College of Beasts

For many years some bards have tried to master their understanding of animals and work with them in performing arts. Under the College of Beasts you learn to work with one animal to form an everlasting bond. This is no game of control or power, but instead a mutual friendship formed through a magical ritual. To have an animal companion is to see the world through their eyes as if they were a part of yourself.

Restriction: Ranger Beast Master

Only characters who are not already a Ranger Beast Master may join this college. A bard of this subclass may not pick the Beast Master subclass if they multiclass into Ranger. Combining these subclasses could make it a nightmare for your DM

Your DM can lift this balance if they want to. This restriction exists for their sanity. It may not apply if your DM is already insane or up for the extra challenge.

Animal Companion

When you take this college at 3rd level, you weave your charm and magic together to befriend an animal.

You gain an animal companion that accompanies you on your adventures and is trained to fight alongside you. Choose a beast that is no larger than Medium and that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower. You spend 8 hours magically bonding with the beast. Add your proficiency bonus to the beast’s AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in. Its hit point maximum equals its normal maximum or four times your bard level, whichever is higher. Like any creature, the beast can spend Hit Dice during a short rest. If your companion is knocked unconscious by damage you dealt, it will leave once it wakes up.

Your Companion obeys your commands as best as it can. It takes its turn on your initiative. On your turn, you can verbally command the beast where to move (no action required by you). You can use your action to verbally command it to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, or Help action. If you don’t issue a command, the beast takes the Dodge action.

If you are incapacitated or absent, the beast acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself. The beast never requires your command to use its reaction, such as when making an opportunity attack.

Reviving your Companion: In the case of your companion dying, you may spend 50 gp worth of material components to cast a revival ritual. This ritual takes 1 hour and your companion will come back to life after it. The body must be mostly intact and this ritual must be performed before a 24 hours have passed to work. If your companion was directly killed by damage you dealt it will leave and the magic bond will be broken.

Replacing your Companion: If your companion died and you were unable to revive them, or they left, you may spend 8 hours magically bonding with another beast that isn’t hostile to you, either the same type of beast as before or a different one.

You may choose or roll from the tables below to determine your companion's trait and flaw. You may also create a trait and flaw of your own.

d6	Trait
1	I’m dauntless in the face of adversity.
2	Threaten my friends, threaten me.
3	I stay on alert so others can rest.
4	People see an animal and underestimate me. I use that to my advantage.
5	I have a knack for showing up in the nick of time.
6	I put my friends’ needs before my own in all things.

d6	Flaw
1	If there’s food left unattended, I’ll eat it.
2	I growl at strangers, and all people except my bard are strangers to me.
3	Any time is a good time for a belly rub.
4	I’m deathly afraid of water.
5	My idea of hello is a flurry of licks to the face.
6	I jump on creatures to tell them how much I love them.

 

If you die and are not revived, your companion will mourn your loss and the magic bond will be severed, removing the effect of your class features after 7 days.

Bonus Proficiencies

At 3rd level, you become proficient in Wisdom (Animal Handling) and Charisma (Performance).

Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of those skills.

Arcane Choreography

At 6th level, your Companion understands when to act based off of your casting. When you use your action to cast a spell that deals no damage as part of the spell, you may command your Animal Companion to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, or Help action as part of that same action.

In addition, whenever you make a Charisma (Performance) check and your Animal Companion is within 5 feet of you, it may use its reaction (no action required by you) to give you advantage on that check.

Magical Friendship

At 6th level, you the magic that connects you and your companion grows and deepens the bond. When you give inspiration to a creature that is not your Animal Companion while your Companion can see and hear you, it also gains the benefits of your Bardic Inspiration.

In addition, your animal companion's attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming immunity and resistance to non-magical damage.

Eternal Bond

By 14th level, the bond you have with your Animal Companion becomes unlike any other. While your companion is within 120 feet and neither of you are incapacitated you gain the following benefits:

• You can cast spells as if you were in your Companion's place, but you must use your own senses. For touch spells your Companion will be the one to make contact but your modifiers are still used.
• You each gain any damage resistances or immunities the other has.
• You ignore the gold cost of any rituals to revive your Animal Companion.

In addition, your Companion's lifespan matches your own, unless it's own lifespan is longer.