Monster Trainer

I will be the very best, like noone ever was. To catch them was my real test, to train them was my cause. So goes the motto of Monster Trainers, those who dedicate themself to a partnership with dangerous and strange beasts across the lands. Though the reality of owning a physical pet is far more grim and inconvenient, Monster Trainers have managed to mix magic and technological advancements in order to bring out the essence of the great beasts. Their strengths, and their weaknesses alike. 

Level 3: Companion Bond

As an action using a spell slot of any level, you magically summon a Monster within 5ft of you, which draws strength from your bonds with one another. You also determine the kind of animal it is, choosing an appearance appropriate for it's monster trainer abilities, along with it's size (small, medium or large). Whatever beast you choose, it bears a fantastical design, indicating its supernatural origin. You can only summon one monster at a time this way, dismissing an old one should it exist. The monster does not have it's own turn in initiative, but must occupy unoccupied space. The monster is directly tied to your magical power, relying on the strength of your magic in order to do battle, therefore lasting an amount of hours equal to the level of the spell slot used to summon it.

Whenever you cast a spell, you may do so from the monster's position, as if they were casting it. While casting in this way, different kinds of beasts can modify your spells in different ways. As you grow as a Monster Trainer, you will come across a greater variety of potential monsters; however. You must prepare and capture the essence of monsters ahead of time. How this preparation is done is up to your own specific methods; however, you can only have a maximum amount of monsters prepared equal to your proficiency bonus. If your monster prepares you a spell of a level above your usual, you may still cast it using the highest level spell slot you have.

The monster shares all of your stats unless stated otherwise, and whenever it would take damage, you also take that damage. If the source would affect multiple targets, you don't take damage as if you were two separate creatures, nor do you make separate saving throws. When you reach zero hit points, any summoned monsters disappear. The First type of Monster you learn to tame is listed below:

Elemental: You learn to summon a monster than represents cold, lightning, thunder, fire or acid. Whichever one you choose, when you cast a spell of these types, you can change that spell's damage type to the one matching your monster's. In addition, when summoned, you may prepare an additional spell of a level you can cast from any spell list, that deals the damage type corresponding to your monster that lasts until that monster fades. If you cast absorb elements through your monster, you get a resistance tied to their type, as well as one of your choice.

 

Level 7: Type Advantages and Disadvantages

Your monsters attack using you as a proxy, but now they can scout enemies for type weaknesses and strengths. When summoning a monster, you may choose up to 3 damage types. Whenever you attack via a monster, you can have it deal 1 damage of one of those 3 type, revealing vulnerability, immunity, or another ability that interacts with that damage. The damage they deal should be realistically described based on their physiology. For example, a horse made of ice doing cold damage is reasonable, but fire, or slashing? not as much. Try to describe the appearance of your monsters to cover all 3 times you plan on selecting. You also learn new forms for the monsters to take on.

You learn to summon a more complex type of Monster; the sturdy and ever stalwart defensive behemoths. They come in three potential forms, details below:

Rock/Steel/Ground: With this monster out, you prepare one spell depending on the kind of monster. While casting these spells, they gain these special benefits:

Rock: You can cast blade ward as a bonus action up to 3 times per long rest.

Steel: You can cast the blade barrier spell once without using a spell slot, and without needing the proper spell level to use. Recharges on a long rest.

Ground: You may cast the erupting earth spell, except it deals an additional 3d12 damage, and when upcast, it's damage increases by 3d12, instead of 1d12. You can only upcast to a maximum of 5th level with this version of the spell. 

Level 11: Unbreakable Ties

You take on a role not many rangers step into. That of a proper caster, or at least, one akin to one. At 11th level, 13th level, and 15th level, you gain a natural arcanum similar to the warlock's mystic arcanum that you can use in order to cast spells through your monsters at 6th, 7th and 8th level respectively. You prepare these spells ahead of time, preparing from a different casters list depending on the type of monster:

Elemental: Sorcerer or Wizard

Stone/Steel/Rock: Druid or Warlock

Flying/Dragon: Cleric or Bard

Once you use an arcanum, regardless of what prepared spell was cast from it, it recharges on a long rest.

Level 15: Generational Advantage

Your final monster is the most powerful of all, the proud dragons. To pair with this, your magic is also at it's peak, allowing you to power up your monsters in a large variety of ways. Choose one benifit from the list below by expending an additional 5th level spell slot as a bonus action, some time after you've summoned your monster. The benifit lasts 3 rounds.

- The monster grows up to huge size, spells cast through this with a range of touch deal extra damage die equal to half your ranger level.

- The monster goes through a Mega evolution, allowing it to rapidly adapt to any situation. It gains a damage resistance of it's choice when it is attacked (but not when you are), and damaging spells that do not impose a condition cast through it become significantly more powerful. If you would miss, or a creature would save by 5 or less, you can use your reaction to modify the roll by 5, potentially turning successes into fails and misses into hits. 

- The monster unleashes it's full potential, changing it's type. It becomes it's original type, plus another one you can summon.

Flying: While touching your summoned monster, you and it have a flight speed equal to your walking speed. In addition, you may also gain the traits of the dragon type (at the same time):

Dragon: When you cast a damaging spell through the monster, you may turn it into a 5ft wide, 120ft long line that deals additional damage die equal to your wisdom modifier. If the spell makes an attack roll, make an attack against each individual creature in that line. Same with a saving throw. Spells that make multiple attack rolls cannot be used for this ability. The spell affects a creature normally