Bonded Companion

At 1st level, you gain a companion that will serve and aid you in every way it possibly can. The companion gets some bonuses from being linked to your essence. In combat, the companion moves and acts on your turn in initiative. You can tell it what to do verbally (no action needed) and if you are incapacitated, it will do its best to protect you and itself from harm. You and your companion both become empowered from the bond you share, but only one of you can take full advantage of that power at first. If you take the Attack action or cast a spell with a casting time of one action, your companion can't take the Attack action this turn, and if your companion takes the Attack action, you can't take the Attack action or cast a spell with a casting time of one action this turn.

It gains proficiency in two skills of your choice. In areas where it would use its proficiency bonus, it uses your proficiency bonus instead. It also adds your proficiency bonus to its AC. Your companion will always use Strength for it's attack and damage rolls (unless otherwise specified), and its damage dice is shown in the companions stat block. If a feature for you or your companion requires another creature to make a saving throw, the DC is equal to your Soul Binder Spell Save DC.

If your companion is reduced to 0 hit points, it falls unconscious and makes death saving throws. When it is reduced to 0 hit points, the soul binder will take any excess damage from the attack. If it is killed, you can return it to life as part of a long rest. The process of reviving can be very hard for your soul, and you gain one level of exhaustion at the end of the rest when you revive your companion. The companion has its own hit die, and can spend them during a short rest.

Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature in this class, your companion’s abilities also improve. You can increase one of its ability scores of your choice by 2, or you can increase two of its ability scores of your choice by 1, at the DM's discretion you can forgo increasing the companions ability scores and instead give it a feat that would make sense for it (Like Mobile or Tough). As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise. Whenever you gain a level in this class, your companion also levels up, and it can increase its hit point maximum using its hit die normally. At first level, its hit points will be equal to the maximum value of its hit die + its Constitution modifier.