The Corrupted Ranger class featured in Obojima: Tales from the Tall Grass offers an intriguing, darker twist on the typical ranger found in Dungeons & Dragons. This ranger’s connection to nature is tainted by malevolent forces. As heroes burdened by lingering curses, corrupted rangers embody a complex mix of protector and menace.
With abilities that can harm, drain, and reshape, these rangers excel at manipulating the battlefield while exuding a chilling aura. This guide will help you optimize your corrupted ranger, covering key attributes, essential gear, and how to fully embrace the unsettling nature of corruption.
Key Features of the Corrupted Ranger
The premise of the corrupted ranger is that an unusual affliction grants you formidable powers, albeit while slowly affecting your well-being. However, you can set aside concerns about the gradual deterioration as far as game mechanics go; any significant drawbacks mainly arise at level 15—a level most characters seldom reach.
The subclass utilizes features known as Manifestations, ranging from the First to Fifth Manifestation. Some features utilize Curse Markers, which you can accumulate by either using a bonus action or sustaining damage—regardless of the source. This is important to consider if you plan to conserve your bonus actions.
- First Manifestation: Convert Curse Markers into extra damage, adding a D4 for each Mark you’ve collected.
- Second Manifestation: Replace a Dexterity or Strength check with a static value of ten plus your ranger level.
- Third Manifestation: At level seven, use one Curse Mark to add a D4 to an attack roll. You can also use your reaction to decrease damage from a hit by an amount equal to your ranger level.
- Fourth Manifestation: At level eleven, choose from a set list of ailments that grant unique advancements to your character.
- Fifth Manifestation: Double your movement speed, boost your armor class by two, and make an additional two attacks with the attack action. If you activate this ability a second time before a long rest, you gain a level of exhaustion and drop to one hit point.
Best Fourth Manifestation Ailments
The level eleven feature of the corrupted ranger marks your only opportunity for meaningful customization beyond typical ranger selections. While three ailments are available, you can only select one, so careful consideration is key.
Graying Vision
This ailment provides blindsight within a 15-foot radius and allows you to detect most illusions automatically. Although this ability lacks offensive combat advantages, it is often deemed the least effective of the ailments, and your Dungeon Master could interpret your limited range of sight as your sole means of perception, which could hinder your character in longer-range engagements.
You might find it useful in campaigns rich with espionage and deceit, enabling you to see through many harmful tricks. However, winning automatically at certain tasks can detract from the gameplay experience and might lead your Dungeon Master to entirely exclude invisible characters from the campaign.
Failing Lungs
This ailment can be transformative depending on the dynamics of your party. By using an action, you can knock an enemy prone without requiring any saving throw, simply needing line of sight with no distance constraints.
While you will also deal damage based on the number of Curse Markers you’ve collected, that’s not its primary function. Knocking an enemy prone grants your melee teammates an advantage against them, grounds flying foes, and increases the likelihood of successful Fireball spells cast by your magic users.
Note: Expect to enact some entertaining roleplay to embody the constant coughing, as suggested by your Dungeon Master.
Losing Feeling
The ability to knock enemies prone at will is tough to compete with, but if your party struggles to capitalize on that advantage, Losing Feeling could be a better fit. Once per long rest, improve your Curse Markers to inflict a D6 instead of a D4. This enhances your damage considerably, especially against singular significant threats.
However, due to the unbounded nature of Failing Lungs, it may still outweigh Losing Feeling—consider your options carefully.
Optimal Species Choices
Thanks to the 2024 Dungeons & Dragons rules, you can choose any species without affecting your stats. The species presented in Obojima: Tales from the Tall Grass allow for customizable stat improvements during character creation, particularly benefitting those using the 2014 rules.
Given the need to collect Curse Markers, consider sturdier species like orcs or goliaths that can withstand damage. You can obtain Curse Markers with a bonus action, but doing so can cause you to forego casting essential spells like Hunter’s Mark.
Stat Priorities
For the corrupted ranger, Dexterity, Wisdom, and Constitution should be your main focuses, though Wisdom bears less relevance for this subclass. Since you’ll want to absorb damage, prioritize Constitution over Wisdom early on.
Strength remains your least valuable stat, especially since this subclass allows you to replace Strength checks with a fixed modifier based on your level which can aid in lifting obstacles or pushing foes—rendering the stat largely irrelevant.
Ideal Spells for Corrupted Rangers
Hunter’s Mark remains a vital spell for rangers and synergizes well with your Curse Markers. Pair it with healing spells like Cure Wounds for added support.
When you reach level eleven, consider leaning into the strengths of your chosen ailment if you selected Failing Lungs. This can enhance your battlefield control with spells like Silence or Spike Growth, allowing you to concentrate on spells other than Hunter’s Mark when not attacking.
Recommended Starting Equipment
At first glance, you might think that Curse Markers don’t activate with ranged attacks, but they in fact do trigger with all weapon attacks, and can also apply to unarmed strikes. Thus, a corrupted ranger’s default gear suits them well.
Excellent Feats and Background Options
If utilizing the background choices from the 2024 Player’s Handbook, the Wayfarer background is an excellent choice, boosting your Dexterity and Wisdom. Alternatively, if you want to prioritize Dexterity and Constitution, opt for the Soldier background.
For feats, Sharpshooter and Dual Wielder are solid options, but consider Minor Corruption as it aligns beautifully with the subclass theme, allowing you to negate damage for one turn while still taking hits.
Best Multiclassing Opportunities
Before reaching level eleven, your focus in multiclassing should be on enhancing damage output, making a dip into the Rogue class an appealing option. This grants you the ability to stack Hunter’s Mark, Curse Markers, and Sneak Attack for massive damage in single strikes.
Once you hit level eleven, explore options in Druid to access a wider variety of support spells. Since you can utilize your abilities while in Wild Shape, knocking foes prone as a small animal can greatly benefit your team.
