Please help me draft an improved beast master.
I haven't added a ton of text explaining the reasoning behind all these design choices, but I'll give a basic explanation to begin with.
The goal is to have a ranger with a real beast as a companion. Not a magical elemental spirit in the shape of a beast, but an actual beast that has been magically enchanted through primal bonds to be more durable and useful.
I've tried scaling especially the survivability up more than anything else. Note, this beast companion never gets multiattack. It isn't there to do a ton of DPR. It can hit, and it can be useful, and each beast will feel different. There will be a lot more variety and choice between beast masters because of the available choices.
There are very specific abilities that increase the utility of the companion without increasing DPR. It has a limited telepathic connection with the ranger, is smart, has specific skills, can be large, share spells sooner, etc. The Reduce ability is a prime example. If you want to have a Tiger animal companion at higher levels, that's super cool and fun. But how do you bring that into a dungeon, or stable it in your room? Reduce! And reduce won't make it more OP, just more convenient and fun.
Again, fun is the main goal. Fun and balance. And to feel like you've got a super-charged beast that can actually be helpful on epic adventures.
On later posts on this thread, I'd love to look at key levels and compare the actual stats of the beast companion, to avoid the inevitable "That's too weak/strong" arguments without looking at the real data.
My goal is to tweak this to make it balanced enough to let me players take it.
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Beast Master Conclave Improved
3rd level
. You gain a beast companion. This works as the Player's Handbook Beast Companion (not Tasha's) with the following changes.
. Choose a CR 1/4 or lower beast that is medium or smaller to act as your companion.
. Hit Points equal 6 x ranger level.
. It's natural armor class equals 13 + your proficiency bonus.
. It adds your ranger's PB bonus to attacks and damage, trained saves and trained skill checks.
. It has proficiency (training) in all saving throws and 4 skills plus 1 per 4 Ranger levels.
. Like any creature, the beast can spend Hit Dice during a short rest.
. In combat, it takes a bonus action to command and acts durring your turn. It may not use the multi-attack action. If you do not use a bonus action to command it, it can move and take the dodge action. If you are incapacitated or absent, the beast acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself. It can take any action it has when you are incapacitated.
. While traveling through your favored terrain with only the beast, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
. It becomes unnaturally more intelligent than a normal beast of its kind. It is easy to train to behave unnaturally (staying quiet, not running from loud noises, doing complex tricks, etc.) If its natural intelligence is lower than 4, this increases to 4. Outside of combat it does its best to obey and suppoort you.
. You are have a limited telepathic link with the beast. Through the link, the beast can understand your telepathic messages to it, and it can telepathically communicate simple emotions and concepts back to you.
. If the beast companion drops to 0 hit points, it can make death saving throws just like a character.
. You may dismiss your beast companion at any time.
. If the beast dies or is dismissed, you can summon another beast after a long rest, either the same type of beast as before or a different one. You may choose the type of the this new beast, though it is recommended (but not required) that it is one appropriate to the surrounding environment if possible. The beast mystically appears as if it had been looking for you.
. Healing: You gain Cure Light Wounds as a known spell. Whenever you cast it on your beast companion, multiply the healing done by 2.
7th level: Mystical Beast
. The beast’s attacks now count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
. Your beast companion may be replaced by a CR 1/2 creature and can be large if it does not have a fly speed.
. You may cast the "Reduce" version of the spell "Enlarge/Reduce" on your beast companion using a 1st level spell slot. The reduction lasts up to 8 hours, can be cancelled as a free action, and does not take concentration.
11th level: Share Spells
. Beginning at 11th level, when you cast a spell targeting yourself, you can also affect your beast companion with the spell if the beast is within 30 feet of you.
. Your beast companion may be replaced by a CR 1 beast and may be large (even with a fly speed).
15th level: Uncanny Resilience
. Starting at 15th level, when your beast companion takes damage from an attack, effect, or spell, it can use its reaction to halve the damage against it.
. Your beast companion may be replaced by a CR 2 creature and may be large (even with a fly speed).
I haven't added a ton of text explaining the reasoning behind all these design choices, but I'll give a basic explanation to begin with.
The goal is to have a ranger with a real beast as a companion. Not a magical elemental spirit in the shape of a beast, but an actual beast that has been magically enchanted through primal bonds to be more durable and useful.
I've tried scaling especially the survivability up more than anything else. Note, this beast companion never gets multiattack. It isn't there to do a ton of DPR. It can hit, and it can be useful, and each beast will feel different. There will be a lot more variety and choice between beast masters because of the available choices.
There are very specific abilities that increase the utility of the companion without increasing DPR. It has a limited telepathic connection with the ranger, is smart, has specific skills, can be large, share spells sooner, etc. The Reduce ability is a prime example. If you want to have a Tiger animal companion at higher levels, that's super cool and fun. But how do you bring that into a dungeon, or stable it in your room? Reduce! And reduce won't make it more OP, just more convenient and fun.
Again, fun is the main goal. Fun and balance. And to feel like you've got a super-charged beast that can actually be helpful on epic adventures.
On later posts on this thread, I'd love to look at key levels and compare the actual stats of the beast companion, to avoid the inevitable "That's too weak/strong" arguments without looking at the real data.
My goal is to tweak this to make it balanced enough to let me players take it.
------
Beast Master Conclave Improved
3rd level
. You gain a beast companion. This works as the Player's Handbook Beast Companion (not Tasha's) with the following changes.
. Choose a CR 1/4 or lower beast that is medium or smaller to act as your companion.
. Hit Points equal 6 x ranger level.
. It's natural armor class equals 13 + your proficiency bonus.
. It adds your ranger's PB bonus to attacks and damage, trained saves and trained skill checks.
. It has proficiency (training) in all saving throws and 4 skills plus 1 per 4 Ranger levels.
. Like any creature, the beast can spend Hit Dice during a short rest.
. In combat, it takes a bonus action to command and acts durring your turn. It may not use the multi-attack action. If you do not use a bonus action to command it, it can move and take the dodge action. If you are incapacitated or absent, the beast acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself. It can take any action it has when you are incapacitated.
. While traveling through your favored terrain with only the beast, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
. It becomes unnaturally more intelligent than a normal beast of its kind. It is easy to train to behave unnaturally (staying quiet, not running from loud noises, doing complex tricks, etc.) If its natural intelligence is lower than 4, this increases to 4. Outside of combat it does its best to obey and suppoort you.
. You are have a limited telepathic link with the beast. Through the link, the beast can understand your telepathic messages to it, and it can telepathically communicate simple emotions and concepts back to you.
. If the beast companion drops to 0 hit points, it can make death saving throws just like a character.
. You may dismiss your beast companion at any time.
. If the beast dies or is dismissed, you can summon another beast after a long rest, either the same type of beast as before or a different one. You may choose the type of the this new beast, though it is recommended (but not required) that it is one appropriate to the surrounding environment if possible. The beast mystically appears as if it had been looking for you.
. Healing: You gain Cure Light Wounds as a known spell. Whenever you cast it on your beast companion, multiply the healing done by 2.
7th level: Mystical Beast
. The beast’s attacks now count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
. Your beast companion may be replaced by a CR 1/2 creature and can be large if it does not have a fly speed.
. You may cast the "Reduce" version of the spell "Enlarge/Reduce" on your beast companion using a 1st level spell slot. The reduction lasts up to 8 hours, can be cancelled as a free action, and does not take concentration.
11th level: Share Spells
. Beginning at 11th level, when you cast a spell targeting yourself, you can also affect your beast companion with the spell if the beast is within 30 feet of you.
. Your beast companion may be replaced by a CR 1 beast and may be large (even with a fly speed).
15th level: Uncanny Resilience
. Starting at 15th level, when your beast companion takes damage from an attack, effect, or spell, it can use its reaction to halve the damage against it.
. Your beast companion may be replaced by a CR 2 creature and may be large (even with a fly speed).
