What if Everyone Plays a Ranger in D&D 5e

MONSTERS OF DRAKKENHEIM is 300+ pages of eldritch horror inspired monsters for 5e by the Dungeon Dudes. Coming to Kickstarter March 26th: www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
We take a look at an all ranger party. Discuss our subclass picks, campaign ideas, strengths, and weaknesses.
TIME STAMPS
00:00 - Intro
02:32 - All Ranger Party
03:12 - Inspiration
09:51 - Subclasses
20:17 - Combat
24:14 - Exploration
26:16 - Social
27:03 - Strengths
31:16 - Weaknesses
34:06 - Final Thoughts
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[@lbomfs]

It would be a very good idea if every ranger picked a primary color, like blue red etc to identify themselves. They would be very powerful rangers. I wonder what they could be called.

[@Dewkage]

They should be called super sentai

[@leviathen151]

Everyone takes 2 levels in druid

[@Cassapphic]

They're so powerful, maybe we'd call them the super rangers?

[@stephenbarrett8861]

Rainbow rangers!

[@dragoninthewest1]

[Guitar shredding intensifies]

[@zoddlander]

I love the idea of a Ranger party base of Disney princesses! Swarm keeper - Snow White (calls the small beasts of the forest) Beastmaster - Belle (Beauty and the beast) Fey Wanderer - Pocahontas (talking to the spirits of the forest) Drakewarden - Mulan (Mushu the dragon)

[@EpicRandomness555]

Oh my gosh that’s genius

[@woutvanostaden1299]

So if we add another who would be the gloomstalker? 😮😅😅😂

[@stevenmathews9355]

Brilliant

[@zoddlander]

@@woutvanostaden1299 I don't know maybe Sleeping Beauty! 😉

[@brcoutme]

@@woutvanostaden1299 I actually think Mulan could be a Gloom Stalker, if you look at how she actually approached combat and was disguising herself. Although I liked the idea of her being a drake warden. Other idea Jasmine could be a Gloom Stalker, she certainly stayed hidden and navigated an urban environment in a Gloom Stalker way.

[@andrewferguson7569]

20 mins in and not one mention of Robin Hood and the Merry Men perhaps the most famous example of an all ranger party!

[@Mordalon]

I was thinking of that, but are the rest of the Merry Men strong examples of archetypical Rangers? Little John seems like a Fighter while Frier Tuck is a Cleric.

[@andrewferguson7569]

@@Mordalon Good question. Little John would be the Shillelagh armed fey wanderer and based only on the Russell Crowe film Tuck would be the swarmkeeper.

[@briang3598]

Visually? Yes (albeit with a cleric and a bard). Mechanically? Rogues and fighters.

[@brandoncurtis1636]

Quick note: Rangers, especially in an all Ranger party, are very nearly as stealthy as Rogues thanks to Pass Without Trace.

[@gamergunn7139]

Possibly more since those optional features give Expertise as well. They r typically Dex based too, and with that and PWT, they're pulling more

[@unboundsoul3582]

Theyre better straight up until reliable talent comes into play, but Rangers can still cap out higher.

[@gamergunn7139]

@@unboundsoul3582 I think that it levels out at that time, cuz PWT yeah it's a limited duration but, it's a +10 and unless you rule Nat 1 on Skill Checks auto fail, with Reliable Talent it sets them at a 10 regardless of 1-9. So officially Rangers still outperform in Stealth cuz without modifiers, that PWT is basically an 11-30 when RT is 10-20. Yeah they described in the party the Fey Wanderer being a Wisdom focus, but Medium Armor Master just negates the Stealth Disadvantage of Half Plate

[@m0nkEz]

​@@unboundsoul3582 you need to redo your math a bit. Pass without trace is better than reliable talent. Straight up. A rogue rolling a 1-9 gets 10+stealth mod. A ranger rolling a 1 gets 1+10+stealth mod. With tasha's giving ranger expertise, it is a straight upgrade.

[@matthiasb9370]

Even a group of Paladins is stealthy with Path without Trace...

[@DavidSmith-jj7ll]

I think the biggest LotR analog for an all-ranger military outfit is Faramir’s guerrillas in Ithilien in the two towers. They’re way more visibly Rangery than Aragorn overall, at least what’s seen on screen and in the main narrative of the novels. They appear around Sam and Frodo when Tolkien explicitly states that the Big People can’t sneak up on Hobbits because they’re too noisy and clumsy, but Faramir’s company manages it. They appear out of nowhere to ambush the Haradrim, then immediately melt back into the woodlands and getting back to their hidden camp

[@rhodrievans7729]

Despite a company of Rangers of the North, led by Halbarad, very little is known about them as opposed to the exposure given to the Rangers of Ithilien who definitely operate as guerrilla skirmishers.

[@QRzTallmidget]

The scene in Dune where the Freman ambush their enemies by hiding in the sands is exactly how I imagine Rangers would play in a desert campaign

[@Mordalon]

In the books they even communicate with trained bats and use a mix of ranged and melee combat.

[@Grinnar]

@@Mordalon I've been through the books several times, and totally forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder!

[@shocknix]

This is the main fantasy behind the ranger class. 4 dudes sneaked in, picked apart a whole encampment of enemies, and captured the objective. And you are one of them.

[@DParkerNunya]

Oh god, I just had a vision of an enemy encampment in a field, and from 600 feet away, a ridiculous hail of arrows are being pointed at them. The enemy has no idea, just going about preperations, maybe even celebrations after a succesful mission. And then the first round of arrows strike. Before cries of pain can even be heard, the second arrows have landed. A third of the camp is down or dying before initiative has even been rolled. The enemy scrambles, trying to form a counterattack, but the rangers are several rounds of dashing across open ground away. A few lucky enemies manage to close distance, getting within 60 feet of this firing squad, but before they can attempt to do anything, 3 wild beasts and an actual dragon launch out of hiding, tearing into the poor warriors who thought they stood a chance. As the sounds of chaos and bloodshed end, the rangers approach the camp. They collect as many arrows as they can, recast their Pass Without Trace and Summons, and move on, ready to devastate the next enemy encampment.

[@indigo_tribe]

"our archers will blot out the sun." "Well then we will fight in the dark" this except said by the same person! Lol

[@garthodowd6846]

You got me moist 😂

[@asherandai1000]

Stealth and movement speed aside, 600ft isn’t what most people think it is. It isn’t actually that far. I’m talking vision wise. Just saying because it frustrates me how seemingly everyone treats tiny distances like epic journeys. For example something I see in almost every stream I’ve watched is this bizarre idea that 30ft is too far away to hear a normal volume conversation clearly. If there’s lots of background noise interfering then sure, but that’s rarely the case. I’ve even seen the legendary Matt Mercer say “you can barely see them, they’re way off on the horizon… maybe 200ft away.” It’s just bizarrely ludicrous how badly everyone interprets distance in d&d. I think it’s in part due to using ft as the measurement which leads to large numbers for small distances. Movement speeds don’t help either as people think of dashing 60ft in 6 seconds as an all out sprint when it’s really just twice more than a casual walk (average walking speed is between 1m/s and 1.6m/s. This works out at around 19ft to 31ft in a 6 second round).

[@indigo_tribe]

@@asherandai1000 way out of context. Vision and hearing has no bearing on the context at hand. Shooting a bow accurately at 600 ft IRL is really hard. But doing it in DND when most others cannot is what is being discussed here. It's pretty good.

[@asherandai1000]

@@indigo_tribe I never said it wasn’t. I said the distance isn’t what people think it is. Try to pay attention.

[@Skimmer951]

As a ranger main I appriciate this. They can be played so differently and imagine the themes to work with for why a troupe of various rangers meet.

[@karatekoala4270]

Ranger mains unite!

[@jpperron1835]

Same! I was so excited to see this

[@Grinnar]

Loved my horizon walker.

[@karatekoala4270]

@@Grinnar still haven't played a horizon walker or hunter. My gloomstalker was obviously dope, swarm keeper was fun and I played revised BM a few times! Once with a hawk, another with a giant rabbit and in Icewind Dale my DM gave me an owl bear! Talk about tanky! And I made him STR over DEX. But my favorite was my fey wanderer, beguiling twist against casters and dragons was clutch!

[@Grinnar]

@@karatekoala4270 mine was a strength built (originally fighter, but DM let me swap with a lot of down time), and boy did he wreck a lot of enemy groups very quickly, and tanked to protect the druid.

[@carlosblack8690]

A party of Rangers could be a band of witchers and make a pretty cool monster hunter campaing

[@woutvanostaden1299]

A party of blood hunters could fit that theme too. Tho ranger are better since they healing and spells, while blood hunters might have a leg up on damage depending on the build. Mixing the 2 parties would be cool too.

[@carlosblack8690]

@@woutvanostaden1299 i dont like the blood hunter i like Mat work as a DM but the rest im off

[@woutvanostaden1299]

@@carlosblack8690 Fair enough.

[@jpjfrey5673]

​@@woutvanostaden1299Blood Hunter is literally an off-brand, Great Value Ranger. Worse in every way

[@chrismeandyou]

Pathfinder has a class that is basically witchers.

[@sabrina0013]

all your vids give off this very comfy "older brothers teach their younger sibling" vibe and i'm here for it. thanks for sharing your love for this game

[@YesItsWitticus]

Faramir and Aragorn! The Ithilien Rangers and the Dunedain.

[@armphidiic2609]

Exactly what I thought of.

[@NolansGoons]

As a ranger appreciator, I love this. Rangers' reputation in 5E has been tainted thanks to their original features and subclasses, and it's hard to say you're a fan of them without being met with turned-up-noses. To hear that in the ridiculous hypothetical scenario of a mono-class party they'd be S tier from some of my fave content creators is very validating

[@michaelramon2411]

Rangers may not win very many gold medals, but the gold medal they've got is in the decathlon.

[@linktristen5]

I recently ran a 1 on 1 D&D session (would definately recommend) with a ranger. It really made it hit home that rangers are surprisingly good at everything. Hit dice and fighting style of a fighter, stealth and subterfuge of a rogue, healing and damage buffs of a cleric, as well as the outdoor survival skills of, well, a ranger. When you are the only player in a party, you have no one to help you out in a pinch. A ranger can tread water where others would sink.

[@bwanamatata]

The whole video, I was picturing: Sun is rising, casting shadows over a valley. Within, a group of gnolls are getting ready to hunt for the day. One kicks the embers of the campfire to see if any meat fell from yesterday's kill. Another stands and scans the valley. The rising sun behind him casts long shadows on the tall grass that sways throughout. The gnoll turns, shielding his eyes from the glare of the new sun. All seems peaceful. The grass moves as it should. The party is grumbling, but slowly packing up the campsite. The gnoll, who has been scanning the valley, registers a flash in the grass. With the glare of the sun, he hesitates a beat too long. The arrow takes him through his throat, silencing his cry as he falls back. He lands in the campfire, but it's already to late for the startled gnolls. The Ranger's "rain" takes them all by surprise. The Rangers reveal themselves; camouflaged with the valley's grass, they emerge from an ocean of swaying shadows and greenery.

[@lucasjames2484]

It’s cool to see the support the rangers have received has made them so impressive. A party of rangers is also the most organic party of the classes.

[@farrex0]

39:52 I have been playing a campaign, with a ranger and I am a rogue. And that has happened to me many times. The DM has placed creative scenarios for fights where he says "x thing gives you disadvantage on attacks" and I am like "great, I do not have sneak attack, I am absolutely useless". But then, the ranger out damages my sneak attack on each individual attack. He ends up making two to three times the amount of damage I make. Even when I crit, he still out damages me that turn.... It really has made me realize how powerful the ranger is. And even then, he is a lot of times way more useful outside of combat than me. We often completely rely on him on exploration.... I think the ranger is really underrated.

[@chrisstewart4549]

My wife is playing a rogue and this same exact thing is happening to her.

[@coltonhorton4225]

Yeah, an unfortunate problem with rogues is that most of their best damage is only circumstantial available(sneak attack) whereas, like the dudes said, rangers are very consistent in their damage output. Also, most of a rogues utility is skill or tool based, which just can't really compete with spellcasting. Rogues are in an unfortunate position.

[@CivilWarMan]

Before starting the video, my dream team: Fey Wanderer is pretty crucial to act as a party face, then either Beast Master or Drakewarden for the pet, then either Swarmkeeper or Gloomstalker, and then add Monster Hunter as the spicy pick. Monster Hunter actually looks like it's be really interesting with an all-Ranger party, since it can give out information on enemy weaknesses, gets a once per short rest ability to counter a spell or attempt to teleport, and gets Magic Circle, which could open up some amazing tactical cheese if the party is planning to ambush any celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, or undead.

[@kaeles3548]

I was thinking the same way. Switching the swarmkeeper for the monster slayer to handle casters.

[@JuckiCZ]

Rangers are so versatile! Take Heavily Armored Feat at lvl 4, focus CON, take defensive FS and you have tank with AC 21 and high HPs. Take Crossbow Expert and Sharpshooter for awesome DPS. Play Fey Wanderer for awesome face skills. Play Swarmkeeper or Horizon Walker for mobility boost. PS: Don't forget, that we are not using multiclassing, so we don't have to have 13+ DEX, so we can easily start with 17 in STR, 16 CON and 14-15 WIS and take Heavily Armored at lvl 4 for great AC, great HPs, STR +4 and still good WIS stat! (many people ignore STRangers totally)

[@foldionepapyrus3441]

Exactly, and on top of all the points you list the spell list they get generally has lots of great utility spells. And if you pick one of the pet providing rangers you can get some great utility from the pets too - useful stuff like blindsight, or just as a source of readily harvestable poisons, a more durable mount etc. For me its between ranger and monk as the most undervalued class in 5E - Rangers are so very versatile and monks so very mobile, both of which are really good things to be, but tend to be rather overlooked in the pursuit of impressive damage numbers or lack of singularly impressive spells that in practice you probably never actually cast as its to resource intensive to waste outside of the final showdown with a BBEG.

[@ShakalDraconis]

For the inspiration section, surprised that the idea of Robin Hood and his Merry Men didn't come up, that is totally a pack of rangers, with their bard and cleric hangers-on!

[@soopthekoop]

Alright pre video guesses; Gloomstalker for obvious Fey wanderer for party face, Beast master/drake warden front liner, and Swarm keeper for the beast of utility and control

[@infinitesheldon5710]

I actually played in an all ranger party about three years ago! It was one of the most fun short campaigns I've been in. Everyone had a different subclass. I was playing the revised Beast Master, with the character basically being a D&D version of Steve Irwin. We had a Gloom Stalker, Fey Wanderer, and Swarmkeeper as well. The DM threw a lot of oddball challenges at us, and we had an answer to almost everything.

[@TheTwitchyBrownGuy]

That crushing darkness at the beginning though

[@Chiefjumpingfox95]

One of the thoughts for an all ranger campaign I had was exploring an alien planet. Where they have just put up a small settlement and they’re the ones in charge of securing it and keeping the area safe. Maybe interacting with other local creatures as well

[@MikeKilo1969]

One of my favorite 3.5 edition campaigns was the old “Orc Wars” trope; BBEG opens portals across the realm, orcs and goblins are pouring in. But the twist was, we modeled the world basically like a huge military deployment, think US Army during Vietnam War or in Europe during WWII. Everything was militarized, towns were occupied, civilians were put to work supporting the military. It was low magic in terms of powerful wizards, most spell casters were in support rolls healing and making cool magical items. The focus was on the infantry i.e. fighters and rangers, think Airborne Rangers. We were based out of Daggerford and patrolled the areas around it. We had Roc’s that flew us in like helicopters by carrying a wagon with a Ranger squad in it. We used a home version of the Ranger that we called the militarized Ranger that had no spells, but had bonuses to THAC0 and damage. It was a lot of fun and felt very much like a hopeless, endless war.

[@futurecaredesign]

I know I've been looking forward to this one :) Two things that would send this party flying: - Fey Touched: Bless - Shadow Touched: Silent Image Bless would absolutely boost their ranged damage through the roof. And Invisibility plus Silent Image are just amazing for getting in close and ambushing a target.

[@coltonhorton4225]

Those are amazing feat choices for this party. Currently playing a dhampir swarmkeeper and I've taken sharpshooter and piercer. (Between the bow/fangs, gathered swarm, and HM, there s almost always an opportunity to reroll low die rolls) my next ASI at level 12, I'm hoping to pick up the Vital Sacrifice feat from the new taldorei book to add to his damage and attacks.

[@coltonhorton4225]

You even have the perfect characters for those feats thematically. Gloomstalker and fey wanderer. Although fey wanderer gets some great extra spells, so it might be mechanically better for bless to be on the drakewarden. But the flavor with the other two subclasses....

[@SkyraptorBricks]

Ranger main group is awesome. We hype each other up and show we’re a force to be reckoned with. I think the line from Star Wars rogue one - Make ten men feel like a hundred - perfectly sums up this party. Love the vid, keep up the awesome content 👍🏹

[@1knurlagn]

Ranger party: you can run but you cant hide. From the deepest pit to the tallest peak we pursued our enemy, until we smote his ruin on the mountainside.

[@waldowallace9102]

Been a ranger fan for a long time and it has been particularly hearting to see the class get so much love in recent books.

[@fatgumthegoat]

ranger is a personal favorite of mine as the first class i played in d&d and im really happy with where they are right now in 5e

[@CJF1168]

Spelljammer Campaign = Firefly!

[@SymbioteMullet]

Shiny!

[@MrAjerguy]

You would NOT believe your eyes...

[@connermckeone4915]

@@MrAjerguy 🤦

[@gonaldginkus6228]

All Gloom stalker ranger party: “Bravo Six, going dark.”

[@robertbailey5239]

Magic Initiate could add a familiar to the party roster, enabling aerial surveillance. The airborne familiar could pass signals through aerial maneuvers - for instance circling left or right, dives or climbs.

[@dilvias8659]

If you want a familiar, Ritual Caster is a better choice. You get the familiar, plus spells ranger is missing like detect magic, identify, comprehend languages and so on.

[@camranm.6319]

Gotta say, I love the 6 seconds of black at the beginning of the video. It really adds atmosphere 😂 great video as always guys, keep it up!

[@Minotaur-of-Malice]

I legit thought KZbin was bugging lol

[@brandoncurtis1636]

Maybe not the best class, but it came a long way since the beginning of 5e and it’ll always be my favourite ♥️

[@cenauge]

The most awesome answer is: 4 Drakewardens. You're either part of a military (the Dragon Scout unit?) or part of a large adventuring guild. You basically raise your own drakes up from the early levels up until you can use them as mounts, and eventually as flying mounts. Plus: group breath weapon spam.

[@TwilitbeingReboot]

Pern, Alagaësia, and Berk would like to speak with you. EDIT: This list will continue to be updated.

[@garthodowd6846]

Is this how you train your dragon?

[@LupineShadowOmega]

Eh. I'd just be an Aasimar and use the Radiant Soul to be a Legend of Dragoon style Dragoon.

[@nickm9102]

This is where you play a Githyanki.

[@ianwhippie2533]

Would it be worth it to have a strength based ranger mixed in to cover your skill bases and rock heavy armor? The Drakewarden could be a tanky support and also fits the "knight and dragon" aesthetic nicely.

[@Comicsluvr]

One member of the team can take Medium Armor Master and Half Plate. No Disadvantage on Stealth, AC 20 with a shield. Fighter-level HP. You won't always need a tank, but now you have one!

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

Rangers already get medium armor and shields.

[@oliverl6779]

@@CitanulsPumpkinmedium master. Wearing medium armor doesn't impose disadvantage on your Dexterity (Stealth) checks. When you wear medium armor, you can add 3, rather than 2, to your AC if you have a Dexterity of 16 or higher.

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

@@oliverl6779 Okay, so walk through this with me. The ranger, a class that needs good scores in Dex, Wis, and Con, is going to give up an ASI and get what exactly? No disadvantage on a roll for a skill they most likely already have proficiency in, expertise in, is governed by their Main Stat, a plus ten bonus from one of their best class specific spells, and a few other bonuses from magic items or whatnot accumulated through the DM just handing out stuff in books that "feels rangerish." And 1 more point of AC. Granted, every point of AC is precocious, but... doesn't this feel like diminishing returns? If we're really trying to get more AC take a feat that gives you the Shield spell or talk to your DM about hunting down an enemy that has or can be crafted into a ring of spell storing and fill it with Shield spells. Or just pick up a wand of Shield spells.

[@oliverl6779]

@@CitanulsPumpkin 2 more ac, as You Can take half plate. But I agree with you, there are many feats that I would prefer instead , or an asi

[@williamtaylor6886]

Love this series: could be worth a follow up where you build the characters, choosing the races/species, feats, spells, etc to make each the best they can be.

[@golett0331]

Can definitely run a Hell Divers inspired campaign with this group, and it will be epic

[@SymbioteMullet]

I've been playing a Fey Wanderer ranger for a few months now, i specc'd them to be a kind of do anything character, because 3 of the 5 players in the game have never played before - fey wanderer makes a great all-areas backup to help boost up new player's confidence. I've got backup healing, utility magic, social bonuses and the option of going completely rambo if the moment calls for it. Also I'm a winged tiefling, so i have a great way to get in range for a healing word (I'm keeping the flight to a minimum though.) I'm working to build the others up as much as possible, and with the other experienced player being a bard and working the same way, i think we're doing pretty well!

[@finalfantasy50]

what is your gameplay in combat? i just got to level 9 and im wisdom based (i use magic stone or shillelagh with fey touched hex as my bread and butter), i tanked a mindflayer with some lucky rolls against his int based stun while our barb was stunned until it dies

[@SymbioteMullet]

@@finalfantasy50 rapier/longbow. Dreadful strikes + favoured foe + gift of the chromatic dragon. So I can hit for 1d8+2d4+1d6+3 each hit if I devote a bonus action to the setup for it. Like I said, i have the option to go completely rambo when I need to.

[@srvfan17]

I added one thing to my table's available options that I've been very pleased with: I made a new feature for Rangers that gives them something like the Paladin's Divine Smite, but instead of doing crazy damage it focuses on damage type versatility and inflicting a variety of debuffs and interesting effects. It's not even a huge change, but it provides a ton of flexibility and makes the Ranger into a utility fighter that can spike their damage a bit and make sure enemies stay right where they want them

[@jonathansteininger3184]

That sounds really interesting. Could you expand on that?

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

My ranger fix is a bit more involved, but if you know the source material for it all the problems with ranger melt away. 1. Hunter's Mark, favored enemies, and favored terrain. All gone. They don't exist for Rangers in my games. 2. Rangers get all the stuff they got in Tasha's, except for the feature that gives extra castings of Hunter's Mark. 3. Rangers choose a Color of Mana at the levels they would have chosen a favored enemy creature type. White Blue Black Red Green Colorless The colors from Magic the Gathering. When you pick a favored mana, you get multiple benefits. 1. Bonus languages known equal to one or your Int mod. Whichever is higher. 2. All Dex, Int, and Wis checks made while inside or in relation to any terrains, creature types, classes, backgrounds, or effects tied to one of your favored mana colors are made with advantage. 3. All weapon attacks against creatures tied to any of your favored mana colors deal one extra damage die of the weapon's normal die type. If you know nothing about MtG it may not seem like a good change, but there are easy to find resources that will tell you what creature and terrain types get slotted into what colors. Some third party subclasses that give a free terrain or creature type I change to give one more favored mana color.

[@srvfan17]

​@@jonathansteininger3184 so the basic mechanic is that a Ranger can spend a spell slot to activate the feature, which I named Primal Snares to parallel the Paladin's Divine Smite feature. When a Ranger hits with an attack, ranged or melee, they can expend a spell slot to deal extra damage to the target and provoke a saving throw to resist an extra effect. Each Snare specifies the damage type, and different spell slot levels can activate different specific Snares. The three first level Snares I came up with were Bleeding (which deals slashing damage and can cause the enemy to take extra b/p/s damage), Hobbling (which deals piercing damage and can cut the target's speed), and Pushing (which deals bludgeoning damage and can knock a target prone). The damage starts at 1d6, but it upscales as you use higher level slots. The effects also get stronger as it goes, so it stays useful as you level up

[@srvfan17]

​@@CitanulsPumpkinthat's super cool! I don't know how well it would work at a table like mine (only I and two other players know anything about MtG) but it sounds like it works for you! I added some extra mechanics to favored terrain and favored enemy, which works for us, but different groups will like different mechanics!

[@oreck101]

Finally some Ranger love

[@sandmanlives3]

I like this one, thanks guys! I think it is defensible to build a Ranger that dumps Wisdom, as so few Ranger spells require a good WIS to be good. Also, I think the all swim speed in a seafaring situation is clutch.

[@thederpygiant2473]

37:38 Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, and to paraphrase Wyatt Earp "Fast is fine, but accuracy is final"

[@clevername1349]

Ok, I think this is the group that's the most fun to talk about. Case and point, Race? It matters! I think it may matter just as much with this group as with any of the others. A Wood Elf group would be different than a Drow group! How about a mix? So, SO good. I could write crazy stories about this group.

[@lukeholbrook204]

An easy thing to miss is that gloomstalkers get Wisdom save proficiency at 7th level. Treantmonk recently pointed out that a lack of save diversity is a big problem for parties, and that is built into every “what if everyone plays” party. You probably want to find a way to have every save covered by someone, and gloomstalker saves you one Resilient feat.

[@Mordalon]

For another anime example, Ghost in the Shell is about a spec-ops counterterrorism team. There's whole flashback episode involving how the main sniper of the team was recruited to the team, and it involves a big game of cat and mouse as the sniper tries to outsmart a group he is targeting solo.

[@vali5976]

Goodberry makes them really quite durable especially if you remember to cast them before long rests.

[@garthodowd6846]

That excited triple arm slapping at 36:51 gets me 😅

[@meswain1123]

I loved playing as a ranger. Swarmkeeper is awesome!

[@mathisurien4031]

my biggest issue with rangers is i feel they were designed for a style of dnd that no one plays, at least not in modern 5e. there class abilities are based around a style of campaign that involves a lot of travel, having to gather and scavenge food because rations are limited etc. basically they are designed for survival campaigns where the party won't see civilisation again for weeks if not months (in-game time). but 5e tend to revolve around going from town to town and not spending as much time living in the woods, and if you are constantly in towns you can just buy more rations making the ability to scavenge unnecessary, also the druid spell goodberry ruins it for rangers. so having an all ranger party would make it possible to finally play a ranger class to its fullest and actually make use of the favourite terrain and natural explorer perks that are so often mocked, especially online.

[@Cassapphic]

I have a ranger I wanna play soon for an island based campaign my friend is planning who's a pirate, I was originally planning to use the corsair subclass from a third party book if my DM allows it (Wanderer's guide to enchanted emporiums), but this also gave me the thought that I could pick swarmkeeper instead, flavour spike growth like caltrops and the swarm is parrots or high sea winds.

[@TeamKhandiKhane]

I've tried to get my friends all in on a campaign like this in a desolate setting akin to Dark Sun. Swarmkeeper and Tashsas changed my entire opinion on the class in one of their campaigns when I was able to survive a losing fight and ended up the last man standing before our enemy relented. Its a memory I will never forget and was the only time in DnD I've felt like the absolute BA that you'd expect a hero to be. God tier class and full ranger party would be sick. Great video guys keep it up.

[@LawrenceDomkowski]

One of my favorite D&D One-offs. We've done this a couple of times. My favorite iteration was the "Sky Ranger" game. Yes, they fly, the entire party is made up of flying Rangers. It was fun!

[@targetdreamer257]

I am so waiting for the Monk and Artificer "Everyone Plays" video!

[@phantomthiefz2078]

They've done the monk already

[@asurabloodworth8673]

14:40 Not only that, but since it adds Wisdom TO your Charisma checks, it can easily be one of the strongest social faces in the game. Pretty easy to sit at level 3 with a +9 to Persuasion via Pointbuy and Expertise

[@WolfHreda]

Right off the bar, any All-Ranger party would almost have to include a Fey Wanderer for social interaction. The Drakewarden will eventually become the striker, attacking and fading to draw event attention where necessary. The Gloomstalker is the ambusher who opens with a deadly salvo and improves the overall stealth of the party. Lastly, a Swarmkeeper would bring some additional utility. Or maybe a Monster Slayer could finally get a little love by being the dedicated anti-caster character. Or the Horizon Walker being able to teleport around the battlefield, absolutely wrecking their does and breaking their morale. Also, if you want that Fey Wanderer frontliner to do even more damage, make them a V. Human or Custom Lineage and start them with Fighting Initiate: Dueling, so they start off doing more damage with their staff even before they reach 2nd level and get Shillelagh through Druidic Warrior.

[@coltonhorton4225]

Idk, I like shadar-kai for fey wanderer....at level 3 the BA teleport plus resistance is really great for repositioning to where you need to be and tanking for others.... also, spiny shield is a new spell available for rangers I. The humblewood books that would help with tanking. Less damage output, but damage isn't really the point of a tank, especially with 3 other rangers in the party, right?

[@finalfantasy50]

eladrin is better because the combination with beguiling twist at level 7 imo i am playing one but every enemy i go against in the phandelver and below campaign seems to be immune to frightened and charm lol

[@WolfHreda]

@@finalfantasy50 it is a very psychic-heavy campaign. Illithid jerks ruining everything...

[@yesopenthedoor1179]

I can see the Fey Wanderer being the leader of the group, personally

[@BJNemeth]

I *love* these single-class party videos, and this one did not disappoint. A couple of comments: 1. I would love to see a video where you both create single-class parties and do battle against each other, maybe at 8th Level or so. Spellcasters won't get 5th level spells yet, and everyone will have had a chance for a second feat or ability score bump. Could be a fun one-shot if you ran it in a large arena with some terrain for added strategy. A friend and I did something like this once, challenging a four-person party of Mystics (from an Unearthed Arcana playtest) against a classic four-person party with a Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, and Wizard. It was a lot of fun! 2. All of my characters are "Rangers," but none have had any levels of the Ranger class. Since there is no Rangers' Guild or anything like that, who's to say who is a Ranger and who isn't? My personal criteria is they need to have good Dexterity, wear nothing heavier than light armor, and call themselves a Ranger. (Ideally they're also proficient in Survival and Perception.) I've played Rangers who were Wizards, Clerics, Rogues, Fighters, Monks, and Druids, and it's always great fun. It all started when 5e came out and I was disappointed by the Ranger class, and it's my favorite type of character.

[@Dessarius]

In the right campaigns, you can make "all one class" comps work super well. Rangers are no exception, and I appreciate this video

[@SamXala]

Sadly not a single STRanger. Currently I'm playing a Gloom Stalker STR Ranger and it's extremely deadly using heavy weapons. If AC is the main problem you can always get the Heavily Armored feat to gain Heavy Armor Prof. (and dump DEX if you want to).

[@watcher314159]

Why would you ever want to? In 5e there's simply no good reason for any character (except Barbarians, who can't do anything except melee) to expose themself to the risks inherent to the front line (especially not in a party with such ready access to summoned creatures who can act as a disposable front line in your stead), not to mention how ranged combatants do more damage.

[@janemayhew5159]

Back in 3.5 I was going to do a STRanger, but since composite bows aren't a thing anymore, when I adapted that character to 5e, I've found my longbow is just too strong? Which is wild, but as the dungeon dudes say, ranged attacks are good. Edited for clarity

[@woutvanostaden1299]

This is a party that can start attacking 600ft away, that's a lot turns that the enemy is a sitting duck. The only caster party that could give them a run for there money would be warlocks specced into long range eldritch blast or if the caster knows wind wall that could throw a wrench in this too. Actually fighters and rogue (speccing into long bow through feats) parties could also be dangerous. But most other parties would be at severe risk.

[@TheRawrnstuff]

@@janemayhew5159Yeah, 5E has really done STR dirty. Almost everything you could do with STR you can do with a low STR score as well. The exception is pretty much just STR saving throws.

[@notorious.scoundrel]

A party of rangers would be so versatile, they could go weapon & shield, dual wielding, archery and even thrown weapon fighting

[@scrubnub6203]

Real talk you guys built the exact party that I would make down to the specific character builds. Very nice work gentleman, very nice work

[@BlakeRogers-lx7tc]

The sharpshooter feet is just so good it makes the rangers not need to worry about positioning.

[@OwenCottle]

Great Video guys. I love the idea of a more upfront ranger party, so instead of the gloomstalker, taking the horizan walker. It gives the party a DPS character as they get haste and also provide banishment for some field control. My personal like that are rangers are skirmish fighters

[@crownlexicon5225]

I had forgotten about drakewarden, so I replaced it with beast master, but otherwise predicted the party. Tasha's really did a number on the original class to bolster it into the beast it now is

[@Merilirem]

Same, i figured beastmaster was a must but Drakewarden is just the cooler beastmaster.

[@JuckiCZ]

Drakewarden is better tank, because you can use Action to resummon the companion. In every other aspect, Beast Master is much better.

[@charrleschervanik3632]

Optimizing an all ranger party (assuming tashas Customize Origin is allowed) Half Elf Gloomstocker: Stats: 15 +2 dex 14 + 1 Con 13 +1 Wis 12 int 10 str 8 char Notable features: Piercer, sharpshooter, Crossbow expert with Light Crossbow and the archery fighting style is really nice on this build. If multiclassing were allowed: battlemaster fighter Mountain Dwarf Fey Wanderer: Stats- 15 (+2) Wis 14 dex 13 (+2) con 12 char 10 str 8 int Notable features: Fighting initiate: dueling mixed with Druidic: Sheleighlah makes a 1d8+2 weapon. That's more damage on average than a 1d10 weapon. Or Crusher, giving you a 16 con whilst Doubling down on the magical bludgeoning stick that you are beating people with is useful. Other than that, crank that Wisdom to the moon. If multiclassing were allowed, one of the heavy armor Cleric subclasses would be perfect. Half Orc Primal Companion Beast Master: Stats: 15 (+2): dex 14: con 13(+1): wis 12: char 10: str 8: int Notable Features: This character is also another CBE Sharpshooter with a beastial companion that can be adjusted per the environment you are in. Summon Fey would be an interesting pick for a Summon spell. Straight class is encouraged Custom Lineage Horizon Walker. Stats 15 (+3) Dex 14 Wis 13 Con 12 str 10 char 8 Int Feat: Piercer. Notable features. This is your secondary frontline. Dueling with a Mini-smite and a rapier. Piercer for optimization purposes and maybe fighting Initiate protection to fight side by side with an ally to discourage hits.

[@nathans9764]

Instead of picking up a fighting style feat for duelling and druidic warrior, take duelling on the character and magic initiate druid. Gives you the two can trips of druidic warrior and a lvl 1 spell.

[@RLKmedic0315]

GloomSTOCKER? a guy loading up Walmart's shelves in near darkness. 😅 Now I know what class my cousin is!! I know it's just a typo but the image it created was just too good to not comment, lol.

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

When I run a game for a Horizon Walker I make a few updates to bring the subclass in line with the Tasha's subclasses. 1. They always deal that extra damage die on one attack. The bonus action on that feature just turns all damage they deal until the start of their next turn into force damage. This brings the subclass in line with swarmkeeper and fey wanderer who get one extra damage die on one attack every turn for free. 2. They know about a number of portals equal to their Int score and all portals they find through play get recorded for later use. Finding portals is the defining feature of the subclass and because 5e handles exploration and plane hopping so poorly it always gets overlooked or ridiculed. I put at least one Horizon Walker safe house somewhere in every single planar metropolis in my games. I always start Horizon Walkers with 2 known portals that will take them to Sigil, and the 1 portal that dumps them in a back alley on the Radiant Citadel. Once the Horizon Walker leads the party to any planar metropolis they can check in at the safe house and buy maps to portals that will take them to the adventure locations I want the party to end up at. Ranger subclasses are called conclaves. That means they have secret meeting places and speak easies. The subclass that benefits most from this is the Horizon Walker. There are backrooms and training camps scattered across the multiverse that are freely used by all Horizon Walkers. The distance between these locations is infinite, but they are all within walking distance for Horizon Walkers. Each of these locations has at least one guy who asks every new arrival what portals they know about and, for a small fee that pays for upkeep and maintenance, sells them the locations of portals they need for their missions.

[@jordanoharegibson1610]

Your fey wanderer description was spot on with my first ever 5e character. Multiclassed with druid instead of the fighting style but same idea

[@Dickythemainman]

Ironically enough the worst possible thing to run for an all Ranger party would be an exploration campaign because they’d all be too good and there’d be no challenge.

[@austinmoore8470]

Is this just the Bad Batch? Sounds like a great campaign to me!

[@snoeleppard]

I’ve loved playing a Ranger from day one. I’ve played most classes now, but Ranger remains my favorite! My very first character was a Tabaxi ranger with the hunter subclass. Pretty classic ranger build, weapon-wise. The climbing speed and Feline Agility from Tabaxi were a great fit for the ranger class. She ended up picking up an Oath Bow along the way and with enough setup could sometimes deal upwards of 100 damage in a single turn! The second ranger I am currently playing in a Spelljammer campaign is an astral elf horizon walker, using a crossbow and dual wielding short swords. She was made with One D&D ranger rules. The horizon walker spells mix beautifully with the astral elf’s starlight step ability. She recently got a dancing sword as well! Distant Strike and Spectral Defense are amazing in combat, and I never feel like I’m out of options! She is easily one of my favorite characters so far. My third ranger that I’ve made for an upcoming campaign is a human (haven’t decided variant or not) Drake warden. Because I haven’t had the chance to play her yet, I’m really excited to see what her play is going to be like.

[@leodouskyron5671]

Stargate (SG1) in D&D. You can run it from Sigal or spelljammer. ((You guys are Canadian and you didn’t call it out))

[@rcschmidt668]

A lesser-used part of the character sheet can be useful here. Rangers are primarily archers, and arrows are consumable ammunition. If one of the rangers is a fletcher, the group can refill their quivers without having to return to town.

[@jots083]

If you added a 5th and knew the campaign was going high level, i'd love to pick up a Horizon Walker STRanger for this. Guardian of nature's Primal Beast form + horizon walkers teleportation would be great starting at level 13. Also, make it a bugbear for extra reach to allow for more chance to get that third attack every round. Additionally, if your squad is getting the drop on the enemy and you get a good initiative roll, you can really make the most out of the new bugbear's surprise attack ability and potentially get up to 3 swings on 3 different creatures

[@TheScottishKayaker]

Ranger Danger!😂

[@madmonkmathias6732]

Stealth killing a dragon is one of my fondest gaming achievements. Who knew all rangers were op? Dunedain, that's who. Finally, my favorite class gets its due. Much Love Dudes

[@Daiqatana]

I played my ranger by the mantra "Be kind, be courteous, and have a plan to kill absolutely everyone you meet." As a Ranger, a little planning takes you all the way.

[@targetdreamer257]

I have this thing I absolutely LOVE, its that thing where you have the melee fighter in front soaking the damage and pulling the aggro but then you have the snipers in the back picking off stragglers. Just the image of someone focusing on the strongest combatant but ignoring the tiny mooks because they trust their sniper buddy(ies) will take them out before the become a problem. Look at the Aeon Flux live action movie. Say what you will about that movie you got to admit that the part where Aeon is just ganking everyone while her friend is in a tower popping mooks in the head is just awesome.

[@ithinkillpass9056]

My personal favorite ranger subclass is the horizon walker I just love the flavor of that subclass

[@shoulung6203]

For spec ops ranger, see The Justicar in White Plume Mountain. One area the ranger may fall back in is the ability to make magic attacks for damage resistant enemies.

[@chrisstewart4549]

I highly agree. I feel like all excess gold would be spent on enchanted arrows of various types. To try to mitigate this.

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

If your DM is throwing nothing but damage resistant enemies at you then go Horizon Walker.

[@r.c.melcher5185]

Waited a long time for this one. Thanks for making it. 🙂

[@CJF1168]

Yes! Completely agree! I love Rangers & this is the single class party video I've been waiting for. Yes to S teir!

[@CollatOCE]

I play ranger as often and i can and it perfectly encompases everything i want to do in a character. I believe rangers to be the most flexible and versatile characters in unsupported prolonged missions and deployments. Exceptional ranged fighters yet no slouch in melee when needed. Trackers, hunters and generaly recoursful people they can last deep bbehind enemy teratory surviving off what is presented to them and almost i always feel like i have a way out of the situation. Famous rangers that i fear people dont talk about enough would be Rambo, Geralt and Lara Croft. Or in a modern setting people like the Headhunter spartans from Halo, the entire Marine corps or the Mandolorian. As stated in the video the military commando group works so well but also a collection of Cowboys. So extreamly versatile and truly the masters of unnassisted disruptiuon.

[@gregr28]

I'm playing a Ranger in 2 of my 3 games. So glad to see the Swarmkeeper getting some love! I'm playing a Warforged with a nanobot swarm (well, kind of inverse that) in our steam have and love it. So much versatility, and the swarm gives so much thematic flexibility as well.

[@diegosalinas538]

This was a lot of fun to watch. I can't wait for the day they do all artificer party!

[@coltonhorton4225]

Also, with the tasha's 'Canny' feature, each character can take expertise in a different core skill. Gloomstalker-Stealth(forabvious reasons.) Fey Wanderer- CHA skill of choice(from race or background) Drakewarden-Survival(dragons have excellent senses) Swarmkeeper-Perception(he of a thousand eyes sees all, also flight at 7th level gives a really good vantage point) This would allow the party leeway to bot all focus on core ranger skills, and diversify overall party skill proficincies more.

[@kciref6016]

Rangers really are versatile and all encompassing. Problem is, too much work for only one Ranger to do, which weakens that character in comparison to the party. But when we have Rangers all around, we can cover all the possibilities, making the Class really shine! Loved this video Also, I wanted to do a bit of One Piece-like pirating in my campaign and I wanted a good idea for Marines. This? Ambushes and efficient takedowns? It’s giving me lots of ideas

[@ReaverKain]

Call the A-Team!! Regarding the Fey Wanderer: I know this is supposed to just be no multiclassing, but I just gotta say if you took a one level dip into Monk then you'll be able to add your amazing Wisdom score to your AC and become insanely formidable. Bracers of Defense will be a must too to give it a boost, then you'll totally have the AC to be a good frontliner even naked. 👍

[@knusperworks]

Thank you for validating my absolute favorite class since AD&D...

[@stonefistfvf117ex.2]

When you describe a all ranger party going hunting, I think of the gondor rangers from Tolkiens LOTR, And Shadow of Mordor before Talion's whole team got wiped, They worked very well, And Faramir's team was a beast and a unit in the movies and the books.

[@Hawkeye9165]

Great video as always... the one weakness I would perhaps note with an all ranger party is simply that the spell casting progression is slow. Summon Fey and conjure animals are great but worth remembering you don't have those til level 9, and you can't use seeming til 17. Also as you don't get to swap out the spells daily for what you need, it's going to be very important to decide who takes what spell. :o)

[@greyelf1537]

A Tortle Fey Wanderer with a club and shield would be pretty cool. A tanky, wise, friendly turtle bro as the party face would be awesome. Also, you can save some ability points on dex to put elsewhere since dex doesn't add to Tortle ac. Makes it easier to prioritize wis>con>whatever else you want.

[@solar4planeta923]

I love that it's possible to do this in 5e. One curious rule in 1E was that you could never have more than three rangers in a party. We always joked that when the 4th ranger enters the room they all explode!

[@rachelvalencia7112]

i've been following this series. excited for whenever you drop when everyone plays druid

[@ApforThat]

I have played the most with Rangers, so when you said a party of rangers I was just like "Oh, so the DM has chosen death"

[@aaronwik6799]

If you have the Humblewood setting, they have a small defensive spell in the form of Spiny Shield! Not a crazy amount of extra defense, but not too shabby

[@dharmabm42]

"Deliver the mail downtown". First time I heard this phrase. Canadian English is so interesting! :-)

[@grumpylizard8099]

With the mention of a raid, I immediately thought of the book Eaters of the Dead, and their raid into caverns.