1.5.4 The Beastmaster
Beastmasters are those PCs with an unnatural ability to control and influence animals. For some, these abilities are the fruit of rigorous magical study, while others obtain them from cultural practices, a feral upbringing, or natural aptitude.
Beastmaster Benefits
The Beastmaster exists only as a partial Mage class, meant to be taken by an Adventurer along with another partial class. A Partial Warrior/Beastmaster may be a savage barbarian or wood-wise ranger, while a Partial Expert/Beastmaster might be a masterful hunter or zoologist.
All Beastmasters get Survive as a bonus skill at level-0, or at level-1 if they already have it at level-0. The amount of time they spend in the wilderness learning of its ways can’t help but teach them how to survive in hard conditions and navigate the perils of an untamed land.
Beastmaster Companions
Many Beastmaster arts apply to the PC’s animal companion. There are a few basic guidelines for such companions that a GM should keep in mind during play.
A companion animal cannot have a number of hit dice greater than the Beastmaster’s level plus one. Thus a 2 hit die wolf is an acceptable companion for a first-level Beastmaster, but a 5 hit die tentacular horror is too potent to be bound to service.
A companion animal cannot have human levels of intelligence. It must be more-or-less animal in its thought patterns, though it can be a magical beast or supernatural entity of some kind.
A Beastmaster can normally have only one companion animal at a time. They can leave an animal behind in any terrain suitable for its survival and expect it to be in the same vicinity later if they choose to return for it and no one has killed it in the meanwhile. Released creatures are usually friendly to the Beastmaster still, unless they have been mistreated or are exceptionally savage.
A companion animal functions as an independent allied creature. It will obey commands from the Beastmaster that are not contrary to its own nature or beyond its intellect, but it will fight, move, check Instinct and Morale as normal, and act independently in combat. If the creature is mistreated or used as mere cannon fodder, it can flee or turn on its former master.
A companion animal must be given a name by the Beastmaster. Without a name to focus the PC’s arts, the creature cannot be controlled.
The Chosen Friend
Some Beastmasters form a lifelong bond with a single dear companion. If a PC chooses this option, they can only ever Bind one companion, but it gains the benefit of the Shared Vitality and Mind Call arts automatically. So long as the Beastmaster lives, this chosen friend cannot truly die; if reduced to zero hit points, it disappears, but will manifest again at the Beastmaster’s side the following dawn with its full hit points. Of course, the master is expected to treat this companion as the beloved friend it is, and not as mere battle-fodder.
1.5.4.1 Beastmaster Arts
Beastmaster Effort is calculated with Survive, and is equal to the PC’s Survive skill level plus the higher of their Wisdom or Charisma modifiers, to a minimum of one point. All Beastmasters start play with the Bind Companion art and one more of their choosing. They learn additional arts as they gain experience. Unlike some Mage traditions, Beastmasters can use their arts normally while armored.
- Bind Companion: With a day’s work in a location you can find and bind a suitable animal companion. If looking for a particular type of companion, it must be found in the area and may require a Wis/Survive skill check at a difficulty of 10 or more if it’s a particularly rare creature. If you encounter a suitable animal on an adventure, you may bind it as a Main Action, with the creature allowed a Mental saving throw to resist and become impervious to your powers. You may release a companion as a Main Action if you no longer wish its service or want to bind a different beast.
Other Beastmaster
- Arts Beast Ward: Commit Effort as an On Turn action. So long as the Effort remains Committed, the Beastmaster will not be attacked by unintelligent beasts unless the beast is commanded to do so by its master, the beast is starving, or the Beastmaster or their allies per forms some hostile act against it. Once the ward ends or is broken, it cannot be re-established in the same scene. Magical beasts and those trained specifically as guardians of an area get a Mental save to resist this power.
- Eyes of the Beast: Commit Effort for the scene as an On Turn action. For the rest of the scene, you can share the senses of your companion. Neither of you can be surprised unless both are surprised.
- Feral Toughness: Your maximum hit point total is increased by the natural, unmodified hit dice of your companion; thus, a 5 hit die companion increases your maximum hit points by 5. You are impervious to normal outdoor extremes of heat or cold. Your base Armor Class is equal to 13 plus half your level, rounded up. This AC can be modified by shields or Dexterity modifiers, but not by armor.
- Howl of Distant Summons: You can call former animal companions to your side by Committing Effort for the day as a Main Action. The howl extends through time as well as space, and the subject will have received the message in time to reach your side within five minutes after you call for it. Once summoned, you may bind it again if you have no current companion. If the journey is exceptionally dangerous, difficult, or long, you’ll need to make a Cha/Survive skill check against a difficulty of 10 or more; on a failure, the beast could not make the journey and cannot be called by this power for another week.
- Know the Weak Spot: Whenever inflicting damage on a beast with a weapon or physical attack, roll the damage twice and take the higher score. Optionally, Commit Effort for the scene as an Instant action when an ally within earshot hits a beast; your shouted advice or distracting help allows them to roll damage twice and take the better result as well.
- Mind Call: Commit Effort for the scene as an On Turn action. For the rest of the scene you forge a telepathic bond with your animal companion. You can give it orders and receive information from the creature, at least insofar as its limited intellect allows.
- Natural Weaponry: You may have physically grown fangs and claws, or it may be that you just intuitively absorbed effective unarmed fighting techniques from your animal companions. When unarmed, your attacks count as weapons that use either Str or Dex as their modifier, use Punch or Stab as the skill, do 1d8 damage, and have a Shock value of 2/AC 13. These unarmed attacks can harm even creatures immune to non-magical weapons. The damage and Shock of these weapons gains a +1 bonus at level 3, a + bonus at level 6, and a +3 bonus at level 9.
- Savage Senses: Commit Effort for the scene as an On Turn action. For the remainder of the scene you are capable of seeing clearly even in pitch blackness, can scent out trails and belongings as perfectly as a wolf could, and gain a +2 bonus on all Notice skill checks involving sight, sound, or smell.
- Shared Vitality: The animal companions you bind have hit dice no lower than your level, even if they normally have far fewer. Thus, a 2 hit die beast bound by a 7th level Beastmaster would have 7 hit dice while it remained bound. Its hit bonus can’t be less than half its hit dice, rounded up. A Beastmaster can stabilize a Mortally Wounded companion by Committing Effort for the scene as an Instant action.
- Swift Healing: Commit Effort for the day as a Main Action to heal 1d6 damage per character level to a wounded companion. This healing can be extended only once per scene or fifteen minutes.
- Tongue of the Beasts: Commit Effort as an On Turn action. While the Effort remains committed, you can speak with any animal that has fur, feathers, scales, or skin. This art allows them to temporarily speak as if they had human intellect, though their interests, knowledge, and desires do not change.
Partial Expert/Beastmaster
| Level | Hit Dice | Attack Bonus | Focus Picks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1d6 | +0 | 1 Expert +1 Any |
| 2 | 2d6 | +1 | +1 Any |
| 3 | 3d6 | +1 | |
| 4 | 4d6 | +2 | |
| 5 | 5d6 | +2 | +1 Any |
| 6 | 6d6 | +3 | |
| 7 | 7d6 | +3 | +1 Any |
| 8 | 8d6 | +4 | |
| 9 | 9d6 | +4 | |
| 10 | 10d6 | +5 | +1 Any |
Partial Mage/Beastmaster
| Level | Hit Dice | Attack Bonus | Focus Picks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1d6-1 | +0 | 1 Any |
| 2 | 2d6-2 | +0 | +1 Any |
| 3 | 3d6-3 | +0 | |
| 4 | 4d6-4 | +0 | |
| 5 | 5d6-5 | +1 | +1 Any |
| 6 | 6d6-6 | +1 | |
| 7 | 7d6-7 | +1 | +1 Any |
| 8 | 8d6-8 | +1 | |
| 9 | 9d6-9 | +1 | |
| 10 | 10d6-10 | +2 | +1 Any |
Partial Warrior/Beastmaster
| Level | Hit Dice | Attack Bonus | Focus Picks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1d6+2 | +1 | 1 Warrior +1 Any |
| 2 | 2d6+4 | +2 | +1 Any |
| 3 | 3d6+6 | +2 | |
| 4 | 4d6+8 | +3 | |
| 5 | 5d6+10 | +4 | +1 Any |
| 6 | 6d6+12 | +5 | |
| 7 | 7d6+14 | +5 | +1 Any |
| 8 | 8d6+16 | +6 | |
| 9 | 9d6+18 | +6 | |
| 10 | 10d6+20 | +7 | +1 Any |
Partial Beastmaster
| Level | Arts Gained |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bind Companion and Any One |
| 2 | Any One |
| 3 | |
| 4 | Any One |
| 5 | Any One |
| 6 | Any One |
| 7 | |
| 8 | Any One |
| 9 | |
| 10 | Any One |