Beastmaster

[adb82]

Im thinking about a beastmaster build, i would like to play it as a small race mounting a medium beast but i have some doubt about how the companion's rules interact with the controlling mount rules.

My idea was to use a giant poisonus snake, for get opportunity attacks with its reach, a good damage if targets are not resistent/immune to poison, a good AC, good initiative if uncontrolled. My point is, if i use it as a controlled mount, so i give him the ranger initiative, i suppose it cant attack or take the help action because of this: "The initiative of a controlled mount changes to match yours when you mount it. It moves as you direct it, and it has only three action options: Dash, Disengage, and Dodge." But what if i leave him take its own initiative being not controlled anymore and so being able to attack and help? Basically there are 2 possibilities:

1) it act before the ranger.
If this is the case should be ok to just move and than wait the ranger turn for attack with his action.

2) it act after the ranger.
Here is the real problem i suppose, as the ranger cant move without dismount, but he can dismount (5 ft movement with mounted combat feat), command verbally the snake to move to a place in range for an attack (and shouldnt be a so huge problem as the snake have 10 ft reach), move near the snake, make it attack using his action, end his movement mounting the snake again. If this work probably my DM would rule it assuming no dismounting but a -10 ft movement, that is still ok.

The other doubt come from the Ranger own damage. This campaign will hit no more than lv 10/11, shapeshooter seem not that good in the first levels, it mean maybe can be a choice at lv 8, in the last part of the campaign, but even assuming it, we get 1d6 + 1d4 (favored foe) +3 (dex) + 10 (SS) = 19 (22/23 if we want to consider also hunter's mark), with a +hit beween +2 and +4. The snake deal 1d4 + 4 + 3d6 (or half) + proficiency bonus = 18/20 with +8/10 to hit (against not resistent/immune to poison creatures), its very good till lv 6/7 i think, than much less but i dont see any way to boost it more. This seem it mean whatever i choose, for deal damage ill always use the snake and at this point is not better give some utility to the ranger? Nets? esnaring strikes? Some heal?

PS i was even thinking to thrown weapon fighting style for thematic reasons (would love to use javelins from a giant snake lol), but the damage is still worst, much more, so im thinking even to defense fighting style and just make the ranger attack with esnaring strike and nets, or heal something, so to have other feat at lv 8, even just +2 dex/str should be ok.

[LumenPlacidum]

Mounted Combat and Ranger's Companion are both rules that would interact to determine what your mount/companion can do.

According to Ranger's Companion, "It takes its turn on your initiative. 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, or Help action. If you don’t issue a command, the beast takes the Dodge action."

As such, regardless of whether the companion is a controlled or uncontrolled mount it is going to take its turn on your initiative, and in fact its turn will overlap with your own, since your action determines what action it takes or can take.

According to the Mounted Combat Rules, a controlled mount "moves as you direct it, and it has only three action options: Dash, Disengage, and Dodge". So, if you controlled your mount, you could use your action to verbally command it to take the Dash or Disengage actions, and if you don't command it with your action, it takes the Dodge action. However, since the actual benefit of controlling your mount is that its turn partly merges with your own, and since your companion's turn already does this, there is no reason to control your Ranger Companion.

According to the Mounted Combat Rules, an uncontrolled mount bearing you "puts no restrictions on the actions the mount can take, and it moves and acts as it wishes." I would also add that its wishes are subject to the actions that it is allowed to take! So, if you leave the companion independent, you actually still have all the benefits of a controlled mount by virtue of the Ranger Companion rules.

On the damage side, please remember that it gets to "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". Poison damage is a damage roll... So, please don't forget to include your proficiency bonus in both the physical damage and the poison damage. On that note, the fact that you get to add the beast's ability score modifier, its own proficiency bonus, and your proficiency bonus to attack rolls actually has a huge effect on how much damage the companion deals. That the snake is going to get bonus damage from its bite and from its venom combines with this to mean that your snake is likely to be out-damaging you all campaign against anything that isn't immune to poison.

A ranger with Hunter's Mark up, two attacks, Sharpshooter and the Archery combat style at level 11 is going to do something like two longbow attacks with +10 to-hit for 1d8+1d6+4 each or use Sharpshooter for +5 to-hit for 1d8+1d6+14 each. The first option would do 16.4 damage per round against an AC 18 foe, and the second would do 18.4 damage per round against an AC 18 foe.

The snake at level 11 is going to be able to attack twice with its bite and the ranger is going to be able to attack once. The snake also has +10 to-hit, and does first 1d4+8 piercing damage, and then there's a Constitution save DC 11 for 3d6+4 poison damage. Twice. That DC 11 doesn't look terribly impressive, I know, but honestly most stuff is going to fail that save at least 1/4 of the time, and more often closer to 1/2 the time. Let's say that a foe has a +4 to Constitution saves. The snake is going to do 13.9 damage per round with its bite damage alone. Then, you'll expect 18.85 damage per round from its poison. After that, you still get to attack once yourself.

Against a non-poison-immune foe, it's not that you can do acceptable damage. You do amazing consistent damage! If you also fire a heavy crossbow (no reload problem when you only get one shot a turn anyway), then in total you're doing almost 40 damage per round where the only resource you're expending is the use of Hunter's Mark and bolts. It's hard to find a build that gets as much for as little investment. In truth, since you are downplaying your own Attack option, subsuming it in favor of your snake's attack, you become much more free to do other things with your ASIs. You could ignore boosting Dex and Wis and take ASIs that make you more flexible, like Ritual Caster, or Eldritch Adept. You could indeed use your own attack to attack with a Net. Since you only get one attack this way anyway, you might as well take those things where single-attack-only is the downside.

[adb82]

Mounted Combat and Ranger's Companion are both rules that would interact to determine what your mount/companion can do.

According to Ranger's Companion, "It takes its turn on your initiative. 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, or Help action. If you don’t issue a command, the beast takes the Dodge action."

As such, regardless of whether the companion is a controlled or uncontrolled mount it is going to take its turn on your initiative, and in fact its turn will overlap with your own, since your action determines what action it takes or can take.

According to the Mounted Combat Rules, a controlled mount "moves as you direct it, and it has only three action options: Dash, Disengage, and Dodge". So, if you controlled your mount, you could use your action to verbally command it to take the Dash or Disengage actions, and if you don't command it with your action, it takes the Dodge action. However, since the actual benefit of controlling your mount is that its turn partly merges with your own, and since your companion's turn already does this, there is no reason to control your Ranger Companion.

According to the Mounted Combat Rules, an uncontrolled mount bearing you "puts no restrictions on the actions the mount can take, and it moves and acts as it wishes." I would also add that its wishes are subject to the actions that it is allowed to take! So, if you leave the companion independent, you actually still have all the benefits of a controlled mount by virtue of the Ranger Companion rules.

On the damage side, please remember that it gets to "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". Poison damage is a damage roll... So, please don't forget to include your proficiency bonus in both the physical damage and the poison damage. On that note, the fact that you get to add the beast's ability score modifier, its own proficiency bonus, and your proficiency bonus to attack rolls actually has a huge effect on how much damage the companion deals. That the snake is going to get bonus damage from its bite and from its venom combines with this to mean that your snake is likely to be out-damaging you all campaign against anything that isn't immune to poison.

A ranger with Hunter's Mark up, two attacks, Sharpshooter and the Archery combat style at level 11 is going to do something like two longbow attacks with +10 to-hit for 1d8+1d6+4 each or use Sharpshooter for +5 to-hit for 1d8+1d6+14 each. The first option would do 16.4 damage per round against an AC 18 foe, and the second would do 18.4 damage per round against an AC 18 foe.

The snake at level 11 is going to be able to attack twice with its bite and the ranger is going to be able to attack once. The snake also has +10 to-hit, and does first 1d4+8 piercing damage, and then there's a Constitution save DC 11 for 3d6+4 poison damage. Twice. That DC 11 doesn't look terribly impressive, I know, but honestly most stuff is going to fail that save at least 1/4 of the time, and more often closer to 1/2 the time. Let's say that a foe has a +4 to Constitution saves. The snake is going to do 13.9 damage per round with its bite damage alone. Then, you'll expect 18.85 damage per round from its poison. After that, you still get to attack once yourself.

Against a non-poison-immune foe, it's not that you can do acceptable damage. You do amazing consistent damage! If you also fire a heavy crossbow (no reload problem when you only get one shot a turn anyway), then in total you're doing almost 40 damage per round where the only resource you're expending is the use of Hunter's Mark and bolts. It's hard to find a build that gets as much for as little investment. In truth, since you are downplaying your own Attack option, subsuming it in favor of your snake's attack, you become much more free to do other things with your ASIs. You could ignore boosting Dex and Wis and take ASIs that make you more flexible, like Ritual Caster, or Eldritch Adept. You could indeed use your own attack to attack with a Net. Since you only get one attack this way anyway, you might as well take those things where single-attack-only is the downside.

Ok, so it seem to work without complicate too much the things.

About ritual caster ad eldricht adept i was thinking about them too, but i was also thinking to get mounted combat for the survivability as the snake have really few hp (but the first feature of the feat is almost useless on my mount, i would choose it only for the beast survivability and as i can simply find other beast in 8 hours im not really sure this is a good pick) and get ritual caster at lv 8, with few levels more to play, maybe its not the best choice. But if my DM agree to give the companion 3 death saves as a character i can use that space for ritual caster at lv 4, or i have to deal with the fact that my mount will die kinda often.

For the spells with concentration i was thinking about esnaring strike from 1 lv, 2nd lv summon beast for a meatshield, 3rd lv conjure animals for 8 swarm meatshields.
Than animal frienship, speak with animals, cure wounds (or hunter's mark), pass without trace, locate animals and plants, revivify, lightning arrow.

[LumenPlacidum]

I would avoid conjure animals if it were me. As a player, I'd already be managing two combatants most of the time, with three when using summon beast. Making it ten would really stretch what I and my group would be willing to put up with.

[adb82]

I would avoid conjure animals if it were me. As a player, I'd already be managing two combatants most of the time, with three when using summon beast. Making it ten would really stretch what I and my group would be willing to put up with.

Yea, it become lots of minis i know, but also thematically seem a really nice spell for a beast master. I wouldn't know what to pick instead than it (i mean more thematically or mechanically appropriate). But well, it come in at lv 9, so 1 or 2 lv before the end, probably its not a huge problem. But what would you pick insted than it?

About the feats do you think mounted combatent isnt worth? I really would like ritual caster, as our campaigns normally have really few fights and the rituals spells are always very useful.

Against things immune to poison i still dont know what to do...probably if i know im gonna go against an undead army i would change my companion for a giant crab 8 hours before move, but for unexpected fights seem he can count only on hunter's mark, throwing fighting style and favored foe for increase his output.

The race im gonna play has +2 wis and can choose to put a +1 to dex, str, con or int. For throw javelins and hand axes he need str, so i would start with 16 in str and wis, 12 con, 14 dex, int and cha dumped.

[LumenPlacidum]

Mounted Combatant to protect the snake isn't a bad plan. The snake does constitute a goodly amount of damage that you do, and so keeping it alive is good for you. Do I think it's worth it? Based on the idea that you want to be riding this snake into combat, then yes, I think I do. However, it isn't a priority, since to begin with, your snake is going to be as survivable as a PC Wizard at level 3 (with the wizard becoming more so as levels advance) with 18 hp and 16 AC. However, it's likely to survive some attention falling upon it, and that's probably good enough.

I think you might want to pursue Mounted Combat with a higher level Feat, and you should get the core of what makes you useful down first. So, if you like the idea of going Ritual Caster, then go Ritual Caster.

Against poison-immune foes, your snake's attack is at 1d4+4+proficiency damage, which isn't exactly awful. At level 11, it's attacking with a +10 to-hit for 1d4+8 if a foe is poison-immune. Twice. Plus your attack. It hits more often than most (typical at that level is +9 to-hit) and less often than an archer (+11 to-hit). At an average of 10.5 damage, it's hitting pretty well, though I agree that it's not great at that level. You'd rather the closer to 20 damage with the poison.

If it turns out that attacking is a poor choice in the moment, you could always just fall back on your spells. Entangle, Entangling Smite, Lightning Arrow, Plant Growth, or sure, maybe Conjure Animals at that point. You could just support your party and cast Spike Growth to synergize with all the other crazy abilities that people have.

Or, just use your own attacks. You're still a full level martial character.

[adb82]

Mounted Combatant to protect the snake isn't a bad plan. The snake does constitute a goodly amount of damage that you do, and so keeping it alive is good for you. Do I think it's worth it? Based on the idea that you want to be riding this snake into combat, then yes, I think I do. However, it isn't a priority, since to begin with, your snake is going to be as survivable as a PC Wizard at level 3 (with the wizard becoming more so as levels advance) with 18 hp and 16 AC. However, it's likely to survive some attention falling upon it, and that's probably good enough.

I think you might want to pursue Mounted Combat with a higher level Feat, and you should get the core of what makes you useful down first. So, if you like the idea of going Ritual Caster, then go Ritual Caster.

Against poison-immune foes, your snake's attack is at 1d4+4+proficiency damage, which isn't exactly awful. At level 11, it's attacking with a +10 to-hit for 1d4+8 if a foe is poison-immune. Twice. Plus your attack. It hits more often than most (typical at that level is +9 to-hit) and less often than an archer (+11 to-hit). At an average of 10.5 damage, it's hitting pretty well, though I agree that it's not great at that level. You'd rather the closer to 20 damage with the poison.

If it turns out that attacking is a poor choice in the moment, you could always just fall back on your spells. Entangle, Entangling Smite, Lightning Arrow, Plant Growth, or sure, maybe Conjure Animals at that point. You could just support your party and cast Spike Growth to synergize with all the other crazy abilities that people have.

Or, just use your own attacks. You're still a full level martial character.

Yep, 18 hp at lv 3 is as same as a wizard and till lv 5 seem it has around same hp the wizard have, than from lv 5 maybe aid can help with keep its hp similar to wizard, but i suppose the problem are area effect spells and crits that can kill it istantly. For other things cure wounds should be enough. About this, its not so clear to me if "You can force an attack targeted at your mount to target you instead" it refers only to weapons attacks or also to spells like magic missile or fear, but i suppose talking only about "attacks" it refers only to what need an attack roll.

About spike growth, seem really a good spell, im thinking a way for sinergyze it and the 10 ft reach attack of the snake, do you have any idea?

PS being not so important my stats i was thinking different feats combinations:

- magic initiate (for mage armor to cast on the companion and ray of frost for keep enemies in the growth spike area longer), and shadow touched for false life that on single target is better than aid, plus invisibility that is always a good spell. Fighting style should be thrown weapons.

- mounted combatant and defensive duelist for survivability. Fighting style: defense.

- Ritual caster (find familiar for help the snake attacks and scounting, comprehend lenguages and everything else ill find on the way) and magic initiate (mage armor that would enter at lv 8). Throw weapon fighting style.

Which do you think can work better?

I was thinking about blind fighting style too, especially for the last feats combination in the list, for a blind character, but thrown weapon is the one fighting style that allow me to use a shield and cast spells, being anyway ready to weapon attack, without use any feat.

PS I was thinking also to pick magic initiate at lv 4 and sharpeshooter at lv 8, so at lv 8 he gonna change his fighting style (switching to archery) and his companion (going for a pteranodon). From lv 7 the companion is able to perform the help action with the ranger bonus action, this mean go 5 ft from enemy, the companion perform the help action with the ranger bonus action, use flyby for go out from enemy's reach without get opportunity attacks, double attack with sharpeshooter and a bow, the first attack have also advantage. Do you think this switch is viable, or better say "a good trade"? Im considering that the more hight the level the more he gonna find things resistant to poison, so this could be a good idea for keep being effective if it work (considering anyway a dex of 16 or 17, no more).
The wolf, the giant wolf spider, the giant crab and the panther (maybe also the giant frog) all seem kinda good companions too, but probably pteranodon and giant poisonous snake singergize better with the ranger. There is some other companion's tactic that could be nice to play?

[adb82]

I was considering also other thing:

if i dont pick mounted combatant as feat, the benefit to mount the campanion disappears (except the companion is a flying creature), because the enemies can anyway target my mount with everything and at this point being in a different place allow them to flank an enemy and give advantage to each other's attacks. In any case the ranger AC isnt great while the companion AC go from 18 to 23 with mage armor. I suppose mostly crits and area effect spells will anyway kill the companion, but this is true even mounting it without the mounted combatant feat.

In this scenario anyway, giving already adavtage to each other via flanking, seem to me that a good way to go would be start with magic initiate and so mage armor at lv 4, and than choose artificer initiate at lv 8 if i want keep going with the snake, for sanctuary. In this way the ranger can even dont use any weapon, just shield, defense fighting style and sanctuary should make him able to keep enemies in melee inside the spike growth area while the snake attack them from outside the area with the 10 ft reach attack.

Also 1 or 3 dip in twilight cleric seem work well as well, sactuary at lv 6 (instead than 8), healing word as bonus action, darkvision and channel divinity for a good boost of temp HP to the companion, maybe spiritual weapon if it can work together with sanctuary but i dont think so, in exchage to 5/15 HP for the companion (that are anyway covered from the channel divinty of the cleric). With 2 lv of artificer probably work as well and it get also some boost to AC, but not healing words and temp HP for the companion. Which one do you think sinergize better?

Other option, as i mentioned before, could be changing fighting style and companion at lv 8 for get pteranodon and archery, pick sharpshooter same at lv 8 and go for a totally different play style.

I was thinking also about a giant crab grappling enemies and putting them in the spike growth area, while the ranger use ray of frost (via magic initiate) for they keep being inside the spell area effect, this probably would work better with a cleric friend and spirt guardians, or with a wizard and his wall of fire and cloud of daggers, otherwise maybe its not a great option.

PS The one thing im still not sure about is what is the rusult of any spell that give the frightned or similar condition targetting only the companion mount. It gonna flee? If the spell targets the ranger he must dismount for flee?

[Segev]

I think Beast Master remains disappointing, but you CAN make it work if you think of it as either being able to be in two places at once (but still with only one set of actions), or if you're going for a flying mount. It's conceivably possible to get a flying mount at level one, but it's hard to do. You can guarantee one if you're a Ranger by level 3: a giant owl is CR 1/4 and thus a valid pet. It's even Large, so you could ride it as a Medium creature. If you're a Small Ranger, a pteranodon (a recent "D&D: Ranger Edition" pointed it out to me) is Medium and can fly. This has advantages for actual dungeon delving, because you could ride your Medium flying mount into dungeons that are built to accommodate Medium creatures.

[x3n0n]

It's conceivably possible to get a flying mount at level one, but it's hard to do. You can guarantee one if you're a Ranger by level 3: a giant owl is CR 1/4 and thus a valid pet. It's even Large, so you could ride it as a Medium creature.

You may know this already and are intentionally deviating from RAW, but it's not clear to me. From Ranger's Companion:

"Choose a creature that is no larger than Medium [...]"

[Segev]

You may know this already and are intentionally deviating from RAW, but it's not clear to me. From Ranger's Companion:

"Choose a creature that is no larger than Medium [...]"

No, I forgot / missed that.

Okay, so Small Ranger with a pteranodon.

[adb82]

Do you think this set work enough?

5 lv ranger Beastmaster for the companion and spike growth
2 or 3 lv twilight cleric for the temp HP from channel divinity to use on the companion, the spell sanctuary at lv 6 and the spell healing word, more slots, as well as eventually heavy armors and possibily spiritual weapon (im not sure it work together with sanctuary).
go with beastmaster till the end, probably till lv 10/11.

The point here is cast spike growth making sure the ranger keep the enemies in melee inside the area, while the snake attack them from outisde the spell area effect with his 10 ft reach attack. Defense fighting style seem a must as the shield and the staff as arcane focus/weapon. 20/21 AC + sanctuary should make the ranger a decent tank, he also gonna pick magic initiate as feat at lv 4 for mage armor to cast on the companion and probably he gonna pick fey or shadow touched at lv 10 for bring wis to 18 (this race have a +2 wis for start) and get some other spells.

[LumenPlacidum]

So, I had been avoiding saying "You could just not use the snake as a mount" because in your first post, you'd said that that was a primary goal of the build. I think taking a feat for mage armor for the snake is too much investment for too little gain. You probably even have party members who can just cast mage armor on the snake for you.

If you are casting Spike Growth, that's great. But, you'd be doing so to synergize with your party, not with the snake or yourself. You and your snake have few options for keeping the enemies in the area of effect. You could cast Spike Growth and put your snake in the center of it, when the snake is surrounded. That would make it so that the enemy would have an incentive for moving out of the spikes, but also so that they are incentivized to stay in the spikes (Opportunity attack from the snake). But, this pins your snake in place unless you're willing to let it take damage.

If you want your spellcasting to synergize with the snake itself, then just cast Fog Cloud and take the Blind Fighting style. You and your snake both have blindsight to 10 feet, giving you advantage to hit and enemies disadvantage to hit you. Rangers get the spell naturally.

If you're going to take a feat to expand your options, then take a feat that expands your options! Don't just grab mage armor to stack defenses on something that will die to a critical hit anyway. I would personally go for utility options. Movement spells, illusions, the elemental manipulation cantrips, eldritch adept for some at-will Silent Image, Ritual Caster, etc.

Or, if you want to improve something combat-numbers-related, grab an offensive option to use when your poison damage is negated. That's typically constructs or undead or fiends... radiant damage? force damage? thunder damage? Or, again if you want to improve combat numbers, then you could always take feats to make yourself better at melee. The only issue is that if you make yourself good enough at melee that you're better than your snake before level 11, then it'll start to feel like you should have played a different subclass all along. Of course, at level 11, you essentially have three attacks a round, so that's something other ranger subclasses don't really get.

Or, double down on the poison damage and just accept that some foes will ignore your strongest offense. That's okay, other party members can shine. Do this by taking the Poisoner feat. You cast Fog Cloud, giving yourself and snake advantage. You milk your snake for venom on off-days. On adventuring days, you apply poison to your own bolts with a bonus action and deal poison damage yourself as well with your crossbow. People often view a downside of the poisoner feat as the fact that you can't do it on more than one attack in a round. But, you're only getting one in a round.

[adb82]

So, I had been avoiding saying "You could just not use the snake as a mount" because in your first post, you'd said that that was a primary goal of the build. I think taking a feat for mage armor for the snake is too much investment for too little gain. You probably even have party members who can just cast mage armor on the snake for you.

If you are casting Spike Growth, that's great. But, you'd be doing so to synergize with your party, not with the snake or yourself. You and your snake have few options for keeping the enemies in the area of effect. You could cast Spike Growth and put your snake in the center of it, when the snake is surrounded. That would make it so that the enemy would have an incentive for moving out of the spikes, but also so that they are incentivized to stay in the spikes (Opportunity attack from the snake). But, this pins your snake in place unless you're willing to let it take damage.

If you want your spellcasting to synergize with the snake itself, then just cast Fog Cloud and take the Blind Fighting style. You and your snake both have blindsight to 10 feet, giving you advantage to hit and enemies disadvantage to hit you. Rangers get the spell naturally.

If you're going to take a feat to expand your options, then take a feat that expands your options! Don't just grab mage armor to stack defenses on something that will die to a critical hit anyway. I would personally go for utility options. Movement spells, illusions, the elemental manipulation cantrips, eldritch adept for some at-will Silent Image, Ritual Caster, etc.

Or, if you want to improve something combat-numbers-related, grab an offensive option to use when your poison damage is negated. That's typically constructs or undead or fiends... radiant damage? force damage? thunder damage? Or, again if you want to improve combat numbers, then you could always take feats to make yourself better at melee. The only issue is that if you make yourself good enough at melee that you're better than your snake before level 11, then it'll start to feel like you should have played a different subclass all along. Of course, at level 11, you essentially have three attacks a round, so that's something other ranger subclasses don't really get.

Or, double down on the poison damage and just accept that some foes will ignore your strongest offense. That's okay, other party members can shine. Do this by taking the Poisoner feat. You cast Fog Cloud, giving yourself and snake advantage. You milk your snake for venom on off-days. On adventuring days, you apply poison to your own bolts with a bonus action and deal poison damage yourself as well with your crossbow. People often view a downside of the poisoner feat as the fact that you can't do it on more than one attack in a round. But, you're only getting one in a round.

Well yea, at this point to mount the companion have a sense only if it is a flying companion.

And yes, its probably true that mage armor its not worth the investment. But having no reason to ride the snake this make me easy go for a human variant and take as feat at lv 1 ritual caster, picking find familiar and comprehend lenguages, at lv 4 artificer initiate for sanctuary and guidance, lv 8 fey touched for misty step and command. Im thinking about sanctuary over fog cloud because its a bonus action and its not concentration, plus it dont affect my party and it still make the ranger go for defensive fighting style instead than blind, but this unluckly also mean deal with a final 17 wis instead than the 18 granted picking shadow touched instead than artificer initiate.

Yep im searching for something when the poison wont work (there are almost 100 creatures in the monster manual immune to poison, much less are resistent to it), but i dont understand how you mean to deal radiat, force or thunder damage. Except lighting arrow i dont see other way and it enter kinda late.

Making the ranger better in melee would mean i better go with any martial and find familiar spell, so i wasnt thinking about it.

The poisoner feat can be a nice boost to the one attack of the ranger, but that attack start to happen at lv 11 and im neither sure we gonna get till there, before i suppose he ll double attack with the snake.

For grant some damage more and deal with the poison being the worst damage type of the book the one way i found is make 5 lv dips in twilight cleric after the first 5 levels in BM, getting slots, darkvision, bonus actions spells (healing word and spiritual weapon, but also warding bond and other spells that can help, maybe even spirit guardian as last spell), +1 AC, + temp HP to the companion (1d6 + cleric lv), but so giving up the last feat at lv 8 (but ill give up artificer initiate as in this way he dont need sanctuary anymore as its in the cleric list) and 25 HP for the companion. Do you think it work well? The companion HP gets much lower, but its partially compensate from the temp HP and warding bond spell that give it resistance to everything, he dont need artificer initiate anymore so he can go for fey touched at lv 4 and get sanctuary at lv 6 with the cleric.


Probably also 2 dip in spore druid work without affect too much the companion's HP, 2d4 for everything starts its turn near the ranger and if i want to tank with him thats kinda good, also familiar everyday and 2 cantrips.
Also 3 lv of land druid for web and give spider climb to the companion looks nice to play (other choice can be misty step and mirror image that should give him more tankiness), but maybe 3 lv deep its already too much.

[adb82]

Im not sure, i didnt have intention to multiclass, even the druid thematically its nice.

Probably its ok to deal with the poison damage (i can ask my DM to make it acid damage maybe, but even if i dont, it should be ok), so ill go for a pure BM.

Human variat,
feats: sentinel, fey touched (misty step, command), shadow touched (invisibilty, silent image or disguise self)

spells longstrider, speak with animals, fog cloud, cure wounds, locate animals and plants, pass without trace, beast sense, enhance ability, plant growth, meld into stone (ill ask my DM to get it instead than speak with plants), conjure animals (ill exchange some other spell for get it, the best use of it would be 8 swarms or 8 more poisonous snakes i suppose, but for dont make a turn last for hours i can decide to conjure 2 giant octopus).

Fighting style: blind.

I made it much more simple, i gave up spike growth for fog cloud for grant disavantage to attacks against me and the snake, sentinel for if they try to move from my range or if they attack the snake, i gave up sanctuary, than mostly of the spells i choose its utilities spells.

Here the mini im creatig for this character, that will be kinda old, sort of Montolio in the Drittz saga: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D17992559/

[adb82]

Ill up this tread because its still kinda recent and i dont think it deserve other topic. Actually i came up with an idea that maybe can work for let he use even more beastes.

5 beastmaster/4 warlock fathomless, pact of chain. Blind fighting style and a 2 handed weapon.

In this way he have other "creature" for grappling with bonus actions, an imp familiar for scounting e for deal the same ammount of damage the snake does, it have resistences to many things, invisibility and other utilities, but of course few hp. The point is that in this way he can easly choose a companion as mount (giant wolf spider or pteradonon, for mobility), of course at the cost of hp for his companion, but even if it would die, he still have sources of utilities and creatures for deal damage and fog cloud can potentially protect everyone of them, also having much more creatures to target probably the companion mount would be targetted much less. Giving him another beast and the best familiar in the game seem to me making him more near to be a beastmaster for real, but im not actually sure this gonna work enough well.

[Lolzyking]

So as a player who has played a kobold beast master from 1-18 so far I don't recommend the mage armor approach, barding has been much easier to manage, my giant crab buddy is currently rocking 26 AC, +20 to hit, +18 to damage. Mounted combatant, resistances, temp hp are the only things really keeping him alive.

As far as what spells to use in combat, guardian of nature is the current winner, but shadow blade is a rather funny meme, though most dms rule that he doesn't get my proficiency added to the spells weapon.

[quindraco]

So as a player who has played a kobold beast master from 1-18 so far I don't recommend the mage armor approach, barding has been much easier to manage, my giant crab buddy is currently rocking 26 AC, +20 to hit, +18 to damage. Mounted combatant, resistances, temp hp are the only things really keeping him alive.

As far as what spells to use in combat, guardian of nature is the current winner, but shadow blade is a rather funny meme, though most dms rule that he doesn't get my proficiency added to the spells weapon.

Barding requires your DM to houserule - how much depends on how many issues you want fixed:

1. RAW, a monster is specifically proficient in the equipment in its statblock, so a warhorse is the only beast in the Monster Manual proficient in barding.
2. RAW, the weight and cost of barding are a fixed constant clearly written to assume the wearer is large, so putting the barding on a huge or, in this case, medium creature causes weird interactions in terms of weight and may feel inappropriately costed.

Shadow Blade is even worse:

1. Shadow Blade explicitly grants proficiency as part of the spell. The crab would not be an exception. Your DMs are flat-out wrong if they rule otherwise.
2. RAW, Shadow Blade can only manifest the blade in a hand, not a claw. This is the same rules bugbear that has cause headaches since 5E dropped for anyone trying to work out if beasts can grapple.

EDIT: Just looked up giant crabs, they're STR 13, DEX 15. I'd call shenanigans on most AC26 players, but that's ludicrous for the crab and I'm questioning how generous your DMs are with nonsensically good magic items. Even with half-plate barding, to avoid a movement penalty for poor crabby, AC would cap out at 23.