Grim and determined, explicators root out crime, corruption, hidden threats, and enemies within. Similar to paladins, explicators are associated with a religious organization, deity, ideology, vow, or have some other bond with the divine. However, they are generally much more willing to use intimidation and guile when righteousness and purity are not enough.
When you cast Hunter's Mark, choose one of the following feature options. Until the spell ends, you gain the benefit of the chosen effect:
Destruction. When you deal damage to the target of your Hunter's Mark, you deal bonus damage equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1) and all of the damage can be its normal damage type or Force damage (your choice).
Fulmination. The damage type of the extra damage from your Hunter's Mark is Lightning instead of Force. If you miss your marked target with an attack roll, you can roll the bonus damage dice from your Hunter's Mark and deal Lightning damage to that creature equal to the result.
Protection. You have +1 AC and gain a +1 bonus to all of your saving throws.
Recuperation. At the start of your turn, if you have at least 1 Hit Point remaining you regain a number of Hit Points equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). Additionally, once per turn if you fail a saving throw to remove a condition on yourself you may reroll it.
Your dedication to your craft ensures you always have certain spells ready.
When you reach a Ranger level specified in the Explicator Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared. They are Ranger spells for you and do not count against your Prepared Spell limit.
| Ranger Level | Spells |
|---|---|
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Detect Evil and Good, Protection from Evil and Good, Toll the Dead |
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See Invisibility, Zone of Truth |
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Tongues, Speak with Dead |
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Banishment, Death Ward |
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Dispel Evil and Good, Modify Memory |
Choose one from Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, or Persuasion. You gain Expertise with the chosen skill if you are already proficient, otherwise you gain proficiency with the chosen skill.
When you cast Hunter's Mark and also whenever you are able to move the spell's mark to a new creature, you can put the mark on yourself instead. In subsequent turns until the spell ends you can move the mark off of yourself to another creature you can see within 90 feet as a Bonus Action. While you bear your own mark the normal function of the spell does not affect you, and you gain the following benefits:
Divine Judgment. The Protection or Recuperation options of your Divine Judgment feature still function, if currently selected.
Gaze Sternly. You can use Wisdom for your Deception, Intimidation, Investigation, and Persuasion checks.
Marked Intuition. You have Advantage on checks with the skill you chose for your Inquisitive feature. Additionally, when you roll initiative you can add your Wisdom modifier to your result (minimum 1).
You can choose a different Divine Judgment option each time you move your Hunter's Mark to a different creature. The following effects are also now among your Divine Judgment options:
Adjuration. As a Magic action you can cast the Command spell without a spell slot on the target of your Hunter's Mark.
Bifurcation. As a Bonus Action you can temporarily mark a second creature that you can see within 90 feet of the currently marked creature. However, this temporary second mark vanishes at the end of your turn. You can use this option while you bear your own mark.
Indagation. The target of your Hunter's Mark is outlined in red, orange, or yellow light (your choice) and cannot benefit from the Invisible condition. This outlining is visible even in fog, magical darkness, or other forms of concealment, and attacks or Wisdom (Perception) checks against the outlined creature do not suffer from Disadvantage due to poor visibility. Finally, while the mark is on the target their movement leaves a glowing mist-like trail behind them and their footsteps leave a glowing imprint of the chosen color, clearly showing their path and making it trivial for anyone who can see to track them.
Purgation. If you reduce the target of your Hunter's Mark to 0 Hit Points, you can choose to immediately move your mark to another creature that you can see within 90 feet of the currently marked creature, or to end your Hunter's Mark spell to force the target to make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, the target and everything nonmagical it is wearing and carrying are disintegrated into gray dust and they can be revived only by a True Resurrection or Wish spell.
When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make an Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma saving throw to suffer a reduced effect (including only taking half damage), you are instead unaffected if you succeed. You can't use this feature if you are Incapacitated.