Ranger

Rangers are watchful warriors who roam past the horizon to safeguard a region, a principle, or a way of life. Masters of bow and blade, rangers excel at hit-and-run assaults and can quickly and silently eliminate foes. Rangers lay superb ambushes and excel at avoiding danger.

As a ranger, you possess almost supernaturally keen senses and a deep appreciation for untamed wilderness. With your knowledge of the natural world, you are able to track enemies through nearly any landscape, using the smallest clue to set your course, even sometimes the calls and songs of beasts and birds. Your severe demeanor promises a deadly conclusion to any enemy you hunt.

When you catch sight of your quarry, will the transgressor perish by swift bow shots from a distance, or by the twofold blades that glint and glitter in each of your battle-scarred hands?

Class Traits

Role: Striker. You concentrate on either ranged attacks or two-weapon melee fighting to deal a lot of damage to one enemy at a time. Your attacks rely on speed and mobility, since you prefer to use hit-and-run tactics whenever possible.
Power Source: Martial. Your talents depend on extensive training and practice, inner confidence, and natural proficiency.
Key Abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Wisdom

Armor Proficiencies: Leather, hide, cloth.
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, military melee, simple ranged, military ranged.
Bonus to Defense: +1 Fortitude, +1 Reflex.

Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + Constitution Score.
Hit Points per Level Gained: 5
Healing Surges per Day: 6 + Constitution Modifier.

Trained Skills: Dungeoneering or Nature (your choice). From the class skills list below, choose 4 more trained skills at 1st level.
Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Athletics (Str), Dungeoneering (Wis), Endurance (Con), Heal (Wis), Nature (Wis), Perception (Wis), Stealth (Dex).

Build Options: Archer Ranger, Two-Blade Ranger.
Class features: Fighting Style, Hunter's Quarry, Prime Shot.

Creating a Ranger

Rangers depend on Strength, Dexterity, and Wisdom for most of their powers. Constitution is also useful, since it helps them stand up to damage. The two ranger builds presented here are the archer ranger and the melee ranger.

Archer Ranger

You are a master of the bow (or, rarely, the crossbow, sling, or thrown weapon). You prefer ranged attack powers, and you resort to melee only when there are no good targets left for your arrows. Most of your attack powers use Dexterity, so Dexterity should be your highest ability score. You find yourself in melee from time to time, so Strength is a good choice for your second-highest score. Wisdom should be your third-best ability score. Choose powers that reflect your preference for ranged weapons.

Feat: Lethal Hunter (Human feat: Human Perseverance)
Skills: Endurance, Heal, Nature, Perception, Stealth
At-Will Powers: careful attack, nimble strike
Encounter Power: evasive strike
Daily Power: split the tree

Two-Blade Ranger

You like to get up close and rely on the ranger’s famous two-weapon fighting style. Naturally, you prefer melee attack powers, and that means Strength should be your highest ability score. For your second ability, Dexterity is a good choice because it improves your AC. Make Wisdom your third choice, since it adds to your Will defense and provides a bonus to many of your powers. Choose powers that reflect your preference for fighting with two melee weapons.

Feat: Lethal Hunter (Human feat: Action Surge)
Skills: Acrobatics, Dungeoneering, Endurance, Heal, Perception
At-Will Powers: hit and run, twin strike
Power: dire wolverine strike
Daily Power: jaws of the wolf

Ranger Class Features

Your class features depend largely on the build and fighting style you choose.

Fighting Style

Choose one of the following fighting styles and gain its benefit: Archer Fighting Style, Two-Blade Fighting Style.

Archer Fighting Style

Because of your focus on ranged attacks, you gain Defensive Mobility as a bonus feat.

Two-Blade Fighting Style

Because of your focus on two-weapon melee attacks, you can wield a one-handed weapon in your off hand as if it were an off-hand weapon. (Make sure to designate on your character sheet which weapon is main and which is off-hand.) In addition, you gain Toughness as a bonus feat.

Hunter's Quarry

Level Hunter's Quarry
Extra Damage
1st–10th +1d6
11th–20th +2d6
21st–30th +3d6
Once per turn as a minor action, you can designate the nearest enemy to you that you can see as your quarry.

Once per round, when you hit your quarry with an attack, the attack deals extra damage based on your level. The extra damage is based on your level. If you can make multiple attacks in a round, you decide which attack to apply the extra damage to after all the attacks are rolled. If you have dealt Hunter’s Quarry damage since the start of your turn, you cannot deal it again until the start of your next turn.

The hunter’s quarry effect remains active until the end of the encounter, until the quarry is defeated, or until you designate a different target as your quarry.

You can designate one enemy as your quarry at a time.

Prime Shot

If none of your allies are nearer to your target than you are, you receive a +1 bonus to ranged attack rolls against that target.

Character Classes
Player's Handbook ClericFighterPaladinRangerRogueWarlockWarlordWizard
Player's Handbook 2 AvengerBarbarianBardDruidInvokerShamanSorcererWarden
Player's Handbook 3 ArdentBattlemindMonkPsionRunepriestSeeker
Setting-Specific Artificer (Eberron Player's Guide) ✦ Swordmage (Forgotten Realms Player's Guide)
Character Classes

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