Beastlord (5e Subclass)
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Beastlord[edit]
Fighter Subclass
Those dare tread the wilds of ancient times bygone had best beware. There lies a strange tale about the quiet stillness of the woods. As the rise of the influence of Erathis, Moradin, and some gnomish gods bought about ages of technological advancement and expansion of empires, the old primal powers of the land and its beasts were driven away and forgotten. The land, however, still cries for its former natural beauty, now sullied by the glut of blood that enriches its soils from beast and leaf alike. Those who hear this voice to champion the forgotten primal powers of the world are the beastlords.
Beastlords stand as a sort of barrier between the natural world and those who would defile it. They primarily manifest the powers of worldly creatures, or beasts. As a beastlord, one has options to both control beasts and also emulate their powers. In this way, beastlords are fighters that are very similar to druids in theme and domain of expertise. The two draw on the primal energies of the world. Beastlords, however, are much more specific to maintaining their dominance as rulers of other sentient creatures through incredible physical prowess. Unlike druids, they do not rely on shaping their bodies to mimic nature. Rather, they channel it through bestial behaviors mirroring facets of the spirits of the wild. This is more similar to the martial styles used by martial artists to mimic animals than wild shape. Additionally, beastlords also have an aspect similar to rangers in that they can also commandeer beasts. However, unlike how rangers treat their companions as partners, beastlords are more like stewards or lords over that which is theirs to control respectfully.
How did your character come to terms with their position and power as a beastlord? Many people gain the primal acceptance of beasts from early exposure, perhaps after having lived as hermits in nature for long periods of time or being raised by wolves. Through this time, they often learn how the ways of nature work, as well as its order and how to climb the natural hierarchy to become a lord, an alpha of their pack. Other beastlords may be called to the wild by primal energy or a natural deity that summons them to represent as a steward of the natural world. Beastlords are often indebted to this sort of power and therefore revere nature and its higher authorities. Sometimes, this results in them being seen as little more than Luddite hippies, but they pack far more bite than granola-munching pacifists.
Animal Speech[edit]
Starting at 1st level, You have the ability to communicate in a limited manner with Beasts and Plants. They can understand the meaning of your words, and you can understand them crudely in turn. You have advantage on all Charisma checks you make to influence them.
Warder[edit]
Starting at 1st level, you gain a beast companion, called the warder, that accompanies you on your adventures and is trained to fight alongside you. Choose a beast that is no larger than Medium and that has a challenge rating appropriate as listed under the Warder CR column on the class table. Warder beasts are typically sourced from the beastlord's own cultural choice of animals. 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. Like any creature, the beast can spend Hit Dice during a short rest.
The beast obeys your commands as best as it can. It takes its turn on its own 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. Once you have the Extra Attack feature, you can make one weapon attack yourself when you command the beast to take the Attack action.
If you are incapacitated or absent, the beast acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself. The beast never requires your command to use its reaction, such as when making an opportunity attack.
If the beast dies, you can obtain another one by spending 8 hours bonding with another beast that isn’t hostile to you, either the same type of beast as before or a different one. As you gain more levels in this class, you can take on more warders under your lordship of beasts, as shown under the Warders column of the class table. These warders all share the same initiative and you can only issue commands to one at a time.
Spellcasting[edit]
Utilizing the wills of the beasts within your control and demesne, you call upon change in the world from their power, altering nature and shaping it to your will.
- Preparing and Casting Spells
The beastlord class table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these beastlord spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
You prepare the list of beatlord spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the druid spell list. When you do so, choose a number of druid spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + 1/2 your beastlord level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
For example, if you are a 6th-level beastlord, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Wisdom of 18, your list of prepared spells can include seven spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell Cure Wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn’t remove it from your list of prepared spells.
You can also change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of beastlord spells requires time spent in silent communion with the animal spirits in the region: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.
- Spellcasting Ability
Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your Beastlord spells, since your magic draws upon your attunement to the animal spirits. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a beastlord spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
- Ritual Casting
You can cast a beastlord spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared.
- Spellcasting Focus
You can use a totemic focus (found in chapter 5) as a spellcasting focus for your beastlord spells.
Warder Spirit[edit]
At 2nd level, the Beastlord's warder becomes a spiritual conduit, and its spirit becomes strong enough to manifest itself in various ways through the beastlord. If your warder dies, you no longer need to find a new warder, and can instead spend an hour conducting a ritual to return the warder to life. It also gains the following benefits:
- The warder's statistics add your proficiency bonus to its AC, attack and damage rolls.
- The warder's Intelligence becomes 10, if it is not already 10 or higher.
- The warder's hit point maximum adds your beastlord class level to its total.
- As long as the warder is within 100 feet of you, you can utilize it as a ranged totemic focus to a limited degree. When you cast a spell with a range of touch, your warder can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. It must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll.
Starting at 6th level, you can cast spells with any range from the warder.
Bestial Ancestry[edit]
By 3rd level, the wilds bless the Beastlord with visions of their future, granting guidance and becoming their mentor through experience from past lives and unseen heritage. The Beastlord may either become an Animist, or Savage at 3rd level. Each Bestial Ancestry is listed in greater detail at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 10th level and 15th level.
Bestial Fighting Style[edit]
At 3rd level, you learn to fight by emulating the techniques of wild animals. You may learn one Bestial Fighting Style. Once you choose this style, you may not choose any of the others. You may not choose the same fighting style twice, even if you are allowed to choose again. The styles you may pick are listed below:
- Lion Style
Before making the Attack Action on your turn, you may use a bonus action to move up to your movement speed towards an opponent in a bounding leap before attacking. If the attack is successful, the opponent will be knocked prone if they are the same size as you or smaller.
- Spider Style
You may add your Wisdom modifier to your damage rolls as Poison damage, taking advantage of wild diseases and toxins in a precise blow to the enemy's bloodstream. The opponent must make a Constitution saving throw equal to 10 + your Strength Modifier + your Proficiency Bonus or be poisoned after the attack for 1 minute. Each round the opponent can make the saving throw again, ending the effect on a successful save, and taking Poison damage equal to 1d4 on a failed save.
- Shark Style
You gain a swim speed equal to your movement speed, plus an additional 20ft. As a bonus action, you may use a bite attack whenever you end your movement within 5ft of an opponent. Your bite attack deals 1d8 piercing damage on a successful hit.
- Bear Style
You gain advantage on Strength ability checks and saving throws. In addition, you now have advantage on grapple checks.
Warder Shepherd[edit]
Starting at 5th level, you gain the primal powers to tether more warders to yourself and expand your beastly entourage. You gain one additional warder
Bestial Rage[edit]
By 7th level, as an action, you are able to command your warder to attack a creature of your choosing at the same time as yourself. This feature combines both your attack damage as well as the damage of your warder's attack. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your wisdom modifier (minimum of 1), and regain expended uses upon finishing a long rest.
Warder Ability Increase[edit]
At 10th level, and again at 18th level, the Beastlord may increase two of its warder's ability scores by 2, to a maximum value of 20. Additionally, The warder gains one of the Beastlord's saving throw proficiencies with each ability score increase of your choice.
Wild Sage[edit]
By 20th level,the Beastlord truly becomes at one with the wilds. You now have proficiency in perception and nature checks. If you are already proficient in perception or nature, double your proficiency bonus for it. You also increase your Strength and Wisdom scores by 2; and your maximum scores for these abilities now becomes 22. In addition, every one of your warder's ability scores now equal yours.
Bestial Ancetries[edit]
The Beastlord chooses their path by following the traditions of those who lived before him. In traveling their paths, and learning from their lives and deaths, the Beastlord gains a greater attunement to the wilds. The following are three Bestial Ancestries available to the Beastlord, chosen by certain instances in their lives.
Animist[edit]
The Animist is a Beastlord who chooses to become a true animal, learning through their warder the intricacies of the mind of an untamed beast. Their connection to the warder is that of student and master, as the Beastlord begins taking on more animistic mannerisms and behaviors. Though oftentimes considered a savage by the untrained eye, those who have traveled with an Animist know the true wisdom they seek and the inner intelligence they show through their abilities.
- Primal Wisdom
You gain proficiency in Nature and Arcana at 3rd level. If you already have one of these proficiencies, you may teach one of your proficiencies to your warder.
Your warder also gains proficiency in one language of your choice, and can manifest its spirit to allow it to communicate normally to non-Beastlords, using the learned language. It's Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores are also all raised to 12, if they weren't already higher.
- Animal Metabolism
At 3rd level, you no longer have to worry about food poisoning from eating raw meat or drinking water from a natural water source. Your body begins to change to become more primal, allowing you to treat the wilds the same as any other wild animal would.
- Animal Tribe Mindset
At 10th level, if you or your warder is within 30ft of a friendly creature, you may use your reaction to make an attack or cast a spell - with a casting time to greater than 1 action - at an opponent the friendly creature attacks. You may use this feature 3 times, and regain expended uses upon finishing a short or a long rest.
- Animist Warder Improvement
Also at 10th level, your warder's spirit strengthens, and the bond between you grows in power. Whenever your warder is within 30ft of you, you gain a bonus to Perception, Survival, and Insight checks equal to your warder's Wisdom Modifier.
Your warder's Wisdom score increases to 16 - if it wasn't already higher - and it gains proficiency in Perception, Survival, and Insight. It also gains a bonus to those skills equal to your Wisdom modifier if it is within 30ft of you.
- Protective Spirit
At 15th level, the bond between you and your warder is so strong that it begins to act as both sword and shield against the perils of the wilds. You and your warder gain temporary hit points equal to 2d8 plus your combined Wisdom modifiers.
Savage[edit]
A savage is a beastlord who has all but abandoned their humanity. Though human in appearance, they are all animal on the inside. Many who see a Savage are unsettled by them, though they do not know why.
Starting at 3rd level,
Starting at 3rd level,
Starting at 10th level,
Starting at 10th level,
Starting at 15th level,
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