Summary

As the most notoriously underwhelming class inDungeons & Dragonsfifth edition , the Monk and Ranger are the middle of the spotlight for the new 2024Player ’s Handbook . Although thebook maintains backward compatibilitywith the preceding ten years ofDnDmaterial , it ’s making a lot of changes , and fixing for the Monk and Ranger are some of the most long - promise and necessary ones . Overhauls were tested across a number of playtests before arriving at their final loop in thePlayer ’s Handbook , but even at the end of that prospicient road , it still does n’t experience like everything is perfect .

When it come to the Monk , it ’s hard not to be excited about the 2024Player ’s Handbookoverhaul . If anything , the new looping might be slightly over - tune , cleaning up most all of the Monk ’s most notorious unaccented points aside from their fragile nature , which is part of a balanced glass cannon concept . The Ranger ’s situation is slightly more complicated , however , and equate the capstone feature that Thelonious Sphere Monk get at level 20 to what Rangers invite in the same one-armed bandit clarify the most frustrating infirm spot that 2024 Rangers face .

monastic in Dungeons & Dragons are nimble combatants who are passe-partout of ki and martial arts , and a few items do a good occupation than most to support them .

An Eldritch Knight fighter from D&D in front of an iamge of a dragon curling from the 2024 Player’s Handbook alt cover.

D&D’s 2024 Player’s Handbook Monk Capstone Is Great

More Dexterity & Wisdom Goes A Long Way

As the concluding unequaled advantage for leveling , coping stone characteristic are meant to be exciting buffs to everyDnDclass , and the 2024Player ’s Handbookgenerally focuses on highlighting that fervour . In the 2014Player ’s Handbook , Monks ' copestone feature film centre on making sure they always had a few ki point uncommitted , a useful fallback that was n’t all that beatify to larn . Bard and Sorcerer also have alike resource restoration features , and although the Sorcerer ’s was arguably the best , they all failed to inspire .

Ki point , renamed to Focus period in the 2024Player ’s Handbook , can be used for Monk features like Stunning Strike and Flurry of Blows .

In the 2024Player ’s Handbook , a slightly reworked rendering of the old Monk copestone is moved to a level 15 feature . The copestone slot is taken by a fresh feature called soundbox and Mind , which concede Monks a +4 to both Dexterity and Wisdom scoresup to a maximum of 25 . It ’s a remarkable hike to twovery usefulDnDstats , giving them a enceinte chance to pass all kinds of relevant checks in generalDnDplay and significantly increasing their service line AC .

DnD art showing a character with a cat walking past a gnome with a pipe.

Fighters are bring forth some interesting changes in D&D ’s 2024 Player ’s Handbook , and one feature redevelopment gives them a bunch more pick than before .

Rangers , on the other hand , get a capstone that ’s a lot more situational in the 2024Player ’s Handbook . At level 20 , Foe Slayer ups the damage die forhunter ’s markto a d10 rather than a d6 , raising the average roll from around a 3.5 to a 5.5 . Unlike the Monk feature of speech , it ’s only applicable to exactly one magic spell in the Ranger toolkit . The 2014Player ’s Handbookcapstone ( also called Foe Slayer ) was even more frustratingly situational , grant bonuses only against a Ranger ’s favored enemies , but a lustreless option in the past does n’t let off making another that ’s still seriously underwhelming .

D&D’s New Ranger Capstone Is Just Worse

The Monk Capstone Wins A Head-To-Head In Every Way

In a vacuum , it would be possible to accept the Ranger copestone as just a flake disappointing , butthe Monk ’s Body and Mind rub salt in the lesion by doing everything the Ranger capstone does and more . At all level , Monks have a Dexterous Attacks property that permit them to apply their Dexterity modifier for attack and legal injury rolls with Unarmed Strikes or Monk arm when they are n’t using armour or shields . A +4 to sleight at level 20 way they get a +2 to all of those attacks , the same differential betweenhunter ’s markdamage before and after the Ranger capstone .

During GenCon this class , Jeremy Crawford has revealed which D&D subclass has been redesigned the most extensively for the 2024 Player ’s Handbook .

The decision is part of a large option to heavily emphasizehunter ’s markin the fresh Ranger design , which has met with some contention among theDnDcommunity . Hunter ’s marknow show up several times throughout Ranger progression , starting with the Level 1 featurefavored enemythat cause it more easy available than other spells . Level 13 seduce it so that taking terms does n’t break Concentration onhunter ’s mark , and level 17 add Advantage against beast tick with the turn .

Several D&D party members standing around as a protective spell is cast against a frosty attack.

Concentration can only be utilise to one piece at a time , so although a few otherRanger spells have had their Concentration requisite remove , the need to devote it tohunter ’s markto make use of so many Ranger features can be intimidating . The trade - off will definitely be worth it a lot of the metre , but it still feels like it falls apart a morsel at the capstone . Monks have to make no such decisions to get basic public-service corporation out of their capstone , even if they do n’t lean into dextrous Attacks to systematically take advantage of the +2 on tone-beginning .

A plenty of Ranger tour still require Concentration in D&D ’s 2024 Player ’s Handbook . , but a few have received pinch that make them easier to use .

There’s More To 2024 Rangers Than Just A Bad Capstone

It’s Not The End Of The World, But It’s Disappointing

The old antic about high-risk capstone is that a player can always get a secure one by simply take a level in another class instead , and for any Ranger who is n’t in love with center onhunter ’s Deutsche Mark , that might just be the more exciting choice . The 2024Player ’s Handbookis full of exciting level 20 options , however , soit ultimately just feel frustrating that Rangers received something so obviously limiting in compare . When every other martial category is getting a bigger boost to their introductory battle capacities , it ’s punishing to understand the principle behind the determination .

For anyone who does n’t mind usinghunter ’s marka mass , the new Ranger definitely seems like it should be viable in world-wide , and the coping stone is only one part of the big movie . It ’s also well-situated enough to change , and homebrew choice will no doubt terminate up making their direction to mess of plot tables . Straight out of the 2024Player ’s Handbook , though , Monks prove just how underwhelming the last feature for Rangers is , and the comparison shine a glare on what might be one of the weirdestDungeons & Dragonsdesign determination in age .

dungeon and Dragons is a pop tabletop secret plan in the beginning excogitate in 1974 by   Ernest Gary Gygax and David Arneson .   The fantasy role - playing game land together players for a campaign with various components , include power , race , character classes , monsters , and treasures . The game has drastically expanded since the ' 70s , with numerous update boxful Set and expansions .

A Ranger and a Monk side-by-side in composited art for D&D’s 2024 Player’s Handbook.

Custom Image by Ben Brosofsky

A monk with a staff and dragon in Dungeons and Dragons.

Dungeons and Dragons is a popular tabletop game originally invented in 1974 by Ernest Gary Gygax and David Arneson. The fantasy role-playing game brings together players for a campaign with various components, including abilities, races, character classes, monsters, and treasures. The game has drastically expanded since the ’70s, with numerous updated box sets and expansions.

A Dungeons and Dragons Monk engaging in unarmed combat, a style that is overpowered in Baldur’s Gate 3.

A Ranger with their bow drawn taut in art for the 2024 D&D Player’s Handbook.

Dungeons and Dragons Game Poster

Dungeons and Dragons is a popular tabletop game originally invented in 1974 by Ernest Gary Gygax and David Arneson. The fantasy role-playing game brings together players for a campaign with various components, including abilities, races, character classes, monsters, and treasures. The game has drastically expanded since the ’70s, with numerous updated box sets and expansions.

Dungeons and Dragons