The lycan ranger is a hunter from the Selva wilderness with fearsome shapeshifting abilities.
At 2nd level, you learn to create unique types of arrows, made from natural flora and fauna of the jungle or other region(s). You know how to craft a number of arrow types as follows: L2:2, L3-4:3, L5-6:4, L7-8:5, etc.
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Innate Abilities | Arrow Types | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | - | - | Beast Form, Natural Explorer* |
| 2nd | +2 | 2 | 2 | Fighting Style*, Special Arrows, Innate Natural Abilities |
| 3rd | +2 | 3 | 3 | Beast Companion, Primeval Awareness |
| 4th | +2 | 3 | 3 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 5th | +3 | 4 | 4 | Extra Attack |
| 6th | +3 | 4 | 4 | Improved Beast Form, Natural Explorer* improvement |
| 7th | +3 | 5 | 5 | Preternatual Reflexes |
| 8th | +3 | 5 | 5 | Ability Score Improvement, Land’s Stride* |
| 9th | +4 | 6 | 6 | - |
| 10th | +4 | 6 | 6 | Natural Explorer* improvement, Hide in Plain Sight* |
| 11th | +4 | 7 | 7 | Multiattack |
| 12th | +4 | 7 | 7 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13th | +5 | 8 | 8 | - |
| 14th | +5 | 8 | 8 | Greater Beast Form, Vanish* |
| 15th | +5 | 9 | 9 | Superior Hunter’s Defense |
| 16th | +5 | 9 | 9 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | +6 | 10 | 10 | - |
| 18th | +6 | 10 | 10 | Feral Senses* |
| 19th | +6 | 11 | 11 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20th | +6 | 11 | 11 | Legendary Hunter |
* Features marked with an asterisk above are off-site links to the standard ranger rules.
Beast Form
This ability replaces the standard ranger’s Favored Enemy. It was adapted from the werewolf rules and The Complete Guide to Lycanthropy in D&D 5e.
You have an animal within, which manifests under certain conditions such as during a full moon, in times of high emotional stress, physical trauma, or other triggers.
Keen Hearing and Smell. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely primarily on hearing or smell.
Shapeshift. You can use your action to transform into a beast, a bipedal beast hybrid, or back into your natural form. Your statistics, other than its AC, are the same in each form. Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed.
In these alternate forms, your statistics are adjusted as follows:
- Beast: +4 Str, +2 Dex, +4 Con, -4 Int, -4 Wis, +20 speed.
- Hybrid: +2 Str, +2 Con, -2 Int, -2 Wis, +10 speed.
In beast form, your limbs become too unwieldy to manipulate weapons and other tools, whereas in hybrid form, you can continue to use such items normally.
In difficult or extraordinary circumstances, the GM may call for a Wisdom saving throw to resist transforming, or to succeed in reverting to natural form.
While in these alternate forms, you gain the following natural weapon attack options:
-
Claw. 2d4 + Str slashing damage.
- Bite. 1d8 + Str piercing damage.
- If you successfully hit a target one size larger than you or smaller, you can use a bonus action to attempt to grapple. Make an opposed Strength (athletics) check. If successful, the creature is grappled by you.
- If the target is a bipedal creature, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + proficiency bonus + Con modifier) or be cursed with lycanthropy.
- Multiattack. When you take the Attack action you can attack multiple times: once with a claw, and once with a bite.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can make an additional attack whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. In beast or hybrid form, this attack takes the form of a second claw attack, whereas in natural form this attack is typically a second weapon attack.
Improved Beast Form
At 6th level, your beast form grows in power. Choose one of the following abilities:
-
Damage Resistances. You are resistant to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks that aren’t silvered.
-
Primal Strike. Natural weapon attacks in beast or hybrid form count as magical +1.
-
Savage Critical. Your natural weapon attacks score a critical hit on 19 or 20.
-
Scent of Blood. After damaging an enemy in beast form, you become attuned to the smell their blood. Your attacks versus that target do an additional +2d6 damage, and you always know their exact location—meaning they don’t benefit from concealment—as long as they are within your reach. Your actions not focused on this specific enemy are at disadvantage as long as you continue to smell its blood.
-
Thrash. In lieu of a natural weapon attack, you can smash a grappled creature into the creatures around it. Make a melee weapon attack against each creature adjacent to the grappled creature, treating the grappled creature as an improvised weapon that deals 1d6 + Str bludgeoning damage.
These abilities also become available as feats.
Greater Beast Form
At 14th level, your beast form reaches its pinnacle. Choose one of the following abilities:
-
At One with the Beast. You have honed your mental control over your inner beast. You no longer suffer the ability score penalties to Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma while in beast form, nor do you need to make a saving throw to control your transformations while in extraordinary circumstances.
-
Primordial Strike. Natural weapon attacks in beast or hybrid form count as magical +2.
-
Extra Natural Attack. While in beast or hybrid form, you can make an additional natural weapon attack as part of your Multiattack action, either a claw or a bite.
Alternately, you may choose two additional abilities from the 6th level Improved Beast Form list. These greater abilities also become available as feats.
Special Arrows
Together with Innate Natural Abilities, this ability replaces the standard ranger’s Spellcasting.
- At 2nd level, you learn to create unique types of arrows, made from natural flora and fauna of the jungle or other region(s). You know how to craft a number of arrow types as follows: L2:2, L3-4:3, L5-6:4, L7-8:5, etc.
- Work with the GM to create each arrow type. As a rule of thumb, choose either: A) a ranger spell that makes sense as an arrow, of a level a standard ranger could normally cast; or B) an arrow type listed in the arcane archer arcane shot options.
- There is no limit to the number of arrows you may prepare or use, but crafting the arrows takes time and resources. You may spend a day harvesting materials and crafting arrows. You make a Survival roll:
- DC 15 to harvest materials for one arrow of a random type
- DC 25 to focus on harvesting materials for a specific type of arrow
- For every 5 exceeding the DC, you harvest materials for another arrow.
- The arrows last awhile, but not forever: eventually the plant matter decays. Arrows more than ~1 month old have a chance of diminished effect. The GM rolls this chance secretly when the arrow is used.
Example Special Arrow Types
| Min. level | Arrow Type |
|---|---|
| 2 | Ensnaring Strike |
| 2 | Hail of Thorns |
| 3 | Acid Arrow |
| 3 | Spike Growth |
| 5 | Lightning Arrow |
| 9 | Arrow of Slaying |
Innate Natural Abilities
Together with Special Arrows, this ability replaces the standard ranger’s Spellcasting.
- The ranger has a number of abilities equal to the number of ranger “spells known”
- The player should work with the GM to create abilities. Each ability needs some animalistic tie or justification to fit the theme. As a rule of thumb, choose a ranger spell that makes sense as an innate ability, whose level is less than or equal to what a standard ranger of that level could cast. The ability may need adjustment to fit as an innate ability rather than a spell.
Example Innate Natural Abilities
| Min. level | Ability | Description/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Hunter’s mark | Once per short rest – but the ability is regained immediately if current target dies. |
| 2 | Animal friendship | Cast as a ritual – takes 5 minutes to bond with an animal. Animal must be neutral or friendly to initiate. |
| 2 | Speak with animals | Requires concentration – uses an action each round of use. |
| 3 | Swift shot | As a bonus action, draw and fire an arrow at -4 penalty. |
| 3 | Beast sense | You use your action to transfer your consciousness to your beast companion. You see through its eyes, and hear what it hears for up to 1 hour, while becoming oblivious to your own usual sight and hearing. Another action returns you to your own body. |
| 5 | Focused shot | You can focus your concentration when attacking at range. As an action while no enemy threatens you in melee, you make one ranged attack with advantage, and add your Wisdom modifier to the attack roll. |
| 5 | Water breathing | You have gills or some other means to breathe underwater. |
| 5 | Speak with plants | Requires concentration – uses an action each round of use. |
| 13 | Regeneration | You regain 1 hit point at the start of each of your turns (10 hit points each minute). Severed body members (fingers, legs, tails, and so on), if any, are restored after 2 minutes. If you have the severed part and hold it to the stump, the limb knits to the stump instantaneously. |
Beast Companion
This ability replaces the standard ranger’s 3rd level archetype ability. See also the Ranger’s Companion and Primal Companion options of the Beast Master ranger archetype.
At 3rd level, you become bonded to mystic spirit animals of unknown origin. They are loyal, but not beholden, to you.
Primeval Awareness
This ability replaces the standard ranger’s Primeval Awareness.
Beginning at 3rd level, you can use your action to focus your awareness on the region around you. For 1 minute, you can sense whether the following types of creatures are present within 1 mile of you (or within up to 6 miles if you are in your favored terrain): aberrations, celestiais, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead. You sense the creatures’ approximate direction (but not exact location or number), as well as approximate strength of presence, which is affected by the creatures’ quantity, force of will and distance. Use of this ability is regained with a long rest.
Preternatural Reflexes
This ability replaces the standard ranger’s 7th level archetype ability.
While in your favored terrain, you have advantage on initiative checks.
Multiattack
This ability functions as the standard ranger’s 11th level archetype ability. It is copied verbatim from the Hunter archetype.
At 11th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice.
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Volley. You can use your action to make a ranged attack against any number of creatures within 10 feet of a point you can see within your weapon’s range. You must have ammunition for each target, as normal, and you make a separate attack roll for each target.
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Whirlwind Attack. You can use your action to make a melee attack against any number of creatures within 5 feet of you, with a separate attack roll for each target.
Superior Hunter’s Defense
This ability functions as the standard ranger’s 15th level archetype ability. It is copied verbatim from the Hunter archetype.
At 15th level, you gain one of the following features of your choice.
-
Evasion. When you are subjected to an effect, such as a red dragon’s fiery breath or a lightning bolt spell, 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.
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Stand Against the Tide. When a hostile creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to force that creature to repeat the same attack against another creature (other than itself) of your choice.
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Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack’s damage against you.
Legendary Hunter
This ability replaces the standard ranger’s Foe Slayer.
At 20th level, you become an unparalleled hunter of your enemies. Once on each of your turns, you can add your Wisdom modifier to the attack roll or the damage roll of an attack you make. You can choose to use this feature before or after the roll, but before any effects of the roll are applied.