PDA

View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Animal Companion Spell: First Draft PEACH



Ninjadeadbeard
2016-03-04, 07:17 PM
Been trying to fix the Ranger via homebrew. After trying to fix Beastmaster specifically, or rather make it part of the base class, I realized every other class with an animal companion just had it as a spell. So I thought: Why not make an Animal Companion Spell?

This is that! Completely first draft, based directly on Find Steed. I wanna know what level to set the spell, and if it's any good whatsoever. Or too good. Or anything. Seriously, willing to alter any and all parts of this to make it work.

Please critique! Thank you Playground!


Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: 30 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous

You summon a spirit that assumes the form of an unusually intelligent, strong, and loyal animal companion, creating a long-lasting bond with it. Appearing in an unoccupied space within range, the animal companion takes on a form that you choose: any beast of CR equal to 1/3rd your character level or lower. The animal companion has the statistics of the chosen form, though it is a celestial, fey, an aberration, or fiend (your choice) instead of its normal type. You may instead choose an animal you have befriended to instead enhance with the other effects of this spell. Additionally, if your animal companion has an Intelligence of 5 or less, its Intelligence becomes 6, and it gains the ability to understand one language of your choice that you speak.

Your animal companion serves you, and you have an instinctive bond with it that allows you to fight as a seamless unit. While adjacent to or sharing a space with your animal companion, you can make any spell you cast that targets only you also target your animal companion.

Your animal companion is more resilient than normal. Its hit points are maximized or equal to your Character level multiplied by 5 (whichever is higher), and it gains damage resistance to non-magical slashing, bludgeoning, and piercing damage. In addition, it adds your proficiency to its attack, damage, AC, and all proficient skills and saves.

When the animal companion drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. You can also dismiss your animal companion at any time as an action, causing it to disappear. In either case, casting this spell again summons the same animal companion, restored to its hit point maximum.

While your animal companion is within 1 mile of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. It tries to follow your commands to the best of its ability.

You can’t have more than one animal companion bonded by this spell at a time. As an action, you can release the animal companion from its bond at any time.

Xaphedo
2016-03-04, 09:35 PM
I'm assuming this is a 2nd level conjuration, right?

The 1/3rd CR is problematic. See, spells in 5e don't scale with your character level (cantrips I'm told aren't spells) and I'd keep it that way. It would be better if the CR was fixed (say at 1) and for each spell slot above the 2nd was raised by 1.

I'd also add that the beast must have an Intelligence of 5 or less in order to classify as an animal companion. It's not necessary, but that "if your animal companion has an Intelligence of 5 or less" feels very out of place.

The hit points, resistances and proficiencies part. Just no, that's ridicously overpowered. It essentially raises its CR by 2!

Everything else is fine, as it is almost identical to find steed.


I found a very interesting (although completely different) take on this idea, and I'd link to it if I wasn't restricted by the limitations imposed on new accounts. It's by Dausuul, on the EN World forums. It may be underpowered as it is, but I'll copy it unchanged so that you can get its original feel.

Beast Companion (Druid, Ranger)
1st-level enchantment

Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: 60 feet
Components: V
Duration: Instantaneous (see below)

This spell causes one beast with CR 0 to become your loyal companion.

On each of your turns, you can use a bonus action to mentally command your beast companion if it is within 60 feet (if you have multiple companions, you can command any or all of them at the same time, issuing the same command to each one). You decide what action the companion will take and where it will move during its next turn, or you can issue a general command, such as to guard a particular chamber or corridor. If you issue no command, the companion defends itself and you against hostile creatures. Once given an order, the companion follows it until its task is complete.

When you cast this spell, the spell slot used to cast it is permanently lost as long as the companion remains. If your companion dies, or you use an action to release it from service, you regain the spell slot the next time you take a long rest.

At higher levels. When you cast this spell using a higher-level slot, you can recruit a more powerful companion.

2nd level: You can recruit a beast up to CR 1/8.
3rd level: You can recruit a beast up to CR 1/4.
4th level: You can recruit a beast up to CR 1/2.
5th level: You can recruit a beast up to CR 1.
6th level: You can recruit a beast up to CR 2.
7th level: You can recruit a beast up to CR 3.
8th level: You can recruit a beast up to CR 4.
9th level: You can recruit a beast up to CR 5.