Familiarity and Companionship

Several classes benefit from companions of various sorts, from the familiars of wizards and warlocks, the Paladin's steed, and the Beastmaster's companion. While they are our values allies and beloved friends, many have noted that they can be a prime target for those who want to strike at your heart. Here are some potential ways to improve the survival chances of one of your greatest assets.

Feats

Improved Animal Companion

Pre-requisites: Beast Master archetype, Ranger level 3.

You gain a telepathic link with your companion, able to give it mental commands and use its senses instead of your own, as long as it is within 100 feet. During this time, you are blind and deaf with regard to your own senses.

The range of your level 15 Share Spells feature is doubled.

The intelligence ability score of your companion becomes 6, if not already greater. If your companion did not have the ability to speak, it gains the ability to speak one language which you speak.

You gain the dismiss companion spell, below.

Lastly, once per long rest you may cast cure wounds upon your companion without expending a spell slot, at the level of any slot you are able to cast.

Improved Familiar

Pre-requisite: Must be able to cast find familiar spell.

The intelligence ability score of your companion becomes 6, if not already greater.

Your telepathic link strengthens, its range is now 1 mile. When choosing the form of your familiar, you may select any form of beast of CR 1 or less, or from one of these special forms: crawling claw, imp, pseudodragon, quasit, or sprite. Your Dungeon Master may make others available, of course.

Improved Pact Familiar

Pre-requisites: Pact of the Chain, Warlock level 3.

The intelligence ability score of your companion becomes 6, if not already greater, for those rare Chain Warlocks who did not take a special form. If your familiar did not have the ability to speak, it gains the ability to speak one language which you speak.

If you have the Voice of the Chain Master invocation, you no longer even need to be on the same plane of existence as your companion1 to communicate with your familiar, share spells, or perceive through its senses. If you do not, it extends to anywhere on the same plane of existence. Additionally, your familiar is now able to share resistances and immunities even while dismissed.

Lastly, when selecting the form of your familiar, you may select any form of beast up to CR 2, any of the standard special forms mentioned under Improved Familiar, or one of these additional special forms: Animated Weapon, Faerie Dragon (Red through Yellow), Flumph, Magmin, Mephit, Pixie, or Twig Blight

Improved Steed

Pre-requisite: Must be able to cast find steed spell.

You gain the dismiss companion spell, below. This specifically affects your summoned steed. If your steed has an intelligence score of 8 or less, it becomes 9. Your steed gains an additional language of your choice. You do not need to be able to speak this language yourself.

Your telepathic link works regardless of distance, unless your steed is on another plane of existence.

You may perform a ten minute ritual to change the appearance of your steed to that of a hippocampus (granting the ability to breathe water and swim 60') or pegasus (granting fly 60') or back to normal. No other attributes of your steed change.

Rule modifications

When this document mentions familiar, please clarify with your Dungeon Master if he wishes it to apply to variant familiars (such as mentioned on the Quasit or Pseudodragon entries in the Monstrous Manual) or not.

Spells

The spells in this supplement are intended to apply to companions, familiars, and steeds. If the caster has access to the Find Familiar spell, these spells are also available in their spell list.

Dismiss Companion

1st-level conjuration (Ritual)

Casting Time: 1 action

1 action Range: Special

Special Components: V

V Duration: Instantaneous

While standard familiars can be dismissed and recalled as an action, this gives other classes some of the same functionality: Upon casting, the companion -- be it Paladin's steed, a Ranger's companion animal, or with permission from the creature in question, even a non-magically bound familiar such as pseudodragon -- can be dismissed to the same no-place where a Wizard or Warlock's familiar is sent for safety.

Recalling that companion can be done as an action later with no spell needed.

The range on this spell is the same range as your telepathic bond or 100 feet if you do not have a telepathic bond or that range is less than 100 feet.