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Best Rangers Spells in D&D 5e

Best Rangers Spells in D&D 5e

If you are a regular DnD enthusiast, you will be familiar with the Rangers in the world’s most famous tabletop game, but knowing all about the best Rangers spells is another thing altogether. This is more prominent for this class, considering they do not have much in the name of spells or cantrips. To put it simply, your choices going into the game as a spell-enthusiast Ranger is quite restrictive. 

Rangers usually have Druid flavoring, so you can expect a decent summoning and damage mix, which is not something to be overlooked or taken lightly. You can get a lot out of the Rangers spell list, but knowing the best ones take ample experience and theoretical knowledge. This is where we come in to provide the best Rangers spells you can opt for on your next DnD campaign. 

Ranger Spell Lists 5e

NameDurationRangeSpell TypeDescription
Alarm (1M)8 Hours30 ftDetectionThis spell helps you set an alarm against unwanted intrusion. An alarm rings whenever a creature touches the warded area.
Animal Friendship (1A)24 Hours30 ftCharmedBecome friends with a beasts. If the beasts intelligence is higher than 3, the spell fails.
Beast Bond (1A)10 MinutesTouchBuffEstablish a telepathic link with a beasts. If the beasts intelligence is higher than 3, the spell fails.
Cure Wounds (1A)instantTouchHealingTouching a creature regains its hit points by 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier.
Detect Magic (1A)10 MinutesSelfDetectionSense magic within 30 ft of you. See a faint aura around any visible creature that bears magic, and you learn its school of magic.
Detect Poison and Disease (1A)10 MinutesSelfDetectionSense magic within 30 ft of you. See a faint aura around any visible creature that bears magic, and you learn its school of magic.
Fog Cloud (1A)1 Hour120 ftControlCreate a 20-foot-radius sphere of fog centered on a point within range.
Goodberry (1A)instantTouchHealingReceive 10 berries infused with magic. Each berry restores 1 hit point and nourishes a creature for a day.
Hunter’s Mark (1BA)1 Hour90 ftBludgeoningThe buffs up the damage against any enemy and needs to be used before an attack is made.
Jump (1A)1 MinuteTouchMovementTarget Creatures jump is triples when you touch it.
Longstrider (1A)1 HourTouchBuffTarget Creatures speed increases by 10 feet when you touch it.
Snare (1M)8 HoursTouchRestrainedThe spell creates a trap that is triggered when a creature enters the spell range. The creature must make a DEX save or fall prone and get restrained.
Speak with Animals (1A)10 MinutesSelfCommunicationTalk to beasts and ask for directions. You can even persuade the beasts to do a favor.

NameDurationRangeSpell TypeDescription
Animal Messenger (1A)24 Hours30 ftCommunicationUse an animal to send a message to a specific location you should have visited before. Also include the person’s description.
Barkskin (1A)1 HourTouchBuffTouching a willing creature gives it a rough, bark like appearance. Target AC can’t be less than 16.
Darkvision (1A)8 HoursTouchBuffTouching a willing creature gives it nightvision. Creature can see up to 60 feet ahead.
Find Traps (1A)instant120 ftDetectionSpell shows traps present nearby. You don’t get specific locations, but you learn general nature of the damage.
Lesser Restoration (1A)instantTouchHealingTouching a creature ends its disease or conditioning affecting the disease.
Locate Animals or Plants (1A)instantSelfDetectionConcentrate on a voice and learn the direction and distance of the closest creature/plant.
Locate Object (1A)10 MinutesSelfDetectionSense the direction and distance of the closest object within 1000 feet of you.
Pass without Trace (1A)1 HourSelfBuffA veil of silence & shadows radiates from you, masking you from detection
Protection from Poison (1A)1 HourTouchBuffNeutralize poison when you touch it. If you touch more than one creature with poison, choose one poison to neutralize.
Silence (1A)10 Minutes120 ftControlThe spell creates a sphere where no sound can be created. Creatures in the sphere are immune to thunder damage and can’t cast spoken spells.
Spike Growth (1A)10 Minutes150 ftControlGround in a 20 foot radius get thorn or spike. Creatures walking thorugh the area receive 2d4 piercing damage for every 5 feet it travels.

NameDurationRangeSpell TypeDescription
Ashardalon’s Stride (1BA)1 MinuteSelfFireFlames of a Dragon blast from your feet and give you 20 feet more speed. Creatures next to the flame receive 1d6 fire damage.
Conjure Animals (1A)1 Hour60 ftSummoningSummon Fey spirits in the form of a beast. Using this spell, you can summon 1/2/4/8 beasts with a total challenge rating of 2.
Daylight (1A)1 Hour60 ftControlThe spell creates a 60 foot radius of light that can be applied to any point or an object. Darkness spells lower than level 3 are dispelled.
Flame Arrows (1A)1 HourTouchFireUse arrows from a quiver to hit a target. If you hit the target, it receives an extra extra 1d6 fire damage.
Nondetection (1A)8 HoursTouchDeceptionTouch a willing creature to make it hide from magical sensors.
Plant Growth (S)instant150 ftControlUse this spell to overgrown plants and make movement for creatures difficult or use the spell get a better harvest.
Protection from Energy (1A)1 HourTouchBuffTouching a willing creatures gives it resistance to a damage type of your choice.
Speak with Plants (1A)10 MinutesSelfCommunicationImbue plants and communicate with them about events that happened in the past 24 hours. You can also give them simple commands.
Summon Fey (1A)1 Hour90 ftSummoningSummon a fey spirit of your choice within range.
Water Breathing (1A)24 Hours30 ftBuffGives up to 10 willing creatures the ability to breathe under water.
Water Walk (1A)1 Hour30 ftMovementGives up to 10 willing creatures the ability to walk on liquid surfaces.
Wind Wall (1A)1 Minute120 ftBludgeoningCreate a wall of strong wind within range. Creatures in the range must make a STR save or receive 3d8 bludgeoning damage. Ranged attacks miss automatically.

NameDurationRangeSpell TypeDescription
Conjure Woodland Beings (1A)1 Hour60 ftSummoningSummon Fey Creatures in unoccupied spaces. Using this spell, you can summon 1/2/4/8 beasts with a total challenge rating of 2.
Freedom of Movement (1A)1 HourTouchBuffTouching a willing creature enables it to walk through rough terrains or spells as if they weren’t there.
Locate Creature (1A)1 HourSelfDetectionSense the direction of a creature if it is 1000 ft or lower away from you.
Stoneskin (1A)1 HourTouchBuffTarget creature gets skin as hard as stone and is resistant to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage
Summon Elemental (1A)1 Hour90 ftSummoningYou summon a Elemental spirit. The creature disappears when it reaches 0 hit points.

NameDurationRangeSpell TypeDescription
Commune with Nature (1M)instantSelfEnvironmentThe spell enables you to become one with nature and gives you knowledge about the surrounding territory.

Best Ranger Spells 5e

Let’s look at the best Ranger spells in the DnD world: 

1. Hunter’s Mark 

Hunter’s Mark

A go-to spell for low-level Rangers, the Hunter’s Mark is a tremendously useful spell that can buff up damage against any opponent. It also has a few useful non-combat tracking bonuses, making it worthy of being kept at your disposal throughout the campaign if you happen to be a Ranger.

The Hunter’s Mark is cast as a Bonus Action, making it the biggest advantage you can get out of this spell. You can say goodbye to sacrificing your attacks only to cast a spell.

This spell is ideal for almost any combat encounter, but there’s only one condition: make sure you remember to cast it before making an attack.

2. Spike Growth 

Spike Growth

One of the biggest advantages in any combat encounter is controlling the battlefield and having sway over it. This is especially accurate if there are multiple enemies. Hinder the enemy’s movement, and your party gets a chance to maneuver into an ideal position and quickly gain the upper hand over the enemies.

Considered one of the greatest early game spells, your Ranger character can use Spike Growth to accomplish just that. Covering a 20-foot-long radius,

Spike Growth turns the area into a difficult terrain, dealing 2d4 damage every time a creature moves 5 feet within the area. The spell is camouflaged to make it look like natural ground, which essentially means that unsuspecting creatures have to make a Perception check to notice the danger.

3. Pass Without Trace 

Pass Without Trace

Sure, Rogues are the quintessential stealth class, but Rangers are also equipped to excel in this regard. Rangers can replace the Rogues’ Expertise ability with some useful skills that can even the playing field or tip it in their favor.

This spell is a tremendously useful spell that lets the Ranger give a +10 bonus to Stealth checks employed by creatures within 30 feet, and affected creatures can leave no tracks from which their passage can be effectively traced.

4. Swift Quiver 

Swift Quiver 

If you are a Ranger who leans into their name and puts ample emphasis on ranged weapons, this spell is a 5th-level blessing that significantly increases a caster’s damage potential by a minute. It also offers a limitless supply of non-magical weapons and lets you use a bonus action to fire two in the same turn. 

This could mean firing up to 4 times in a turn for a battlefield which can be improved if it were fired from a magical bow. Couple this with the extra damage of the Sharpshooter feat, and you can have a devastating effect on the battlefield, dealing huge damage while remaining at a safe distance.

5. Wrath of Nature 

Wrath of Nature

This is one of the most attractive high-level battlefield management spells that your Ranger character will have access to. With various useful effects, the Wrath of Nature acts nearly as a mobile lair for the caster, offering various useful bonuses that can turn the terrain against their enemies while still letting the Ranger use their Actions as they prefer.

The only tiny hindrance to the Wrath of Nature’s viability is its stipulation that it can turn things such as grass, rocks, or vines against the foe.

Try to have a discussion with your Dungeon Master about how this could translate into other terrain types like deserts and sea-based settings. This can solve the problem, making it one of the Ranger’s most effective choices for a top-tier spell.

6. Goodberry 

Goodberry

This 1st-level transmutation spell has a casting time of 1 action and a touch-specific range. With V and M components and an instantaneous duration, this one is a great choice!

You will see nearly 10 berries appear in your hand, which are infused with magic for the stipulated duration. You can use one action to consume one berry which restores 1 HP.

The berry offers ample nourishment to sustain a creature for a whole day.  This one is a tricky Rangers spell since the berries lose their potency if not consumed within 24 hours of casting the spell.

7. Absorb Elements 

Absorb Elements

Rangers are not necessarily always as good at tanking as the other combat classes. They lack the get-out-of-jail-free card that Rogue classes possess with the Evade ability. That being said, their role as damage-dealers often puts Rogues in harm’s way in battles.

This spell offers a nice bit of elemental protection for Rangers in the first few levels, especially useful in cases of forewarning of the types of creatures that might come up. The bonus of elemental damage on all melee attacks can also be helpful if the opponent is in close range.

8. Conjure Animals 

Conjure Animals

This 3rd level Conjuration spell lasts up to an hour and is dependent on concentration. It has a range of 60 feet and a casting time of 1 action. With V and S components, this one is one of the most used spells for Rangers. When you cast this spell, you summon one of the following:

  • 1 beast with challenge rating of 2 or less
  • 2 beast with challenge rating of 1 or less
  • 4 beast with challenge rating of 1/2 or less
  • 8 beast with challenge rating of 1/4 or less

Every beast summoned with this spell are spiritual alternatives of beasts. They do not fall unconscious but at 0, they’re gone. With their own initiative, they don’t necessarily attack enemies unless commanded. A Ranger can only upgrade this to a 5th-level spell.

9. Zephyr Strike 

Zephyr Strike

While it might be more situational than other Rangers spells, Zephyr Strike happens to be the perfect choice for members focused on a melee build. It lets the caster move swiftly through the battlefield and offers a nice bonus to damage as well.

This prevents you from incurring opportunity attacks for a minute while maintaining concentration. You can choose to make an attack, whether ranged or melee, and that gives an extra 1d8 force damage, 1 advantage on attack rolls, and an added 30 feet of movement in that turn. It will be perfect if you are a quick-moving, melee-based combatant.

10. Fog Cloud 

Fog Cloud

Belonging to 1st level Conjuration, Fog Cloud is a spell that can be used by SorcererWizards, Druids, And Rangers. The spell has a casting time of 1 action and has a range of 120 feet. With V and S components, it lasts for up to an hour, based on concentration.

With this, you can create a sphere of fog extending from a twenty feet radius from a targeted space. The fog moves around corners and makes the area obscure during the stipulated time frame. 

The radius amps up for each level above the 1st that the spell is cast at. This will disperse when a wind moving at least 10 miles/ hour goes through the fog. The fog allows Rangers to choose where combat is the most violent. Blocking off escape, allowing stealth, or forcing low-health foes into a terrible situation can be facilitated with this spell. Lastly, it lasts long!

Extra: Summon Beast 

Summon Beast

Requiring concentration for 1 hour and having material components valued at 200 GP, Summon Beast can materialize a corporal beast with a stat block

The beast can be an air, land, as well as a water creature, with unique abilities, having darkvision, understanding the Ranger’s languages, and knowing hefty attacks. It can be upcast for greater beast stats and multi-attacks.

With this, you get a magical beast companion, utility on all terrains, and the strategic upper hand whenever needed. The only downside is that the hit points don’t scale, and multi attacks only trigger when upcast at levels 4 and 5. 

Conclusion 

That’s about it for the best Rangers spells list. They are all great fun and must be tried out as and when the opportunity arises. We hope this article helps you along the way if you want to experiment with Rangers. Good luck, and happy questing! 

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