Northern Ranger (5e Class)

Northern Ranger

These are rangers that have been living in the north, learning to endure harsh conditions and challenging encounters. They are called by many names, the wolfs of the north, the protectors of the realm, the frozen heralds. They are the first line of defense between the north and everything else. They show a great mastery on sword and combat skills, but they also show important abilities such as surviving in the wilderness, making less sound than a falling leaf, or tracking even the most untraceable beasts. The Northern Rangers don't live in one place, nor do they stay a long time in one, they are always on the move, and the challenges the north represent have caused not many northern rangers to be left alive, but those that still survive consider each other brothers, and will come to aid in even the most difficult of times.

Quick Build

You can make a Northern Ranger quickly by following these suggestions. First, Dexterity should be your highest ability score, followed by wisdom. Second, choose the outlander background. Third, choose a longsword or bow as your main weapon.

Class Features

As a Northern Ranger you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per Northern Ranger level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per Northern Ranger level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light or medium.
Weapons: Martial weapons.
Tools: none.
Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
Skills: Choose three from acrobatics, athletics, survival, medicine, perception, nature and stealth.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) Leather armor and a fur cape or (b) chain mail armor with a hooded cape
• (a) A longsword and a longbow with 20 arrows or (b) two simple melee weapons or (c) a shorts bow with 20 arrows and a shortsword
• A dagger
• (a) A dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• If you are using starting wealth, you have 5d4 x 10 in funds.

Table: The Northern Ranger

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
1st	+2	Weapon Training, Full Dodge
2nd	+2	Tracking Specialist
3rd	+2	Ranger Discipline
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement
5th	+3	Extra Attack, Dexterous Movement
6th	+3	Discipline Feature
7th	+3	Northern's Eye
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	Strength of the Wolf
10th	+4	Reflexive Initiative
11th	+4	Kiss the Steel
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	Precise Critical
14th	+5	Discipline Feature
15th	+5	Warden of the North
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	Master Execution
18th	+6	Discipline Feature
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement
20th	+6	Elite Ranger

Weapon Training

The Brother in Black are trained mostly in sword and bow. At 1st level, you gain the following benefits when using these weapons:

• When wielding a longsword, you can use your Dexterity modifier, instead of your Strength, for attacks and damage rolls.
• Your damage die increases when wielding a longsword, a longbow or a shortbow: shortbows deal 1d8 damage, longbows 1d10 and longswords 1d10 (1d12 versatile).
• You gain a bonus of +2 on attack rolls with these weapons (a bonus not cumulative with the fighting style or similar features).

Full Dodge

Also at 1st level, you have the ability to quickly evade attacks made against you. Whenever you are hit by an attack with a weapon, you can use your reaction to force the attacker to reroll, using the new result, potentially causing it to miss.

Unarmored Defense

Your training has allowed you to predict incoming attacks, while you are not wearing armor or shield, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.

Tracking Specialist

Starting at 2nd level, you have learnt to use your wit to your advantage in any difficult situation. You gain proficiency in two of the following skills: Survival, Investigation or Perception. If you are already proficient, you add twice your proficiency bonus with them.

In addition, you can take the Search action as a bonus action.

Ranger Disciplines

At 3rd level, you choose the discipline of training you wish to undergo. Detailed at the bottom of the page.

Blade Savant

Bow Master

Defender

Your choice grant you features at 3rd level, and again at 6th, 14th and 18th levels.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Dexterous Movement

Starting at 5th level, while you are wearing light, medium or no armor, you gain the following benefits:

• Your movement speed increases in +10 feet
• Your climbing and swimming speeds equals your movement speed.
• When jumping you can use your Dexterity score to calculate height, instead of your Strength score, and your Dexterity modifier, instead of Strength modifier, for the check.
• You can use your reaction when you fall to reduce any falling damage you take by an amount equal to five times your ranger level.

Northern's Eye

You are so perceptive to your surroundings, that at 7th level, your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a blue dragon’s lightning breath or a fireball spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Strength of the Wolf

Beginning at 9th level if you fail a saving throw you can reroll the save, and choose the highest result. You can use this feature once, and can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Reflexive Initiative

By 10th level, your split-second reactions are so honed that you add your proficiency bonus on Initiative rolls.

Kiss the Steel

At the 11th level, when you hit a creature with one of your Weapon Training weapons, you deal an additional damage equal to the damage die of the weapon you are using.

Precise Critical

Beginning at 13th level, you can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with an attack (if you normally double the dice, now you triple them).

Warden of the North

When you reach the 15th level, so much time in the north has adapted you to the weather, you become resistant to cold damage and gain, can ignore difficult terrain created by snow or ice, and you are unaffected by cold weather.

Additionally, you have faced so many terrors of the North, you can't be frightened anymore and you gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws.

Execution

Starting at the 17th level, your weapon is an extension of yourself, and you may take down even the mightiest of enemies with well-placed blows at an incredible speed.

As an action, if you have advantage on an attack roll, you can make an attack against a creature with one of your Weapon Mastery weapons. On a hit, you force the target to make a Constitution saving throw. On a success, the attack is a critical. On a failed save, the target is reduced to 0 hit points. Creatures of large size or larger have advantage on the save. Creatures Huge or higher are reduced to half their maximum amount of hit points.

When a creature succeeds the saving throw against this ability, you can't target that same creature again until you finish a long rest.

Elite Ranger

At the 20th level, you have become known amongst the few remaining Rangers of the North, as one of the best there ever was. Add a +4 increase to your Dexterity score, to a maximum of 24, and a +4 to your Wisdom score, to a maximum of 24.

Ranger Disciplines

Let the spirits of the north determine the path which lies beyond you...

Blade Savant

These rangers have chosen to use the best offense-- all-out aggressive.

Opportunist

At 3rd level, you can exploit a creature's momentary distraction when it is hit by an attack. Whenever a creature within 5 feet of you is hit by an attack made by a creature other than you, you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against that creature.

Clash

At the 6th level, your sheer force of will allows you to enter a dead calm state, keeping death at bay and allowing you to deal damage even while in the brink of dying. When you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can choose to be reduced to 1 hit point instead.

If you have a hostile creature within 5 feet of you after using this feature, you can make a melee weapon attack against that creature, using your reaction.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain your uses after completing a long rest.

Mark of the Wolf

At the 14th level, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make an unarmed strike as a bonus action. This unarmed strike can be made after or before the attacks. On a hit, you can shove the creature, if the target is Large or lower.

In addition, you can use your Dexterity, instead of your Strength, for attacks and damage rolls for your unarmed strikes.

Frenzy

At 18th level, when you use your Mark of the Wolf feature, you can make an attack with a sword, instead of using an unarmed strike.

In addition, if you roll a critical hit with a melee weapon attack that deal slashing damage, you can choose to not cause additional damage to, instead, lop off one of the target’s limbs, with the effect of such loss determined by the GM. If the creature has no limb to sever, you lop off a portion of its body instead.

Bow Master

The Archer is adept at taking enemies from afar, taking time to choose his strikes wisely.

Archer

At 3rd level, if you haven't moved on your turn, you can use your bonus action to aim against a target you can see. Doing so give you advantage on your next ranged weapon attack. Your movement speed is reduced to 0 until the end of this turn.

In addition, if this attack hits, you cause additional 1d6 damage from the weapon's type. This additional damage increases to 2d6 at 6th level, 3d6 at 14th level and 4d6 at 18th level.

Swift Barrage

Beginning at the 6th level, you can use your action to attack a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus. All creatures must be within a 15-foot cone, and you can't make more than one attack against each creature. The cone increases to 30-foot at 14th level and 60-foot at 18th level.

Sharpshooter

At 14th level, when you cause your Archer additional damage, you can forgo 2 dice of damage to cause one of the following effects:

Knockdown. The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw against the result of the attack or be knocked prone.

Pierce. You can make another attack against a creature within 15 feet and directly behind your original target. On a hit, that creature takes additional 2d6 damage.

Pin. The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against the result of the attack or its movement speed is reduced to 0 until the end of its turn.

Brutal Shot

At 18th level, once per turn you can choose to give yourself a penalty to your attack, up to -10. On a hit, you cause damage equal to twice the penalty on your attack.

Defender

The Brother in Black has learned to utilize defense to the best of his ability.

Parrying Stance

Starting at 3rd level, when wielding a longsword in one hand and nothing on the other, or wielding a longsword in two-hands, you can parry melee attacks made against you. As a reaction when you are hit by a melee weapon attack, you can reduce the damage by an amount equal to the damage die of your weapon + your Dexterity modifier + your Northern Ranger level.

If you reduce the damage to 0 and your attacker is within 5 feet, you can make an attack against it, as part of the same reaction.

Total Disruption

By reaching 6th level, your sheer will allows you to enter a dead calm state, where you can see through any attack, your instincts allow you to avoid all possible damage. When you are hit by a melee weapon attack, you can cause that attack to miss.

You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain your uses after completing a long rest.

Slashing Wind

By reaching 14th level, when you take the Dodge action and an opponent misses you with an attack, you can take the Attack action using your reaction against that creature.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain your uses when you finish a long rest.

In addition, when you take the Dodge action, you can make a melee weapon attack with a longsword using your bonus action.

Perfect Parry

At 18th level, once in each round when you are hit by a melee weapon attack, you can force the attacker to reroll the die, choosing the new result. You can't use this feature on the same turn you have used your Full Dodge feature.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Northern Ranger class, you must meet these prerequisites: Dexterity and Strength must both be 13 or higher.

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Northern Ranger class, you gain the following proficiencies: Light armor and Longsword

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