I have been trying to come up with some classes for my upcoming completely non-magical campaign and I wanted one with an Animal kind of feel that doesn't really come with the ranger class.
1) What do you like about this class thematically?
2) What do you dislike about this class thematically?
3) What do you like about this class mechanically?
4) What do you dislike about this class mechanically?
If you want to look at the nicely formatted version, view this link, if not, see below.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/13AfSRtjnNTHX3lqgkJKEhIVattBDLtUb1FkYqvO 4ZEs/edit?usp=sharing
Beastmaster
Role: A Master of all things beasts who uses his companions to brutal effect in combat through intense training and care.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8.
Bab: Medium
Fort: Strong
Ref: Strong
Will: Weak
Class Skills
The Beastmaster's class skills are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge(nature) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks per Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Beastmaster.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Beastmaster is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields).
Animal Companion (Ex): The effective druid level for the purpose of this ability is equal to the Beastmaster’s level +1. A Beastmaster may begin play with any of the animals listed in Animal Choices. This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the Beastmaster on her adventures. Unlike normal animals of its kind, an animal companion's Hit Dice, abilities, skills, and feats advance as the Beastmaster advances in level. If a character receives an animal companion from more than one source, her effective druid levels stack for the purposes of determining the statistics and abilities of the companion. Most animal companions increase in size when their druid reaches 4th or 7th level, depending on the companion. If a Beastmaster releases her companion from service, she may gain a new one by capturing a new one and spending the appropriate amount of time training it.
Wild Empathy (Ex): A Beastmaster can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person (see Using Skills). The Beastmaster rolls 1d20 and adds her Beastmaster level and her Charisma, Wisdom, or Intelligence modifier to determine the wild empathy check result. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly. To use wild empathy, the Beastmaster and the animal must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time. A Beastmaster can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but she takes a –4 penalty on the check.
Thoughtful Handler (Ex): A Beast Master may use his Intelligence or Wisdom in place of Charisma for the purpose of making Handle Animal checks.
Expert Trainer (Ex): At 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter a Beast Master increased his number of bonus tricks for each animal companion by 1 and he gains a +1 on all Handle Animal skill checks.
Animal Talents (Ex): As a Beastmaster gains experience, she learns a number of talents that aid her animal companions. Starting at 1st level, a Beastmaster gains one animal talent. She gains an additional animal talent for every level of Beastmaster attained after 1st level. A Beastmaster cannot select an individual talent more than once unless otherwise specified.
Hound master (Ex): A Beastmaster with this talent can have more than one animal companion, but she must divide her effective druid level between her companions to determine the abilities of each one. For example, a 3rd-level Beastmaster can have one 4th-level animal companion, or two 2nd-level companions, or one 3rd-level companion and one 1st-level companion, or four 1st-level companions. When a Beastmaster with this talent gains a level, she must decide how to allocate the increase among her animal companions, including whether or not to add a new 1st-level companion. Once a druid level is allocated to a particular companion, it cannot be redistributed while that companion is in the Beastmaster's service. She must release that companion or wait until the companion dies to allocate its levels to another companion, which she can then do the next time she spends 8 hours a day for one week, training the animal that will gain the new Hit Dice.
Experienced Trainer (Ex): A Beastmaster with this talent gains Boon Companion as a bonus feat. This talent may be selected any number of times. The boon companion feat can never increase the effective level of your animal companion past your Beastmaster level.
Physical Improvement Training (Ex): A Beastmaster with this talent gains evolved companion as a bonus feat. This talent may be selected any number of times. This talent may only be used to grant an animal a reasonable evolution such as giving a wolf the claws evolution. An unreasonable ability would be granting a horse claw attacks. Some other unreasonable evolutions would be granting magical abilities, natural attacks that an animal of that type doesn’t make sense having, and anything your GM finds unreasonable.
Greater Physical Improvement Training (Ex): Your animal companion gains a pool of evolution points equal to the number of times you have selected specialized training for that animal +1. These points may be spent on any evolution, even ones costing more than 1 point, as long as that evolution is a reasonable evolution as outlined in Physical Improvement Training. These points are not in addition to the evolutions granted by specialized training. These evolutions may only be changed when the Beastmaster gains a level.
Unleash the Hounds (Ex): By spending a move action you may incite rage in all your animal companions within 30 feet. They begin raging as the first level barbarian ability. They may rage for a total number of rounds equal to their constitution modifier plus 2, after which they become fatigued. This ability may not be activated if the animal companions are fatigued.
Call Swarm (Ex): As a full round action that requires large amounts of animal noise, you may attempt a DC 25 Handle animal check. Success means that on the following turn a swarm of creatures of the animal type that live within the environment you are currently in will appear and attack a target within 60 feet. If that swarm of animals does reasonably live in your current environment, this ability automatically fails. This swarm is always made of tiny creatures and has a number of HD equal to the beast master’s level. He may summon a total number of 5 foot squares of the swarm equal to his level.
Combat Training (Ex): Choose an animal companion. The next time it would gain racial Hit Dice it instead gains a level in the Warrior NPC class. It does not gain the normal ability boosts from being a leveled creature. Each time you select this ability it applies to a different animal.
Improved Combat Training (Ex): Choose an animal companion that you have granted a level of warrior to through Combat Training. The next time it would gain racial Hit Dice it instead gains a level in Ranger, Brawler, Barbarian, Fighter, Slayer, or Rogue. This talent may be selected up to 3 times per animal companion.
Pack Tactics (Ex): You automatically grant all your teamwork feats to your companions. They need not meet the prerequisites.
Improved Pack Tactics (Ex): Gain a teamwork feat that you qualify for.
Inspiring Presence (Ex): Whenever your animal companions are within line of sight of you, or within 30 feet, they gain a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws.
Animal Master (Ex): Increase your effective Druid level for the purposes of the Animal Companion class feature by one.