Statistics: A beast companion’s category determines most of its game statistics, although all beast companions share a few characteristics.
Level: Your beast companion’s level is always equal to yours. The beast’s defenses, hit points, and attack bonus improve with level.
Ability Scores: Your beast companion’s category determines its ability scores, which go up with level. Add 1 to two of your beast companion’s ability scores at 4th, 8th, 14th, 18th, 24th, and 28th level. All of your beast companion’s ability scores improve by 1 at 11th and 21st level.
Healing Surges: Your beast companion has two healing surges. The beast’s healing surge value is equal to a quarter of its maximum hit points, as normal.
Vision: Your beast companion has low-light vision.
Beast Categories
Choose one of the following categories for your beast companion. Once you choose a category, such as wolf, you can then describe the beast’s appearance, such as timber wolf, mastiff, or hyena.
Bear
Brown bears and similar creatures fall into this category. Bears are tougher and deadlier than other beast companions, but they are a little slower.
STARTING STATISTICS
Ability Scores: Strength 16, Constitution 14, Dexterity 12, Intelligence 6, Wisdom 12, Charisma 6
Size: Medium
Speed: 5 squares
Defenses: AC 12 + level, Fortitude 14 + level, Reflex 10 + level, Will 12 + level
Hit Points: 16 + 10 per level
Attack Bonus: Level + 2
Damage: 1d12
Melee Basic Attack: Claw; level + 2 vs. AC; 1d12 + Strength modifier damage.
Trained Skills: Athletics, Endurance
Boar
Boars are tough, resilient, and ferocious companions.
STARTING STATISTICS
Ability Scores: Strength 16, Constitution 16, Dexterity 14, Intelligence 6, Wisdom 12, Charisma 6
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares, 8 squares when charging
Defenses: AC 14 + level, Fortitude 12 + level, Reflex 10 + level, Will 12 + level
Hit Points: 14 + 8 per level
Attack Bonus: Level + 4
Damage: 1d8
Melee Basic Attack: Gore; level + 4 vs. AC; 1d8 + Strength modifier damage.
Charge: When charging, a boar gains a +2 bonus to its damage roll.
Trained Skill: Endurance
Cat
Cats include lions, tigers, cougars, and similar predators. Their natural agility and stealth allow them to excel on scouting missions.
STARTING STATISTICS
Ability Scores: Strength 14, Constitution 12, Dexterity 16, Intelligence 6, Wisdom 14, Charisma 6
Size: Medium
Speed: 7 squares
Defenses: AC 14 + level, Fortitude 11 + level, Reflex 13 + level, Will 12 + level
Hit Points: 14 + 8 per level
Attack Bonus: Level + 4
Damage: 1d8
Melee Basic Attack: Claw; level + 4 vs. AC; 1d8 + Dexterity modifier damage.
Trained Skills: Athletics, Stealth
Lizard
The lizard category includes crocodiles and drakes. These thick-skinned beasts are tough combatants.
STARTING STATISTICS
Ability Scores: Strength 16, Constitution 14, Dexterity 16, Intelligence 6, Wisdom 12, Charisma 6
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Defenses: AC 15 + level, Fortitude 12 + level, Reflex 12 + level, Will 10 + level
Hit Points: 14 + 8 per level
Attack Bonus: Level + 4
Damage: 1d8
Melee Basic Attack: Bite or claw; level + 4 vs. AC; 1d8 + Strength modifier damage.
Opportunity Attacks: A lizard gains a +2 bonus to the attack roll when making an opportunity attack.
Trained Skills: Athletics, Endurance
Raptor
The raptor category includes eagles, falcons, hawks, and other birds of prey. They are mobile and agile but not as ferocious as other beast companions.
STARTING STATISTICS
Ability Scores: Strength 12, Constitution 12, Dexterity 18, Intelligence 6, Wisdom 12, Charisma 6
Size: Small
Speed: 2 squares, fly 7 squares (hover)
Defenses: AC 14 + level, Fortitude 10 + level, Reflex 14 + level, Will 12 + level
Hit Points: 12 + 6 per level
Attack Bonus: Level + 5
Damage: 1d6
Melee Basic Attack: Claw; level + 5 vs. AC; 1d6 + Dexterity modifier damage.
Trained Skill: Perception
Serpent
The serpent category includes massive constrictors and other hunting snakes. These beasts are common in tropical environments.
STARTING STATISTICS
Ability Scores: Strength 14, Constitution 14, Dexterity 16, Intelligence 6, Wisdom 12, Charisma 6
Size: Medium
Speed: 5 squares, swim 5 squares
Defenses: AC 14 + level, Fortitude 12 + level, Reflex 13 + level, Will 12 + level
Hit Points: 14 + 8 per level
Attack Bonus: Level + 4
Damage: 1d8
Melee Basic Attack: Bite; level + 4 vs. AC; 1d8 + Dexterity modifier damage.
Opportunity Attacks: A serpent gains a bonus to opportunity attack damage rolls equal to its Strength modifier.
Trained Skill: Stealth
Spider
In primeval forests, goblins and many fey creatures train hunting spiders.
STARTING STATISTICS
Ability Scores: Strength 14, Constitution 12, Dexterity 16, Intelligence 6, Wisdom 12, Charisma 6
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares, climb 6 squares (spider climb)
Defenses: AC 14 + level, Fortitude 11 + level, Reflex 12 + level, Will 12 + level
Hit Points: 14 + 8 per level
Attack Bonus: Level + 4
Damage: 1d8
Melee Basic Attack: Bite; level + 4 vs. AC; 1d8 + Dexterity modifier damage.
Trained Skills: Athletics, Stealth
Wolf
The wolf category includes predatory canines and doglike creatures, from mastiffs to timber wolves to jackals.
STARTING STATISTICS
Ability Scores: Strength 14, Constitution 14, Dexterity 14, Intelligence 6, Wisdom 14, Charisma 6
Size: Medium
Speed: 7 squares
Defenses: AC 14 + level, Fortitude 12 + level, Reflex 12 + level, Will 13 + level
Hit Points: 14 + 8 per level
Attack Bonus: Level + 4
Damage: 1d8
Melee Basic Attack: Bite; level + 4 vs. AC; 1d8 + Strength modifier damage.
Combat Advantage: When a wolf has combat advantage against a target, the wolf gains a bonus to damage rolls against the target equal to the wolf’s Wisdom modifier.
Trained Skills: Endurance, Perception
Raise Beast Companion
You call out to your beast companion. Though death separates you, the ties of faith and friendship between you can cross any gulf. This ritual allows you to restore life to your slain beast companion. This ritual works only for beastmasters who have the Beast Mastery class feature. The ritual functions as the Raise Dead ritual, with the following exceptions:
✦ You need not have any part of your beast companion’s corpse.
✦ The death penalty lasts until you have reached three milestones.
✦ A paragon tier beast companion costs 500 gil to raise, and an epic tier beast companion costs 5,000 gil to raise.
Commanding a Beast Companion
Your beast companion doesn’t usually take its own actions during combat. It acts on your turn as you direct it, using the options below. To command your beast companion, you take the action specified for a command, and the beast must be able to see or hear you. If you don’t command your beast companion, it remains where it is, as long as you are conscious and present in the encounter. If you are unconscious or aren’t present, your beast companion can act independently (see “Beast Companion Independent Actions” below).
✦ Attack (Standard Action): Your beast companion makes a melee basic attack against an enemy of your choice.
✦ Defend (Standard Action): Your beast companion or both of you go on total defense. If you are adjacent to each other, the bonus to defenses is +3 rather than +2.
✦ Move (Move Action): Your beast companion or both of you take a move action. The move actions need not be the same.
✦ Opportunity Attack (Immediate Interrupt): When a creature provokes an opportunity attack from your beast companion, you spend an immediate interrupt to command the beast to make the attack.
✦ Other Action: For any other action, you spend the required action and your beast companion completes it. For example, picking up an object requires a minor action, so you can spend a minor action to order your beast companion to grab a bag of coins in its jaws. If your beast companion is incapable of completing an action, your action is wasted and the beast does nothing. Your beast companion cannot use your powers, and the DM is the final judge on whether a beast is capable of completing an action.
Beast Companion Independent Actions: In situations where you can’t command your beast companion, it can act independently. For example, if you’re unconscious or dead or if you aren’t present in an encounter, your beast companion doesn’t necessarily sit around waiting for you to show up, unless that’s what you want it to do. A beast companion acting independently can take a standard action, a move action, and a minor action on each of its turns, as a character can. You choose the beast’s actions, with one restriction: If your character is present in the encounter but incapable of commanding the beast, it must move as far as it can toward you each round on its turn, choosing the safest route possible. Once adjacent to you, the beast companion can act in any manner you wish.
Beast Companions and Healing
Your beast companion can spend healing surges as any character can, and it can receive the benefits of healing abilities, such as a white mage’s healing word. Second Wind: When you use your second wind, your beast companion can use second wind as well.
Other Healing: When you are adjacent to your beast companion, you can spend a minor action and one of your healing surges to heal the beast companion as if it had spent a healing surge.
Death and Dying: A beast companion follows the same rules as a character for death and dying. If your beast companion dies, you can use the Raise Beast Companion ritual to restore it to life.
Gaining a New Companion
If you wish to switch to a new beast companion, you can use the retraining rules to select a different beast when you level up. Instead of changing a feat, a power, or a skill selection when you retrain, you can change your beast companion selection. You keep your current beast companion until you have the opportunity to spend a few hours seeking its replacement in an environment where the new beast can be found. If your beast companion dies and you choose to replace it rather than raise it, you follow the same rules. The DM can choose to run a short adventure that involves you finding a companion, perhaps rescuing it from captivity or overcoming a foe together. Otherwise, the DM can allow you to create the story of how you found your new companion.