Beastmastery
Beastmastery.png

The Beastmastery sphere focuses on all forms of animal handling.

You gain proficiency in the Animal Handling skill. If you are already proficient in the skill, you gain a bonus talent from this sphere instead. Additionally, you gain either the Rider or Tamer Beastmastery package.

Some abilities call out joint actions. These actions require both the user and the tame creature to pay the requisite action cost together.

Special: The tamer package and talents related to that package cannot be taken as temporary talents or switchable talents; they cannot be placed inside an armiger’s customized weapon or changed through the Intuitive Combatant feat, etc. Likewise, players cannot have their conjured companions, animal companions, sidekicks, or anything other than their actual player characters gain this package or its related talents.

Beastmastery Packages

Rider Package

You gain the following ability:

Skillful Riding

If your mount is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity save to take only half damage, it takes no damage if it succeeds and half damage if it fails.

Tamer Package

You gain the following ability:

Tame

You may attempt to train a beast to readily obey your commands in and out of combat. You must find, purchase, or capture a beast before it can be trained, and training requires 8 hours of work. You may only train one creature at a time with this ability. At the end of this period, make an Animal Handling check with a DC of 10 + the creature’s Challenge Rating. If successful, the creature is now considered tame.

The total Challenge Rating of creatures you can tame is given in the chart below. You may have multiple tame creatures, but you cannot have more tame animals at a time than your proficiency bonus, and the total CR of your tamed creatures cannot exceed the amount listed in the chart below. CR 0 creatures count as CR 1/8th after your first one gained.

If you attempt to tame a creature that would exceed this cap, you must choose which other creatures to release. Controlled creatures from other sources such as a Beast Master’s animal companion do not count against this cap. A beast who has been awakened is no longer a valid target for this ability and is automatically released.

Your tame creatures follow your commands to the best of their ability (no action required on your part). In the absence of a command, your creatures will act on their own. If another creature attempts to exert control over one of your tame creatures through any means, it must succeed on a Charisma check opposed by your Animal Handling check first.

Table: Tamer
Character Level Total Beast CR Character Level Total Beast CR
1 0 11 5
2 1/8 12 5
3 1/4 13 6
4 1/2 14 6
5 1 15 7
6 2 16 8
7 2 17 8
8 3 18 9
9 3 19 9
10 4 20 10

Combat Rule Reminders

Climb onto a Bigger Creature

When dealing with a creature two sizes larger than yourself, you may treat that creature as terrain for the purpose of jumping onto its back or clinging to a limb. After making any ability checks necessary to get into position and onto the larger creature, the smaller creature uses its action to make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested by the target’s Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If it wins the contest, the smaller creature successfully moves into the target creature’s space and clings to its body. While in the target’s space, the smaller creature moves with the target and has advantage on attack rolls against it.

The smaller creature can move around within the larger creature’s space, treating the space as difficult terrain. The larger creature’s ability to attack the smaller creature depends on the smaller creature’s location, and is left to your discretion. The larger creature can dislodge the smaller creature as an action - knocking it off, scraping it against a wall, or grabbing and throwing it - by making a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the smaller creature’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. The smaller creature chooses which ability to use.

Overrun

When a creature tries to move through a hostile creature’s space, the mover can try to force its way through by overrunning the hostile creature. As an action or a bonus action, the mover makes a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the hostile creature’s Strength (Athletics) check. The creature attempting the overrun has advantage on this check if it is larger than the hostile creature, or disadvantage if it is smaller. If the mover wins the contest, it can move through the hostile creature’s space once this turn.

Beastmastery Basic Talents

Some talents possess the (tamer) or (rider) tags. You cannot select these talents unless you possess the respective package.

Ride Talents

Acrobatic Mount (ride)

While mounted, you may substitute an Animal Handling check in place of any ability check modified by Athletics or Acrobatics proficiency made by your mount. If you possess the Athletics sphere, you may use your (motion) talents as part of your mount’s movement, using Animal Handling in place of Acrobatics and Athletics.

Bronco Buster (ride)

If you grapple a beast bigger than you or climb onto a bigger creature of the beast type, you may force the creature to act as your mount. The creature may make a Charisma saving throw to resist this, and if it fails, it may try again at the beginning of its turn each round to break free of your control. If it fails the saving throw, it must act as a willing mount for that turn and can take no action except as directed by you. If the creature breaks free of your control but you are still riding it, you may attempt to force control again as an action.

If you possess the (tamer) package and the Broad Skills talent, you may use this talent on any creature to which your tame ability applies, though creatures not of the beast type gain a +2 bonus on their Charisma saving throw.

Defensive Rider (ride)

When an attack targets your mount, you may force the attack to target you instead.

Meat Shield (ride)

While mounted on a creature of your size or larger, you may take cover behind your mount as a bonus action. You may expend martial focus to use this as a reaction. Your mount provides total cover from one direction. When using a mount in this way, you must choose one edge of your space. That edge is treated as total cover for attacks targeting you only that pass through this edge, but your mount may still be targeted as usual, and you cannot use Defensive Rider when using your mount as cover. Should this ability be used in reaction to being targeted by an attack roll, the attack instead targets your mount. You may end this effect with no action required on your turn.

Mounted Maneuvers (ride)

You may command your mount not only to take the Dash, Disengage, and Dodge actions, but also may also command your mount to perform the Attack action, but only to perform a shove. If you perform a shove yourself, you may use your mount’s Strength modifier in place of your own.

Mounted Offense (ride)

You have advantage on melee attack rolls against unmounted creatures that are smaller than your mount.

Run Down (ride)

Your mount may perform an overrun as its action or as a bonus action.

Skirmish Rider (ride)

Your mount may take the Disengage action as a bonus action.

Tamer Talents

Accomplice (tamer)

As a joint bonus action, you or one of your tame creatures can distract an enemy as if using the Help action, granting the other one advantage on one attack roll made before the end of your turn.

Broad Skills (tamer)

You may tame creatures of any non-humanoid type, though they must possess a maximum of 4 Intelligence, and you have disadvantage on the check vs. creatures not of the beast type. Only permanent Intelligence counts for determining if a creature can be affected; penalties or effects that reduce Intelligence do not allow a creature to be affected.

Defensive Teamwork (tamer)

While within the reach of one of your tame beasts, when an attack targets you or the beast, the other may boost the targeted creature’s AC by +2 as a reaction.

Double Team (tamer)

When one of your tame beasts succeeds on a grapple or shove, you may make a single attack against the target as a reaction.

Focusing Connection (tamer)

As a joint bonus action, you may make physical contact with one of your tame creatures within your natural reach, regaining your martial focus.

Lookout (tamer)

While within 30 feet of your tame beasts, you and those tame beasts may use the highest passive Perception score possessed by you or an animal ally within that range.

Mount Training (tamer)

All of your tame creatures are considered trained to be a mount.

Pack Attack (tamer)

Your tame creatures have advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one other of your tame creatures is within 5 feet of the creature, and that ally isn’t incapacitated.

Other Talents

Extra Beastmastery Package

Choose a Beastmastery package you do not possess. You gain that package.

Steady Handler

When making an Animal Handling check, you may expend martial focus as part of making the check to treat the result as if you had rolled a 10. This decision must be made before the die is rolled.

Trainer

You add twice your proficiency bonus to Animal Handling checks.

Beastmastery Legendary Talents

Beast Tamer (tamer)

Prerequisites: Beastmastery sphere, 1st level or higher.

You may expend martial focus as an action to force a creature to which you can tame within 30 feet to make a Charisma saving throw or have it serve you as a tame creature for 10 minutes. The creature still counts against your tame creature limit.

Creatures not of the beast type gain a +2 bonus on their saving throws. Once a creature saves successfully against your use of this ability or if you or your allies attack it or cause it harm, it is immune to further uses of this ability by you until you complete a long rest. When the duration of the tame effect ends, the creature returns to its previous disposition, modified by any other effects that would have altered it in the meantime.

Attempting to make the creature perform an obviously suicidal action ends the tame.

Call Beast

Prerequisites: Beastmastery sphere, 1st level or higher.

As a bonus action, you may call all of your animal allies to your side. They must be within 1 mile per level and come at their best speed, avoiding apparent hazards and danger to the best of their ability. This movement takes place using the creature’s normal actions on its turn. At 11th level, the animal allies need only be on the same plane.

Distant Tamer (tamer)

Prerequisites: Beastmastery sphere (Beast Tamer), 1st level or higher.

The range of your Beast Tamer talent increases to 120 feet.

Enduring Control (tamer)

Prerequisites: Beastmastery sphere (Beast Tamer), 1st level or higher.

The duration of your Beast Tamer talent increases to 8 hours.

Mass Tame (tamer)

Prerequisites: Beastmastery sphere (Beast Tamer), 1st level or higher.

When using your Beast Tamer talent, you may affect multiple creatures at once, up to your proficiency bonus. All creatures must be within range. Your Hit Dice limits still apply to the total number you may affect at once with this ability.

Permanent Control (tamer)

Prerequisites: Beastmastery sphere (Beast Tamer, Enduring Control), 5th level or higher.

The duration of your Beast Tamer talent increases to permanent.

Swarm Master

Prerequisites: Beastmastery sphere (Trainer), 1st level or higher.

Increase the number of creatures you can have tamed at a time by your level. This doesn’t increase the total Challenge Rating of the creatures you can have tamed at once.

Wild Speaker (tamer)

Prerequisites: Beastmastery sphere, 5th level or higher.

You may speak with animals. You can ask questions of and receive answers from creatures of the beast type, but this ability doesn’t make them any more friendly than normal. Wary and cunning beasts are likely to be terse and evasive, while the more stupid ones make inane comments. If a beast is friendly toward you, it may do some favor or service for you.

Variants

Beast Companion (Requires Tamer Package)

You may only have one tame creature at a time and may only tame beasts that are no larger than Medium and have a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower. 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 the beast’s Constitution modifier + your key ability modifier + five times your level. Like any creature, it can spend Hit Dice during a short rest to regain hit points (the beast has a number of Hit Dice [d6s] equal to your level). The maximum challenge rating of your tame beast increases by 1 step when you reach 5th level (CR 1/2), 11th level (CR 1), and 17th level (CR 2). You cannot possess both this and the Monster Tamer variant.

Monster Tamer (Requires Tamer Package)

You gain Broad Skills with this variant. You may not use your tame ability on creatures of the beast type.

Offensive Rider (Requires Ride Package)

You do not gain the skillful riding ability. You gain Skirmish Rider with this variant.

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