Monster Warden

The Monster Warden archetype embodies a desire to reign, watch over and befriend monstrous and magical animals, while simultaneously showing that such creatures are not as mindless as they are made out to be. Monster Wardens adopt and rear baby monsters orphaned by adventuring parties and form a special bond with them. They raise and train monsters as they would any mundane creature, all while building a relationship of love, discipline, and trust. Once these matured monsters are fully grown, they can make invaluable allies in the battle against relentless and indelible evils  

 Consider how your ranger gained their bond with different creatures. The Monster Warden Origin table offers some examples.

Monster Warden Origins

Monster Wardens Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Monster Warden Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.

Monster Warden Spells

Warden's Companions

At 3rd level, you are joined by a creature that you played a large part in raising. The creature acts as your monster companion as it accompanies you on your adventures, and is trained to fight alongside you. Choose a creature of any type, except humanoid, fiend, construct, giant, or undead, that is no larger than Medium of challenge rating 1 or lower, with an intelligence of no more than 5. Add your proficiency bonus to the monster’s AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in. Like any creature, it can spend Hit Dice during a short rest to regain hit points.

The monster obeys your commands as best as it can. It takes its turn on your initiative, and only takes actions on your command unless it is defending itself. On your turn, you can verbally command the monster where to move (no action required by you), and you can use a bonus action to verbally command it to take the Attack, Dash, or Disengage action. Optionally, you can have your monster companion use a special ability it possesses.

If you are incapacitated or absent, the monster acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself after completing the last command you gave it. The monster never requires your command to use its reaction, such as when making an opportunity attack.

If the monster dies, you can obtain a new companion by spending 8 hours a day for 3 days magically bonding with a monster that isn’t hostile to you and that meets the requirements. Alternatively, you can spend the same amount of time to bond with another monster, after which you can alternate your companion creatures, without the first dying. Once an alternate creature has been bonded to you, you can swap out companions at the end of a long rest, provided the alternate creature is with you for the duration of the long rest, and remains allied to you. Monster companions separated from you will instinctively seek you out when you call for them.

Exceptional Teamwork

Beginning at 7th level, your training and teamwork with your bonded companions magically empowers both you and your companions. You can understand you monster companion in a rudimentary sense, almost like you share a rough language spoken only between the two of you. Also, the monster's attacks now count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

In addition, on any of your turns in which you make a successful attack against a target, you can use your reaction to command your monster companion to immediately attack that target if it is within the monster's reach. Your monster companion has advantage on the attack roll. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a short rest.

Warden's Furious Bond

Starting at 11th level, when you command your monster companion to take the Attack action, the monster can make two attacks, or it can take the Multiattack action if it has that action.

In addition, when you are reduced to zero hit points, your monster companion gains advantage on attack rolls, and a bonus to its damage rolls equal to half your ranger level rounded up against the creature that reduced you to zero hit points. It has disadvantage on attack rolls against targets other than the creature that reduced you to zero hit points, unless those targets are hostile creatures within 15 feet of you. This effect lasts until you stabilize at 1 hit point, or the creature that reduced you to zero hit points dies.

Indomitable Companionship

Beginning at 15th level, when you cast a spell targeting yourself, you can also affect your monster companion with the spell if the companion is within 30 feet of you.

In addition, your experience raising, training, and living with monsters has developed into a true affinity. You gain expertise in Animal Handling and you may now bond with Large or smaller creatures of CR 3 or lower. If your companion is CR 1 or less, than it additionally gains the Pack Tactics feature, and a three-attack Multiattack, if it does not already have these abilities. If your companion is Medium or smaller, and you have had the creature as your companion for longer than 1 month, than the creature grows to be one size larger.