Maintaining a swarm is much easier than you think as a ranger in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dungeons & Dragons. Unlike the Beast Master archetype, the swarm provided as a Swarmkeeper grants you additional abilities in combat that you would otherwise not hav🧔e access to. This can mean doing additional dam♔age, sliding in and out of attack range, and even gaining additional spells.

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As a Ranger, your role is to support your party by filling various gaps. Whether it's the need for extra damage, another front-line warrior, or nature expertise, the Ranger, especially a Swarmkeeper, offers unique utility and long-range damage abilities.

What Are The Swarmkeeper Ranger Features?

Mysterious piper commanding rats
Piper of the Swarm by Irina Nordsol 

At third level, you gain the Swarmkeeper archetype along with the variety of abilities it comes with. This comes in two forms; your Gathered Swarm and Swarmkeeper Magic. To start, you not only gain a first level spell, but also the Mage Hand cantrip. Take a look at the spells granted to you:

Ranger Level

Spell Name

Third

  • Faerie Fire
  • Mage Hand

Fifth

  • Web

Ninth

  • Gaseous Form

13th

  • Arcane Eye

17th

  • Insect Plague

Each of these spells provide you with additional ways to manipulate the battlefield. Through Faeire Fire and Web, it becomes easier to lockd own and damage enemies in a wide array. Gaseous Form is a powerful escape tool, and Arcane Eye is excellent for surveying nearby terrain from a safe distance. Insect Plague can be used to not only damage your enemies, but also to obscure your environment to deadly effect.

All of these spells are provided with the idea that they resemble a swarm, chosen by you. This can take the form of a swarm of bees, flies, rats, pixies or insects, along with whatever other s🥀warms you can think of.

The Gathered Swarm provides needed variety to help you sway the tide of combat. Every round, you can use your swarm to deal additional damage, move five feet, or move the damaged enemy 15 feet in any horizontal direction.

If you choose to move five feet yourself, it does not provoke attack of opportunity, as the swarm is moving you. This can be helpful to get in and out of combat with ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤༒⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚease.

At seventh level you can use your swarm to provide yourself a flying speed of ten feet, as well as the ability to hover. It lasts for one minute and can be used several times each long rest, allowing you to circumvent certain puzzles and strike your enemies from unintended ang🐭les.

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11th level improves your Gathered Swarm feature, increasing damage from a d6 to a d8, allowing you to knock enemies prone, and providing you with half cover after having the swarm move you. Without a doubt, effectively knocking enemies prone with a ranged weapon is an easy way to help your allies in melee range🌊 gua🦋rantee their attacks strike true.

Finally, 15th level provides a fun way of circumventing damage. You can use your reaction to gain resistance to damage received and teleport anywhere within 30 feet of your location. Since you can useꦑ it a few times each long rest, you can even have allies strike at you to easily traverse short distances in a pinch.

What Are The Best Species For A Swarmkeeper Ranger?

Firbolg sitting on a log with a cat
Firbolg Druid by Eamonn McCormick

Key advantages of a Swarmkeeper is keeping an effective range while dishing out damage. This can mean moving in and out of combat and melee range, as well as peaking around corners and utilizing Stealth effectively. 🐬Here are several options to utilize this archetype to its fullest:

Eladrin

An absolute powerhouse, the Eladrin lets you teleport 30 feet a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and adds a potent effective depending on which of the four seasons you've chosen to encompass that day. This matched with Elven features such as Darkvision, Fey Ancenstry to gain sleep immunity and advantage to charm, and the Perception skill for free makes this a solid choice.

Firbolg

Want to turn invisible after an attack? You can with the Firbolg, a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus each long rest. That with your Powerful Build to carry and lift more on top of your ability to speak with Beasts, Plants, and vegitation make for an effective ranger anꦇd steꦓalthy assailant.

Half-Elf

Rangers as a whole are best when utilizing your skills to the fullest. Half-Elves can provide additional skills while also Darkvision to see up to 60 feet away in darkness, as well as Fey Ancestry for sleep immunity and advantage against the ꧑charm condition.

Harengon

As a bonus action, the Harengon can jump a distance five times their proficiency bonus without provoking an attack of opportunity𒀰, allowing༺ them to skirt around the battlefield with ease.


They also add their proficiency bonus to their initiative score and a d4 to failed Dexterity saving throws, making them a difficult creature to nail down.

Tiefling - Levistus

Assuming your table is using the newer system to allow versatility when improving ability scores, any race that grants you a free damaging cantrip is worth taking. Since the Gathered Swarm feature needs only for you to hit with an attack, cantrips are included in that wheelhouse.


Their ray of frost can activate your swarm to great benefit. This on top of Darkvision and fire resistanc🔥e make an effective combo for a Swarmkeeper.

Yuan-Ti

Any damaging cantrip can activate your Gathered Swarm feature, making the Yuan-Ti's poison spray a welcome addition to your arsenal. Along with their Darkvision, resistance to poison and advantage against the poison condition, they also have advantage on saving throws against all spells. All of them.

What Are The Best Attributes?

Two rangers explore shifting terrain
Verge Rangers by Livia Prima

Rangers prioritize their Dexterity to provide them with ample damage and the ability to avoid combat in damage, and a healthy Wisdom to influence their spells and features. After that, a high Constitution doesn't hurt, and the other abilities can be ultimately ignored.

Through the point buy system used for D&D, you can get a better idea of an ability score spread, suꩵch as this one:

Strength

Dexterity

Constitution

Intelligence

Wisdom

Charisma

8(-1)

17(+3)

14(+2)

10(+0)

16(+3)

8(-1)

Starting Equipment

Unless you're planning on entering and staying in melee combat, starting with Leather Armor allows you a slight bonus to AC while maintaining your ability to Stealth effectively. From there, two Shortswords allow yo♏u to dual wield well for consistent damage.

The differences between a Dungeoneer's Pack and Explorer's Pack is negligable, allowing you to pick either without missing out.

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Fighting Style

Playing a Swarmkeeper means staying near combat, but not too close. Archery allows you to gain consistent damage when using a ranged weapon, although selecting Druidic Warrior allows you to choose through a variety of cantrips, including ones that allow you to use your Gathered Swarm feature.

You can also select druid staples Guidance, Mending and Thorn Whip.

What Are The Best Spells For A Swarmkeeper Ranger?

a druid named faldorn from baldurs gate
Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald by Jason A. Engle

Keeping on this theme of maintaining heavy ranged support, selecting spells that allow you to both maintain and capitalize on distance can help you make the most of your Swarmkeeper abilities. Here are a variety of suggestions to help get you started:

Spell Level

Spell Name

First

  • Hail Of Thorns
  • Hunter's Mark
  • Jump

Second

  • Cordon of Arrows
  • Pass Without Trace
  • Silence

Third

  • Conjure Barrage
  • Summon Fey
  • Wind Wall

Fourth

  • Freedom Of Movement
  • Grasping Vine
  • Summon Elemental

Fifth

  • Conjure Volley
  • Swift Quiver
  • Wrath Of Nature

What Are The Best Feats For A Swarmkeeper Ranger?

Three Elves surrounded by food
Elven Cuisine via Wizards of the Coast

Elven Accuracy is always a great choice if you are playing an elf looking to prioritize ranged damage. Otherwise, Sharpshooter can be a great way to maintain effective damage from afar on top of increasing your Dexterity.

After that, Fey Touched and Alert are great choices to keep the momentum going. Fey Touched allows you to choose another spell on top of Misty Step, which is already a great escape tool, whereas Alert gives you a solid bonus to initiative rolls and prevents hidden enemies from gaining advantage against you.