Beast Rider (5e Subclass)

Beast Rider

Fighter Subclass

Master rider, beast tamer and trainer. A fighter who dedicated their life to perfect mounted combat and expanding their knowledge of creatures who can be trained as war steeds.

New Fighting Style - Mounted Fighting

You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make while mounted.

Bonus Proficiency

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Intimidation or Nature. Alternatively, you learn one language of your choice.

War Steed Training

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain the ability to train your mount to serve in combat. After one week of training make a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check of DC 10 + steed’s CR. If failed you can attempt this training two more times spending one week each time. If successful your mount becomes your War Steed. As long as it remains your War Steed you add your proficiency bonus to the steed’s attack rolls, damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in. Its hit points increase to its normal maximum plus three per your level as long as it is your steed. Like any creature, the steed can spend Hit Dice during a short rest. At any given time you can have a number of trained War Steeds equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum one). While mounted you no longer have an option to allow your trained War Steed to act independently (see mounted combat rules).

Riding Maneuvers

Starting at 3rd level you can teach your War Steed to perform riding maneuvers in combat. Your steed has a number of maneuver points equal to your proficiency bonus. You can expend one maneuver point to command your steed to perform a single riding maneuver as its action (see list of ridding maneuvers). You cannot expend more than one maneuver point in a single combat round. Your steed regains all maneuver points after short or long rest. To benefit from riding maneuver you need to start your turn on your steed and remain mounted during that maneuver.

At level 3 you can teach your War Steed two different riding maneuvers. At level 7 &10 you can teach additional riding maneuver or increase maneuver points of your steed by one.

List of Riding Maneuvers

Quick Hoofs use your bonus action and expend one maneuver point to command your steed to take doge action or disengage action. If after that action your steed moves at least 30 feet away and does not finish its movement in melee range of an enemy you can add your proficiency bonus to your AC and your steed AC until the beginning of your next round.

Vigilant Ferocity use your reaction and expend one maneuver point when an enemy provokes an attack of opportunity from you. Both you and your steed can make an attack of opportunity against that enemy. If both of the attacks hit, the target's speed is reduced to 0 until the end of the current turn. This maneuver allows expending riding maneuver points outside your own turn but still you can expend only 1 maneuver point per combat round.

Unleash the Beast use your bonus action and expend one maneuver point to command your steed to perform one melee attack (if the steed is capable of multi-attacking perform single attack from the list).

Rider's Superiority use your bonus action and expend one maneuver point. Your steed takes special action that grants you, until the beginning of your next round, all benefits listed bellow: a) You have advantage on melee attack rolls against any unmounted creature that is smaller than your mount. b) You can force an attack targeted at your mount to target you instead. c) If your mount is subjected to an effect that allows it to make Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.

Piercing Charge choose a medium size or bigger target that is at least 30 feet away. Use your bonus action and expend one maneuver point to command your steed to take dash action in a straight line towards right or left next to the target. After reaching the target momentum carry your steed on and it continues to move in a straight line as best as possible without harming itself, till it runs out of movement. This might provoke an attack of opportunity on you or your steed. When you ride by the target you can use your action to make a single attack with a spear or a lance. Target has to make a dexterity saving throw of DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier. If failed you have advantage on this attack. If you hit the target increase your weapon damage by 1d10 per your proficiency bonus. Successful charge has several negative consequences. First, you have to make DC 10 + your proficiency bonus Strength saving throw or fall off the mount, landing prone in a space within 5 feet of the target. Second, your weapon is stuck in the target. Also if your weapon is not magical it is immediately shattered unless the target was incapacitated by your attack. To retrieve the weapon or what is left from it you need to use an action and make DC 10 Strength ability check. You can carry one lance and an extra spear or two spears on your mount during combat. If more both you and your steed suffer disadvantage on all attack rolls.

Special Bond

Starting at 7th level, you and your steed are deeply bonded. As long as you are 30 feet or less from the steed it is immune to fear unless you are in fear condition yourself. Also if out of combat the steed will obey all of your commands, best to its ability, without a need of an Animal Handling check. If you are incapacitated the steed will guard you from enemies with its life.

Moreover if you persuade a Large creature of Intelligence 6 or greater, that can be mounted, to act as your steed you can perform the War Steed Training with it and use riding maneuvers. This is possible only if the creature has the same alignment as you (treat unaligned as true neutral for the purpose of this comparison).

Wild Beast Taming

At 10th level, you become a master in taming wild and ferocious mounts. If you come by a large beast, dragon or monstrosity of Intelligence 5 or lower that can be mounted and that isn’t hostile to you, you can attempt to charm it and trick into training. Make a Charisma (Animal Handling) check with disadvantage of DC 10 + creature's CR. If failed creature attacks you. If successful you need to spend the next d6 hours with the creature. After that make a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check. If failed creature will attempt to leave or will attack you if leaving is not possible. If the second Animal Handling check is also successful you can start the War Steed Training. Creatures tamed this way will not accept any other rider than you and might be aggressive towards other humanoids or animals if this is in their nature.

Fight as One

At 15th level, you achieve the pinnacle of mounted combat. On your command the mounted steed can Dash, Disengage or Dodge as its bonus action. Whenever you take an action to attack a target the steed uses its own action to attack the same target if possible. This cannot be combined with riding maneuver unless the steed is hasted or under similar effect (has an extra action).

Master Tamer

At 18th level, you gain proficiency in Animal Handling and if you have one already you gain expertise in Animal Handling. Also regardless of circumstances you will never suffer from disadvantage during checks involving Animal Handling.

if the Beast Rider is a character of different size then medium change all instances of size mentioned in rules above accordingly, e.g. for small size lancer change "medium" size to "small" and "large" to "medium"

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