Anyone have a player run a 4e beast master ranger from Martial Powers? I did. It worked pretty well, and also used the ranger's actions to attack, etc, but of course was different in many ways, mostly better:
- Beast companions enhanced hunter's quarry; your quarry could be the nearest enemy to you or your companion, greatly increasing its flexibility. No hunter's quarry in 5e.
- You could raise your beast companion from the dead with a ritual rather than just getting a new one. This allowed you to be more attached to a particular companion.
- There were specific stats for beast companions and they leveled with you. No levels for the 5e beasts, and you pick from what is a larger list with some choices that may not have been considered as possible beast companions, and therefore may not be RAI. Stats do scale in 5e with your proficiency bonus.
- There were common sense guidelines on independent actions for beast companions when you are unable command them. Basically it acted like a character, unless you were present but unconscious or dead, in which case it must first move to be adjacent to you before acting as it wished. A couple of sentences along these lines could be useful in 5e, but honestly I think it's just common sense and shouldn't be necessary.
- Your beast had two healing surges and could use second wind when you could. You could also use a minor action to use your healing surges to heal your beast companion when adjacent.
- You could choose from powers that relied on your beast. There are very few spells in the ranger spell list in 5e that synergize with beast companions. Of those at low levels, speak with animals is excellent for scouting, and barkskin can give them survivability, but there is nothing like the at will powers of a 4e beast master.
That same player from 4e rolled a 5e ranger and probably will go beast master, so I have an interest in making the subclass viable and satisfying. It feels like to me that it was designed with a minimum of playtesting, and that a lot of it was dragged and dropped into 5e without much consideration as to what made the 4e one compelling:
- You could raise the beast from the dead, so you kept the same one, allowing you to RP an emotional bond while still putting the beast at constant risk. Now they are disposable.
- No hunter's quarry means that the tactical advantages of a beast companion aren't as valuable. Tactial options from the DMG might help with this; for instance if rules for flanking are used etc, the beast companion will be much more valuable. Not sure I will bring such things into the game though.
- 5e combat seems deadlier at low levels making beast companions feel more vulnerable and exacerbating the problem of the "disposable" beast companion.
My thinking is that while I'm waiting for WotC to respond to everyone's queries on the class, I'm going to implement the following house rules to make it work a bit more like the 4e class:
Upon choosing the beast master archetype, rangers gain the life bond ability and add the following spell to their spell list:
Raise Beast Companion
1st-level necromancy (ritual)
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
You touch your beast companion that has been dead for no more than 10 days and that died for any reason except old age. The creature is restored to life with 1 hit point.
This spell neutralizes poison, cures all diseases, and lifts any curses affecting the creature when it died. The spell replaces damaged or missing organs and limbs.
The spell can even provide a new body if the original no longer exists, in which case you must speak the creature's name. The creature then appears in an unoccupied space you choose within 10 feet of you.
Life Bond: When your beast companion takes damage, your magical bond to the creature allows you to choose to take half of that damage yourself.
IMO, this is a pretty conservative way to give beast companions more survivability and allow for a long term beast companion, without increasing the power of a beast master ranger much. Will it still be weak? Possibly, but I believe there are some great tactical advantages with a beast master companion rather than DPR so I will wait and see before buffing it any further. But I am thinking of bringing back hunter's quarry too, for all rangers. I always thought it was a clever way to encourage them to be skirmishers, attacking from range, yet getting close and eventually to melee.