Ranger Arrow Spell Combo ?

[MarkVIIIMarc]

I haven't played a Ranger in 5e but as a DM I'm thinking about using one as an Archer type bad guy.

What are some good combination of spells to use at range on a party? I'm thinking some combination of an Oath Bow, Swift Quiver and Flame Arrows?

I'd prefer not to banish players or do anything which doesn't provide at least a chance at saving every round.

[Quoz]

If you are doing this as an opponent to the party, mobility is almost more important than damage or rider effects. Stealth, teleportation, high movement and ease of disengaging to make a really hard to pin down skirmisher. The point is less to hurt the party and more to frustrate them. Tree stride is the ultimate expression of this; in the right terrain it will have you attack then teleport anywhere within 500 feet for 5 feet of movement.

If you are playing where the Archer has time to set up and prepare, establish traps and difficult terrain. Draw the faster front line fighters away from the mages and archers, then get to the other side of them. Split the party as much as you can. Then, once you've got them separated and confused, start hitting them with things to incapacitate like summoning fairies via conjure woodland beings to put them to sleep. Use illusions to confuse the situation even further. If you have players who are up for it, pass them a note that just says "your character is captured, play the bad guy with a magic disguise as your character. You need to find out XXXXX from the party"

How you use this to advance the plot is up to you. In my experience, players get more immersed when they face an enemy that is trying to do more than just kill them. HP can be cured, the dead can be raised, but captured characters and a split party can't be solved with a few simple spells.

[DrKerosene]

Do you have a particular level range/CR you’re aiming for? A boss fight with a lair or random encounter?

I’d be inclined to take the CR3 Archer from Volo’s, slap the NPC Hobgoblin racial stats on it, and add one or two pet hunting Hyenas.

Uses Archer’s Eye to get bonus accuracy, attacks when the Hyena’s are in melee range, apply Hobgoblin bonus dice to damage.

Hyena’s may Rampage against any downed targets. Now you’ve got a pseudo-Beast Master.



While the Swift Quiver+Flame Arrows would be good for DPR, I’d be inclined to use Blink, or Pass Without Trace, to make the combat have brief breaks in the flow.

[iTreeby]

Cordon of arrows is great for a sneaky ranger because it makes it seem like they are hiding somewhere.

[Crucius]

Ensnaring strike is wonderful here I think. Restrained is a nasty condition but not completely debilitating, and works in favor of the ranger by setting the speed of the melee attacker to 0.