Way of the Kindred Spirit

Beast Companion

At 3rd level, you gain a beast companion that accompanies you on your adventures and is trained to fight alongside you. Choose a beast that is no larger than Medium and that has a challenge rating of 1/2 or lower. 

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.
For each level you gain after 3rd, your animal companion gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly. Like any creature, it can spend Hit Dice during a short rest to regain hit points.

The beast obeys your commands as best as it can. It takes its turn on your initiative. On your turn, you can verbally command the beast where to move (no action required by you). You can use your action to verbally command it to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, or Help action. If you don't issue a command, the beast takes the Dodge action. Once you have the Extra Attack feature, you can make one weapon attack yourself when you command the beast to take the Attack action.

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

If the beast dies, you can obtain a new companion by spending 8 hours magically bonding with a beast that isn’t hostile to you and that meets the requirements.

Kindred Ki

Beginning at 6th level, you are able to manipulate the ki flowing through your beast companion as if it were your own, gaining the following benefits:

• You can enable Flurry of Blows when either you or your beast companion take the Attack action. Your beast companion may make the unarmed strikes, using your bonus action.
• When you use your bonus action for Patient Defense or Step of the Wind, your beast companion also gains its benefits.
• Whenever your beast companion hits another creature with a melee attack, you can spend 1 ki point to attempt a stunning strike using your Wisdom and proficiency for determining DC.

In addition, the beast's attacks now count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. 

Practiced Companion

Starting at 11th level, you have passed on your Monastic training to your beast companion, granting it the following benefits:

• It can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of its unarmed strikes and natural weapons.
• It can roll your Martial Arts die in place of the normal damage for its unarmed strikes and natural weapons.
• When you command it to make the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a natural weapon, it can use your bonus action to make an unarmed strike.

In addition, your beast companion gains the Evasion and Unarmored Movement features detailed in this class.

Kindred Health

Beginning at 17th level, the bond you share with your beast companion allows you to disperse damage between you. When your companion take damage while within 30 feet of you, you can use your reaction to magically take that damage instead of your companion. This feature doesn't transfer any other effects that might accompany the damage, and this damage can't be reduced in any way. Your beast companion may use its reaction in the same way to take damage instead of you.

In addition, your beast companion gains the Purity of Body  feature detailed in this class.