Varied Approach

Each tamer takes a different approach to taming and fighting with their creatures. Some tamers see their summons as valued allies, and see taming as a way to make new friends and travel the world with them. Other tamers see the creatures around them as an untapped source of power, and desire to tame only the strongest creatures.

No matter their approach, most tamers traverse the wilds in order to expand their team. Each new habitat or terrain brings with it wonderous new creatures to discover, and possibly some new allies. Some strong tamers even make their way into the lairs of formidable monstrosities in order to coerce them into aiding them, or, failing that, forcing them into their mark.

Proficiencies

• Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
• Weapons: Simple weapons,
• Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom
• Skills: Choose three from Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Nature, Perception, Persuasion, Stealth, and Survival.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a light crossbow and quiver of 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon and a shield.
• (a) scale mail or (b) leather armor.
• An explorer's pack.

Spellcasting

Using your own magical power in addition to the power of your summons, you may cast spells to communicate with beasts and strengthen your companions.

Summoning Creatures

As an action, you may summon a creature you have tamed from your mark. It appears within five feet of you, or in the closest space it can fit in if the spaces around you are occupied. If there is no space for your creature to appear within 15 feet, this ability fails. Your summons are dismissed immediately if they reach 0 hit points and are knocked unconscious, or you may dismiss a summon early as a bonus action. You may not use this ability to summon a creature that has been knocked unconscious.

Your summons recover completely upon a long rest, but regain no hit points on a short rest. A creature's hit points remain the same if it is dismissed and resummoned. You control your summons in combat, and you and your summons act on your initiative count, and act one after the other, in any order. Your summon doesn't act unless you command it to. On your turn, you can verbally command your summon to move (no action required by you.). You can use your action to verbally command your summon to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action. If the creature has any legendary or Lair Actions, you can't use them. You may only have one creature summoned at a time.

Taming Creatures

You may tame additional creatures to add to your mark. You may only tame creatures whose CR is equal to or less than your summon CR, as shown in the Tamer table. At 1st level, you begin with a medium or smaller Beast of your choice. At first level, you may only tame Beasts, but beginning at 5th level you may also tame Monstrosities.

You may tame a beast by besting it in combat. As a bonus action, you may target a creature within sight, if it dies within one minute, you may add it to your mark if it is tamable. The creature must be killed by you or your allies, if it dies to another enemy, old age, or another effect outside your control, it is not tamed.

You may also convince creatures to join you willingly. As an action, you may make an Animal Handling check to tame a creature that is friendly to you and within 10 feet, and make that check at advantage if the creature is charmed. The Animal Handling check has a DC equal to 10 plus twice the creature's CR. If you fail this check, the creature may become hostile to you, and you may not attempt this on that creature again until you complete a long rest.

You may only have a number of tamed creatures equal to your Tamed Creatures limit, as shown in the Tamer table. If you would tame a creature while you have the maximum number of tamed creatures, you may release one of your other summons, it is transfered to a smaller mark next to your Tamer mark. You may only have a number of creatures stored in this way equal to your wisdom modifier, if you have no more room, you must set creatures free. You may swap which creatures are in your Tamer Mark and which ones are stored as part of a long rest.

Evolving Beasts

Having your beasts gain Health and damage die are not the only ways of having your beasts grow stronger. With your DM's permission, you may have your creatures evolve into larger or more powerful versions of their base form. For example, you may have a wolf turn into a dire wolf when you reach level three, and have it become a winter wolf when you reach level nine. These evolutions replace the ordinary health and damage increases they would recieve from this ability.

The Canine Approach

Some tamers see themselves as part of the pack. To them, they are just another animal, and are not above wading into the fray alongside their allies.

Canine tamers train with weapons and armor to make up for their thin skin and lack of fangs, and make formidible enemies. Strong, dignified, and resolute, Canine tamers fight as a wolf does, with guile and vigor.

Ursine Magic

You learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Canine Spells table. The spell counts as a tamer spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of tamer spells you know.

Abundant Vitality

Starting at 3rd level, you and the creatures you summon are strengthened by the vigorous energy of your magic. Your hit point maximum increases by an amount equal to your level. Each of your summons hit point maximums increase by an amount equal to your level plus their constitution modifier.

Dominating Presence

Starting at 3rd level, when one of your summons hits an enemy with an attack, that enemy is marked. While that enemy is within 5 feet of your summon, it has disadvantage on any attack roll that doesn't target your summon. This mark fades at the start of your summon's next turn.

Thick Skin

At 7th level, your summons have toughened up considerably, your summon's AC becomes their normal AC or 12 plus their constitution modifier, whichever is higher.

Savage Ferocity

At 11th level, your summons have learned how to brute force their way past almost any obstacle. Each of your summons adds two extra damage dice to one of their attacks. If they have multiattack, they instead add one damage die to each of their attacks. When one of your summons is hit by an attack, they may make one attack as a reaction if they are within range.

Titanic Growth

At 15th level, you may use your action to cause your summon to grow explosively in a short period of time. It's size becomes huge, and it gains temporary hit points equal to half of it's max hit points, and it's Strength and Constitution scores become 24. It doubles the number of damage die for each of it's attacks. Any creature that is in your summon's space after this transformation is pushed directly away until it is next to your summon. If your creature does not have enough space to transform, it remains at it's current size, it's Strength and Constitution scores become 20, and it adds two damage dice to each of it's attacks. This transformation lasts for one minute. You may only use this ability once, and regain the ability to do so upon a long rest.

Feline Magic

You learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Canine Spells table. The spell counts as a tamer spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of tamer spells you know.

Shepherd Magic

You learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Canine Spells table. The spell counts as a tamer spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of tamer spells you know.

Shepherds Crook

Starting at 3rd level, you know how to guide your allies back onto the right path. You learn the Guidance cantrip, and treat any quarterstaff or club you wield as if it was under the effect of the Shillelagh spell. You gain proficiency in the Animal Handling skill if you do not already have it, and your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses that proficiency. If you were already proficient in Animal Handling, you instead gain proficency in a skill of your choice.

Deep Connection

Starting at 3rd level, having traveled the world for years, you develop a strong bond to the earth itself. You may ritual cast any spell on the Tamer spell list with the ritual tag, regardless of whether you know it or not. You must be of a level at which you would normally be able to cast the spell. You may do this a number of times equal your Wisdom modifier (Minimum of once) and regain the ability to do so upon a long rest.

Skilled Caster

Starting at 7th level, you have mastered the ability to cast spells through your Tamer Mark. You may add your wisdom modifier to the damage you deal with any tamer cantrip. In addition, you no longer have a limit on the number of times you may use your Deep Connection skill.

Summon the Flock

Starting at 11th level, you may have any number of creatures summoned, so long as their combined CR does not exceed your max summon CR. You may also summon multiple creatures from your mark at the same time. You gain three tamed creatures, which must be of CR 1/2 or less, and do not count against your maximum number of tamed creatures.

Selfless Sacrifice

Starting at 15th level, you may sacrifice your own life force in order to save your friends. When one of your summons is knocked unconscious, you may use your reaction to cause it to regain all of it's hit points and stand up. Doing so takes a heavy toll, and you take necrotic damage equal to 2D8 per CR of the creature. You may only use this ability once, and regain the ability to do so upon a long rest.

Ferocious Strike

Divination Cantrip

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 5 feet
• Components: V, M (a weapon)
• Duration: 1 round

As part of the action used to cast this spell, you must make a melee attack with a weapon against one creature within the spell's range, otherwise the spell fails. On a hit, the target suffers the attack's normal effects, and the targets weak points are exposed until the start of your next turn. If the target is hit before then by a creature with a type that is not Humanoid, it takes an additional 1D6 of that attack's damage type, and the spell ends.

This spell's damage increases when you reach higher levels. At 5th level, the melee attack deals an extra 1D6 damage of the attack's damage type to the target, and the damage the target takes from a non-Humanoids attack increases to 2D6. Both damage rolls increase by 1D6 at 11th level and 17th level.

Revive Beast

3rd-level Necromancy

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Special
• Components: V, S
• Duration: Instantaneous

You select a tamed creature in your Tamer Mark that is currently unconscious. That creature regains 20 hit points and may now be summoned again.

Tamer V1.0

• Click here for version 1.0

Tamer V1.1

• Changed commanding your summon to take an action, added a 5th level ability for your summon to act independently.
• Changed Canine, Feline, and Shepherd 15th level abilities to once per long rest.
• Reworded some sentences, fixed a few minor spelling errors.
• Added the legendary/lair actions clause from the Druid's Wildshape
• Changed the 15th level Ursine ability to have more effect even if there isn't enough room.
• Dropped Tandem Strikes to 3rd level, moved Shared Might up to 11th level.
• Tandem Strikes no longer allows your summons to attack as a reaction. Tandem Strikes now lasts until the end of your next turn, allowing you to alternate between weapon strikes and summon attacks pre-level 5. Tandem Strikes now starts at 1D6 and scales with level.
• Fixed Ambush Predator to now benefit both you and your summons.