You may tame and train an animal from the wild. A GM may approve any animal, but they must be small or medium beasts with a challenge rating of 1/2 or lower. You must be in an environment suitable to the chosen animal. Unless circumstances do not permit it, the animal behaves toward you in a friendly manner and follows you curiously. If you treat it well for one week, it draws closer to you, faithfully accompanying you and obeying your instructions like a very well trained dog.
- Your contact with your animal companion makes it better, increasing its intelligence to 4 if it was initially lower. Its maximum hit points become equal to 1d6+ it’s constitution modifier per character level, unless they are higher. Any change to your maximum hit points due to leveling up is reflected on your animal companion, in accordance with the same formula.
- Additionally, it’s proficiency bonus increases when yours does, and it gains ability score increases every level that you do.
- In combat, the animal follows your instructions (provided they remain simple and understandable for a highly intelligent animal) and shares your initiative. As long as you are conscious, you can see it, and it can see you, you decide how your animal companion uses its movement, action, and reaction. Otherwise, it acts in the manner most appropriate to its nature and to the circumstances.
- You cannot have more than one animal companion at the same time. If your animal companion dies or runs away because you treat it poorly or stop paying attention to it, you can start the bonding process again with another suitable animal.
Comments