Path of the Beastlord (5e Subclass)
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Path of the Beastlord[edit]
The Beastlord attunes with nature on a primal level, gaining the trust of a fierce animal companion. Basically a barbarian with the ranger’s animal companion. It’s sort of like the frenzied rage of the Berserker path’s extra attack, except it’s on an animal companion. Be careful of this class as it essentially gives the barbarian an increased hit point pool and negates the penalty of attacking recklessly if you simply use the companion for flanking bonuses.
- Animal Companion
At 3rd level, you learn to use your primal presence to create a powerful bond with a creature of the natural world. With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 50 gp worth of rare herbs and fine food, you call forth an animal from the wilderness to serve as your faithful companion. You normally select you companion from among the following animals: an ape, a black bear, a boar, a giant badger, a giant weasel, a mule, a panther, or a wolf. However, your DM might pick one of these animals for you, based on the surrounding terrain and on what types of creatures would logically be present in the area. At the end of the 8 hours, your animal companion appears and gains all the benefits of your Companion’s Bond ability. You can have only one animal companion at a time. Unlike the Ranger, you cannot return your animal companion to life.
- Companion’s Bond
Your animal companion gains a variety of benefits while it is linked to you. The companion obeys your commands as best it can. It rolls for initiative like any other creature, but you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your companion acts on its own. Your animal companion has abilities and game statistics determined in part by your level. Your companion uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. In addition to the areas where it normally uses its proficiency bonus, an animal companion also adds its proficiency bonus to its AC and to its damage rolls. Your animal companion gains proficiency in two skills of your choice. It also becomes proficient with all saving throws. For each level you gain after 3rd, your animal companion gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly. Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your companion’s abilities also improve. Your companion can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your companion can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise. Your companion shares your alignment.
- Wild Empathy
You become proficient with the Animal Handling skill. If you are already proficient with this skill, you instead double your proficiency modifier to Animal Handling checks. This ability does not stack with Expertise and other such features.Additionally,your companion can add your rage damage bonus to its attacks whenever you are raging.
- Enlarge Companion
At 6th level, whenever you enter a rage, your animal companion increases in size by one size category, double your rage damage to its damage rolls for the duration of the rage and granting it advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
- Thicker Skin
At 10th level, you and your Companion gain a bonus of +2 to AC while not wearing armor.
- Animal's Charge
At 14th level, while you're raging, if you move at least 20 feet in a straight line toward a Large or smaller target right before making a melee weapon attack against it, you do an additional 2d6 slashing damage.
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