Pack Hunter

You have made a lasting friendship with a certain animal companion.  Whether it be a gift from a loved one, a lone wanderer who found you, or some other miracle, you and your companion are together forever.  You have also learned to cooperate with each other to better take on any tasks that come your way.

Beastly Buddy

You gain a beast that accompanies you on your adventures.  Choose a beast that is no larger than Medium and that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower (for example, you could pick a Wolf, or a Velociraptor, or a Baboon, etc.).  This beast is friendly to you and your allies, and can understand you on a basic level (as if you had the Speak with Small Beasts feature, only with this companion creature).  The creature is controlled by the DM in a predicable way; work it out with your DM, but in general, it will follow the following rules (in such a way that the first rule takes priority over the rest, then the second rule, and so on):

1. It will do what you ask of it to the best of its ability, unless you are asking it to directly harm itself, you, or an ally of you or it.
2. It will otherwise stay within 10 feet of you in combat, being as advantageous to you as reasonably possible (for example, the companion might flank a creature you're attacking at melee range, if it can do so while remaining within 10 feet of you, or it might leave the range of a spell you want to cast next turn).
3. Outside of combat, the companion will stay close to you and be docile until actively provoked.

This beast shares your initiative count in battle.  It uses its normal stat block, with the following additions:

• The beast has a bonus to its maximum hit points equal to your Ranger level.
• The beast has a minimum Intelligence of 7, even if the normal stat block gives it a lower Intelligence.
• The beast has proficiency in any skills and saving throws you do (but no expertises).
• The beast has a bonus to hit its attacks equal to your Wisdom modifier.
• The beast follows you when you move in combat, at no cost to you (as defined above, or by your DM).  However, it will only take the Dodge action unless you use your bonus action to have it take a different action.  This action of its can be any actions it can normally take, including attacking, making any checks, readying an action, etc.  However, the beast cannot use the Help action outside of combat.

If the beast drops to zero hit points, you can choose one of the following options:

• Spend a spell slot and an action to have your beast regain hit points equal to 3 times the spell slot level, up to its maximum hit points
• Spend 1 minute performing a ritual, reviving and/or stabilizing the beast.

Companion's Connection

Also at 3rd level, when you gain your companion, you also gain the following:

• You gain an unarmed strike that deals 1d4 damage of a damage type your companion deals.  This unarmed strike is similar in form to one of your beast's (for example, if your companion has a bite attack that deals piercing damage, you could also gain a bite attack that deals piercing damage).  This unarmed strike has the finesse property, and you are proficient with this unarmed strike.  The damage dealt by this unarmed strike increases to 1d6 at 7th level and to 1d8 at 15th level.
• You can cast a spell with a range of Touch with the touch of your companion, given that spell is a ranger spell.  It takes the action of your companion and your bonus action to cast a spell in this way

Deadly Duo

Once per turn, when you deal the maximum damage you can deal with a melee attack (for example, dealing 11 damage with a dexterity of 16 and a rapier, which deals 1d8 damage), your companion can use its reaction to make a melee attack of its own to the target of your attack, as long as your companion is within melee range with the target.

Proficient Pair

At 11th level, you and your companion have become comfortable enough and knowledgeable enough with each to flourish as a pair.  You gain the following benefits:

• You and your companion can share a space, even if normally creatures of your sizes could not.
• While you and your companion are within 5 feet of each other (including when you're sharing a space), you both gain a +2 to AC, as you and your companion look out for each other and parry incoming attacks.  You also gain +2 to hit, and a +2 bonus to saving throws while within 5 feet of each other.
• During a long rest, your companion can empower your weaponry.  Choose up to 3 nonmagical weapons, or up to 15 pieces of nonmagical ammunition.  The weapons or ammunition become +1 weapons or ammunition.  This effect lasts until you take another long rest.  You cannot choose the same weapons or pieces of ammunition twice for this empowering.
• Additionally, your unarmed strike you gained with the Companion's Connection feature becomes magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance to nonmagical damage.

Perfected Bond

 You and your companion have strengthened your bond so much that you are practically inseparable

• Whenever you cast a spell of 2nd level or lower targeting yourself, you may also target your companion if it is within 30 feet of you.
• You and your companion can always communicate as if under the effects of a Speak with Animals spell.
• You and your companion can perform a special combo attack.  If you and your companion are within 5 feet of a target, you may, as an action for you and your companion, and at the cost of one spell slot, make an attack roll with advantage, using your strength or dexterity.  On a hit, this attack deals 4d8 + your attack modifier damage (of a damage type your companion can deal), and the target has to make a Constitution saving throw (DC = Your Ranger Spell Save DC), or is paralyzed for 1 minute.  Once you use this attack, you must take a short or long rest before you can use it again.
• The attacks of your companion use double the damage die (so if it would normally deal 2d4 damage, it instead deals 4d4 damage.  If it would normally deal 1d8 damage, it instead deals 2d8 damage, etc.).