Beastmaster Ranger (some thoughts)

[Deadandamnation]

What i've learned about 5 ed is that: keep it simple!

If you start to throw in complications than what's the main differences from a 4.0 or a 3.x?

So why isn't the BM subclass something like that?

-The pet is the main feature of that subclass so give us a level up grid of a standard pet (since it is our pet it will be different from other animals of the same species, so who cares if we got a cat with 30 str? Or a frog with 500 Constitution? Make a starting stat block of the pet whatever it is)

-Give him a standard attack damage that start low and grow as he level up.

-HP, AC, Saves (Increase as we increase our proficency and he need a nice survivability, not a tank but nor a critter)

-The tactics of the BM have to be: I Fight with my companions start from level 3 because that's better than fighting alone.
So my ranger will keep using his action to do whatever he wants and will direct his pet with a bonus action, the pet will continue to act until the ranger don't say otherwise.

That are just the basics...and are pretty simple to understand since you get a table for your pet statistics.

Than you can personalize him with some feats or commands, give him two or three useful actions different or combined with his attacks (like tripping, pack tactics, the mobility feats).

And make acting in combo a reward things for the ranger and his beast when they reach higher levels.

In your opinion was that too hard to achieve? I'm not saying that Beastmaster is an unplayable character, i'm saying that it's not newbie friendly is not easy to learn is not easy to play...is badly written starting from the fact that you have to open another book to learn things about your pet (that same problem come with the druid wildform).

Why wizard haven't yet understand that simple fact? "many players are lazy!"

[Tanarii]

You don't have to open another book. Wolf is one of the best pets, and it's at the back of the PHB.

I do agree that fixed damage, AC, movement speed etc would have been a simpler way to do it. But look at how much people complain about the really simple rule of 'use your action to have your pet do X'. That's about as simplifying as it gets, and everyone complains it lacks verisimilitude. The outcry against a wolf or panther not having the same stats as the actual creature in the MM would be huge.

[Edenbeast]

I think it's already simple. Just add your ranger's proficiency bonus to the companion's AC, attack roll, damage roll, saving throws and skills. And give it 4 times your ranger level in hitpoints, or it's normal maximum. No need to put that in a table. The fact that skills and normal hitpoint maximum varies per beast makes it complicated to standardize in a table. Just copy down the statblock from the MM, or PHB, and make the adjustments.

As for the players are lazy thing, and having to look up information.. That's part of the game. You mean, like wizard casting fireball, and then expectingly looking at the GM to resolve it? If you play wizard, you have to know every spell in your spellbook.. For druid I usually ask to write a couple of favourite forms and have them somewhere in your notes. Lazy players, if persistent, are required to play a suitable easy class, not a system adjusted to their laziness.