Beast Warden

The Beast Warden archetype embodies a friendship between the civilized races and the beasts of the world. United in focus, beast and ranger work as one to fight the monstrous foes that threaten civilization and the wilderness alike. Emulating the Beast Warden archetype means committing yourself to this ideal, working in partnership with an animal as its companion and friend.

Bestial Gift

3rd-level Beast Warden feature

The bond you share with your beast creates a connection to nature, granting you understanding and empowering your presence. You gain the following benefits:

Bestial Tongue: you gain the ability to cast Speak With Animals as many times per day as your proficiency bonus.

Beast Companion

3rd-level Beast Warden feature

You gain a beast companion that accompanies you on your adventures and is trained to fight alongside you. 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 is your ranger level times five. It has as many hit dice as you have levels in this class. Like any creature, the beast can spend Hit Dice during a short rest.

In combat, the beast 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 beast can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.

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

If the beast reaches zero hit points, you can roll death saving throws for it, just as you would a player. In the event of the beast's death, your bond captures its spirit, and you can summon it back to the material plane with a ritual taking 8 hours using materials totaling 300gp, which the ritual consumes. 

 

Bond of Fang and Tentacle

7th-level Beast Warden feature

The bond you share with your beast intensifies, protecting you and stoking the beast's fury. You and the beast gain the following benefits:

• Beast Mount: Reflecting your special bond, you can use the beast as a mount if your size is Medium or smaller. 

• Roaring Strikes: The beast's attacks deal an extra 1d6 damage.

• Resistance: You and your beast's hides toughen, granting you resistance to slashing damage.

Bestial Fury

Starting at 11th level, when you command your beast companion to take the Attack action, the beast can make two attacks, or it can take the Multiattack action.

Perfected Bond

15th-level Beast Warden feature

Your bond to your beast reaches the pinnacle of its power. You and the beast gain the following benefits:

• Empowered Bite. The beast's attacks deal an extra 1d6 damage (for a total of 2d6 extra damage).

• Large Beast. The beast grows to Large size. When you ride your beast, it gains an extra 10 feet of walking speed.

• Reflexive Resistance. When either you or the beast takes damage while you're within 30 feet of each other, you can use your reaction to give yourself or the beast resistance to that instance of damage. You can use this reaction a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.