashas ones). You feel like a ranger when asking questions like "what do I know about this monster?" what are its immunities? is it poisonous? (think about harvesting from every poisonous creature). Ask about surviving in a new terrain when you get there? (it could provide hints on supplies or tools to stock up on). asking the right questions leads to smart tactics. can I forage food or other supplies while traveling?
I also really like to take advantage of the fact that rangers can use ALL weapons. keep a whip for when you need a 10' melee attack. Keep a bow and a sword. keep caltrops and holy water. keep acid and fire vials. think about cold or hot weather gear. Get a pully and spare vials. get a shield and plan which fights to use it and which ones to not use it. Healers kits are a good safety net(especially with the healer feat) speaking of nets having two isn't a bad idea. Now I've probably filled up your inventory, sorry.
An improvised weapon is a weapon, so things like Hunter's Mark, and many other ranger subclass damage bumps (like a Hunter's Colossus Slayer ability), trigger off of a weapon attack or weapon hit. So in a pinch, a ranger can use a frying pan, chair leg, or rock with greater effect than other non-martial (and some martial) characters.
Also, acid vials, alchemist fire, holy water, and a torch are all improvised weapons, so a ranger can deal greater damage with these items than most.