That way the player will have moments when they can spend lots of recourses (both edicts and spell slots) and other times when they want to save them up and can let other party members shine.

The edicts is the main way that the PC will affect their companion, you start out with very limited amount of uses and then at later levels you can spend them more freely.

There was also a need to limit action economy without feeling like any of the characters might as well not be in the combat. There is a need for synergy between the two, that has been made possible not only with class features, but also spells.

The class was made because right now in the 5e design space the pet archetype have not been explored too much, and many people are unhappy with the beast master ranger, and the Conjure Animals druid. I set out to make a class where you would control two characters, and make then interesting in combat, and out of combat.

Subclasses

I wanted the subclasses to start at level 1 where you get the stats for your companion, then there are some subclasses that get expanded spell list, and those who dont will get more weapon and/or armor proficiencies. That way some PC's will feel more like a frontliner, and others are more of a supportive caster to their companion.

The 3rd level feature for all the subclasses was what should really define them, and what would be most important to them, something that can be used fairly often or have a big impact when used. This is the level where the subclasses starts to differ the most.

Bond of the Wild This was designed to fill the hole that Beastmaster Ranger was supposed to fill, it has elements that allows you to fight besides your beast in combat, and elements that allow you to build your beast to be almost any kind of animal.

Bond of the Aberration Here the PC is more of a ranged support to the best, but can somtimes morph with it to gain more power, you can morph more than once per long rest, but it will cost you in the form of exhaustion.

Bond of the Dragonkin It is the tankiest subclass, the Drake has good HP and AC, and with it's "A Drake's Challenge" feature it can force enemies to target it, it was inspired by Ancestral Guardian and Cavalry Fighter.

Bond of the Elements This was made to be able to adapt to different situations and shit elements, it gives the player alot of choices, and with the elemental burst i can do great damage and CC.

Bond of the Dirge Alot of people want to play necromancers, but controlling 20+ skeletons and zombies becomes a hassle pretty, so this was made for people who want's a zombie buddy without all the book-keeping.

Bond of the Divine This was focused around healing and being a support, the Inspiring Heal feature helps it with getting in some offensive.

Bond of the Playful Fey This is on of two companions with 1d8 hit dice, but with it's features it can dodge and weave around the battlefield tricking it's opponents.

Bond of Demonic Pain This was inspired by the Atavist class by /u/SwordMeow, it has some of the highest damage but it comes at a cost, and if you whip the companion too much, it will do down very often.

Bond of the Stitcher It was made to be a Build-a-Monster subclass, where you can upgrade your monster in different ways to fit your style.

Bond of the Ooze It was made to able pretty tanky, and able to heal itself up in combat, with a mechanic that requires clever positioning and placement of the pieces.