Beast Trainer

Becoming a Beast Trainer means forming an intimate, magical bond with at least one creature, and maybe training more to do your bidding in battle. As your skill as a Beast Trainer increases, the bonds between you and your animal companions strengthen, allowing the companions to also become stronger.

Beast Companion

At 3rd level, you learn to use your magic to create a powerful bond with a creature of the natural world.

You are able to spiritually bond with 1 creature at 3rd level. This increases by 1 at 7th and 11th level. 

With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 50 gp worth of rare herbs and fine food, you bond with an animal from the wilderness to serve as your faithful companion. You normally select your 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 specify available animals, 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 gains all the benefits of your Companion’s Bond ability.

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.

You may travel with all 3 companions at once, but in combat they share a full turn. For example, your first companion may attack with its action, and your second and third companions may split their movement (one moving full or each moving half).

The spiritual bond between you and your companion may create visual effects on your companion such as glowing eyes, or its fur sparkling in moonlight.

Companion 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, usually to protect you or itself if it can.

When using your Natural Explorer feature, you and your animal companion can both move stealthily at a normal pace.

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.

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.”

Your animal companion gains the benefits of your Favored Enemy feature, and of your Greater Favored Enemy feature when you gain that feature at 6th level. It uses the favored enemies you selected for those features.

d6	Trait
1	I’m dauntless in the face of adversity.
2	Threaten my friends, threaten me.
3	I stay on alert so others can rest.
4	People see an animal and underestimate me. I use that to my advantage.
5	I have a knack for showing up in the nick of time.
6	I put my friends’ needs before my own in all things.

 

d6	Flaw
1	If there’s food left unattended, I’ll eat it.
2	I growl at strangers, and all people except my ranger are strangers to me.
3	Any time is a good time for a belly rub.
4	I’m deathly afraid of water.
5	My idea of hello is a flurry of licks to the face.
6	I jump on creatures to tell them how much I love them.

Beast Masteries

Your spiritual bond with your companion strengthens both of you. At 3rd level, you may choose 3 of the following masteries for your first companion. At 7th and 11th level you may choose 3 for each new companion.

Intimidating Presence

You and your bonded companion both gain advantage on Intimidation checks. In addition, once per long rest your companion may use their action to attempt to frighten a creature that can see it. The targeted creature must make a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened. The DC for this is your spell save DC.

Pack Fighting

If you or an ally is within 5 feet of a creature that your companion is attacking, your companion has advantage on the attack roll.

Precision Strikes

Your bonded companion can add half your Wisdom modifier , rounded down (minimum 1), to their attack rolls.

Primal Fury

A number of times per long rest equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1), your bonded animal companion may go into a furious rage for 1 minute. During this time they have resistance to piercing, slashing and bludgeoning damage, and gain an extra attack on their turn.

Thick Hide

Your bonded companion gains a bonus +1 to AC.

Tracker

A number of times per long rest equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1), your bonded companion may assist you on a Wisdom (Perception), Wisdom (Survival) or Wisdom (Insight) check to track or find a creature. You may add 1d10 to your original roll. You may use this after you roll but before you know whether the roll succeeds or fails.

Unseen Stalker

Your bonded companion gains proficiency in Stealth. This adds your proficiency bonus to any Dexterity (Stealth) checks your companion makes.

Wild Resilience

Your bonded companion's maximum hit points increases by 8.

Hunting Party

At 7th level, you learn the Hunter's Mark spell. It does not count against the number of spells you may learn, but does consume a spell slot to cast. In addition, your bonded companions may also benefit from the additional damage on a successful attack.

One Spirit

Starting at 11th level, you may use your bonus action to restore 4d4+4 hit points, divided how you wish between you and your bonded companions. This increases to 6d4+6 at level 15. The bonded companions must be within 60 feet of you or it will not receive the effect. You may use this 3 times per long rest.

Eyes of the Beast

Starting at 15th level, the bond between you and your companion is stronger than ever. A number of times per long rest equal to your Wisdom modifier, you may invoke the spiritual bond with one of your companions and gaze through their eyes. The effect lasts for up to 1 hour and requires concentration.