Martial Archetype

Deadly Rider

You've managed to master the art of fighting while riding upon a beast in the middle of combat. With weapon in hand you are a powerful ally or a dangerous foe, while sitting upon your chosen mount your abilities are almost unparalleled.

Born to the Saddle

At 3rd level, you have advantage on saving throws made to avoid falling off your mount. If you fall off your mount, you always land on your feet if you are capable of taking actions. Mounting or dismounting a creature costs you only 5 feet of movement, rather than half your speed.

You also gain proficiency in Animal Handling if you did not have it already.

Bonded Mount

At 3rd level, you learn to use your innate mastery of mounted combat to create a powerful bond with a creature of the natural world.

With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of 50 gp worth of rare herbs and fine food with a beast that is friendly to you, you create a mutual bond of trust with a creature that will serve as your personal mount. You must select a creature that is at least one size category larger than you. You normally select your companion of a beast that is of CR 1/4 or lower, a beast of CR 1/8 or lower if it has more than one movement type (fly, swim, etc.), or from among the following animals: an ape, a black bear, a constrictor snake, a crocodile, a giant badger, or a reef shark. However, your DM might pick one of these or another animal for you, based on the surrounding terrain, or your background.

At the end of the 8 hours, your animal mount is bonded with you and gains all the benefits of your Companion's Bond ability. You can have only one bonded mount at a time.

If your bonded mount is ever slain, the innate bond you share is severed and you must find a new creature to perform the bonding ritual with

If you ever perform the bonding ceremony with a new creature while you are already bonded to another creature, the previous mount loses its bonuses from the Companion's Bond ability.

Companion's Bond

Your bonded mount gains a variety of benefits while it is linked to you.

The bonded mount loses its Multiattack action, if it has one.

The companion obeys your commands as best it can. It acts on your initiative, but you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your companion acts on its own.

Your bonded mount has abilities and game statistics determined in part by your level. Your mount uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. In addition to the areas where it normally uses its proficiendy bonus, an bonded mount also adds its proficiency bonus to its AC, if it isn't wearing any barding, and to its damage rolls.

Your bonded mount gains proficiendy in two skills of your choice. It also becomes proficient with one physical and one mental saving throw of your choice.

When you first bond with a creature, it gains hit die in order to have an equal number of hit die to your level if neccessary, increasing its hit points accordingly. Also, whenever you gain a level, your bonded mount gains a hit die and increases its hit points accordingly, so long as it had a number of hit die less than your current level.

Whenever you 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.

My Steed My Shield

Starting at 7th level your bond with your mount deepens. You gain the Find Familiar spell that you can cast without the need of a spell slot, using Intelligence as your spellcasting ability. This spell does not summon a creature but affects your bonded mount, and it still counts as a beast.

Additionally, while riding your bonded mount, you learn to protect each other. Whenever one of you is hit by a spell or attack, you can use your reaction to have either one of you take half damage from that spell or attack (rounded up), and the other takes the same amount of damage.

Rideby Attack

At 10th level your mobility in combat makes you harder to hit. While mounted, so long as you move 10 feet before entering a creature's reach, and 10 feet after leaving a creature's reach, that creature has disadvantage on any attacks of opportunity against you or your mount.

Improved Steed

Starting at 15th level, your bonded mount gains new strengths. One of its movement speeds increases by 10 feet. Its attacks now count as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. Also, it gains the multiattack feature, being able to make two attacks when it takes the attack action.

Blessed Beast

At 18th level your bonded mount magically grows beyond its normal limitations. Your mount changes shape gains one of the following: Move 40 ft., Swim 30 ft. and amphibious, fly 30 ft., burrow 20 ft. (it also gains the amphibious trait if it already had a swim speed before the change).

Additionally, while riding your bonded mount, you both benefit from the Evasion trait as listed in the Rogue and Monk classes.