I'm looking for some advice leveling up my Lv. 1 Half-Orc Ranger. He's gone through various iterations in the past including as both fighter and ranger, but I prefer him as a Ranger and his backstory leans more towards ranger. I like the flexibility between range and melee, but need to choose which way to go to level up. Here are my current thoughts:
Melee based, Two Weapon Fighting, dual shortswords (Dex=18), combined with half orc traits Savage Attacks and Relentless Endurance to give extra protection for the increased time spent in melee. But then, why not make him a fighter in the first place? Even with the few added spells, would he not still just be an inferior Fighter?
Or do I go with Archery as his fighting style and play the more archetypal Ranger? I think I prefer the melee approach because the half orc traits certainly guide in that direction, but do I go with Archery and have Savage Attacks as a backup for when things inevitably go wrong and he finds himself in melee? If I do that, Hunters Mark is more valuable.
If I stick with melee, what spells do I take? Hunter's Mark seems far less valuable, because even though it does add damage to both attacks, the chances of the marked enemy surviving my attacks and a full round of my party's attacks is quite low at this level, so if be wasting my bonus attack moving H.M. each turn, meaning I'd be better off back with a bow.
Is my analysis right in that respect, and what spells would be better for a melee-focused half orc ranger? (Cure Wounds being my other preferred spell choice at this point)
Well, I definitely like him as a Ranger. I played around with him as a fighter enough to know I preferred him as a Ranger. Even just story-wise, it is somehow more satisfying to me to play the Ranger version of him
But until I came to actually level him up, I'd always assumed he would take Hunter's Mark. Then I realised it didn't make so much sense for a melee based fighter. So I guess my question really is, how viable exactly is a melee ranger, and what direction (spells/fighting style/subclass/etc) makes most sense for that at early levels?
As a Ranger/rogue/fighter multiclass I use hunters mark a lot, mostly at range and when surprising enemies in melee, but often I dont have any other spell I need.
best spells apart from hunters mark are imo: absorb elements, silence, healing spirit, pass without trace.
I'm doing a Ranger with the Defense Fighting Style and using a Shield and a Short Sword instead of Dual Wielding, and I'm really enjoying it. Because Hunter's Mark is such a good spell, and because you'll be getting attacked more often if you're a melee player, I would recommend taking Defense Fighting Style and a Shield, a combination that gives you 3 more AC than doing Two Weapon Fighting with two short swords.
I'm a Gloom Stalker 3 Rogue 2 right now, and next level I'll be going Arcane Trickster. My Hunter spells are Hunter's Mark, Cure Wounds, and Goodberry, but I'm likely switching out Hunter's Mark for Fog Cloud when I take my 4th level in Ranger (because Cunning Action from Rogue gives me some uses for my Bonus Action, and because my Sneak Attack damage makes Hunter's Mark less necessary). Having Cure Wounds has been very useful. Goodberry as well.
Here’s an idea - Shortsword, Half Plate and Shield. Max out your Dex the best you can. Wisdom won’t be that important. Go Hunter. Get Defense Fighting Style. Take Medium Armor Master and Shield Master.
Non-magical AC is 21.
For your Ranger archetype choices: Horde Breaker, Multi attack Defense, Uncanny Dodge.
This is a good economy of actions - if you get hit, you can use Uncanny to halve the damage. And then you get +4 AC on all the remaining attacks (25 AC). That’s a hefty boost and incredibly efficient.
Horde Breaker gets you an extra attack, but you still need a bonus action. That’s why you pick up Shield Master Feat - an extra Shove action to control the battlefield and get some spell defenses.
Best of all? No one will think a Ranger can handle the front lines but you’ll be an absolute juggernaut against the big beasts (especially the ones with Multiattack).
Level 1 spell - Ensnaring Strike. Keep the battlefield locked down. Bonus? Ensnaring Strike at the end of your first turn... hit melee the round after and shield bash to knock them down or away. Great synergy!
I'm looking for some advice leveling up my Lv. 1 Half-Orc Ranger. He's gone through various iterations in the past including as both fighter and ranger, but I prefer him as a Ranger and his backstory leans more towards ranger. I like the flexibility between range and melee, but need to choose which way to go to level up. Here are my current thoughts:
Melee based, Two Weapon Fighting, dual shortswords (Dex=18), combined with half orc traits Savage Attacks and Relentless Endurance to give extra protection for the increased time spent in melee. But then, why not make him a fighter in the first place? Even with the few added spells, would he not still just be an inferior Fighter?
Or do I go with Archery as his fighting style and play the more archetypal Ranger? I think I prefer the melee approach because the half orc traits certainly guide in that direction, but do I go with Archery and have Savage Attacks as a backup for when things inevitably go wrong and he finds himself in melee? If I do that, Hunters Mark is more valuable.
If I stick with melee, what spells do I take? Hunter's Mark seems far less valuable, because even though it does add damage to both attacks, the chances of the marked enemy surviving my attacks and a full round of my party's attacks is quite low at this level, so if be wasting my bonus attack moving H.M. each turn, meaning I'd be better off back with a bow.
Is my analysis right in that respect, and what spells would be better for a melee-focused half orc ranger? (Cure Wounds being my other preferred spell choice at this point)
Mordekai | Tiefling Warlock/Bard (Lv.12) | Pizazz's Beyond
RavenloftAnnihilationI would approach it the other way around. Do ypu want him melle or ranged? After that use any combination of classes to make him the way you want :)
What about a battlemaster fighter with a bow for example? Trip attack is epic with ranged weapons :)
Well, I definitely like him as a Ranger. I played around with him as a fighter enough to know I preferred him as a Ranger. Even just story-wise, it is somehow more satisfying to me to play the Ranger version of him
But until I came to actually level him up, I'd always assumed he would take Hunter's Mark. Then I realised it didn't make so much sense for a melee based fighter. So I guess my question really is, how viable exactly is a melee ranger, and what direction (spells/fighting style/subclass/etc) makes most sense for that at early levels?
Mordekai | Tiefling Warlock/Bard (Lv.12) | Pizazz's Beyond
RavenloftAnnihilationAs a Ranger/rogue/fighter multiclass I use hunters mark a lot, mostly at range and when surprising enemies in melee, but often I dont have any other spell I need.
best spells apart from hunters mark are imo: absorb elements, silence, healing spirit, pass without trace.
I'm doing a Ranger with the Defense Fighting Style and using a Shield and a Short Sword instead of Dual Wielding, and I'm really enjoying it. Because Hunter's Mark is such a good spell, and because you'll be getting attacked more often if you're a melee player, I would recommend taking Defense Fighting Style and a Shield, a combination that gives you 3 more AC than doing Two Weapon Fighting with two short swords.
I'm a Gloom Stalker 3 Rogue 2 right now, and next level I'll be going Arcane Trickster. My Hunter spells are Hunter's Mark, Cure Wounds, and Goodberry, but I'm likely switching out Hunter's Mark for Fog Cloud when I take my 4th level in Ranger (because Cunning Action from Rogue gives me some uses for my Bonus Action, and because my Sneak Attack damage makes Hunter's Mark less necessary). Having Cure Wounds has been very useful. Goodberry as well.
Here’s an idea - Shortsword, Half Plate and Shield. Max out your Dex the best you can. Wisdom won’t be that important. Go Hunter. Get Defense Fighting Style. Take Medium Armor Master and Shield Master.
Non-magical AC is 21.
For your Ranger archetype choices: Horde Breaker, Multi attack Defense, Uncanny Dodge.
This is a good economy of actions - if you get hit, you can use Uncanny to halve the damage. And then you get +4 AC on all the remaining attacks (25 AC). That’s a hefty boost and incredibly efficient.
Horde Breaker gets you an extra attack, but you still need a bonus action. That’s why you pick up Shield Master Feat - an extra Shove action to control the battlefield and get some spell defenses.
Best of all? No one will think a Ranger can handle the front lines but you’ll be an absolute juggernaut against the big beasts (especially the ones with Multiattack).
Level 1 spell - Ensnaring Strike. Keep the battlefield locked down. Bonus? Ensnaring Strike at the end of your first turn... hit melee the round after and shield bash to knock them down or away. Great synergy!
A template to take a look at: https://ddb.ac/characters/19996934/Gg4ED5