As a DM I was brainstorming on beast master builds for one of my PCs, and noticed some redundancy with the 7th level Exceptional training if you are using the Primal Companion option feature, so I came up with a small replacement homebrew version for Exceptional training and I am curious to hear your thoughts :) I think what is really cool about it is that it really plays into the fantasy of training your pet, but your pet only being able to remember so much. But also into the fantasy of being the master of your pet, shouting trained commands at it in RP.
--- Beginning at 7th level, your beast companion can use its bonus action to take the Dash, Dodge, Hide or Search action.
Furthermore you can spend one hour during a long rest to teach your beast companion a verbal command that orders it to use its action and bonus action with the same command in a specific order that you choose. The beast companion needs to succeed a DC 10 intelligence check for it to successfully learn the command. The maximum amount of commands you can teach your beast companion is 2, after that, if a new command is learned another must be forgotten. This amount increases by one at 12th and once more at 17th level.
Once upon your turn, as a bonus action, or by replacing one of your attacks when you take the attack action, you can issue such a trained command to your pet, this command is executed by the beast companion in the exact order that you specified during the training. You can use its movement in between actions if necessary to accomplish the command.
In addition, the beast's attacks now count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. --- Basically, this allows you to make interesting commands like "Search and Destroy" which is search as BA and attack as action, or "Pounce": Hide as BA + attack, or "Retreat": Disengage + Dash as BA. or "Cautious" Attack + Dodge as BA.
What do you think, could it be too strong to allow this as a DM?
As a DM I was brainstorming on beast master builds for one of my PCs, and noticed some redundancy with the 7th level Exceptional training if you are using the Primal Companion option feature, so I came up with a small replacement homebrew version for Exceptional training and I am curious to hear your thoughts :) I think what is really cool about it is that it really plays into the fantasy of training your pet, but your pet only being able to remember so much. But also into the fantasy of being the master of your pet, shouting trained commands at it in RP.
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Beginning at 7th level, your beast companion can use its bonus action to take the Dash, Dodge, Hide or Search action.
Furthermore you can spend one hour during a long rest to teach your beast companion a verbal command that orders it to use its action and bonus action with the same command in a specific order that you choose. The beast companion needs to succeed a DC 10 intelligence check for it to successfully learn the command. The maximum amount of commands you can teach your beast companion is 2, after that, if a new command is learned another must be forgotten. This amount increases by one at 12th and once more at 17th level.
Once upon your turn, as a bonus action, or by replacing one of your attacks when you take the attack action, you can issue such a trained command to your pet, this command is executed by the beast companion in the exact order that you specified during the training. You can use its movement in between actions if necessary to accomplish the command.
In addition, the beast's attacks now count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
---
Basically, this allows you to make interesting commands like "Search and Destroy" which is search as BA and attack as action, or "Pounce": Hide as BA + attack, or "Retreat": Disengage + Dash as BA. or "Cautious" Attack + Dodge as BA.
What do you think, could it be too strong to allow this as a DM?