College of the Piper

Bards who make use of the College of the Piper learn to use their music to soothe, command, and even control beasts and similar unintelligent creatures. Pipers frequently gain their ‘training’ in natural surroundings, learning by trial and error which melodies cause certain beasts to respond favorably. They can even imbue these melodies within other songs, allowing them to compose a normal-sounding performance while at the same time entrancing certain creatures that may be listening.

Animal Companion

At 3rd level, you learn to use your melodies to create a powerful bond with a creature of the natural world. The bond starts during a short or long rest, and takes 24 hours to fully bind the animal to you. During this time it will follow you but be controlled by the DM, and typically not take any action to help you. It also requires the expenditure of 50 gp worth of rare herbs and fine food, during the initial rest period. You normally select your companion from among the following animals: an ape, a black bear, a boar, a giant badger, a giant weasel, a mule, a panther, or a wolf. However, your DM might pick one of these animals for you or something else, based on the surrounding terrain and on what types of creatures would logically be present in the area. At the end of the 24 hours, your animal companion gains all the benefits of your Companion’s Bond ability. You can have only one animal companion at a time. If your animal companion is ever slain, the magical bond you share allows you to return it to life, so long as its body remains in good condition. With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 25 gp worth of rare herbs and fine food, you call forth your companion’s spirit and use your melodies to coax it back into its body. If you use this ability to return a former animal companion to life while you have a current animal companion, your current companion leaves you and is replaced by the restored companion. If you do take on a new animal companion when you are at a higher level, note that it will be treated as a level 3 creature. It will still get the benefit of your higher proficiency bonus, but it will not instantaneously receive extra hit points or ability stat increases to match your level (as explained in Companion's Bond). Your DM may allow a lower-level animal companion to level up more quickly than usual, in order to catch up.

Keeping Track of Proficiency When you gain your animal companion at 3rd level, its proficiency bonus matches yours at +2. As you gain levels and increase your proficiency bonus, remember that your companion’s proficiency bonus improves as a result of that, and is applied to the following areas: Armor Class, skills, saving throws, attack bonus, and damage rolls.

Companion’s Bond

Your animal companion gains a variety of benefits while it is linked to you. The animal companion loses its Multiattack action, if it has one. The companion obeys your commands as best it can. It rolls for initiative like any other creature, but you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your companion acts on its own. Your animal companion has abilities and game statistics determined in part by your level. Your companion uses your proficiency bonus as its own. In addition to the areas where it normally uses its proficiency bonus, an animal companion also adds its proficiency bonus to its AC and to its damage rolls. Your animal companion gains proficiency in two skills of your choice. It also becomes proficient with all saving throws. Your animal companion starts at 3rd level, and gains experience equal to any experience you gain, as long as it is nearby. When it levels up, your animal companion gains an additional 1d4 hit die and increases its hit points accordingly. Whenever it reaches a level at which you would gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your companion’s abilities also improve. Your companion can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your companion can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise. Your companion shares your alignment, and has a personality trait and a flaw that you can roll for or select from the tables below. Your companion shares your ideal, and its bond is always, “The bard who travels with me is a beloved companion for whom I would gladly give my life.”

Traits

d6 Trait 1 I’m dauntless in the face of adversity. 2 Threaten my friends, threaten me. 3 I stay on alert so others can rest. 4 People see an animal and underestimate me. I use that to my advantage. 5 I have a knack for showing up in the nick of time. 6 I put my friends’ needs before my own in all things.

Flaws

d6 Flaw 1 If there’s food left unattended, I’ll eat it. 2 I growl at strangers, and all people except my bard are strangers to me. 3 Any time is a good time for a belly rub. 4 I’m deathly afraid of water. 5 My idea of hello is a flurry of licks to the face. 6 I jump on creatures to tell them how much I love them.