Halfling Gloom Stalker Ranger Build Guide
Sneaking through the shadows, a Halfling Gloom Stalker uses natural stealth and supernatural darkness to strike deadly blows before enemies even notice them.
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Why Gloom Stalker?
The Halfling Gloom Stalker is the ultimate ambush predator of the underdark and shadowy ruins. By combining the Halfling's Naturally Stealthy trait with the Gloom Stalker's Umbral Sight, you become a ghost in the dark. Umbral Sight grants you darkvision and makes you completely invisible to any creature relying on darkvision to see you in pitch darkness, while your small size allows you to hide behind larger allies to slip away unnoticed.
In combat, your main goal is to act as a Striker—a role focused on dealing massive damage quickly. The Dread Ambusher feature gives you a massive speed boost and an extra, highly damaging attack on your very first turn of a fight. Thanks to the Halfling's Luck trait, which lets you reroll devastating "natural 1" d20 rolls, you can guarantee that your crucial opening attacks rarely go to waste.
Finally, Halfling Nimbleness allows you to dance through the battlefield by moving right through the spaces of larger enemies. This lets you position yourself perfectly for surprise attacks or escape dangerous corners, while the Gloom Stalker's spells and features ensure you remain a lethal, slippery threat.
Gloom Stalker Features
Dread Ambusher
Level 3You excel at striking before your enemies can react. You have Advantage on attack rolls against creatures that haven't taken a turn yet in the combat. In addition, if you're hidden when you make an attack roll, you deal an extra 1d8 damage with that attack.
Gloom Stalker Spells
Level 3You gain oath spells at the ranger levels listed in the Gloom Stalker Spells table. [Gloom Stalker Spells: 3rd - Disguise Self, Invisibility; 5th - Darkness, Pass without Trace; 9th - Fear, Nondetection; 13th - Dimension Door, Greater Invisibility; 17th - Animate Objects, Mislead]
Umbral Sight
Level 3You gain Darkvision within a range of 300 feet. If you already have Darkvision from another source, it increases by 300 feet. You can see in Dim Light within this radius as if it were Bright Light, and in Darkness as if it were Dim Light. You can't discern color in Darkness, only Shades of Gray.
Iron Mind
Level 7You gain proficiency in Wisdom saves. If you're already proficient in Wisdom saves, you gain proficiency in Intelligence saves instead.
Stalker's Flurry
Level 11You can use your Bonus Action to make two weapon attacks as part of the Attack action on your turn, rather than one. This increases to three attacks when you reach 11th level.
Shadowy Dodge
Level 15Starting at 15th level, when a creature within 5 feet of you hits you with an attack while you're in Dim Light or Darkness, you can use your Reaction to impose Disadvantage on the attack roll.
Recommended Ability Scores
Halfling Traits That Benefit Gloom Stalker Ranger
Brave
Extra saving throw advantages protect against debilitating spells and effects.
Halfling Nimbleness
Moving through larger creatures' spaces gives the Ranger exceptional battlefield mobility.
Naturally Stealthy
Natural stealth abilities enhance the Ranger's ability to operate unseen.
Luck
Extra saving throw advantages protect against debilitating spells and effects.
Combat Effectiveness
| Level | HP | Melee DPR | Spell DPR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 5 | 39 | 7.8 | 0 |
| Level 11 | 81 | 7.15 | 0 |
| Level 17 | 123 | 7.15 | 0 |
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Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- ♦ Gloom Stalker grants Dread Ambusher at level 3
- ♦ High hit points for frontline durability
- ♦ Good armor class and initiative
Weaknesses
- ♦ Low Charisma limits social interactions
- ♦ Small size limits heavy weapon usage
- ♦ No Darkvision — may need light sources in dungeons
Pro Tips
Use Naturally Stealthy to hide behind taller party members, allowing you to easily trigger Umbral Sight's unseen benefits in dim light.
Combine Dread Ambusher with the Halfling's Luck trait to ensure your high-impact, first-turn ambush attacks almost never miss due to rolling a one.
Lean on Halfling Nimbleness to slip through enemy lines and reach dark corners where your Gloom Stalker abilities can keep you hidden.
At higher levels, pair Stalker's Flurry with your high Dexterity to turn any rare missed shot into a deadly second chance.
Other Ranger Subclasses for Halfling
Other Races for Gloom Stalker Ranger
Frequently Asked Questions
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