Circle of the Beast
Circle of the Beast druids share a deep love and respect for the beasts of the wild. When initiating into the circle, they bond with a life-long animal companion. Their companions are often an extension of themselves as well as their physical and emotional connection to nature.
Animal Companion
At 2nd level, you learn to use your magic to create a powerful bond with a creature of the natural world.
With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 50 gp worth of rare herbs and fine food, you call forth an animal from the wilderness to serve as your faithful companion. You normally select you companion from among the following animals: an ape, a black bear, a boar, a giant badger, a giant weasel, a mule, a panther, or a wolf. However, your DM might pick one of these animals for you, based on the surrounding terrain and on what types of creatures would logically be present in the area.
At the end of the 8 hours, your animal companion appears and gains all the benefits of your Companion’s Bond ability. You can have only one animal companion at a time.
If your animal companion is ever slain, the magical bond you share allows you to return it to life. With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 25 gp worth of rare herbs and fine food, you call forth your companion’s spirit and use your magic to create a new body for it. You can return an animal companion to life in this manner even if you do not possess any part of its body.
If you use this ability to return a former animal companion to life while you have a current animal companion, your current companion leaves you and is replaced by the restored companion.
Companion's Bond
Your animal companion gains a variety of benefits while it is linked to you.
The animal companion loses its Multiattack action, if it has one.
The companion obeys your commands as best it can. It rolls for initiative like any other creature, but you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your companion acts on its own.
Your animal companion has abilities and game statistics determined in part by your level. Your companion uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. In addition to the areas where it normally uses its proficiency bonus, an animal companion also adds its proficiency bonus to its AC and to its damage rolls.
Your animal companion gains proficiency in two skills of your choice. It also becomes proficient with all saving throws.
For each level you gain after 3rd, your animal companion gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly.
Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your companion’s abilities also improve. Your companion can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your companion can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature, unless specified otherwise.
Additionally, you can cast the spell beast bond on it as a ritual. At 3rd level, you can cast beast sense. You do not need to have these spells prepared to cast them as rituals on your animal companion.
Expanding Companion Options
Depending on the nature of your campaign, or if you ask nicely, the DM might choose to expand the options for your animal companion. As a rule of thumb, a beast can serve as an animal companion if it is Medium or smaller, has 15 or fewer hit points, and cannot deal more than 8 damage with a single attack. In general, that applies to creatures with a challenge rating of 1/4 or less, but there are exceptions.
Companion Wild Shape
Starting at 6th level, you may touch your companion to use your Wild Shape to shape shift it into a form of your choosing. You may choose any form that obeys the druid Wild Shape limitations or to enhance its current form as if it were under the effects of enlarge. If your companion is shape shifted, it follows the transformation rules of Wild Shape. It retains the benefits of your Companion's Bond feature, but it does not lose its Multiattack action, if the new form has one.
Natural Selection
At 10th level, your animal companion gains one of the following traits, if it doesn't have it already. If your companion dies and you bond with a new one, you may select a different trait for it.
Onslaught. Your companion can use its action to make a melee attack against each creature of its choice within 5 feet of it, with a separate attack roll for each target.
Pack Tactics. Your companion gains advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Pounce. If your companion moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and hits it with a melee attack on the same turn, the creature must make a DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your pet's Strength modifier Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is knocked prone, your companion can make a single melee attack against it.
Rampage. Once per round, when your companion reduces a creature to 0 hit points with an attack on its turn, it can to move up to half its speed and make a single melee attack.
Relentless. If your companion takes damage equal to your druid level or less that would reduce it to 0 hit points, it is reduced to 1 hit point instead. This can only be used once and recharges on a short or long rest.
Resistance. Choose acid, cold, fire, lightning, necrotic, or poison. Your companion gains resistance to the selected damage type.
Fight As One
When you reach 14th level, when you cast a spell or make an attack, your companion can move up to half its speed and make a melee attack against a creature targeted by that spell or attack as a part of that action.
In addition, when you and your companion can see each other, you both gain advantage on saving throws to resist or overcome being charmed or frightened.
Credits
Subclass by StrayChowChow
Art by Eva Widermann
Beast Companion Rules from Ranger, Revised in Unearthed Arcana (Wizards of the Coast)