Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 SterlingRat Apr 03, 2015 6:00:05	I've been trying to think of some way for a Beastmaster to not suck without straight-up rewriting the class. The only option I can think of is to add spells or feats. Then I looked at the current spells and there's the spell-tax Hunter's Mark, but there's no equivalent the Beast Master's Mark...    so.... can it be fixed with a spell?     Beast Master's Lead Level 1 Enchantment Casting time: 1 action Range: Self  Components: VSM (a bit of food the animal likes) Duration: 1 hour (Concentration)   When this spell is cast, choose a beast with inteligence of 4 or less that is friendly with you and within 30 feet. For the duration of the spell, that beast will follow your lead, performing the same moves, actions and bonus actions that you do to the best of it's ability without further instruction from you; this includes moving and staying within 5 feet of you, dashing, dodging, and attacking the same target you attack. You can use your action or bonus action (as appropriate) to instruct your companion to take an action different than yours, or to attack a target that you aren't attacking.   at higher levels: When cast with a second level spell slot, increase the duration to 8 hours. When cast with a third level spell slot, increase the duration to 24 hours. When cast with a fourth or fifth Level spell slot, you can use your reaction to change the target of any attack that targets only you or the beast between yourself and the beast.
#2 Ironxxx Apr 03, 2015 10:57:37	SterlingRat wrote:
(Reply to #2) SterlingRat	Ironxxx wrote:
#4 mellored Apr 03, 2015 22:48:53	new spells seem like the obvious choice. though, i feel beastmaster should be more defense focused. shield beast, iron fur, revivify beast, dispace beast, telepathic beast bond, ect...
#5 WizardV Apr 05, 2015 18:40:13	I agree with mellored that the actually patchable solution is to add spells. They can clarify rules  on twitter but they have not and probably will not for some time put out an official overhaul errata; even an optional one. They can, however, over time add spells to the ranger which are applicable to beast masters and not hunters. As I recall the EE handbook contained a spell that gives your beast advantage. They could add more spells which super heal your beast companion, overhaul its combat statistics, adds multi attack options to its standard attack action, etc.   I'd have to playtest anything before I could recommend a fix for the class and honestly it's not my cup of tea even conceptually. As it stands I just warn players when they take the subclass.
#6 GladiusLegis Apr 05, 2015 18:52:14	The Beast Bond spell in the Elemental Evil Player's Companion PDF sort of fills the role. It's not perfect, but it's at least something more than they had before.   (Personally, I think the Beast should've instead been handled with a spell akin to the Paladin's Find Steed.)
(Reply to #6) SterlingRat	GladiusLegis wrote:
#8 mellored Apr 06, 2015 6:56:21	To even get the "Help" action out of your companion, you need to be level 7 and spend your Bonus Action. Casters can do it as soon as they get Find Familiar and don't spend their bonus action for it.
(Reply to #8) SterlingRat	mellored wrote:
#10 Ironxxx Apr 06, 2015 11:38:14	I like the suggested addition to the new spell less ranger but it comes far too late to fix the class. Would be cool to bake it in at 3rd level.   Taken from Rodney Thompson's new article:    BEASTLY COORDINATION Beginning at 15th level, when an attacker that you can see hits your beast companion with an attack, you can call out a warning. If your beast companion can hear you, it can use its reaction to halve the attack’s damage against it.
#11 Mephi1234 Apr 06, 2015 18:34:15	I honestly feel that the only way to "fix" the Beastmaster path is to make it work like the Conjure spells, or the Animate Dead style spells.       Even making the commands take up a bonus action doesn't address the fundamental issue, since it effectively requires the Beastmaster to give up TWF, Shield Master bashing, the level 7 Beastmaster feature, Ensaring Strike, and any of the arrow spells.    Well, as things stand, the Beastmaster already needs healing magic to keep the Animal Companion in play, so that pretty much drains the spell resources....   The best solution I can think of is to make it work like Animate Dead.  You need to give it a command, and it takes a bonus action to swap commands, but between commands, it opperates on its own.