Nature's Friend

Unlike Beastmaster rangers, your companionship is with all of the beasts in nature; you are not limited to a single animal friend. These creatures provide reassurance and comfort, but they can also jump in to protect you when the need is great.

Great with Animals

You have a special way of bonding and communicating with the beasts of nature. If you are not proficient with Animal Handling, you gain proficiency with it. If you are already proficient with Animal Handling, add twice your proficiency bonus instead of your regular proficiency bonus to Animal handling checks.

Favored Beast

Staring at 3rd level when you select this Ranger Archetype, you select one type of beast (dogs, cats, horses, birds, etc.) to be your Favored Beast. You gain another Favored Beast at levels 7, 11, and 15.

You learn the spell Animal Friendship and can cast it a number of times on your Favored Beast equal to your Animal Handling Bonus. Casting this spell on other creatures has no effect unless you count it towards one of your known Ranger spells and expend a spell slot as usual. Also, at 11th level, you know the spell Speak With Animals and it follows the same rules as the Animal Friendship spell described above.

Unlike your favored enemy, your favored beasts are a creature you are particularly fond of. Your character should not attack one of their favored beasts unless it is absolutely necessary. As per this, if a creature that you are currently charmed by requests that you do so, you get to immediately make a saving throw with advantage to end the charm.

Steadfast Defender

When a creature within range makes an attack against a creature of the type as one of your Favored Beasts, you can use your reaction to make an attack against the creature before they roll their attack. If your attack hits, they have disadvantage on the attack, and the beast can either make one attack or move up to half of its movement speed.

Comforting Presence

As long as you can see a creature of the type as one of your Favored Beasts that is friendly towards you, you are immune to being Frightened and resistant to psychic damage. Also, if a creature of the type as one of your Favored Beasts enters your view while you are frightened, the frightened effect ends immediately.

 

If you have any animal companions, they benefit from this as well as long as you are within sight.

Returning the Favor

Whenever you enter into combat, your DM can call for you to make an Animal Handling check. Depending on how high you roll, all of the beasts within 120 ft will sense your need for aid and enter into the combat with you, willing to lay their lives down for you. They have their own initiative and free wills allowing them to act without need of commands. Although, you can attempt to give them commands by rolling Animal Handling checks to determine how effective your communication of the command to them is.