Base Class: Fighter
Since the dawn of civilization, beasts have worked alongside mortals. Most notable of these domesticated animals is the dog. The earliest hunters worked in tandem with these loyal beasts, sharing food and fire. Some fighters still take up this mantle and train Loyal Hounds to adventure by their side.
Packleader
3rd-level Master of Hounds feature
You gain proficiency in Animal Handling, and you add double your proficiency bonus to any Animal Handling checks you make related to dogs or canine creatures.
Loyal Hound
3rd-level Master of Hounds feature
When you adopt this Archetype at 3rd level, you complete the training of a Loyal Hound. Your Hound is friendly to you and obeys your commands. It uses the Loyal Hound stat block, which uses your proficiency bonus (PB) in several places.
In combat, your Hound acts during your turn. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but it only takes the Dodge action unless you use a bonus action to command it to take an action from its stat block, or another action. Whenever you take the Attack action, you can command the Hound to take the Attack action in place of one of your attacks. If you are incapacitated, your Hound acts on its own.
If your Hound is reduced to 0 hit points, it makes death saving throws like a player character would. If your Hound dies, your special skills allow you to find a canine-like creature and train it as a Loyal Hound over the course of a long rest, at which point, that creature uses the Loyal Hound stat block.
Loyal Hound
medium beast, neutral
- Armor Class 13 + PB (natural armor)
- Hit Points 5 + five times your fighter level
- Speed 40 ft., swim 20 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 (+2) | 14 (+2) | 15 (+2) | 8 (-1) | 14 (+2) | 11 (+0) |
- Senses passive Perception 12
- Languages understands the languages you speak
Hit Dice. Your Hound has a total number of d8 Hit Dice equal to your fighter level. It also gains all the normal benefits of both short and long rests.
Loyal Companion. You add your PB to any ability check or saving throw that your Hound makes.
Keen Senses. Your Hound has advantage on any ability check that relies on their hearing or smell.
Iron Jaws
7th-level Master of Hounds feature
Your Hound has been infused with a portion of yourown heroic fighting spirit. Your Loyal Hound's Bite and Maul attacks ignore resistance to nonmagical piercing and slashing damage.
In addition, any creature that is at least one size smaller than your Hound has disadvantage on its Strength saving throw to resist the Hound's grapple.
Steadfast Companion
You can face any foe so long as your Hound is by your side. Your Hound has advantage on any saving throw it is forced to make so long as it is within 30 feet and can see or hear you.
Also, whenever you use Second Wind, your Loyal Hound also regains hit points equal to 1d10 + your Fighter level.
Canine Fury
15th-level Master of Hounds feature
Your commands inspire wild fury. Whenever you command your Loyal Hound to take the Attack action, it can make two Maul attacks, or one Maul attack and one Bite attack.
Hound of Legend
18th-level Master of Hounds feature
Thanks to your training, your Hound has come to rival the great beasts of legend. When you use Action Surge, your Hound also gains one extra action on that turn.
Moreover, your Loyal Hound's Strength and Dexterity scores each become 18, thereby increasing the bonus to hit and damage of both its Bite and Maul attacks by +2 each.
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