Path of the Houndmaster

Whether they’re trained for hunting or for the heat of battle, the breeding and training of hounds is an ancient custom. As a barbarian of the Path of the Houndmaster, you’re an expert at handling animals of the canine variety, and have a loyal battle hound that fights beside you.

Your battle hound can take any canine form; it might be a wild dire wolf whose trust you’ve painstakingly earned and managed to tame, a hunting dog you’ve raised from a puppy or a hyena you rescued from a life of captivity.

Bonus Proficiency

Beginning when you choose this path at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Wisdom (Animal Handling) skill.

Battle Hound

Also at 3rd level, you’ve trained a loyal canine beast, referred to as a battle hound, and have forged an unbreakable bond with it. Your battle hound 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 battle hound, it takes the Dodge action but otherwise takes no actions.

 

When your battle hound 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 battle hound 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 battle hound at a time.

At 6th level, all of its melee attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances and immunities to non-magical damage.

Hound’s Harry

At 6th level, you’ve taught your battle hound how to debilitate your enemies in order to aid you in battle. As a reaction to your battle hound hitting with a Bite attack, you can issue it a command to pin down its target, provided said target is of Medium or smaller size. After doing so, the target is considered both grappled and restrained. A target that is both grappled and restrained can use its action to roll a contested Strength (Athletics) check against your battle hound.

While grappling and restraining a creature in this way, your battle hound cannot attack another target.

Master’s Bond

At 10th level, you’ve trained your battle hound further, improving its capabilities. You and your battle hound gain the following features:

• Your battle hound can make two attacks per turn.
• You can use your Hound’s Harry feature against creatures that are of Large or smaller size.

Beastial Fury

At 14th level, you and your battle hound truly fight as one. Whenever you enter your Rage, your battle hound gains all of the same benefits as described in your Rage feature.