Barbarian
Base Class: Barbarian

Having a strong connection to nature, barbarians are often around animals. Of course, many barbarians take on the aspects of those animals as their totem. There are some, though, who believe that nature and man should still remain separate, yet equal. These followers of the primal path of the pack leader walk alongside animals, encouraging their companions to work alongside them, but always with free will.

Barbarian's Companion

At 3rd level, you gain a beast companion that accompanies you on your adventures and is triggered to fight alongside you while you are raging. Choose a beast that is no larger than Medium that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower (appendix D of the PHB presents statistics for the hawk, panther, and wolf as examples). 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 the hit point number in its stat block or four times your barbarian level, whichever is higher. Like any creature, it can spend Hit Dice during a short rest to regain hit points.

Your beast acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. In combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn. 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, Dodge, or Help action. Additionally, when you have the extra attack feature, you can use one or more of your attacks to have your beast make an attack.

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.

If the beast dies, you can obtain a new companion by spending 8 hours magically bonding with a beast that isn’t hostile to you and that meets the requirements.

Combat Bond

Starting at 6th level, you and your beast companion have learned how to work together in combat. As long as you and your companion are within 5 feet of each other, as a reaction, you can force an attack targeted at your beast companion to target you instead and vice versa.

Beast Tactics

At 10th level, you and your beast have trained extensively to work as one cohesive unit. You gain one of the following features of your choice.

Improved Critical

Your beast companion’s weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.

Pack Tactics

Your beast companion has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if you are within 5 feet of the creature and you aren’t incapacitated.

Protector

When a creature that your beast companion can see attacks a target other than it that is within 5 feet of it, it can use its reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll.

Joint Attack

At 14th level, while you are raging, as long as you and your companion are within 5 feet of each other, you can make one weapon attack yourself when you command the beast to take the Help action. In addition, any hit you score against a creature while your beast is helping you is a critical hit.

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