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RangerRick
2015-03-31, 06:59 PM
Beast Leveling:

In order for your beast to level it will have to be through magical means. During a long rest the owner of the beast can spend hours attempting to magically enhance their beast's capabilities. The beast will then have to gain experience and enough exposure to magic in order for their abilities to grow. See Table 1.2



Level
Proficiency Bonus
Features


1
+2
Base Level


2
+2
Ability Score Improvement


3
+2


4
+2
Damage Dice Improvement (d10 max), Favored Terrain


5
+2
Extra Attack, Magic Damage


6
+3
Ability Score Improvement


7
+3


8
+3
Damage Dice Improvement (d10 max)


9
+3
Ability Score Improvement, Favored Terrain


10
+3
+1 Damage Dice, Companion Trait, True Companion


(Table 1.1)



Level
Experience
Hours of exposure


2
500
20


3
1000
48


4
2500
60


5
5000
80


6
8000
120


7
12000
150


8
17000
180


9
22000
200


10
30000
250


(Table 1.2)

Base Level: The base level is the beast at its normal stats. The beast's hit points and AC are calculated in the features section. The owner of the beast must be level 5 before beast leveling can begin.

Magical Exposure: The player will announce at the beginning of a long rest how many hours they will spend improving their beast. The player will then make a DC 15 check, on a successful role the beast will gain twice the hours that the player announced, on a failed (other than one) the beast will only gain the announced hours. If the player roles a 1 the pet will take -2 hours from total and no hours are gained. A minimum of 2 hours must be spent for any effect to remain permanent. Any distraction such as moving or fighting cancels the spell. If 3 hours or less are used the player gains all long rest benefits.



Hours Spent
Penalties during long rest


2-3
No penalties


4
-1d4 to max life


5-6
-1d4 to max life and lose 1 lowest lvl spell slot


7
-1d4 to max life and lose 2 spell slots of DM choice


8
No spell slots or life regained, lose second highest spell slot. (If second highest spell slot is already used must take 2 long rests (16hrs) to regain it.)


12 +
Gain 1 exhaustion counter (pg. 291) (Must make a full long rest with no hours spent to lose exhaustion counter)


(Table 2.1)

Penalties: All penalties are compounding, so if a character uses enough hours improving their beast and incur a penalty, they also incur all previous penalties. (ex. 8 hours will cause -3d4 to max life, the loss of 1 lowest lvl spell slot and 2 spell slots of the DMs, choice along with no spell slots or life regained and lose their second highest spell slot.) See Table 2.1

Features:

Ability Score Improvement: At the 2nd level the beast gains their first ability score improvement. The player may increase one ability by 2 points or two abilities by 1 point each. The beast receives subsequent improvements at levels 6 and 9. The player may choose a feat in lieu of increasing their creatures ability scores. Must be a creature feat from list below. (See page 3)

Armor Class (AC): The beast's Armor class is determined by their natural armor rating plus their dexterity modifier.

Damage Dice +1: Add 1 damage dice, of the same type that is already being used, permanently to your beast's attack damage roll. (Do this for all attacks creature has.)

Damage Dice Improvement: At the 4th and again at the 8th level the beast's damage dice is increased from its current dice rolled to the next higher. Ex. Wolf - 2d4 at levels 1-3, changes to 2d6 at level 4 etc. (Do this for all attacks creature has.)

Extra Attack: At the 5th level your beast can attack twice, instead of once, whenever its takes the Attack action on its turn.

Favored Terrain: Your beast gains a +1 to attack while in its favored terrain. The favored terrain is determined by the beast type. (Ex. Wolf = Forest, Lion = Grasslands). Your beast may add an additional favored terrain at level 4 and 9.

Hit Points: Your beast's HP is equal to 3 times your character level plus its Constitution modifier at base level. After base level it gains 1d8 + Constitution modifier per level.

Magic Damage: Starting at 5th level, your beast's attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage.

True Companion: When a spell is cast by a friendly creature that targets your beast or you, you may choose to have your beast also affected by the spells benefits, or yourself, as long as they are within 30ft.

Feats:

Thick Skinned: Increase your beast's armor class by +1 permanently.

Natural Stealth: Increase your beast's stealth skill by +2, only works for beast's of small or medium size. If your beast is large then only increase stealth ability by +1.

Nature's Guide: Your beast adds an additional +2 to all it's owners initiative rolls when in its favored terrain and is within 10ft of the owners character. The range increases to 30ft at beast level 6.

Deadly Hunter: Your beast gets +2 to attack, and whenever it makes a critical strike it adds an extra d4 to the damage roll.

Pounce: If your beast moves at least 20ft toward a creature and hits it with an attack. The creature must make a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is knocked prone, your creature may make an attack against it as a bonus action.

Companion Trait:

At the 10th and max level your magical bond with your creature is so powerful it inspires a Companion Trait to manifest within the beast. The Trait is a special ability that can be used only once and cannot be used again until the beast and the owner have completed a long rest.

Steadfast Guardian: If a beast's owner would take a critical hit or a deathblow (a hit when they are under a quarter of their life), the beast may intervene and take the damage for them. If the beast intervenes it must make a DC 14 saving throw. If it succeeds it takes only half damage and the owner takes none. If it fails it takes full damage and the owner takes half damage. If the DC is a critical miss both the owner and the pet take full damage. This can be used after the attack roll is completed but before the damage is applied.

Imbued Magic: The time you have spent improving your creatures abilities have imbued it with a single magical ability. This ability can be chosen from the list below or the DM may have your creatures favored terrain select the ability for it.


Arctic: Cold Breath - The beast exhales a blast of freezing wind in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 18 (4d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. All creatures in the cone lose 15ft of movement for 1 minute.


Coast: Thunderous Growl - The beast growls thunderously causing each creature in a 15-foot cube originating from it to make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save the creatures take 18 (4d8) thunder damage and are pushed 10ft back. On a successful save they take half as much damage and remain where they are.


Desert: Heat Blast - The beast exhales a gout of flames in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that are must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 18 (4d8) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If a creature takes full damage they are on fire for one turn and take 7 (2d6) fire damage at the start of their next turn.


Forest: Ensnaring Howl - The beast emits a howl the affects all enemies in a 15-foot cube originating from the creature. The ground erupts in ensnaring vines covered in thorns. Each creature in that are must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 13 (3d6) piercing damage and becoming restrained for 1 minute on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one and is safe from ensnarement. If the creature becomes ensnared it takes 2d6 piercing damage at the beginning of its turn and must make a strength saving throw, on a successful throw it breaks free on a failed it remains ensnared.


Grassland: Lightning Strike - The creature calls upon the elements charging into combat. The beast must move at least 15ft to use this attack. As the beast charges into combat it is struck by lightning imbuing its skin with electrical properties and increasing its speed. The target creature must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 16 (3d10) lightning damage on a failed save and half as much on a successful one. On a hit or a miss all creatures within a 10ft radius must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 11 (2d10) lightning damage on a failed save and half as much on a successful one.


Mountain: Shattering Bark - The beast imbues its voice with magic causing the ground in a 15-foot cube originating from the creature to shift and erupt. Each creature in the cube must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 18 (4d8) earth damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the creature fails its saving throw it is knocked prone.


Swamp: Noxious Snarl - The beast exhales a blast of noxious fumes in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save the creature takes 14 (2d12) poison damage and is poisoned for 1 minute, the creature takes half as much on a successful save and is not poisoned. If the creature becomes poisoned it takes 1d12 poison damage at the start of its turn and must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a successful save it is no longer poisoned.


Underdark: Shadow Blast - The beast magically emits psychic energy in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 13 Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save the creature takes 18 (4d8) pyschic damage and is stunned for 1 minute, the creature takes half as much damage on a successful save and is not stunned. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

eleazzaar
2015-04-02, 09:33 AM
It seems the consensus is the ranger's companion needs a boost.

The magical exposure and Xp rules don't really seem to be in keeping with the spirit of 5e. Fiddly record-keeping.

Wouldn't it be better to tie the beast's leveling in directly to the ranger levels?

RangerRick
2015-04-03, 11:50 AM
I thought about that but I didn't want it to be extremely easy for the pet to level up so to avoid the pet every out scaling the owner. Also its not that much to keep up with only exp and hours.

Baxter2072
2015-10-10, 12:43 AM
This is really cool,but I am not sure if it is balanced?

Belac93
2015-10-10, 11:26 AM
For hit points, it should probably be: The beasts hp at base level is equal to 3 times your ranger level. The way it is right now, you could get a beast at a higher level and its hit points would be much larger than if you got it normally.