Beast Masters are usually caring protectors of the forest. They work and live side-by-side with their fierce animal companions. Beast Masters care little for the laws of other civilized beings, instead preferring the laws of nature. Likewise, the lure of Chaos rarely befits them, as unpredictable, evil, or erratic behaviour causes animals and spirits of the forest to mistrust them.

Beast Masters must retain Neutral alignment whenever possible. If a Beast Master sways too far Lawful or Chaotic for too long, their connection to the spirit world is severed. Beast Masters with their connections severed lose all of their class abilities, and even their companions will become indifferent toward them. In the event this happens, it takes a month long ritual of atonement before the spirits will slowly begin to return.

Combat:
Beast Masters may choose any weapon they wish but may only wear leather armor and can use a shield if they wish.

Companions:
At first level the Beast Master completes the Rite of Attunement to form a bond with a 1 HD or less animal or bird companion. A new animal companion may be added each time the character levels up to a maximum number of HD equal to the Beast Master’s Level. I.E., a 3rd Level Beast Master can have up to three animal companions of no more than 3 HD.

The animal companion bestows several advantages upon the Beast Master as detailed below. Each time the character gains a level, their companions gain 1HD, +1 AC, +1 To Hit, +1 Damage to one attack, +1 Morale per level up to double their starting level.

For instance, Ferdinand takes a Hunting Dog (See OSE Advanced Fantasy Referee’s Tome) as his animal companion. Upon reaching Level 2, the dog gains 1 HD for a total of 2D +2 along with all of the attack and armor adjustments listed. Upon reaching level 3, however, the dog may no longer advance because it started as a 1 HD creature.  

Companions exhibit almost blind loyalty to their Beast Master. Very rarely will one refuse a reasonable order. However, should the companion wish to disobey, it may attempt a morale check. If the check succeeds, the companion may disobey or misbehave. If it fails, it begrudgingly accepts the command and does as it is told to do. Only one morale check per round may be attempted in this fashion.

If a companion is killed, the Beast Master must observe a mourning period of at least one month before a new Rite of Attunement may be performed again. The new companion does not have to be the same animal as the one that was lost. The new animal may be up to the Beast Masters level in HD.

Companions may be dismissed if the player wishes. A new Rite of Attunement may be performed three days after the dismissed companion leaves. If a companion is dismissed, it owes the Beast Master no loyalty and may behave any way it wants to in the character’s presence. If dismissed, the creature’s statistics return to their starting values immediately. This can also occur if the Beast Master’s spirit link is severed.

No new companions may be chosen after 9th Level unless one is dismissed or dies.

Divine Magic:
From 2nd Level onward, the Beast Master gains a small number of Divine Spells that they may cast on their companion or any animal they encounter. None of their spells go higher than 3rd Level. Spell progression ceases to advance after 3rd Level.

Spirit Animal:

At 10th Level, the Beast Master may call upon or promote one of their companions. This animal is in addition to the companions previously mentioned. (If one is promoted, it may be replaced.) The animal instantly gains maximum HP for its original value but loses any benefits from having been a companion.  

Some of my thoughts so far:
Concept: A warrior type with an exceptional bond with beasts. Originally, I was thinking about doing the Death Knight, but there are a lot of overlaps with the other martial classes such as Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin, and Ranger. I might still do DKs eventually.

Still fiddling around with the Requirements and Prime Requisite.

This class is based on the Ranger in 5E, so my aim is to emulate that pattern to a certain degree without copying it outright.

I struggled a little with trying to create a somewhat fair and balanced set of rules for the animal companions. I sorta used the movie Beast Master as my template at this point. It may ultimately change down the line. My secondary goal was to make live easy on the poor referee by not having to recalculate the companion every time someone leveled up. A few bonuses to basic features seemed like a good compromise.

Is the magic going to be too much? I’ll go through and select specific spells later. I’m also contemplating Lay on Hands style healing instead of straight spells.

This isn’t the finished version of the Beast Master class. It’s part of a larger Old School Essentials compatible project I’m working on. I’ll be coming up with more details. this just seemed like a good stopping point for today. Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate it.