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Subclass Ranger Hunter
The Hunter is the baseline Ranger subclass — no transformation, no summoned companions, no exotic magic. It offers a clean choice system at Levels 3, 7, and 11: pick one feature from a list each time, tailoring your combat approach to single targets, groups, or survival. Superior Hunter's Prey at Level 11 chains Hunter's Mark extra damage to a second nearby creature.
| LEVEL | FEATURE |
|---|---|
| 3 | Hunter's Prey |
| 7 | Defensive Tactics |
| 11 | Superior Hunter's Prey |
Hunter's Prey You gain one of the following features of your choice.
Colossus Slayer — Once per turn, you deal an extra 1d8 damage to a creature you hit with an attack if the creature is below its Hit Point Maximum.
Giant Killer — When a Large or larger creature within 5 feet of you misses you with an attack, you can take a Reaction to attack that creature.
Horde Breaker — Once on each of your turns when you make a weapon attack, you can make another attack with the same weapon against a different creature that is within 5 feet of the original target and within range of your weapon.
Defensive Tactics You gain one of the following features of your choice.
Escape the Horde — Opportunity Attacks against you are made with Disadvantage.
Multiattack Defense — When a creature hits you with an attack, you gain a +4 bonus to AC against all subsequent attacks made by that creature for the rest of the turn.
Steel Will — You have Advantage on saving throws against the Frightened condition.
Superior Hunter's Prey Once per turn when you deal damage to a creature marked by your Hunter's Mark, you can also deal that spell's extra damage to a different creature that you can see within 30 feet of the first creature.
The Hunter is the highest direct damage potential Ranger subclass in most single-target encounters. Colossus Slayer adds 1d8 damage every turn once the target has taken any damage — with Extra Attack at Level 5, you're adding 1d8 to one attack per turn essentially every turn. Combined with Hunter's Mark, the damage bonus is 1d6 + 1d8 per turn from passives alone.
Horde Breaker is better in multi-enemy fights: hit two different targets with the same weapon, no additional action cost. This is strictly better than Colossus Slayer against groups and roughly equal against single targets.
Giant Killer is niche: it fires only on a Reaction, only when a Large+ enemy misses you, and only while within 5 feet. It's a free attack in the right matchup but can go unused entirely.
Defensive Tactics at Level 7 has three solid options:
- Escape the Horde — Disadvantage on OAs is universally valuable; lets you reposition freely
- Multiattack Defense — +4 AC against a single attacker for the rest of their turn; best against high-attack-count bosses
- Steel Will — Advantage on Frightened saves is situational but reliable
Superior Hunter's Prey at Level 11 turns Hunter's Mark into a chain: hit the marked target for Hunter's Mark extra damage, then deal that same dice to any other creature within 30 feet. This doubles the value of Hunter's Mark in any fight with at least two enemies.