Yegofry
2015-02-11, 04:14 AM
I like a lot in the 5e, but I've got to say that the Beastmaster Subclass feels awkward and a bit lacking in flavor.
The subclass description says you are supposed to be the embodiment of friendship between beast and man and a bulwark against the forces that threaten wilderness and civilization. Instead your companion is essentially an awkward weapon.
I'm just not feeling the love in the sub-class features, it often feels as if you might be better off just trying to charm animals to do what you ask of them. I'm looking to create more of a Life-Long Friends/Raised by Animals/Game of Thrones "Warg" type character than the beastmaster. This gave birth in my head to the Weirling Subclass-
Ranger’s Companion : At 3rd level, you gain a beast companion that accompanies you on your adventures and is trained to fight alongside you. Choose a beast that is no larger than Medium and that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower (appendix D presents statistics for the hawk, mastiff,and panther as examples). You may increase your companion to CR 1/2 and Large at level 7 and CR 1 at level 11. Add your proficiency bonus to the beast’s AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in. Its hit point maximum equals its normal maximum or (4+ Companion’s CON Modifier) times your ranger level, whichever is higher. Whenever you gain an ability score improvement you may instead increase one of your companion’s scores by 2, or two companion scores by 1, or one companion score by 1 and one of your scores by 1.
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 the beast where to move (no action required by you). You can use your action to verbally command it to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action. Once you have the Extra Attack feature, you can make one weapon attack yourself when you command the beast to take the Attack action.
While traveling through your favored terrain with only the beast, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
If the beast dies, you can obtain another one by spending 8 hours magically bonding with another beast that isn’t hostile to you, either the same type of beast as before or a different one. Any distributed ability score improvements may be redistributed to the new companion.
Bond Manifestations-
Your devotion to your ranger companion is a sworn pact, transcending normal friendship. Your bond manifests as a supernatural understanding of each other. At 3rd level you gain two different Bond Manifestation. You Gain additional Manifestations at levels 7,11, and 15. If a bond manifestation has prerequisites, you must meet them to learn it. You can learn the Manifestation at the same time that you meet its prerequisites.
Ferocious Friendship
You may have your companion use an Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action using a bonus action. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom Modifier. You regain all expended uses when you finish a short rest
My Mother’s Language
You can cast Speak with Animals at will and without expending a spell slot, but only to communicate with beasts similar to your companion. Additionally, your companion understands all languages that you do.
My Father’s Skill
Gain One Monster Feature that your Companion has. (This manifestation can be taken multiple times to gain additional Monster Features. This manifestation cannot be taken twice at 3rd level.)
My Brother’s Keeper
Both you and your companion learn the “Spare the Dying” Cantrip
My Sister’s Watch (Level 7)
While you and your animal companion are within 10 ft. of each other you each gain +2 to AC and initiative rolls
Exceptional Training (Level 7)
On any of your turns when your beast companion doesn’t attack, you can use a bonus action to command the beast to take the Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action on its turn. This doesn’t count against your number of uses of Ferocious Friendship
My Auntie’s Blessing (Level 7)
Your Ranger Companion's natural weapons are magical.
Share Spells (Level 7)
When you cast a spell targeting yourself, you can also affect your beast companion with the spell if the beast is within 30 ft. Of you.
Take one for the Team (Level 7)
When you are attacked and your animal companion is within 5 ft. you may use your companion’s reaction to force the attack to target your companion. If your companion is attacked and you are within 5 ft. you may use your reaction to force the attack to target you.
Bestial Fury (Level 11)
Once on each of your turns when your companion hits a creature with an attack you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 of damage of the same type dealt by to the target. At Level 14 the die increases to 1d10, and at level 18 the die increases again to 1d12
My Uncle’s Wisdom (Level 11)
You may exchange a DC imposed by any of your companion’s attacks with your Spell Save DC
Our Minds as One (Level 11)
You gain the ability to caste Beast Sense at will on your Ranger Companion without expending a spell slot
Goading Assault(Level 11)
During your turn you may declare that all of your attacks and your companion’s attacks will have a single target. If you do so the target must make a Wisdom Saving Throw against your Ranger Spell DC. On a failed save, the target has disadvantage on all attack rolls against targets other than you or your animal companion (your choice) until the end of your next turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom Modifier. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Bonds of Family(Level 15)
If you or your ranger companion would drop to 0 hit points while the other is still conscious and within sight or hearing you may make a DC 10 Wisdom Saving throw. If you succeed you/your companion drops to 1 point instead. The DC for this effect increases by 5 every time it is used until you take a long rest, after which it resets to DC 10.
Shared Knowledge (Level 15)
Your ranger companion gains proficiency in any saving throws and skills you have proficiency in that it doesn't already have.
Presence of the Beast (Level 15)
You may use an action to force creatures of your choice within 60 ft. of your ranger companion to take a Wisdom Saving throw against your spell casting DC. If a creature fails they become frightened for the number of minutes equal to your Wisdom Modifier. An affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. This feature can only be used once per day.
Blue Text Changes to standard beastmaster subclass
Red Text Changes based on feedback
I took inspiration from the Warlocks Eldritch Invocations because I felt the beastmaster bond should be more similar to the Warlock Pacts/Cleric Domains.
The Hunter Archetype should be better at fighting a specific type of encounter (Horde/Large Beast/Single Big Bad Guy), but the Beast Master should be better at soaking up damage/managing the battlefield/out of combat roles.
A couple of items I would like critique on-
-Initially I was going to allow two features at 3rd level one so that some of the weaker options might see some use. Upon second glance I decided this made the feature too powerful, particularly allowing them to take multiple monster features at a low level. Pack Tactics + Rogue levels might be too good as is. Is the Monster Feature option too good?
-I was thinking about adding a manifestation(s) that would allow for increases to CR level of the companions that can be used. This might not interact well with the additional ability scores I want to allow though. Do you think these could fit? Where at?
-Shared Spells seems kind of underwhelming for a 15th level ability. The most abusable thing I can see happening with this is Multi-Classing to be able to caste haste on both yourself and your animal at once at level 12. While this is really good, it doesn't feel any worse than a wizard/sorcerer/druid/paladin casting it on a fighter/paladin at the same level. Am I missing something?
All other feedback/thoughts/ramblings is also welcome! For those of you who made it this far thanks for reading my first post on Gianttip and please forgive any of my formatting mistakes!
The subclass description says you are supposed to be the embodiment of friendship between beast and man and a bulwark against the forces that threaten wilderness and civilization. Instead your companion is essentially an awkward weapon.
I'm just not feeling the love in the sub-class features, it often feels as if you might be better off just trying to charm animals to do what you ask of them. I'm looking to create more of a Life-Long Friends/Raised by Animals/Game of Thrones "Warg" type character than the beastmaster. This gave birth in my head to the Weirling Subclass-
Ranger’s Companion : At 3rd level, you gain a beast companion that accompanies you on your adventures and is trained to fight alongside you. Choose a beast that is no larger than Medium and that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower (appendix D presents statistics for the hawk, mastiff,and panther as examples). You may increase your companion to CR 1/2 and Large at level 7 and CR 1 at level 11. Add your proficiency bonus to the beast’s AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in. Its hit point maximum equals its normal maximum or (4+ Companion’s CON Modifier) times your ranger level, whichever is higher. Whenever you gain an ability score improvement you may instead increase one of your companion’s scores by 2, or two companion scores by 1, or one companion score by 1 and one of your scores by 1.
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 the beast where to move (no action required by you). You can use your action to verbally command it to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action. Once you have the Extra Attack feature, you can make one weapon attack yourself when you command the beast to take the Attack action.
While traveling through your favored terrain with only the beast, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
If the beast dies, you can obtain another one by spending 8 hours magically bonding with another beast that isn’t hostile to you, either the same type of beast as before or a different one. Any distributed ability score improvements may be redistributed to the new companion.
Bond Manifestations-
Your devotion to your ranger companion is a sworn pact, transcending normal friendship. Your bond manifests as a supernatural understanding of each other. At 3rd level you gain two different Bond Manifestation. You Gain additional Manifestations at levels 7,11, and 15. If a bond manifestation has prerequisites, you must meet them to learn it. You can learn the Manifestation at the same time that you meet its prerequisites.
Ferocious Friendship
You may have your companion use an Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action using a bonus action. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom Modifier. You regain all expended uses when you finish a short rest
My Mother’s Language
You can cast Speak with Animals at will and without expending a spell slot, but only to communicate with beasts similar to your companion. Additionally, your companion understands all languages that you do.
My Father’s Skill
Gain One Monster Feature that your Companion has. (This manifestation can be taken multiple times to gain additional Monster Features. This manifestation cannot be taken twice at 3rd level.)
My Brother’s Keeper
Both you and your companion learn the “Spare the Dying” Cantrip
My Sister’s Watch (Level 7)
While you and your animal companion are within 10 ft. of each other you each gain +2 to AC and initiative rolls
Exceptional Training (Level 7)
On any of your turns when your beast companion doesn’t attack, you can use a bonus action to command the beast to take the Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action on its turn. This doesn’t count against your number of uses of Ferocious Friendship
My Auntie’s Blessing (Level 7)
Your Ranger Companion's natural weapons are magical.
Share Spells (Level 7)
When you cast a spell targeting yourself, you can also affect your beast companion with the spell if the beast is within 30 ft. Of you.
Take one for the Team (Level 7)
When you are attacked and your animal companion is within 5 ft. you may use your companion’s reaction to force the attack to target your companion. If your companion is attacked and you are within 5 ft. you may use your reaction to force the attack to target you.
Bestial Fury (Level 11)
Once on each of your turns when your companion hits a creature with an attack you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 of damage of the same type dealt by to the target. At Level 14 the die increases to 1d10, and at level 18 the die increases again to 1d12
My Uncle’s Wisdom (Level 11)
You may exchange a DC imposed by any of your companion’s attacks with your Spell Save DC
Our Minds as One (Level 11)
You gain the ability to caste Beast Sense at will on your Ranger Companion without expending a spell slot
Goading Assault(Level 11)
During your turn you may declare that all of your attacks and your companion’s attacks will have a single target. If you do so the target must make a Wisdom Saving Throw against your Ranger Spell DC. On a failed save, the target has disadvantage on all attack rolls against targets other than you or your animal companion (your choice) until the end of your next turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom Modifier. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Bonds of Family(Level 15)
If you or your ranger companion would drop to 0 hit points while the other is still conscious and within sight or hearing you may make a DC 10 Wisdom Saving throw. If you succeed you/your companion drops to 1 point instead. The DC for this effect increases by 5 every time it is used until you take a long rest, after which it resets to DC 10.
Shared Knowledge (Level 15)
Your ranger companion gains proficiency in any saving throws and skills you have proficiency in that it doesn't already have.
Presence of the Beast (Level 15)
You may use an action to force creatures of your choice within 60 ft. of your ranger companion to take a Wisdom Saving throw against your spell casting DC. If a creature fails they become frightened for the number of minutes equal to your Wisdom Modifier. An affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. This feature can only be used once per day.
Blue Text Changes to standard beastmaster subclass
Red Text Changes based on feedback
I took inspiration from the Warlocks Eldritch Invocations because I felt the beastmaster bond should be more similar to the Warlock Pacts/Cleric Domains.
The Hunter Archetype should be better at fighting a specific type of encounter (Horde/Large Beast/Single Big Bad Guy), but the Beast Master should be better at soaking up damage/managing the battlefield/out of combat roles.
A couple of items I would like critique on-
-Initially I was going to allow two features at 3rd level one so that some of the weaker options might see some use. Upon second glance I decided this made the feature too powerful, particularly allowing them to take multiple monster features at a low level. Pack Tactics + Rogue levels might be too good as is. Is the Monster Feature option too good?
-I was thinking about adding a manifestation(s) that would allow for increases to CR level of the companions that can be used. This might not interact well with the additional ability scores I want to allow though. Do you think these could fit? Where at?
-Shared Spells seems kind of underwhelming for a 15th level ability. The most abusable thing I can see happening with this is Multi-Classing to be able to caste haste on both yourself and your animal at once at level 12. While this is really good, it doesn't feel any worse than a wizard/sorcerer/druid/paladin casting it on a fighter/paladin at the same level. Am I missing something?
All other feedback/thoughts/ramblings is also welcome! For those of you who made it this far thanks for reading my first post on Gianttip and please forgive any of my formatting mistakes!