Revised Beastmaster [v1.1.2]
The Beast Master archetype embodies a friendship between the civilized races and the beasts of the wild. United in focus, beast and ranger fight the monsters that threaten civilization and the wilderness alike.
Beastmaster Features:
| Ranger Level |
Feature |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Beastmaster Magic Ranger's Companion |
| 7th | Magical Bond |
| 11th | Bestial Cunning |
| 15th | Companion Evolution |
Beastmaster's Magic
Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Beastmaster Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of ranger spells you know.
| Ranger Level |
Feature |
|---|---|
| 3rd | speak with animals |
| 5th | enlarge/reduce |
| 9th | revive beast† |
| 13th | charm monster |
| 17th | commune with nature |
Ranger's Companion
Starting at 3rd level when you choose this subclass, you gain a beast companion. This beast can be either an existing beast, or one summoned to you through a special ritual during a long rest, but upon becoming your companion, gains a magical bond with you that grants it special powers. Your beast can have the appearance of any beast CR 1/2 or lower, but it's stats are determined by the stat block below and the traits selected.
Beast Companion
Medium beast, unaligned
- Armor Class 10 + its Dexterity + its Proficiency.
- Hit Points 5 + ([Beast's Constitution Modifier + 5] * Ranger Level)
- Speed 30ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 4 (-3) 10 (+0) 6 (-2)
- Skills Athletics +4 (Proficiency), Perception +2 (Proficiency)
- Senses passive perception 12
- Languages Understands ranger’s languages, but cannot speak
Actions
Attack. Natural Weapon: +4(Strength + Proficiency) to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 1d8 + 2 (Strength)
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You can add two of the following traits to the stat block:
Amphibious
Your Companion gains a swimming speed equal to it's movement speed, and the ability to breathe underwater.
Blindsight
Your Companion gains a Blindsight of 10 feet.
Charge
If your Companion moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target, it can use its action to shove a creature within 5 feet of it. At level 11, it can shove the target as a bonus action.
Flying: Prerequisite: selected beasts appearance must have have wings.
Your Companion's size is Small, and it gains a flying speed equal to its movement speed.
Keen Senses:
Your companion gains proficiency in the Perception skill.
Massive: Incompatible with Flying.
Your Companion's size is Large, and it's Natural Weapon becomes 2d6 + it's Strength.
Pack Tactics:
Your Companion has advantage on an Attack roll against a creature if at least one of the your Companion's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't Incapacitated.
Quick
Your companion is particularly swift, it's movement speed becomes 40 feet.
Sneaky
Your companion gains proficiency in the Stealth skill.
Venomous:
Your beasts attacks deal an additional 1d4 poison damage.
You can allocate a further two ability points to Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution to your Companion's ability scores. Your beast gains an additional two attribute points to allocate to Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution any time you gain an Ability Score Improvement (your Companion has a maximum ability score of 20 for Strength, Dexterity, or Con, and 10 for Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma). Your Companion's proficiency is the same as yours and increases when your Proficiency does.
The beast 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 verbally command (no action required) the beast to move and to take the Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action, or use your action to command it to take the Attack action.
Your beast regains 6 + its constitution modifier hit points every time you expend a hit die, and regains all its health at the end of a long rest. If you are incapacitated or absent, the beast acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself. It does not require your command to use its reaction to make an opportunity attack. If you don't issue a command, the beast takes the Dodge action.
If your Companion dies, it can be revived by normal means (such as the revivify spell, or you can recall its spirit and cause it to reincarnate at the end of a long rest at full health.
Coordinated Attack
Additionally at 3rd level, when you strike a creature with weapon attack, you can command your beast Companion to use its reaction to make a single attack. You can do this a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, regaining all uses when you complete a short or long rest.
Magical Bond
Starting at 7th level, the magical bond between you and your beast grows, and magic infuses it from this bond. Your beast's Natural Weapon attacks gain +1 to attack and damage rolls, and the beast's attacks are now considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Bestial Cunning
Starting at 11th level, your beast no longer needs your direction to take the Attack action on it's turn.
Companion Evolution
Starting at the 15th level, your companion starts to
grow beyond the normal limitations of its bestial
nature. You can select one of the following:
- Barbaric Ferocity: You companion gains the
Barbarian class features Reckless Attack and Rage
as if they were 5th level barbarian. - Fighting Spirit: Your companion gains the Fighter
class features Fighting Style (can apply any Fighting
Style to its Natural Weapon attacks) and Extra Attack. - Rogue Cunning: You companion gains the Rogue class features Cunning Action and Sneak Attack as if they
were 5th level rogue. The beasts natural weapon becomes a Finesse weapon.
Feats
The following are some feats appropriate for a Beast Master Ranger. These can be taken as Feats as normal in place of an Ability Score Increase.
Synchronized Combat
Prerequisite: Beast Master Conclave
Your prowess in combat grows, emphasizing your ability to fight in a deadly tempo with your Companion.
- Increase your Strength or Dexterity by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- When you strike a creature, the next time before the start of your next turn your Companion attacks that creature, it has advantage on it's attack.
- If you roll initiative while having no remaining uses of Coordinated Attack remaining, you regain 1d4 uses of Coordinated Attack.
Learned Tricks
Prerequisite: Beast Master Conclave
You've taught your Companion remarkable tricks, both in combat and out.
- Your Companion gains proficiency with the Performance skill.
- Pick two maneuvers of your choice from the Battle Master archetype. When you use Coordinated Attack, your Companion can use one of the selected maneuvers, rolling a d4 for it's martial die.
Spells(†)
Revive Beast
3rd level necromancy
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S, M(Gems worth 25 gp, which the spell consumes)
- Duration: Instantaneous
- Classes: Ranger
You touch a beast that has died within the last minute. That creature returns to life with 1 hit point. This spell can’t return to life a creature that has died of old age, nor can it restore any missing body parts.
Beastmaster Ranger Quirks
The following are some optional quirks for a player of this Conclave to choose from - these can be either preexisting, signaling their fated path toward this Conclave, or appear after they've acquired their Companion.
| d6 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | You hold conversations with animals... without necessarily casting speak with animals first. |
| 2 | You value animal life as considerably more important than humanoid life. Particularly fluffy animal life. |
| 3 | When you cast speak with animals, you speak animal in a serious of barks, growls, and sniffs. |
| 4 | You have little value for silverware or table manners. |
| 5 | You are convinced your animal companion would never do anything wrong. |
| 6 | You refer to any vaguely animal like monster or beast as "cute". |
Animal Companion Quirks
| d6 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | It thinks it is a small sized creature. It is not a small sized creature. |
| 2 | It will climb mountains and fight dragons for ear scritches. |
| 3 | Any food is clearly food for it. |
| 4 | There is a problem, you were not paying attention to it. It solves that problem. |
| 5 | It has a tendency to fetch things. Many things. Surely you wanted this thing. |
| 6 | Sunlight makes it sleepy. |
Change Log
v1.1
- Added spell list
- Added added new spell, revive beast.
- Added quirks.
- Added Learned Tricks feat.
- Added Charge
v1.1.1
- Added quick trait.
- Changed base beast selection to up to 1/2 as it's mostly cosmetic.
v1.1.2
- Made Coordinated Attack Wisdom times per Short Rest; this significantly reduces the power of Coordinated Attack, but in the later game, Coordinated Attack was scaling too high for a short rest ability. Ranger level times per long rest can also work.
- Revive beast cost halved to 25 gp.
Art Credits
- Winter Wolf - Wizards of the Coast.
- Ranger - Paizo
Supported By
Creation is made possible by generous patrons:
- Andrew Hoertt
- Ara Enzeru
- Austin Fox
- Christoph Haaß (Rune)
- Code Ghoul
- Garion Pankievich
- GMBinder
- HerdSheep
- James Sant
- Jau
- Kybernetes
- Lawrence Eger
- Mercutiorty
- Quentin Padilla
- Rory Collier
- Russel Hobson
- Seth Lang
- Spenser Birney
- Thought-Knot
- Thortron
- Unlikely Alpaca
- Vaelin
- Verixa Oblek
...and many more!
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