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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FormerlyHemlock" data-source="post: 7680532" data-attributes="member: 6787650">1.) When you write the stats down for the warhorse vs. mastiff, the warhorse still looks pretty good. Furthermore, the most obvious and popular interpretation of the Find Steed text is that the mount is an independent creature which acts as an intelligent mount--and under that interpretation you can take Mounted Combatant to keep him alive, so his hit points don't matter and he's basically a free attack at +4 (or +6 if you picked a draft horse instead of a warhorse) for 11 points of damage, 22 on a trample. If the mastiff were free-willed it would be clearly albeit slightly better than the warhorse when it does not trample; but with it eating a bonus action every turn, the warhorse is still arguably better.2.) Look closer at the Necromancer's Command Undead. Here are some things that do not break free: Wights, Vampire Spawns, Mummies, Mummy Lords. I'm not sure about Ghasts and Wraiths but I think Ghasts at least have only Int 11 so they don't break free. All of those are better than the Beastmaster's beast (e.g. Wights can create and permanently command a dozen zombies) and the Necromancer can even create his own Wights, Ghasts and Mummies with up to +20 HP and +6 damage on every attack, so he's not even dependent on finding an undead somewhere.3.) For those who want to improve the beastmaster, here are some potential things you could change:i.) Allow the ranger to bind any beast of CR = half his ranger level or less. The fact that the Beastmaster RAW cannot have a grizzly bear companion makes me sad because it seems so iconic.ii.) Give beasts the same action economy as animated skeletons: bonus action to give a new command. This makes perfect sense from an RP perspective: "Sic 'em, boy!" The possibility still exists for the beast to act independently but the player wouldn't control what it does.iii.) Allow the beast to act independently (under the player's control) but without the proficiency bonus to attacks/damage/etc. unless the ranger is actively directing it via the action economy.Select any one of the three for your game. None of these "fixes" are primarily motivated by game balance concerns because I think I'm pretty okay with the beastmaster's game balance (and part of me thinks a Beastmaster King Cobra would be awesome to play with, for a while). They all boost the beastmaster's power as a side effect, but not in a way which I personally find problematic. (E.g. I'm perfectly okay with the thought of a 16th level Beastmaster who spends his bonus action commanding his pet Triceratops to attack at +5 to AC/Attacks/Damage.) If I had a player who wanted to play a beastmaster I'd offer him his pick of the three.</blockquote>

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