Ranger FAQ
What are the main Ranger class features?
The 2014 Ranger's main features are Favored Enemy, Natural Explorer, Fighting Style, Wisdom-based Spellcasting, a Ranger Archetype, Primeval Awareness, Extra Attack, Land's Stride, Hide in Plain Sight, Vanish, Feral Senses, and Foe Slayer. The base class combines martial combat and exploration, while the Archetype supplies much of the Ranger's specialised combat identity.
The 2014 Ranger combines martial progression, a specialised exploration chassis, and half-caster spellcasting. The feature summary below uses the 2014 Ranger as its baseline. Later optional Ranger features are treated as variants rather than replacing Favored Enemy, Natural Explorer, or other 2014 class features.
1st level: Favored Enemy
Favored Enemy grants specialised knowledge and tracking benefits against selected enemy types.
The Ranger gains advantage on qualifying Survival checks to track those enemies and on Intelligence checks to recall information about them.
The feature can also grant a relevant language.
Additional favored enemies are selected at later levels.
The base 2014 feature does not provide a general weapon-damage bonus.
1st level: Natural Explorer
Natural Explorer grants benefits associated with selected favored terrain.
It improves certain Intelligence and Wisdom checks related to that terrain and provides several group-travel benefits after travelling for at least an hour under the feature's conditions.
Additional favored terrains are gained later.
2nd level: Fighting Style
The Ranger chooses a Fighting Style.
The original 2014 options include:
- Archery;
- Defense;
- Dueling;
- Two-Weapon Fighting.
The Style defines the character's repeatable weapon approach.
2nd level: Spellcasting
The Ranger becomes a Wisdom-based half-caster.
The class learns a limited number of Ranger spells and eventually gains up to 5th-level spell slots.
The Ranger does not use the Paladin's prepared-spell model in the base 2014 class.
Spell selection therefore has lasting importance.
3rd level: Ranger Archetype
The Ranger chooses an Archetype at 3rd level.
Subclass features arrive at:
3rd 7th 11th 15th
The Archetype is one of the largest sources of combat identity in the class.
3rd level: Primeval Awareness
Primeval Awareness lets the Ranger expend a spell slot to sense whether specified creature types are present within range.
The duration depends on the spell slot spent.
The range is larger in favored terrain.
The feature does not normally reveal the creatures' exact location or number.
5th level: Extra Attack
At 5th level, the Ranger attacks twice when taking the Attack action.
This is the core sustained martial progression of the class.
8th level: Land's Stride
Land's Stride improves movement through nonmagical difficult terrain and certain plants.
It also provides protection against plants that are magically created or manipulated to impede movement, according to the feature's saving throw benefit.
This reinforces the Ranger's mobility through natural obstacles.
10th level: Hide in Plain Sight
The 2014 Hide in Plain Sight feature allows the Ranger to spend time creating camouflage and gain a substantial Stealth benefit while remaining still and satisfying the feature's conditions.
This is very different from later versions or replacement features.
The 2014 Ranger's Hide in Plain Sight remains the baseline here; later replacement features are optional variants rather than automatic substitutions.
14th level: Vanish
Vanish allows the Ranger to take the Hide action as a bonus action.
It also prevents ordinary nonmagical tracking except when the Ranger chooses to leave a trail.
This improves both combat stealth and exploration.
18th level: Feral Senses
Feral Senses improves the Ranger's ability to fight creatures the character cannot see.
It also provides awareness of invisible creatures within close range when they are not hidden from the Ranger and the Ranger is not blinded or deafened as specified by the feature.
20th level: Foe Slayer
Foe Slayer lets the Ranger add Wisdom to a qualifying attack roll or damage roll against a favored enemy once on each turn.
The choice can be made with knowledge of the attack roll before its effects are resolved according to the feature.
This is one of the few places where the base 2014 Favored Enemy system directly contributes to attack or damage numbers.
How the features work together
Favored Enemy supports tracking and knowledge.
Natural Explorer supports wilderness travel.
Fighting Style and Extra Attack provide martial consistency.
Spellcasting adds magical utility and combat support.
Primeval Awareness supplies broad supernatural detection.
The Archetype provides specialised mechanics.
Later features improve terrain movement, hiding, sensing, and fighting favored enemies.
The Ranger is therefore a hybrid explorer and martial half-caster rather than a Fighter with a bow.