Base Class: Ranger
The Saurian is at home in the wilds, able to act as a capable guide, tracker, or warrior when necessary. As a Saurian you become a guardian of primal nature and master of the hunt, bonding with a powerful, ancient beast that can be trained to bolster its allies, debilitate its enemies, or empower itself. This beast grows alongside you as your connection grows.
Level 3: Ancient Companion
At 3rd level, you gain an ancient beast companion that accompanies you on your adventures and is trained to fight alongside you. This Beast will grow in power with you, adding more utility to it. As it levels, its stat block will change - starting at Juvenile.
- Initiative: The beast shares your initiative and takes its turn during yours. It can move on its own and follows your commands.
- Actions: You can use a free action to command the beast to take an action. If you are incapacitated or absent, the beast can take any action of its choice.
- Abilities: The beast makes Intimidation skill checks with Strength instead of Charisma.
- Spells: When you cast a healing spell at your companion during combat, it heals the maximum amount. This feature can only be used once per combat encounter.
While traveling through your favored terrain with only the beast, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
If your beast dies, you can revive it within one day of its death if it's spirit is willing. The resurrection takes 10 minutes of concentration, and if your perform the ritual without the beast's body present, both you and your beast gain a level of exhaustion after the ritual is complete. If the beast suffers a permanent death, it can be brought back through divine means, but only by a God who's portfolio is directly related to nature.
Level 7: Primal Guardian
At the 7th level, your beast grows in size to Large, roughly the size of an adult horse. It can be rode in much the same way, but only allows you to ride it. While riding it, you benefit from half cover. You have advantage on saving throws made to avoid falling off your companion. If you fall off your companion and descend no more than 10 feet, you can land on your feet if you’re not incapacitated.
Finally, mounting or dismounting a creature costs you only 5 feet of movement, rather than half your speed.
In addition, your companion gets these options for reactions:
Bestial Dodge
When an attacker that your beast can see hits it with an attack, the beast can use its reaction to halve the attack’s damage against itself.
Disorienting Strike
When your beast is within 5 feet of a hostile creature that rolls for an attack, skill check, or damage against an ally, the beast can use its reaction to make a quick disorienting strike. On a successful hit, the target takes 1d4 bludgeoning damage and must subtract the same amount from its roll.
Your beast's disorienting strike die changes as you gain levels in this class. It becomes a d6 at the 11th level, and a d8 at the 15th level.
Lockjaw
When your beast hits an opponent with an Opportunity Attack, the target's speed becomes 0 until the end of its turn. Creatures provoke opportunity attacks from your beast even if they take the Disengage action before leaving its reach.
Level 11: Bestial Bond
At the 11th level, when you command your beast companion to take the Attack action, you can expend a spell slot and your reaction to make the Companions attacks that turn deal 2d4 extra Cold damage on a hit. For every spell slot expended above 1st, this damage increases by 2d4.
Due to its new menacing stature and heightened senses, it has advantage on Strength (Intimidation) checks and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell. When it uses its action to intimidate someone (usually by growling, roaring, or snapping its teeth) if the target fails the check, it is Frightened of the Companion and its Ranger for 1 minute.
In addition, your beast can use a bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Help action.
Level 15: Ancient Fury
At 15th level, you have mastered the bond between you and your Companion. It gains the following traits:
Bestial Evasion
Your beast can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a red dragon’s fiery breath or an ice storm spell. When it is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, the beast instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.
Empowering Roar
As an action on your beasts turn, it can roar empower all friendly creatures within 30 feet of itself, granting a d4 to add to their melee attack rolls and saving throws until the end of your next turn.
Menacing Roar
As an action on your beasts turn, it roars with a terrifying savagery that causes all enemies within 30 feet of the beast to make a charisma saving throw (using its Rangers save DC) or become frightened until the start of the beasts next turn.