# Beastmaster Ranger; Invocation-Style (o.1) ___ > This is a splinter homebrew inspired by some feedback to [my previous attempt at a beastmaster](https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/B1uBOmcMz), namely, that the point system is over-complicated, but that simplifying it could result in something cool. > > The core concept is... Still sort of similar. Modular-ly creating the creature *you* want as a pet through a collection of abilities. This does aim to be the more simple and straightforward, and in both this and future iterations of the point buy based attempt, things will be more organized. > > This is long. Very. By it's basic formula, it has to be. However, I dare say, including the viable creature's stat blocks into the length of the Revised Ranger, it'd be about on par. And, this feels more intuitive to me, allowing the player to make decisions in some amount of detail about their companion's abilities. ### Unique Bond. Whether the creature you now call your companion was born or hatched by your side, or some encounter led to you forming this bond at a later date, your experiences by each other's side have defined this creature almost as much as it's original species. At level 3, regardless of it's origins, this creature becomes prepared to fight alongside you and your allies. You design the personality, alignment, and other such traits of your pet, and it gains a bond describing it's loyalty to you. Furthermore, at level 3, and as you take more levels in this class, you will be able to select additional traits and abilities to help define exactly what your companion is, and maintain their ability to fight alongside you. If the stats your companion has when it joins you are not fully on par with the base creature of the monster manual, this probably implies the animal is at least somewhat younger than others of it's kind, though it will grow as it continues to adventure alongside you. Your companion acts freely on your initiative, following your instructions if it has them, or, if you are incapacitated or otherwise unable to communicate, verbally or otherwise, it acts in favour of your interests as far as it understands and is able to. If your companion dies, you may undergo an 8 hour ritual which costs 50 GP in gold in order to revive them, the strength of your bond able to make this process much easier than usual. By default, you can't ride your companion, though it becomes an option at certain points, depending on your race's size. ___ > ## Base Companion Template > > ___ > - **Armor Class** 10 + Dexterity Modifier > - **Hit Points** 8 for first level, (5 or 1d8) + Constitution modifier per Ranger level after that. (For example, at level 3, a creature with 10 Constitution would have 18 hit points.) > - **Speed** 30ft. > - **Proficiency Bonus:** Equal to your Proficiency Bonus. >___ > - **Stats:** You have a stat array of 14, 14, 12 10, 10, 8, which you can assign into any of the companion's stats as you see fit. > - The companion then takes a -2 penalty to it's intelligence. >___ > - **Condition Immunities** none > - **Senses** standard passive perception > - **Languages** Understands one language you know but cannot speak. > - **Saving Throws:** Proficient in 1 saving throw of the following types; Strength, Intelligence or Charisma, and 1 saving throw from the following; Dexterity, Constitution or Wisdom. > - **Skills:** Shares two skills you are proficient in > ___ > ### Actions > ***Natural Weapon Attack:*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* reach 5ft., one target. *Hit:* (1d6 + Strength Modifier) Bludgeoning, Piercing or Slashing . ### Size When you reach 3rd level, you can select the size your creature will be as it starts it's adventure alongside you. Some abilities are only available to creatures of certain sizes, though. For example, it's incredibly hard for a tiny creature to knock anything prone. At this point, the sizes you can choose from are tiny, small, and medium. ### Talents A list of talents available at 3rd level is on the following page. You can only take a talent if you meet all of it's requirements, and some talents don't work alongside others. At 3rd level, you can select three of the talents available to modify your companion. Some of these can only be taken when you're first creating your companion, so make sure to check and make sure you're not missing something essential. You can only take any one talent once. \pagebreakNum #### Aquatic *Requires: 3rd Level* Your companion gains a swim speed of 30' and the ability to breathe both water and air. #### Arachnid Talents *Requires: 3rd Level* Your companion is adapted for life in dark caves, has a 30-foot climb speed and can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. Additionally, while in contact with a web, the companion knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web. Your companion can spend an hour to setup enough webbing to use this ability across a 5' by 5' area. Finally, your companion ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing. #### Digging Expertise *Requires: 3rd level.* Your companion gains a 30' burrowing speed and, while they're using this speed, they can sense statonary differences to the underground terrain such as caverns or pockets of iron ore within a 60' distance. #### Flight *Requires: Tiny or Small Size to take at 3rd level, Medium size to take at 11th level, can be freely taken at 15th;* Your companion gains a 30' flight speed. #### Speedy All of your companion's speeds increase by 10 feet. #### Keen Senses Choose two of your companion's senses. They gain advantage on Perception and Investigation checks relying on those two senses. #### Darkvision Your companion gains darkvision out to 60 feet. They can now see in dim light as if it were bright light, and Darkness as if it were dim light, though they can only see in darkness in shades of grey. #### Natural Armor Your companion's AC is now equal to; 13 + their Dexterity modifier. #### Rugged *Requires: Medium or Large size* Your companion gains 6 extra hit points, and gains an additional 2 for each further level you take in this class. #### Beast of Burden *Requires: Small, Medium or Large Size;* Your companion can be ridden if it is one size larger than the player's character, as per the rules for an intelligent mount, and counts as one size larger for the purposes of calculating it's Carrying Capacity. Additionally, your companion gains a 30' Climb Speed and is proficient in Athletics if it wasn't already. #### Precise Attacks *Requires: Tiny or Small Size* Your companion can choose to use their Dexterity, instead of their Strength, when calculating it's attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throw DC. Additionally, their attacks now deal 1d8 bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage. #### Forceful Attack The Companion gains an additional attack which functions like their regular attack, but forces the creature to make a Strength Saving throw or fall prone. (Save DC: 8 + Companion's Proficiency Bonus + Companion's Strength Modifier.) #### Constrictive Attack: The Companion gains an additional attack which functions like their regular attack, but forces the creature to make a Strength or Dexterity Saving throw or become grappled. Both the saving throw and escape DC are calculated as follows (Save DC: 8 + Creature's Proficiency Bonus + Creature's Strength Modifier.) This DC cannot be modified by Precise Attacks. #### Venemous Attack *Requires: Not being taken alongside Vicious Attack or Draconic Claws* Your companion gains a new attack which functions like their regular attack, but deals an additional 2d6 poison damage. A creature can make a constitution saving throw when hit, taking half damage instead on a success. (Save DC: 8 + Creature's Proficiency Bonus + Creature's Constitution Modifier.) #### Vicious Attack *Requires: Not being taken alongside Venemous Attack or Draconic Claws, Medium or Large size* Your Companion's attacks now deal 3d4 Piercing, Bludgeoning or Slashing damage instead of 1d6. #### Talented Your companion gains proficiency in two more skills from the following list: Acrobatics, Athletics, Animal Handling, Insight, Deception, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Persuasion, Performance, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Survival. Whenever your companion instead helps another creature with any skill check your companion is proficient in, the creature recieving the aid rolls the check with advantage, and then adds 1d4 to the final result. \pagebreakNum ### Variant: Supernatural Talent Options The following options, and options which use these as pre-requisites, are a variant due to how they depart from what was standard for the ranger. I think all sentient creatures can be befriended in a similar way to the Animal of the standard beastmaster, but some may disagree, so this is optional. You can only take one of the following features, and will not be able to take any features which change your companion's creature type after 3rd level. #### Monstrous Beauty *Requires: 3rd Level* Choose Persuasion, Performance or Intimidation. Your companion adds twice it's proficiency bonus to all checks involving that skill. Additionally, your companion counts as a Monstrosity. #### Draconic Scales *Requires: 3rd Level* Your companion is a baby dragon, seperated from it's clutch as an egg and then hatched by you. Your companion counts as a Draconic creature, and you must choose it's colour from the table below. This will determine which damage type and saving throw later features will do, although currently, your companion only gains resistance to the damage type listed in the table. ##### Dragon Types | Colour | Damage Type | |:----|:---------| | Black | Acid | | Blue | Lightning | | Brass | Fire | | Bronze | Lightning | | Copper | Acid | | Gold | Fire | | Green | Poison | | Red | Fire | | Silver | Cold | | White | Cold | Additionally, your companion gains an ability to thicken their scales by devouring special meals. By spending the GP cost of a set of armor in the PHB (Not shields), as long as the companion meets the strength requirements to wear that armor, you can purchase a meal with certain special ingredients. Once the dragon has finished consuming that meal, which takes ten minutes, it's AC is then calculated using the stats for that set of armor, although, it doesn't incur disadvantage on any stealth checks from that. This lasts until the dragon eats a new special meal by these rules, when that happens, the dragon will use the AC calculation of the set of armor that the most recent meal was based on. \columnbreak #### Draconic Claws *Requires: 3rd Level, not being taken alongside Vicious Attack or Venemous Attack* Your companion is a baby dragon, seperated from it's clutch as an egg and then hatched by you. Your companion counts as a Draconic creature, and you must choose it's colour from the table above. This will determine which damage type and saving throw later features will use. Additionally, your companion's attacks deal an additional 1d6 damage of that type. #### Vigour of Undeath *Requires: 3rd Level* Your companion is a mundane creature... sort of. They died. A little. But it's okay now, they're back. Enough. Your companion counts as an undead creature, gains resistance to necrotic damage, and the following ability. Your companion is immune to healing spells, however, they can spend one hit dice to regain hit points as a bonus action. They also regain a number of hit dice equal to your wisdom modifier when you finish a short rest. #### Celestial Spark; *Requires: 3rd Level* Your companion is a rare and precious creature, a Celestial living on the material plane. The most well-known of such creatures are unicorns, others being too well-hidden to gain similar recognition. Your companion is still far too young for it's more powerful abilities to show, but it gains a couple benefits, alongside being counted as a Celestial rather than a Beast. (though it is still considered native to the material plane.) Firstly, your companion is resistant to Radiant and Necrotic damage. Secondly, it can use a bonus action to emit bright, silvery sunlight to a 10' radius, and dim light for another 10 feet. It can end this effect using another bonus action. #### Fey Trickery *Requires: 3rd Level* Your companion is some creature descended from the inhabitants of the feywild, and though it's young, it still has a few tricks up it's sleeve. Your companion counts as a fey creature, though, it is still native to the material plane. Firstly, choose one damage type from Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing. Your companion resists damage of that dealt by non-magical weapons that aren't made of Cold Iron Secondly, your companion learns and can use the Minor Illusion and Dancing Lights cantrips. Charisma is it's spellcasting ability for these spells. #### Ooze form *Requires: 3rd Level* Your companion is a blob. As a Blob, they are kinda useful. Probably. I dunno. Your companion counts as an ooze and gains resistance to acid damage. Additionally, any poison damage your companion deals is changed to acid damage. \pagebreakNum ### Instinctive Combos Starting at 5th level, you and your companion don't need to communicate to understand each other's thoughts in the flow of combat, you can just roll with the flow. At the start of each of your turns, choose yourself or your companion. If you choose yourself, when you take the attack action, you can make two attacks instead of one. If you chose your companion instead, they can use any two of their attacks this turn, or, they can use the same attack twice. > Compatibility with the PHB Ranger: This replaces extra Attack at 5th level for Beastmasters. ### Focused Power. From 7th level, your companion is able to clear their mind and focus. During combat, at least. Their attacks which deal Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing now count as magical for the purposes of bypassing resistances to those types. ### Companion's Growth Also, when you reach 7th level, if doing so wouldn't break the requirements for any abilities (after taking changes in those requirements into account), you can choose to increase your companion's size by one stage, so, from tiny to small, small to medium, or medium to large. #### Additional Abilities Finally, at 7th level, your companion can take an additional two abilities, taken from either the level 3 list, or the new one below, as long as they now meet the requirements, or from one of the following traits. #### Toughened Hide Your companion gains 7 additional HP, and will gain another 1 every time you take another level in this class. Additionally, they gain a bonus +1 to AC. #### Trampling Charge *Requires; Medium or Large size.* If the Companion moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with it's Forceful Attack on the same turn, the DC to not fall prone is increased by +2. If the target falls Prone due to this Attack, the companion can make additional attack against it using it's bonus action. #### Endurance *Requires: Medium or Large size* Your companion has advantage on all saving throws. #### Evasion *Requires: Tiny or Small size* When your companion is subjected to an effect that allows them to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, they instead take no damage if they succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if they fail. \columnbreak #### Quick Pass *Requires; Tiny or Small Size* Your companion can take the disengage action as a bonus action. #### Intimidating Roar *Requires; Medium or Large Size* Your companion can let out a deep bellow and glare at one creature within 60' of it, as a bonus action. That creature must make a wisdom saving throw or be frightened of your companion, and use it's reaction to move 30' away from them. The DC for this saving throw is equal to 8 + your companion's Charisma (Intimidation) bonus. #### Brace for Impact Your companion can use it's bonus action to prepare itself for an incoming attack. The next attack to land before the start of your companion's next turn deals half damage. #### Stop hitting yourself *Requires: Tiny size* Your companion can use their action make an Athletics or Acrobatics check, contested by the other creature's athletics check. If your companion succeeds on this check, they climb onto the other creature, and can use a bonus action on each of their turns to redirect the next attack which would target them, onto the creature they've climbed upon. The other creature or one of it's allies can use it's action to make an Athletics check vs. your companion's Athletics or Acrobatics check, to try and tear your companion off. This effect ends if they succeed. #### Sapience *Requires: Intelligence Score of 10 or higher.* Your companion has become capable of thought and reason, on the same level as any humanoid creature. They learn one additional language you know, can speak both, and gain the ability to choose to take Feats instead of Ability Score Increases, if feats are allowed in the game. #### The Pack Hunts *Requires: Beast creature type, Charisma Score of 14 or higher* Your companion gains the ability to call forth others of it's kind to aid you in combat. Your companion can use it's action to cast *Conjure Animals* once. The creatures summoned are a fitting number of the same type of animal as your companion, though it uses their standard stat blocks as found in the *Monster Manual.* Creatures summoned in this fashion are mundane creatures who rush to your aid, not supernatural entities, so they remain beasts rather than becoming Fey. Your Companion regains the ability to cast the spell in this fashion when you complete a long rest. You can take this Talent up to three times. The first time you take it, your companion casts the spell as if it were using a 3rd level slot. The second time you take it, the spell is cast as if a 5th level slot was used. If you've taken it 3 times, the spell is cast as if a 7th level slot is used. \pagebreakNum #### Healing Radiance *Requires: Fey or Celestial* Your companion can use it's action to touch a creature and restore a number of hit points to that creature equal to 2d8 + their Charisma modifier. Alternatively, they can expend a use of this ability to cast Lesser Restoration on the target. They can use this ability a number of times equal to your wisdom modifier, regaining all spent uses at the end of a long rest. #### Undead Fortitude If damage reduces your companion to 0 hit points, they must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, your companion drops to 1 hit point instead. They can use this ability a number of times equal to your wisdom modifier, regaining all spent uses at the end of a long rest. #### Gooey Ooze *Requires: Ooze Creature Type* Your companion gains advantage to hit any creature it has grappled, and can fit through spaces as small as 1' without it's movement being impeded at all. Creatures who damage your companion with a melee attack have to make a Dexterity saving throw, which has a DC equal to 10 + your companion's proficiency bonus. On a failure, the creature that attacked your companion takes 1d6 acid damage for every ten points of damage they dealt (rounded down, minimum of 1d6). #### Draconic Hide *Requires: Draconic creature type, not being taken alongside Draconic Scales* Your companion's scales thicken and toughen, gaining resistance to a damage type matching it's colour chosen at 3rd. Additionally, your companion gains an ability to thicken their scales by devouring special meals. By spending the GP cost of a set of armor in the PHB (Not shields), as long as the companion meets the strength requirements to wear that armor, you can purchase a meal with certain special ingredients. Once the dragon has finished consuming that meal, which takes ten minutes, it's AC is then calculated using the stats for that set of armor, although, it doesn't incur disadvantage on any stealth checks from that. This lasts until the dragon eats a new special meal by these rules, when that happens, the dragon will use the AC calculation of the set of armor that the most recent meal was based on. #### Draconic Fangs *Requires: Draconic creature type, not being taken alongside Draconic Claws, Vicious Attack or Venemous Attack* Your companion's attacks deal an additional 1d6 damage of the damage type matching it's colour chosen at 3rd. \columnbreak #### Draconic Breath *Requires: Draconic creature type* Your companion gains a new attack. They can use this in place of any regular attack. The breath weapon deals 5d6 damage, of a type based on the colour of dragon you chose at 3rd. This colour also determines the shape of the area and type of saving throw creatures within it must make. The DC of this saving throw is equal to 8 + the companion's proficiency bonus + their Charisma modifier. On a successful saving throw, the affected creatures take half damage. ##### Dragon Type | Colour | Damage Type | Breath Weapon |:----|:---------|:------------| | Black | Acid | 5 by 30 ft. line (Dex save) | Blue | Lightning | 5 by 30 ft. line (Dex save) | Brass | Fire | 5 by 30 ft. line (Dex save) | Bronze | Lightning | 5 by 30 ft. line (Dex save) | Copper | Acid | 5 by 30 ft. line (Dex save ) | Gold | Fire | 15 ft. cone (Dex save) | Green | Poison | 15 ft. cone (Con save) | Red | Fire | 15 ft. cone (Dex save) | Silver | Cold | 15 ft. cone (Con save) | White | Cold | 15 ft. cone (Con save) They can use this ability a number of times equal to your wisdom modifier, regaining all spent uses at the end of a long rest. #### Planeswalking *Requires: Fey creature type* Your companion gains the ability to cast the *Misty Step* spell. They can cast this spell a number of times equal to your wisdom modifier, regaining all spent uses at the end of a long rest. #### Condemnation *Requires: Celestial creature type* Your companion gains the ability to use their bonus action when they hit with a melee attack to add 2d6 Radiant damage. They can use this ability a number of times equal to your wisdom modifier, regaining all spent uses at the end of a long rest. #### Monstrous Adaptability *Requires: Monstrosity type* Your companion gains one additional ability, which it can select regardless of size or creature type restrictions. It still has to obey level-based restrictions, though. (Including restrictions which mention both level and size.) \pagebreakNum ### Trained Defenses Starting when you reach 11th level, your companion gains proficiency in all saving throws. #### Young Adult Companion Also, when you reach 11th level, if doing so wouldn't break the requirements for any abilities (after taking changes in those requirements into account), you can choose to increase your companion's size by one stage, so, from tiny to small, small to medium, or medium to large. #### Peak of Training Finally, at 11th level, your companion can take an additional one ability, taken from either of the previous lists, as long as they now meet the requirements, or from one of the following traits. ### Mastered Teamwork Starting at 15th level, if you would gain a benefit from a spell, your companion shares those benefits. For example, they would gain the healing from someone casting *Cure Wounds* on you, or the damage bonus from you casting *Hunter's Mark* on an enemy. Additionally, both you and your companion can use the help action on each other as a bonus action while you are within 30' of each other. #### Adult Companion Also, when you reach 15th level, if doing so wouldn't break the requirements for any abilities (after taking changes in those requirements into account), you can choose to increase your companion's size by one stage, so, from tiny to small, small to medium, or medium to large.