Wizards are commonly associated with dusty tomes and secretive rituals. Wizards who practice the school of Zoology Summoner buck this stereotype by venturing forth from the safety of their studies to examine the natural world directly. As a result, these talented mages are much more skilled in matters of the wild than those of the lecture hall. Due to their acute understanding of the intersection between the natural world and the magical one, they are often accompanied by an especially empowered familiar or summon companion.

 

 

 

While most wizards have a magical companion, few can claim to have such a formidable ally as the Zoology Summoner whose familiar and summons can take on a variety of forms and directly aid the wizard in battle. Still, most zoology Summoner would sooner hide themselves amongst the foliage and observe a dangerous beast than attempt to slay it. After all, the study of such creatures is what these wizards live for.

Improved Find Familiar

2nd level Zoologist Summoner feature

Your knowledge of magical creatures has let you form a closer bond with your familiar, and to summon much more potent creatures as familiars. You add the find familiar spell to your spellbook if it isn’t there already. When you cast find familiar, you can summon up to CR 1/2 in addition to the normal options.

In combat, your familiar 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, your familiar can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.

In addition, when you see through your familar’s eyes, you can do so as a bonus action.

At 6th Wizard level, the CR can increase up to 1. If you choose to do so, you need to spend a 3rd level spell slot to summon it and it is without material cost.

At 10th Wizard level, the CR can increase up to 2. If you choose to do so, you need to spend a 5th level spell slot to summon it and it is without material cost.

Wilderness Loremaster

2nd level Zoologist Summoner feature

Your knowledge of the arcane animal kingdom is unmatched.

You have advantage on ability checks to track, interact with, or recall information about magical creatures and you gain proficiency in animal handling.

Bestial Linguistics

6th level Zoologist Summoner feature

Your affinity for wild creatures enables you to commune with them, and to call on them in your time of need. Add the animal messenger, conjure animals, and speak with animals spells to your spellbook. They count as wizard spells for you. Additionally, when you cast conjure animals, for the duration you can use a bonus action to see through any one of the summoned creatures’ eyes and hear what they hear until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the creature has. The creature must be within 100 feet of you. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.

Supernatural Strikes

6th level Zoologist Summoner feature

Your familiar and summons' attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

At 10th lv of this class, you can add your Int mod to your familiar and summons' attacks rolls.

Scholar’s Veil

10th level Zoologist Summoner feature

You can magically hide yourself to better study—or evade—magical creatures. As an action, you can become invisible for the next minute, or until you attack or cast a spell. For the duration, your movement is silent and halved, you leave no tracks, and you have no discernable scent. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Faithful Summons

14th level Zoologist Summoner feature

Starting at 14th level, the familiar and summons you commune with protect you when you are the most defenseless. If you are reduced to 0 hit points or are incapacitated against your will, you can immediately gain the benefits of conjure animals as if it were cast using a 7th-level spell slot. It summons three beasts of your choice that are challenge rating 2 or lower. The conjured beasts appear within 20 feet of you. If they receive no commands from you, they protect you from harm and attack your foes. The spell lasts for 1 hour, requiring no concentration, or until you dismiss it (no action required).

 

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.