Falconer

Falconers are noble warriors who fight alongside trained birds of prey. A perpetual duo, the falconer and their trained falcon share an unbreakable and magical bond that binds them together like family.

Though this subclass is meant to be about falcons, one could always flavor it differently. Perhaps you have bonded and trained with an eagle, owl or hawk instead? Or maybe your companion isn’t even a bird of prey; maybe it takes the form of a parrot or raven?

Trained Falcon

Beginning when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain a fiercely loyal and highly capable companion in the form of a trained falcon. Your trained falcon is friendly to you and your companions. In combat it rolls its own initiative and has its own turns. It obeys any verbal commands that you issue to it (no action required by you). If you don't issue any command to your trained falcon, it takes the Dodge action but otherwise takes no actions. Your trained falcon’s stats are listed in the Trained Falcon stat block.

 

When your trained falcon is reduced to 0 hit points it makes death saving throws like a player character would. When it finishes a short or long rest with you, it regains all of its hit points. If your falcon dies, you can obtain a new one by spending 8 hours bonding with a similar beast that isn't hostile to you. You can't have more than one trained falcon at a time.

Bird of Prey

At 3rd level, you’ve trained your falcon diligently, making it significantly deadlier than others of its kind. Once per turn when your trained falcon hits with a melee attack, you can cause it to deal 2d4 extra slashing damage.

This extra damage increases to 3d4 at 10th level and 4d4 at 15th level.

Falconer’s Bond

Also at 3rd level, you share an unbreakable and magical bond with your trained falcon. While you’re within 120 feet of your trained falcon, you can use an action to call upon the magical bond you share between each other to peer through its eyes. You hear and see everything it hears and sees, gaining the benefits of any special senses it may have. During this time, your own body is considered blinded and deafened.

Honed Talons

At 7th level, the magic bond between yourself and your trained falcon has grown stronger. Your trained falcon’s attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances and immunities to non-magical damage.

Tailwind

At 10th level, you and your trained falcon are always there for each other in times of great peril. When you use your Second Wind feature while within 60 feet of your trained falcon, it regains the same number of hit points and can immediately use its reaction to fly up to half its speed in any direction.

Nimble Flight

At 15th level, few can match the nimbleness and speed of you and your trained falcon. When you or your falcon are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you and your falcon instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Avian Assault

At 18th level, your trained falcon has become an incredibly capable combatant. Your trained falcon can make two attacks per turn. If your trained falcon makes each attack against a different target, you can apply the extra damage from your Bird of Prey feature to both attacks.