Path of the Pack Leader

A Barbarian's connection to the natural world is often potent, but occasionally individuals exceed the norm in this regard, becoming capable of allying itself with natural beasts of the wild and leading them into combat with the same ferocity as a predator descending on its prey.

Animal Companion

At third level, when you pick this primal path you have become capable of using your strength to inspire the respect and loyalty of a creature from the natural world. 

 

With 8 hours of work and 25 gp worth of fine food and herbs you can attract an animal to your location, you must then defeat the animal in single combat to tame it. Select your companion from among the following animals: ape, black bear, boar, giant badger, giant weasel, mule, panther, or 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. Depending on the nature of your campaign, the DM might choose to expand the options for your animal companion. As a rule of thumb, a beast can serve as an animal companion if it is Medium or smaller, has 15 or fewer hit points, and cannot deal more than 8 damage with a single attack. In general, that applies to creatures with a challenge rating of 1/4 or less, but there are exceptions.

Your animal companion appears and gains all the benefits of your Packleader’s Boon ability. You can have only one animal companion at a time. If your animal companion is ever slain, the bond you share with it allows you to return it to life shortly after it’s death. If it has died within an hour you can spend 1 hour and 50 gp worth of rare herbs and totemic icons to insert your animal companion’s spirit back into its body, returning it to life. When this ritual ends you gain one level of exhaustion.

Pack Leader’s Boon

Also from 3rd level, following you affords your animal companion certain benefits as a member of your pack:

• The animal companion loses its Multi-attack 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.

Your beast companion also gains certain abilities and statistical benefits based in part on your level. Your companion shares your alignment and your ideal, and its bond is always, “The barbarian I follow is a true leader for whom I would gladly give my life.”

• 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.
• 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.
• Your animal companion gains the Rage ability, and uses it when you do. Its Rage damage increase is equal to yours. When your Rage ends, so too does its Rage.
• 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.

Reckless Follow-up

Starting at 6th level your bond with your companion will allow you to coordinate better while fighting. When you make a melee attack against a creature and your companion can see you, it can use its reaction to make a melee attack against the creature if it’s within melee range of it. If your animal companion uses this feature melee attacks against it until it’s next turn have Advantage. 

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

Shared Vitality

At 10th level you gain the ability to share your vitality with your animal companion. As a bonus action you can expend an amount of hit dice up to your proficiency bonus to restore your animal companion’s hit points equal to the amount expended.

Storm of Claws and Fangs

At 14th 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. This benefit also applies to attacks made using the Reckless Follow-up ability.