Circle of the Shepherd (Custom)

This is a homebrew circle takes it's main inspiration from the official circle of the Shepherd, but uses animal companions instead of spirits. It borrows an ability from the circle of the moon, and takes inspiration and borrows some from the homebrew circle of evolution by Harowing for the animal companion.

Circle of The Shepherd (custom):

Level:                  Gain:

2                             Researcher of the Woods, Beast Companion

3                             Pet Evolution

6                             Extra Attack (Companion), Mighty Shepherd

10                           Understanding of Forms

14                           Faithful Creatures

 

Researcher of the Woods

 

At level 2 you begin your study of nature's wonderful animals. Due to your studies, beasts can understand your speech and gestures, and you gain the ability to decipher their noises and motions. Most beasts lack the intelligence to convey or understand sophisticated concepts, but a friendly beast could relay what it has seen or heard in the recent past. This ability doesn’t grant you any special friendship with beasts, though you can combine this ability with gifts to curry favor with them as you would with any nonplayer character.

Animal Companion

At 2nd level, you may choose an Animal no larger than Medium and with a Challenge Rating of 1/2 or lower to become your Companion. You add your proficiency bonus to your Companion's AC, attack rolls and damage rolls, as well as any saving throws or skills it is proficient in. Its Hit Points is maximum equal to its normal maximum or four times your your Druid level, whichever is higher.

Your Companion obeys your commands as best as it can. It takes its turn on your initiative, though it doesn’t take an action unless you command it to. On your turn, you can use your researcher of the woods ability to command the Companion where to move (no action required by you). You can also use your action to command it to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action. Once you have the Companion Coordination feature, you can make one attack yourself and you can command the Companion to take an Attack action.

 If the Companion dies, or you release it, you can obtain another one by spending 8 hours magically bonding with another animal that isn’t hostile to you, either the same type as before or a different one. When you get a new companion, you can roll or choose the evolution options for any levels your have already reached.

Like any creature, the Companion can spend Hit Dice during a short rest. If you are incapacitated or absent, the Companion acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself. It never requires your command to use its reaction, such as when making an opportunity attack.

 

Pet Evolution

Choose whether you would prefer to randomly evolve your pet or choose it's evolution, and then follow the instructions for that choice below.

Random: At Level 3 roll a d4 to apply a trait for your Companion's evolution in which they obtain, this is repeated at 5th level. At 9th and 13th level, roll a d6. At 17th level, roll a d8 twice.

Choosing: At 3rd level you can choose pick a trait of your choice from Rolls 1 to 4, but you no longer roll a trait at 5th level. At 9th level, you can instead choose a single trait between Rolls 1 to 6, but no longer roll a trait at 13th level. At 17th level, you can choose a single trait between Rolls 1 to 7.

 Evolution Traits

Roll	Effect
1	Growing horns, spikes or even claws, your Companion develops a more lethal and predatory nature as it grows. Give your Companion +1 to its damage roll each time this trait is picked. If this trait has been picked three times or more, you may instead add +3 to your Companion's damage roll.
2	Developing a hardened exterior or slippery skin, your Companion instinctively strives to survive against direct damage or outright avoid it with its elusiveness. You  roll a d8 and add it to your Companion's Hit Point. If this trait has been picked three times or more, you may give your Companion +1 AC instead.
3	Your Companion develops a special organ or part that becomes a source of a new damage type. Choose one of your Companion's attacks and change its damage type to another of your choice from Acid, Bludgeoning, Necrotic, Piercing, Poison, or Slashing Damage. You may also choose to improve your Companion's attack instead, giving it +1 to the action's attack roll.
4	Your Companion has learned from it's experiences in the different terrains you have taken it to. Add 15 feet of movement speed onto a type of movement your companion already knows, or add 5 feet of a movement speed of your choice from the following: Climbing, Swimming, or Burrowing.
5	Being in your company has thought your Companion a few new tricks that its species normally couldn't perform. Choose a skill that you are proficient in and make your Companion also proficient with that skill.
6	Honing its strengths and weaknesses, your Companion takes an expeditious growth towards evolution. Choose one of your Companion's Ability Score and increase it by 2, increase two chosen ability scores by 1, or increase one chosen ability score by 1 which does not apply to the cap of 20.
7	Adapting to its environment, your Companion becomes more resilient and strong enough to live in hostile situations. Choose a damage type, your Companion reduces damage taken from that type by 4. If taken more than once and you choose the same damage type, your Companion also gains Resistance to that damage type as well.
8	Growing stronger to the point it has reached the next stage of evolution, your Companion gains a Legendary Action in which can be used once in battle with any attacks it has. Choose one of the following Legendary actions, more detailed descriptions can be found below: Blinding Dust, Teleport, Paralyzing Touch, Frightening Roar, Bolster.

 

Blinding Dust- Blinding dust and sand swirls magically around your companion. Each creature within 5 feet of your companion must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be Blinded until the end of the creature's next turn.
Teleport- Your companion magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Paralyzing Touch- Your companion makes one melee attack. On a hit, the attack does an extra 2d6 cold damage. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or be Paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of it's turns, ending the effect on a success.
Frightening Roar- Your Companion lets out a frightening roar at one creature it can see. The target must succeed a DC 18 Wisdom Saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. The Frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of it's turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a target's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to your companion's roars for 24 hours.
Bolster- Your companion bolsters all nonhostile creatures within 120 feet of it until the end of its next turn. Bolstered creatures can’t be charmed or frightened, and they gain advantage on ability checks and saving throws until the end of your companion’s next turn.

Companion Coordination

At level 6, your pet and you have learned to work together in harmony. On your turns, your pet can take an attack action that does not use up your own action.

Mighty Shepherd

At 6th level, beasts and fey that you conjure, and your pet, are more resilient than normal. Your companion and any beast or fey summoned or created by a spell that you cast gains two benefits:

• The creature appears with more hit points than normal: 2 extra hit points per Hit Die it has.

• The damage from its natural weapons is considered magical for the purpose of overcoming immunity and resistance to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Leader of the Pack

At level 10, your study of animals and their natural forms, especially that of your companion, has improved your wild shape talent. When you take the wild shape action, you have the option to turn into a copy of your companion, no matter it's CR rating, and knowing all of it's abilities and skills.

Faithful Creatures

Starting at 14th level, the nature spirits you commune with protect you when you are the most defenseless. If you are reduced to 0 hit points or are incapacitated against your will, you can immediately gain the benefits of Conjure Animals as if it were cast with a 9th-level spell slot. It summons four beasts of your choice that are challenge rating 2 or lower. The conjured beasts appear within 20 feet of you. If they receive no commands from you, they protect you from harm and attack your foes. The spell lasts for 1 hour, requiring no concentration, or until you dismiss it (no action required).

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.