Subclass Ranger Beast Master

What Is the Beast Master?

The Beast Master is a Ranger subclass built around an animal companion. Ranger's Companion at Level 3 summons a beast that fights alongside you and takes its own turn in initiative. Companion's Bond at Level 5 adds your Proficiency Bonus to its Armour Class and damage, Exceptional Training at Level 7 frees its Bonus Action for Dash, Disengage, and Help, and Bestial Fury at Level 11 gives it Extra Attack.

Class Features

Progression Overview

LEVEL	FEATURE
3	Ranger's Companion
5	Companion's Bond
7	Exceptional Training
11	Bestial Fury

Level 3

Ranger's Companion An Action, usable once per Short Rest, that summons one beast companion of your choice:

COMPANION	ROLE
Bear	The toughest option, and it can Goad enemies into attacking it
Boar	Charges into a target and knocks it Prone
Wolf Spider	Ranged Webs and a poisonous bite
Dire Raven	Flies, and can Blind its target
Wolf	A Lunging Bite that wounds and knocks down

The companion has its own place in the initiative order and acts on its own turn, so commanding it costs you nothing.

Level 5

Companion's Bond Your Proficiency Bonus is added to the companion's Armour Class and to its damage rolls.

Level 7

Exceptional Training Your companion can Dash, Disengage, and Help as a Bonus Action, so it can move and still attack in the same turn.

Level 11

Bestial Fury Your companion gains Extra Attack, making two attacks when it takes the Attack action.

Playstyle Notes

The Beast Master's advantage is action economy: the companion has its own turn, so its attack costs you nothing. Two characters' worth of attacks come out of one party slot, and the companion also soaks attacks that would otherwise land on you.

The pick matters more than the numbers. The Bear is the durable one and can pull attacks onto itself with Goading Roar. The Wolf Spider brings ranged control through Webs, the Dire Raven flies and blinds, and the Boar and Wolf both knock targets down.

Companion's Bond at Level 5 is what keeps the companion relevant past the early game — Proficiency Bonus on both Armour Class and damage scales with you rather than with the beast's own stat block. Exceptional Training at Level 7 then removes the choice between moving and attacking, and Bestial Fury at Level 11 doubles its output.

If the companion dies you can resummon it after a Short Rest, so it is a renewable resource rather than something to protect at all costs — but losing it mid-fight costs you the entire second turn it would have taken.