Hallowed Hunter

Ghosts and spirits are nothing unheard of in the realms and sometimes those who interact with them are known as druids, warlocks, witches or necromancers. However, these practitioners typically summon these beings from the beyond for a favor or to command them for a time; some are even called to by the spirits themselves. Those who seek a more permanent bond, guardians who call upon hallowed beasts that reside within their own souls, aren’t well known, but are deemed Hallowed Hunters. Whether by strange occult practice or ancient pact of a bloodline, Hallowed Hunters are not possessed but bonded with the soul of an animal as part of their training and rite. Rangers who have committed to this practice possess a greater supernatural connection with some of the divine magic of nature and share a mind and will with their spirit animal. Hallowed Hunters evoke their spirit animal’s will to aid them in and out of combat and use the additional energy provided to them to call upon more divine magic than the average ranger.

Hallowed Beast

Your spirit animal manifests as a corporeal phantom of the form they bore when they were alive. This is the animal you bonded with earlier in life and fused your soul with, in whatever way. Choose a beast that is no larger than Medium and that has a challenge rating of ¼ or lower; discuss with your DM about appropriate options. Add your proficiency bonus to the beast’s AC, attack rolls, damage rolls and saving throws and skills it is proficient in. Its hit point maximum equals its normal maximum or four times your ranger level, whichever is higher.

Starting at 3rd level, the Spirit Caller’s bond with their spirit animal has become strong enough that they may call upon them for aid. As an action, you may summon your spirit animal to an unoccupied point you can see within 10ft. As a bonus action, you may dispel your spirit animal, returning it to the sanctuary of your soul. When entering combat, your spirit animal uses your initiative role. The spirit animal acts on its own turn, immediately before or after yours, and can perform any action available to its living variant. As a bonus action, you can command your spirit animal to perform a more complicated action such as interacting with an object or ally in some way (DM’s Discretion). Doing this uses the spirit animal’s action on its next turn. When your spirit animal is summoned outside of combat you may interact with it freely and you share an empathic link, but it must be able to see or hear you in order to receive commands. While traveling through your favored terrain with only the spirit animal, you can move stealthily at a normal pace. If your spirit animal moves more than 60ft away from you it is dispelled after 1 round. If your spirit animal is reduced to 0 hit points, it is dispelled and cannot be summoned again until you complete a long rest.

Kindred Spirits

Starting at 7th level, your bond with your spirit animal improves, strengthening both of you. Your spirit animal receives the same benefits as you from the Favored Enemy class feature; this does not include the additional language gained from Favored Enemy. When your spirit animal succeeds on a melee attack they deal bonus damage equal to your wisdom modifier. Additionally, your spirit animal’s attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. When you deal damage with a spell or a spell deals bonus damage on a successful attack, such as Hunter’s Mark, you deal additional bonus damage equal to half your ranger level rounded up. This additional bonus damage can be applied only once per turn.

Nature’s Conduit

Starting at 11th level, your bond with your spirit animal has grown such that you have an innate connection to nature’s divine energies and your spirit animal has maintained a hold on the material. Your spirit animal can shift its visage to appear as if it were still alive, as if it were using Disguise Self. Additionally, you can now communicate with your spirit animal telepathically. You learn the Druidcraft and Primal Savagery cantrips and learn one additional spell; this spell must be from the Ranger spell list and does not count against your total spells known. Additionally, if you are in your favored terrain, you can cast one spell without consuming a spell slot. When cast in this way, the spell level cannot be greater than half your wisdom modifier rounded up (minimum 1). Once you cast a spell in this way you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Augur of the Hunt

Starting at 15th level, you have achieved a supernatural symbiosis with your spirit animal. Your spirit animal can use it’s turn to cast one spell you know. The spell must be 1st level but can be cast at a higher level. When your spirit animal does this, it consumes one of your spell slots of the appropriate level the spell is cast at.  If the spell has a range of touch the spirit animal can still use it on itself. If the spell is a concentration spell you maintain the concentration, not your spirit animal. The spirit animal cannot do so again until you complete a long rest. When you cast a spell targeting yourself, you can also affect your spirit animal with the spell if they are within 30ft. Your spirit animal can also benefit from a spell they cast on you if they are within 30ft of you when they cast it.