Ranger Archetype
At 3rd level, a ranger gains the Ranger Archetype feature. The following option, the Beast Master, is available to a ranger as an alternative to the option of the same name presented within the Player's Handbook.
Beast Master
The Beast Master archetype embodies a friendship between the civilized races and the beasts of the world. United in focus, beast and ranger work as one to fight the monstrous foes that threaten civilization and wilderness alike. Emulating the Beast Master archetype means committing yourself to this ideal, working in partnership with an animal as its companion and friend.
Beast Master Features
| Ranger Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Beast Master Magic, Kindred Spirit, Animal Companion, Companions Bond |
| 7th | Primal Strikes, Beast Training |
| 11th | Rush of the Fittest |
| 15th | Beast Master's Defense |
Beast Master Magic
Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Beast Master Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.
Beast Master Spells
| Ranger Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | animal friendship |
| 5th | beast sense |
| 9th | conjure animals |
| 13th | dominate beast |
| 17th | awaken |
Kindred Spirit
Starting at 3rd level, you have an innate ability to communicate with beasts, and they recognize you as a kindred spirit.
Through sounds and gestures, you can communicate simple ideas to a beast that can see or hear you as an action, and can read its basic mood and intent. You learn its emotional state, whether it is affected by magic of any sort, its short-term needs (such as food or safety), and actions you can take (if any) to persuade it to not attack.
You cannot use this feature against a creature that you have attacked within the past 10 minutes.
Animal Companion
At 3rd level, you create a magical bond with a beast and gain its services as an animal companion. Choose a beast that is no larger than Medium and has a challenge rating of 1/2 or lower. Potential companions include an ape, black bear, boar, giant badger, giant weasel, mule, panther or wolf. This beast becomes bonded to you as your animal companion, and gains a number of benefits while you share this bond, as described in the Companions Bond feature below.
By spending 1 hour with a suitable beast that is not hostile towards you, and by expending 25gp worth of rare herbs and fine foods, you can similarly create a magical bond with another beast and gain its services as an animal companion.
You can only have one animal companion at a time. When you bond another beast, your previous companion leaves your service and rejoins the wilds, though it remains close to you if you ever need it's service again. Your previous companion loses the benefits of your Companions Bond feature, and is no longer bonded to you.
When you bond another beast in this way, your new animal companion gains the benefits of your Companions Bond feature as if it had been your companion since you'd gained this archetypes features at 3rd level or since you had last bonded it. Once you have chosen a feature for your companion, such as an Ability Score Improvement or Specialized Beast Training at 7th level, it cannot be changed.
Companions Bond
Also at 3rd level, your animal companion gains the benefits of this feature while you are bonded to it.
Your companion understands all the languages you know, and obeys your commands as best it can. It takes it's turn on your initiative, and you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on (no action required by you). If you are incapacitated or absent, your companion acts on its own. While it is bonded to you, your animal companion loses its Multiattack action, if it has one.
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 if it is not wearing barding. Your companion is proficient in all saving throws you are proficient in.
Companion Personality
Your companions share your alignment, and have a personality trait and a flaw that you can roll for or select from the tables below. Your companions share your ideal, and their bond is always, “The ranger who travels with me is a beloved companion for whom I would gladly give my life”.
A beast master's relationship with their animal companion goes beyond just mere necessity. Bonds of friendship, born of battle and shared experience tie you together stronger then any magic bond. Consider the personality of your companion, and how each of your companions differ from each other.
| d6 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I'm dauntless in the face of adversity. I never back down from a challenge. |
| 2 | Threaten my friends, you threaten me. |
| 3 | I stay on alert so others can rest. |
| 4 | People see an animal and underestimate me. I use that to my advantage. |
| 5 | I like to hoard trinkets, scraps, and trophies in hidden places. |
| 6 | I put my friend's needs before my own in all things. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | If there's food left unattended, I'll eat it. |
| 2 | I growl at strangers, and all people except my ranger are strangers to me. |
| 3 | Any time is a good time for a belly rub. |
| 4 | I'm deathly afraid of water. |
| 5 | My idea of hello is a flurry of licks to the face. |
| 6 | I've grown used to the comforts of civilization, and I am loath to return to the wilds. |
For each ranger level you gain after 3rd, your animal companions hit points increase by 5 + your companion's Constitution modifier. When your animal companion finishes a short rest, instead of rolling hit dice, it automatically regains hit points equal to half it's maximum hit points. When your companion is reduced to 0 hit points, it makes death saving throws as you would.
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 its description specifies otherwise.
Finally, while traveling through your favored terrain with only your companion, you and your companion can move stealthily at a normal pace.
Primal Strikes
Starting at 7th level, the attacks of your animal companion count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Beast Training
Beginning at 7th level, the magical bond you share with your animal companion allows you to hone it's skills and specialize it to specific endeavors. Your animal companions gain one of the following features of your choice while it is bonded to you.
Ferocious. Whenever you or your animal companion reduces a creature to 0 hit points, your companion can use it's reaction to make an attack against a creature within reach.
Guardian. When your companion hits a creature with an attack, that creature has disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures that are within 5 feet of your companion until the end of your next turn.
Mount. Your companion's size increases by one category, to a maximum size of Large. In addition, your animal companion's speed increases by 10 feet, and when mounting or dismounting your companion, it costs only 5 feet of movement rather than half your movement.
Resilient. When you roll initiative and your companion is within 60 feet of you, your companion gains temporary hit points equal to your ranger level.
Specialized. Your animal companion gains proficiency in two skills of your choice. Alternatively, you can choose any skill the beast is already proficient in. Your animal companion's proficiency bonus is doubled for those skill proficiencies.
Rush of the Fittest
At 11th level, as a bonus action on your turn, you can imbue your companion with the primal power of the fittest beasts.
For 1 minute, your companion gains an additional action on each of its turns. This action can be used only to take the Attack (one weapon attack only), Dash, Disengage, Help, or Hide actions.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Beast Master's Defense
At 15th level, just as you seek to defend your companion, your companion seeks to protect you from harm.
Whenever an attacker that your companion can see hits it with an attack, or hits you while your companion is within 5 feet of you, your companion can use its reaction to halve the attack's damage against the target of the attack.
Optional Rule: Resurrection
If one of your animal companions is ever slain, instead of reviving it through the normal methods, you can instead use this optional rule.
The magical connection you share with your companion allows you to return it to life with a new body. At the end of a long rest, you can make a Wisdom check against a DC of 15. You can expend a spell slot of 1st-level or higher when you make this check to reduce the DC by an amount equal to twice the spell slot level you expended. On a success, your companion is restored to life with 1 hit point. You can return an animal companion to life in this manner even if you do not possess any part of its body.
Credits
Designer: Muat (/u/muatt88) using GMBinder
Art in Order of Apearence:
- Snow Mountain by Hongqi Zhang
- Ranger by Aurore Folny
- Paint by ZakraArt
- Meeting in the Woods by Sergey Averkin
Special Thanks: Discord of Many Things for their suggestions, thoughts and criticisms.
Beast Master (Ranger Subclass Variant) is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Changelog
Version 1.2 (30/03/2019)
- Properly implemented the ability to automatically gain a companion at 3rd level.
- Bolded the example companion options.
Version 1.1 (26/03/2019)
- Removed the Proficiency Bonus to the companions damage.
- Changed Beast Masters Defense ("halve an attacks damage" from "advantage on a saving throw").
- Reformatted the placement of the Companions Personality side note.
- Added following clause to end of Animal Companion feature: "Once you have chosen a feature for your companion, such as an Ability Score Improvement or Specialized Beast Training at 7th level, it cannot be changed."
Version 1.0 (13/03/2019)