Dungeons & Dragons How to Build the Perfect Gloom Stalker Ranger

Dungeons & Dragons: How to Build the Perfect Gloom Stalker Ranger

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D&D’s Gloom Stalker Ranger doesn’t fear exploring the dark forests or gloomy caverns that give others trepidation. Here’s what makes them strong.

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Dungeons & Dragons How to Build the Perfect Gloom Stalker Ranger

Exploring the dark and creepy places in Dungeons & Dragons is a treasured pastime for many adventures. After all that’s where some of the most enticing dungeons await exploration. However, when most people think of Rangers, they imagine Elves clad in hooded gear and lurking in the trees — but not all Rangers seek the sunlight. Gloom Stalker Rangers thrive in the darkness, endeavoring without fear into places like the Underdark and parts of forests that never see the light of day.

Gloom Stalker Rangers have a unique set of skills that set them apart and make it much easier for them to take advantage of the darkness to ambush the threats lurking within. Taking that into consideration, it’s important to choose wisely during character creation. Focusing on certain aspects like the right race, feats, and spells can create a powerful Gloom Stalker whom even the shadows shy away from.

Dexterity and Wisdom Are the Gloom Stalker Ranger’s Core Stats

Dungeons & Dragons How to Build the Perfect Gloom Stalker Ranger

Because these Rangers spend a significant amount of their time skulking through darkness, their most important core stat is Dexterity. DEX contributes to their physical agility, adds a bonus to simple and ranged weapon attacks and damage, and provides them a superior edge with important skills like Acrobatics, Stealth, and Sleight of Hand. It’s important to find ways to get the Gloom Stalker’s DEX to 20 as quickly as possible.

Secondary to DEX is the Gloom Stalker’s Wisdom stat. WIS is the core stat Rangers rely on for magic, and it also contributes to vital skills like Insight, Survival, Medicine, Perception, and Animal Handling. A high WIS score will ensure better bonuses for skill checks and magical attacks, especially those that force opponents to make saving throws. WIS also determines the player’s passive perception, which allows them to easily pick up on things like distant sounds, whispers or sneaking footsteps not meant for their ears.

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Drow Elves Make Excellent Gloom Stalkers

Dungeons & Dragons How to Build the Perfect Gloom Stalker Ranger

When it comes to choosing the right race for a Gloom Stalker, it’s important to not only choose options that boost important core stats but also provide other useful attributes. While many people instantly go for Elves when building a Ranger, the Gloom Stalker is an Archetype that works incredibly well with the Drow Elf subrace. First and foremost, all Elves get a +2 boost to DEX, and while Drow’s secondary stat boost is +1 CHA, they have some really unique talents that work well for Gloom Stalkers.

Drow have superior Darkvision, which extends their ability to see in darkness up to 120 feet, rather than the 30-60 feet other races have. The downside is that they suffer Sunlight Sensitivity, which means they make attacks and Perception checks at disadvantage while in direct sunlight. Still, it’s a small price to pay for moving easily through darkness with such agility that even other creatures with Darkvision won’t see them coming. Drow also have access to very specific weapons training that gives them proficiency with rapiers, short swords, and hand crossbows.

Last, but certainly not least, Drow magic means these characters automatically know the Dancing Lights cantrip and, starting at level three, can cast Faerie Fire once per long rest without using a spell slot. Upon reaching level five, they can cast Darkness once per long rest without a spell slot, which goes hand in hand with their love for exploring those dark places.

Best Feats for the Gloom Stalker Ranger

Dungeons & Dragons How to Build the Perfect Gloom Stalker Ranger

Choosing feats for a Gloom Stalker will give them some advantages, even though it often means foregoing a stat increase. For example, Alert is ideal because they gain +5 to their Initiative and can’t be surprised by enemies as long as they’re conscious. Other creatures don’t get advantage on their attacks against those with the Alert feat either, which means potentially negating more damage — especially if the enemy is a Rogue.

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Crossbow Expert works really well with the Drow’s proficiency with hand crossbows. Not only does this feat ignore the loading property for crossbows the player is proficient with, it also does away with the disadvantage on attacks made when only five feet from a target. When using a one-handed weapon to attack, they can use their bonus action to take a second attack using their crossbow.

Dungeon Delver is another great feat for Gloom Stalkers because it gives them advantage on Perception and Investigation checks while searching for hidden doors. They gain advantage on throws to detect or avoid traps and they have resistance to trap damage. It also offers them the ability to move at a fast pace without suffering a penalty to their passive perception, meaning they can get where they need to be and still detect danger lurking ahead.

Best Spells for Gloom Stalker Rangers

Choosing the right spells ensures the rest of the party is safe in the Ranger’s company, and it can add an aesthetic ambiance to the character. Pass Without a Trace, for example, is a necessity for helping keep the entire party silent and undetected while moving through dangerous territory. Consider spells that protect everyone from the potential dangers they might face in dark places, like Absorb Elements or Protection From Poison.

Hail of Thorns is excellent for ranged attacks, and it can damage a host of enemies in a single successful shot. The Darkvision spell is also helpful because, even though this particular Ranger build allows them to see incredibly well in the dark, not everyone in the party will have that same advantage. Commune with Nature is also helpful because it allows the Gloom Stalker to become one with their surroundings and locate important things within 300 feet, like structures, creatures, and extraplanar influences.

Link Source : https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-gloom-stalker-ranger-build-guide/

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