Hunter's Mark 5e

Hunter’s Mark is a powerful 1st level spell that can be used to deal extra damage throughout combat and provide tracking advantages to your perception and survival skills. This article will cover what it is, how it works, and the most efficient ways to use it. Although perhaps not the most powerful spell on its own, Hunter’s Mark is a great utility spell that can be combined with other abilities to maximise your weapon’s damage. It’s an especially useful spell for Rangers who will start with it prepared and can combine other damage-boosting feats like Zephyr Strike or Favored Foe to maximise combat efficiency.

Hunter’s Mark Features and How to Obtain it

Hunter’s Mark is a tracking spell that boosts non-magical damage by 1d6 against tracked enemies. Additionally, it provides advantages to survival or perception checks when tracking a marked foe. Although an additional 1d6 weapon damage might sound measly, it can be very helpful for chipping away at an enemy and is especially useful at lower levels. As a 1st level divination spell, it can be cast very early in the campaign to change the tide of battles, particularly against isolated foes. 

Typically, Hunter’s Mark is gained as a class feature for Rangers and Oath of Vengeance Paladins, earned at 1st level and 3rd level respectively. Early access to this spell with the Ranger class in particular means that multi-classing for Hunter’s Mark is pretty simple and can be a good way to maximise your weapon damage. However, the spell can also be gained through other means:

• Magic items like a Ring of Spell Storing, or a Hunter’s Mark spell scroll. 

• Racial features, such as a Mark of Finding half-orc spellcaster. 

• Feats like Fey Touched that allow you to choose a 1st level divination spell. 
  

Hunter’s Mark works the same regardless of how it was obtained, allowing you to track enemies for 1 hour at 1st level, which increases as you level up. While tracking an enemy for extended periods might not be helpful in combat, it can be very helpful during roleplay. For example, an enemy that flees from battle, or a persistent NPC that you may want to track as part of the storyline. Hunter’s Mark is also cast as a bonus action, meaning you don’t need to expend your full action in battle. 

Within combat, the duration of Hunter’s Mark can still be very useful if a tracked enemy dies, as you can re-cast the spell on a new enemy without using up another spell slot. The longer duration of Hunter’s Mark means that casting it at 5th level gives you the option to freely re-cast it for 24 hours. The caveat is that the previous enemy needs to die for you to re-cast the spell freely, otherwise you’ll need to expend another spell slot.

Disadvantages of Hunter’s Mark

While Hunter’s Mark can be a good supportive tool in-game, it has its drawbacks just like any other spell. As mentioned, a key setback is that you cannot re-cast the spell for free unless the previously marked enemy dies. While that won’t typically be an issue in combat, it does hinder the spell for roleplaying, such as if you’re tracking a marked enemy rather than fighting them. While you’re tracking the marked enemy, you won’t be able to re-cast the spell without expending another spell slot. 

Hunter’s Mark also requires concentration, so you wouldn’t be able to maintain the spell on more than one enemy at a time. While it’s helpful that it can be re-cast using a bonus action, you may end up needing to waste spell slots if your character isn’t great at maintaining concentration. Additionally, a melee character might struggle to maintain concentration or even use Hunter’s Mark effectively if in battle with several enemies. This is part of why we recommend a ranged character for the best use of Hunter’s Mark!

Another setback of Hunter’s Mark is that not every enemy can be tracked, though this is likely to be rare in your travels. Hunter’s Mark grants great advantages for tracking, but this relies on survival or perception checks, which means you can’t track creatures magically. Generally speaking, if it seems like a creature would be difficult to track in real life, then you probably won’t be able to track them in-game, even through Hunter’s Mark. For example, you can’t track enemies on a different plane as they don’t exist in the same world as you. 

If your campaign is particularly heavy with the below creatures then Hunter’s Mark may not be the right choice for you. Keep an eye out for anti-tracking creatures like: 

• Incorporeal Undead: Creatures like ghosts or banshees exist in the Ethereal Plane, allowing them to disappear from sight or even from your current plane, making them impossible to track through Hunter’s Mark advantages.

• Plane Shifting or Teleporting Creatures: If a marked creature teleports far away or to another plane, it’s unlikely (or impossible) for you to maintain tracking with Hunter’s Mark. 

• Anti-Tracking Creatures: Some creatures or classes have abilities to avoid being tracked. For example, certain elves can gain resistance to divination, while rogues who specialise in stealth will likely evade detection despite your tracking advantages.  

• Shapechangers: Creatures like doppelgangers can evade tracking by changing their form. Since Hunter’s Mark relies on your skills rather than magical tracking, it won’t allow you to see through a changed form. 

• Trackless Creatures: Some creatures don’t leave tracks at all, making them impossible to track through ordinary means. For example, elementals move with their element and often won’t leave discernible tracks. Keep an eye out for burrowing or swimming creatures, too! 

Using Hunter’s Mark Efficiently and Maximising Effectiveness

No matter what class you’re using to access Hunter’s Mark, it’s important to cast it before attacking, or otherwise as early as you can within combat. Since it’s a bonus action, you can cast it before your first attack to ensure a consistent damage boost for every attack during combat. The bonus damage from Hunter’s Mark applies to every hit, making it an especially useful tool for classes that have Extra Attack or feats like Two-Weapon Fighting. The more hits you can make per turn, the more useful the damage output from Hunter’s Mark will be.

Part of ensuring efficient use of Hunter’s Mark means being mindful of its duration and how you can make the most of it. For example, if your character can extend spell durations (e.g. through metamagic) then it’s worth casting it with low-level spell slots and extending the duration. Alternatively, if you’re heading into a lengthy fight or area such as a dungeon, you’ll want to cast it with the highest duration you can to avoid needing to re-cast it with a spell slot.

Another piece of advice is to know your enemy! Incorporeal creatures like ghosts and banshees can easily evade tracking abilities by moving through planes, while some races or classes may have anti-tracking abilities, such as rogues. It’s also worth keeping in mind that Hunter’s Mark only adds damage to weapon attacks, not magical attacks.

Recommended Build for Hunter’s Mark

Although other classes can use Hunter’s Mark, it’s most efficient for a Ranger, particularly as Rangers begin their adventure with the spell already known. Rangers also aren’t typically spell-heavy and shouldn’t need to worry about maintaining concentration on other spells in addition to Hunter’s Mark. Paladins, on the other hand, ideally want to save their spell slots for higher-damage spells like Divine Smite. 

Additionally, Rangers are built to deal high damage from a long distance, making it easier to maintain concentration and pick off enemies. Rangers also gain access to extra attacks and if you multiclass as a level 2 Fighter, you can utilise Action Surge for even more attacks. Since Hunter’s Mark deals extra damage on every attack, it’s worth trying to make as many as you can! Rangers can utilise Favored Foe to deal more damage against specific enemies while they’re marked.

The fun doesn’t stop there – Rangers can also access feats like Sharpshooter or Crossbow Expert that will pack even more damage into your hits. To maximise the effectiveness of Hunter’s Mark, we recommend using the following specifications for your character, though keep in mind you can gain Hunter’s Mark in other ways. Since being a Mark of Finding Half-Orc will give you access to Hunter’s Mark for free, you can go with any class. If being a Ranger isn’t your vibe, there are other options!

• Race: Variant Human

• Class: Ranger

• Feat: Sharpshooter or Crossbow Expert

• Fighting Style: Archery

• Subclass: Gloom Stalker Ranger

With the above specifications, you’ll have a bonus to your attack roll with ranged weapons and boosted ranged damage. Adding Hunter’s Mark to the mix, you’ll pack quite a punch! At higher levels, you’ll gain access to Extra Attack as well as additional feats and ability score improvements. A Gloom Stalker Ranger also gets a third attack at level 11! With three attacks, extra damage, and attack-boosting feats, a Gloom Stalker Ranger poses a significant threat.

We recommend dumping any ability score improvements into dexterity to improve your attack rolls for ranged weapons, though wisdom is also a helpful choice. Once you start levelling up and accessing feats, Mobile and Lucky are great ones to take, along with any subclass feats that increase your survivability and ability to maintain consistent damage. Mobile will allow you to move quicker in combat, whether it’s to chase enemies or to gain some distance from them, while Lucky will allow you to re-roll if you lose your concentration. 

If you’re struggling with creating a character, why not check out our example build below? We’ll give you a character to start with, or you can take inspiration for your own! 

Kaelah Shadowfang (Example Build)

Once a part of the Shadowfang Scouts, Kaelah is no stranger to hunting and tracking. From scouting perilous dungeons to tracking down targets, the Shadowfang Scouts were the best of the best. That is, until Kaelah’s fellow scouts left her for dead. Through her determination and skills, Kaelah survived and sought to hunt down those who betrayed her. Picking them off one by one, Kaelah became the only remaining Shadowfang and a legend in her own right. Now, she stands as one of the most infamous hunters there is, sought after by many and feared by all. 

Race: Human Feat: Sharpshooter Background: Outlander Class: Ranger (Gloom Stalker) Recommended Spells: Zephyr Strike, Misty Step, Pass Without Trace Key Ability Scores: Dexterity, Constitution, Wisdom, Darkvision Favored Foe: Humanoids

Advantages: With Sharpshooter on top of Hunter’s Mark, Kaelah can deal high amounts of burst damage from a distance. Combined with her stealth, Kaelah can pick people off before she’s even noticed. She also gets an Extra Attack from the Dread Ambusher feat at level 3, meaning she can deal damage multiple times in one combat turn. Disadvantages: Although Kaelah is incredibly deadly at a ranged distance, she doesn’t have much skill in melee combat. Limited spell slots and concentration on Hunter’s Mark means she needs to manage her resources wisely and create cunning strategies. She may also be vulnerable to magical enemies since many of her skills are non-magical, though the Silence spell is good for combating this!

Conclusion: Hunter's Mark 5e

While Hunter’s Mark might not seem like the most powerful spell in the game, it can be used in tandem with other features to deal massive amounts of weapon damage, turning you into a force to be reckoned with. Although you can use it with melee attacks, it’s highly recommended to use a ranged weapon that keeps you at a safe distance. Not only can you pick off enemies from a distance, but you’ll also be able to maintain concentration and support your party members effectively. 

If you’re looking to play more strategically, Hunter’s Mark is a great start as you learn to combine it with other feats or abilities to dominate as a hunter, survivor, and tracker. When used efficiently, Hunter’s Mark isn’t just about dealing damage but about making every shot count and packing in as much power as possible! With Hunter’s Mark, it’s all about precision, strategy, and survival.