The Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook Fizban's Treasury of Dragons takes a long, hard look at everything Dungeon Masters and players need to know about the game's titular creatures. The book's Drakewarden 5e Ranger subclass offers an opportunity for Rangers to form a bond with a draconic spirit that can manifest itself in the form of a drake.
As drake and Ranger grow together, the bond they form makes them a united front as they storm battlefields together, often with the Ranger riding into battle on the back of their companion. Building a Drakewarden Ranger is easy, but there are certain races, feats, and backgrounds that guarantee this duo is a powerful force of nature.
Drakewarden 5e Build Summary
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Ability Scores (in order of importance) |
Dexterity, Wisdom, Constitution, Strength, Intelligence, Charisma |
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Race |
Kobold, Tabaxi, Feral Tiefling |
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Feats |
Sharp Shooter, Mounted Combatant, Crossbow Expert |
Dexterity Is the Drakewarden's Most Important Ability Score
Dexterity is a Ranger's most important stat because it contributes to the Warden's armor class and influences the ranged weapon attacks Rangers are famous for. It also helps them wield the finesse weapons they sometimes have at their disposal for close combat. Since these Rangers will often be fighting from the back of their drake, they will often be deploying ranged attacks, so don't be afraid to pour everything available into DEX.
Wisdom is the second most important stat for Rangers because it powers their magical attacks and damage. WIS is also the primary stat used for many of the Ranger's primary skills, like Animal Handling, Perception, Insight, and Survival. Constitution is also important for Rangers, especially those taking a ranged approach to combat because the heartier they are, the more time and effort they can put into battle and the easier it is for them to maintain concentration on spells like Hunter's Mark.
Best D&D Racial Choices for the Drakewarden
Kobolds are one of the most outstanding racial choices for the Drakewarden Ranger because not only do they have a bit of draconic ancestry, but they start out with a +2 boost to the Ranger's most important stat: DEX. Kobolds also have darkvision and pack tactics, which grants them advantage on attacks if allies are within five feet of their target. Kobolds can grovel, cower, and beg when enemies are attacking to provide a distraction, giving their allies advantage on attacks. Kobolds also tend to revere dragons, so the subclass makes perfect thematic sense.
Tabaxi are another great choice due to their +2 DEX bonus. They also have Feline Agility, which doubles their movement in some cases, getting them closer to where they need to be or far enough away from targets to take effective ranged shots. The Feral Tiefling also gets a +2 DEX boost, and they have the added bonus of Hellish Resistance to protect them from fire damage and access to the Hellish Rebuke and Darkness spells, both of which are incredibly useful.
Best DnD 5e Feats for the Drakewarden Ranger
Because the Drakewarden will likely be taking a lot of ranged shots from the air when flying into combat with their drake, the Sharp Shooter feat is a must-have. Sharp Shooter negates disadvantage on ranged weapon attacks, which means the Ranger can fire off a shot from afar and more than likely hit. Ranged attacks with this feat ignore half and three-quarters cover, so enemies can't easily hide from arrows and bolts. They can also choose to subtract five from their attack rolls and on a successful hit add +10 to their damage total -- and if the target is also Hunter's Marked, the damage really starts to add up.
Mounted Combatant is the perfect feat for a Drakewarden because, once they start flying into battle aback their drake, they'll want to take extra precautions to ensure the drake's safety. Even though the drake flies and a lot of the Ranger's combat will likely be ranged, there will certainly be moments they face melee combat
Fortunately, a mounted combatant has advantage on attacks against unmounted enemies smaller than their drake. If an enemy starts targeting the drake, the Ranger can take on the attack instead, and in the event the drake is forced to make a Dexterity saving throw against an effect, a successful save negates all damage, while a fail ensures the drake only takes half-damage.
Crossbow Expert is another useful feat, especially when enemies make it impossible to put distance between them and the Ranger in battle. This feat allows the Ranger to fire off bolts up close and personal without disadvantage. They also don't have to waste their actions reloading bolts, and if they attack with a one-handed melee weapon, they can use their bonus action to fire off an additional attack with the crossbow.
Drakewardens may also want to consider taking on one of the three new Draconic Feats to make their drake bond stand out even more. Each Draconic Feat draws damage, protection, or resistance based on the type of dragon the gift is taken from.