Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 ScuroNotte Jan 25, 2015 19:02:08	I am currently playing a Ranger Hunter archetype. Never played a Ranger before until now. The DM and I made some tweaks to it. But I thought I would give a solo shot at modifying the Beast Master as it seemed unappealing. I would appreciate input on whether I made it too overpowering or worse. Thanks.   Changes are in Bold   Ranger’s Companion At 3rd level, you gain a beast companion 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 (CR) of 1 or lower (appendix D presents statistics for the hawk, mastiff, and panther as examples). 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. Its hit point maximum equals its normal maximum or four times your ranger level. The beast obeys your commands as best as it can. It takes its turn on your initiative, though it doesn’t take an action unless you command it to. On your turn, you can verbally command the beast where to move (no action required by you). You can use your bonus action to verbally command it to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action. While traveling through your favored terrain with only the beast, you can move stealthily at a normal pace. If the beast dies, you can obtain another one by spending 8 hours magically bonding with another beast that isn’t hostile to you, either the same type of beast as before or a different one.   Exceptional Training Beginning at 7th level, on any of your turns when your beast companion doesn’t attack, no action or bonus action is required to command the beast to take the Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action on its turn. You also have a link allowing each of you to know where the other is, as long as you are both on the same plane of existence. (You can talk with your humaniod companions about what should be done at no cost. I see no difference.)   Bestial Fury Starting at 11th level, your beast companion can make an additional attack. Additionally, the beast has learned your tactics and behavior, it no longer requires you to command it to Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action on its turn. It can act independently.   Share Spells Beginning at 15th level, when you cast a spell targeting yourself, you can also affect your beast companion with the spell if the beast is within 30 feet of you. You can automatically cast Beast Sense, even if you do not have the spell, without needing a spell slot on your companion without need of touching him/her. You can do this a number times equal to your Wisdom modifier. You recover all uses after a short or long rest.
#2 rampant Jan 25, 2015 23:23:34	BE sure to mention that your prof bonus replaces the creature's prof bonus on the relevant skills and such, even a fractional cr critter is getitng +2 from it's prof bonus. Might also want to deal with DCs form abilities like poison or tripping or such. SOme critters get multi-attack naturally how does that interact with the level 11 ability? THe beast sense ability is useful enough and has enough uses that limiting it on long rests might be more appropriate. I'm a bit leery of letitng the help action be automatic at level 7.   HOnestly I think you're better off ditching the whole 'choose a beast form the monster sections' bit and just making custom pet critters.
#3 cowleymen Jan 26, 2015 0:42:12	rampant wrote:
#4 rampant Jan 26, 2015 1:43:38	1.) Everything I listed above in regards to tweaking the OP's stuff for starters. A lot of that would be far easier to balance and deal with if the critter was built for use as a ranger pet from the ground up.   2.) Assuming it hasn't already happened there will be critters that are simply OP/UP when selected as pets because the things that make a good pet and the things that make your CR exceed 1 are different.    3.) Monsters, even beasts, aren't made to the same design parameters as PCs, a custom pet mitigates the issues this can cause.    4.) Increased flexibility, if you cusotm build the pets you change it from a game of trying to exclude imbalanced options, into a game of including balanced ones. FOr example you could have your large, rideable horse pet without allowing people to have giant eagles. You could even open up non-standard companions such as plants or fey.
#5 seti Jan 26, 2015 1:55:19	I think ranger pets and caster familiars should follow their own (ideally simple) rules. Doing the whole "just look in the MM" is a cop out, IMO. With beasts you build, you can also make them level up with you so they remain valid. a CR 1 animal is really awesome at level 3. Obviously not so much at level 10, and laughable near level 20...   Totally agree that all a beastmaster ranger really needs to be comparable to other melee combatants is the shift to 'beast attacks/acts as a bonus action' change.