“I’m always looking for the next fight, something worth my skills. It takes time and patience. Know your quarry, their strengths, and their weaknesses. Once you know them, take on anything that might try to be a challenge. Anything else is a waste of your time.”

How to Make a Goliath Ranger

Starting Stats

With a surprising range of versatility, the best build would be to take advantage of the +2 Strength you’ll get from your race and make that your attacking Ability. With proficiency in every weapon, it gives a good spread of weapon options to build off of your Strength instead of your Dexterity.

The next highest will end up being what you value most for your build. Wisdom will help with some spells, but many don’t need a high ability, but there are several that require Concentration, which, as luck would have it, you do get a +1 in at starting. If you do want the Dexterity for things like stealth, that would be another good option, but really, you’re over seven feet tall and muscle-bound. Hiding doesn’t have to be your thing.

Subclass

There are two Conclaves that let a Strength build take full advantage of their abilities in combat.

Hunter has many options to maximize your damage or number of attacks depending on which paths you take, as well as the option to increase your defenses. Combining that with your racial ability, Stone’s Endurance, you can easily tank as well as any fighter or paladin.

Horizon Walker also increases your damage output with the bonus of increased mobility. You’ll be able to cut through the front of enemy lines or skip right to an enemy leader, again using your Stone’s Endurance until backup arrives.

How to Play a Goliath Ranger

Hunter

With several branches to take down this Conclave, there are several ways to build. Hunter’s Prey has three different ways to increase damage, as well as getting a variation of Multiattack at higher levels. Using these with Dueling or Two Weapon Fighting Fighting Styles, along with the Favored Foe option can easily make you the heaviest hitter in the party.

Defensively, there are several bonuses you can branch into Defensive Tactics and Superior Hunter’s Defense give amazing protective abilities. Adding in Defense Fighting Style and your Stone’s Endurance makes you the wall your enemies can’t get through.

Horizon Walker

Much like the Hunter Conclave, Horizon Walker puts a big emphasis on high damage. This one has the added benefit of changing the damage type to Force and bypassing nonmagical resistance. Of all of the Conclaves, it provides the highest damage from a single attack. Adding on top of a Goliath’s natural strength, you’ll take a chunk out of any enemy without the caveat of it already taking damage like Colossus Slayer.

How to Roleplay as a Goliath Ranger

There are several routes to take when roleplaying a Goliath ranger. As a tracker, they could be much more reserved or patient than the rest of their society. Perhaps they are a wizened leader, one who knows what the world is full of and how dangerous it can be. 

Or there is the route of the glory hound, seeking the biggest, toughest monsters and opponents to prove their skills. A mountainous character, well aware of their mortality, despite their own imposing size. Maybe they’re a more gentle soul, holding more reverence for nature than for battle, making them an outcast to their people. A ranger feels like a much more thoughtful and stoic path compared to many of the Goliath portrayals out there.