Base Class: Rogue
The Scoundrel and their ever trusting animal companion find a way to survive through thick and thin. They possess a special bond, knowing all sorts of tricks and teamwork without saying a word.
Scoundrel's Sidekick
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain an animal sidekick. You and this sidekick are thieves and partners in crime, often literally. The sidekick could be a small bird, a chimpanzee, a rat, etc.
As an action, you can magically summon the animal sidekick that is bound to you. It appears in an unoccupied space of your choice within 30 feet of you.
The animal sidekick is friendly to you and your companions, and it obeys your commands. See its game statistics in the accompanying Animal Sidekick Companion stat block, which uses your proficiency bonus (PB) in several places. You can determine the cosmetic characteristics of the animal sidekick, such as its color, markings or patterns, etc; your choice has no effect on its game statistics.
In combat, the animal sidekick shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. That action can be one in its stat block or some other action. If you are incapacitated, the animal sidekick can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.
The animal sidekick remains until it is reduced to 0 hit points, until you use this feature to summon the animal sidekick again, or until you die. Anything the animal sidekick was wearing or carrying is left behind when the animal sidekick vanishes. Once you summon the animal sidekick, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
Animal Sidekick Companion
Tiny to Small Beast (Discuss with DM)
Armor Class 14 + PB (natural armor)
Hit Points 5 + five times your Rogue level (the animal sidekick has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your Rogue level)
Speed 30 ft. Walking, 30 ft. Climbing/Flying/Burrowing (Determined by DM)
Saving Throws Dex +2 plus PB, Int +1 plus PB
Sneak Attack The sidekick is able to apply your Sneak Attack to its own attack if you have not yet performed your Sneak Attack feature yourself in a round.
Evasion When subjected to an effect that allows the sidekick to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.
Senses Passive Perception 14
Languages Common, Thieves' Cant
Challenge — Proficiency Bonus (PB) equals your bonus
Tricky Style. When you summon the animal sidekick, choose one of three tricks the sidekick can perform: Sand Toss, Trip Up, or Switcharoo. The chosen type determines the effect the Sidekick's Trick has. You may change the trick used at the end of a short rest.
Actions
Attack. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 plus PB to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6 plus PB piercing/slashing/bludgeoning (Determined by DM) damage.
Sidekick's Trick
When the sidekick successfully hits a creature with its attack for the first time in a turn, it performs one of its tricks, the effect of which is determined by its Tricky Style.
- Sand Toss -- Target must succeed a DC 11 + PB Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of their next turn.
- Trip Up -- Target must succeed a DC 11 + PB Strength saving throw or fall over prone.
- Switcharoo -- Target must succeed a DC 11 + PB Dexterity saving throw or have their weapon replaced by a random object. Their weapon is discarded 10 feet away from them in an unoccupied space.
Sidekick Shenanigans
By 9th level, after so much time working as a team, you and your animal sidekick have established a laundry list of cons, tricks, and tactics to rob people blind. As a bonus action on your turn, you may command your animal sidekick to make a sleight of hand check, or take the Use an Object action.
If you also use your action to make the slight of hand check with your sidekick, you make the roll with advantage.
Distracting Antics
Starting at 13th level, your little friend has become masterful at the art of commanding people's attention, pulling their focus off you and your allies just long enough to deliver the killing blow. As a bonus action on your turn, you may command your animal sidekick to cause a distraction against a creature you can see within 60 feet of you.
The next time this creature is dealt damage by a creature other than you or your sidekick, that creature deals additional damage equal to half your Sneak Attack damage. You may have your sidekick cause a distraction this way a number of times equal to your Proficiency bonus per long rest.
Master Companion
Beginning at 17th level, your animal sidekick has trained with you for so long that it has mastered it's use on and off the battlefield. Your sidekick gains an additional 15 feet of movement, it now has two reactions per round of combat, and it may make two attacks with the Attack Action on its turn instead of only one.
When you command the sidekick to perform a skill check for you, it rolls 1d6 and adds that number to the resulting roll.
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