Base Class: Ranger
A modification of an existing beast master revision because that revision doubled up on a lot of stuff and I think I can do better. Also, BM sucks RAW, so that should change.
More emphasis is placed on the beast-ranger bond and the beast's impact on combat through maneuvers and HP gain.
Implicit Understanding
If you have spent at least two weeks training and traveling with your beast, it comes to understand your basic needs. While traveling through your favored terrain, your companion can hunt and forage on its own.
In combat, once your companion is commanded to attack and its initial target dies, it will find the most threatening enemy and continue to attack until you call it off.
Storm of Claws and Fangs
At 11th level, your companion can use its action to make a melee attack against each creature of its choice within 5 feet of it, with a separate attack roll for each target
Superior Beast’s Defense
At 15th level, whenever an attacker that your companion can see hits it with an attack, it can use its reaction to halve the attack’s damage against it.
Animal Companion
At 3rdlevel, you learn to use your magic to create a powerful bond with a creature of the natural world.With 8 hours of workand the expenditure of 50 gp worth of rare herbs and fine food, you call forth an animal from the wilderness to serve as your faithfulcompanion. You normally select you companion from among the following animals:an ape, a black bear, a boar, a giant badger, a giant weasel, a mule, a panther, or a wolf. However,your DM might pick one of these animals for you,based on the surrounding terrain and on what types of creatures would logically be present in the area.At the end of the 8 hours, your animal companion appears and gains all the benefits of your Companion’s Bond ability.You can have only one animal companion at a time.If your animal companion is ever slain, the magical bond you share allows you to return it to life. With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 25 gp worth of rare herbs and fine food, you call forth your companion’s spirit and use your magic to create a new body for it. You can return an animal companion to life in this manner even if you do not possess any part of its body.If you use this ability to return a former animal companion to life while you have acurrentanimal companion, your current companion leaves you and is replaced by the restored companion
Companion’s Bond
Your animal companion gains a variety of benefits while it is linked to you. The animal companion loses its Multiattack action, if it has one. The companion obeys your commands as best it can. It rolls for initiative like any other creature, but you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your companion acts on its own. You can use your action to command your companion to attack, dodge, dash, or defend. Outside of the dash action, your beast does not require a command to move. When your beast begins attacking a target, it does not need repeated command actions to continue. However, it does need a command to change targets at any point, including the death of its current target.
Hunter's mark's additional damage applies to attacks made by your companion as well.
Additionally, your companion gains one maneuver point and you can pick two maneuvers from the list, below. It receives additional points at levels 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18. At each of these levels, one additional maneuver can be picked and any maneuver can be switched for a new one. Each maneuver requires your action to command your companion.
Keeping Track of Proficiency
When you gain your animal companion at 3rd level, its proficiency bonus matches yours at +2. As you gain levels and increase your proficiency bonus, remember that your companion’s proficiency bonus improves as well, and is applied to the following areas: Armor Class, skills, saving throws, attack bonus, and damage rolls. Your animal companion has abilities and game statistics determined in part by your level. Your companion uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. In addition to the areas where it normally uses its proficiency bonus, an animal companion also adds its proficiency bonus to its AC and to its damage rolls. Your animal companion gains proficiency in two skills of your choice. It also becomes proficient with all saving throws while you are in its line of sight.
For each level you gain after 3rd, your animal companion gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly. Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your companion’s abilities also improve. Your companion can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your companion can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise.Your companion shares your alignment, and has a personality trait and a flaw that you can roll for or select from the tables below. Your companion shares your ideal, and its bond is always, “The ranger who travels with me is a beloved companion for whom I would gladly give my life.”
Call of the Wild
Your animal companion gets dangerously close to an enemy target before releasing a deafening animalistic noise. After marking a target by hitting it with a weapon attack, you may spend 1 maneuver Point to use your bonus action and your beast’s reaction. You command your beast, if it is within movement range of the target, to enter melee range and deafen them with a cry. The target must make a CON saving throw or take 1d6 thunder damage and be deafened for that many rounds.
Charge
Your companion plows through the battlefield, unable to be stopped. When using your action to have your animal companion dash, you may spend 3 maneuver Points to use your bonus action and animal’s reaction. You command your companion to form a one beast stampede. Moving in a straight line, any creatures in your beast’s path must make a DEX saving throw or be knocked prone and takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage. Your companion does not trigger attacks of opportunity while stampeding in this way.
Death Grip
Your animal companion latches onto an enemy creature within melee range and does everything within its power to hold them in place. You may spend 2 maneuver Points to use your bonus action and your beast’s reaction to have your beast attempt to grapple a creature of size Large or smaller within its movement range. Your beast makes a STR check contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If your beast’s check succeeds, the target is considered grappled and takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage. You may spend your beast’s reaction to continue this maneuver on subsequent turns if the target hasn't broken free. The target takes an additional 1d6 bludgeoning damage every turn they remain grappled.
Disarming Strike
Your animal companion snatches at an enemy’s weapon attempting to knock or pull it from their grip. After hitting a creature with an attack, you may spend 1 maneuver Point to use your bonus action and your beast’s reaction. You command your companion to target an item the enemy is holding and the creature must make a STR saving throw. On a failed save the creature is disarmed of the object and you may spend an additional maneuver Point to have your beast retain hold of the item.
Fetch
You've taught your companion the oldest trick there is. You may spend 1 maneuver Point to use your bonus action and your beast’s reaction. You command your beast to carry an item, weighing no more than is reasonable, from one place to another. It may retrieve the item during movement, but the total distance traveled must not exceed the beast’s movement speed. You may spend your beast’s reaction to continue this maneuver on subsequent turns.
Go for the Eyes
Your animal companion makes a targeted attack on an enemy’s eyes, sacrificing damage for lasting impact. After marking a target by hitting a creature with a weapon attack, you may spend 2 maneuver Points to use your bonus action and your beast’s reaction. You command your beast companion, if it is within movement range of the target and can reach the target’s eyes, to attempt to blind it. The creature makes a CON saving throw and on a failure is blinded for 24 hours.
Instinctive Coordination
You and your beast gang up on an enemy to throw them off balance and leave them in the dirt. You may spend 1 maneuver Point to use your bonus action and your beast’s reaction to coordinate an attack which leaves your enemy flat on their back. When you hit a creature of size Large or smaller with an attack, if your beast is within movement range of that creature, your beast strikes them simultaneously to take them down. The creature must succeed on a STR saving throw or be knocked prone.
Intimidating Display
Your animal companion taps into their bestial ferocity to intimidate a foe. You may spend 1 maneuver Point to use your bonus action and your beast’s reaction. You command your companion, if it can move to within 10ft of the target, to scare an enemy creature. The target must make a WIS saving throw or become frightened of your animal companion until the end of your next turn. If a target succeeds on their save, they cannot be frightened by your animal companion for 24 hours.
Lick Wounds
You and your companion know when to pull back from the fray to catch your breath and regroup. After using your action to have your beast disengage, you may spend 3 maneuver Points to use your bonus action and your beast’s reaction. Your beast may move up to its movement speed, then both you and your beast companion may spend up to two hit dice each, both of you regaining hit points equal to the combined total.
Play Dead
You've trained your beast to take a fall. When your animal companion takes damage, you can spend 1 maneuver Point to use yours and your beast’s reactions to have your companion play dead. So long as your beast doesn’t move before the end of your next turn, the first attack it makes is made with advantage. You can use your bonus action to extend the duration of your beast's fake demise.
Predatory Ambush
Your companion moves unnoticed around the battlefield waiting for your signal to attack. After you hit a creature with a weapon attack, if your animal is hidden and within movement range of the creature, you may spend 1 maneuver Point to use your bonus action and your beast’s reaction. You command your beast to make an opportunistic strike against the same target. Your beast has advantage on its attack roll and, on a hit, adds 3d6 sneak attack damage to its damage roll.
Tag Team
Your animal companion and yourself have learned to work as a duo, attacking in tandem to give each other openings. While your beast companion is within threatening range of a creature, you may spend 1 maneuver Point to use your bonus action and your beast’s reaction. You command your beast to draw the target’s full attention for a time, conveying advantage on your next attack against that creature this round.
Tandem Guard
You and your beast assume a tight formation, watching each other’s backs and increasing the defenses of both of you. If you are within your beast’s movement range, you may spend 3 maneuver Points to use your bonus action and your beast’s reaction to move your beast to within 5ft of you. Until the beginning of your next turn all attacks against you or your animal companion are made at disadvantage. You may spend your bonus action and your beast’s reaction to continue this maneuver on subsequent turns.
Territorial Defense
Your animal companion weaves through the battlefield around you, staying close and lashing out at any unfriendly creature that approaches. You may spend 2 maneuver Points to use your bonus action and your beast’s reaction to have your companion keep guard in a 20ft radius zone around you. Until the beginning of your next turn your animal companion will protect that zone, allowing it to make unlimited attacks of opportunity against enemies passing through the area. You may spend your bonus action and your beast’s reaction to continue this maneuver on subsequent turns.
Wild Mount
Your beast has grown in strength and discipline under your guidance and can carry you in combat as a mount for a short time. When within 5ft of your companion you may spend 3 maneuver Points to use your bonus action and your beast’s reaction. Using 5ft of movement, you mount your companion and the beast will carry you bareback for a number of rounds equal to its CON modifier. During this time, you gain the benefit of your beast’s movement speed, advantage on melee attacks against any creature smaller than your mount, and your ranged attacks ignore half cover. You may dismount as a bonus action. Unless your companion is of a size category larger than yourself, for every additional round you remain mounted your beast takes a level of exhaustion.