Circle of the Bond

Druids of the Circle of the Bond feel a greater connection to beasts than they do other sapient life. Many wish to eschew the complexities and complications of living within a society and interacting with humanoids for the quiet simplicity offered by beasts, while others have experienced tragedy or betrayal at the hands of their peers, and seek comfort in an animal companion. Regardless of the reasons you joined this circle, you have formed a magical partnership with a beast, a deep bond that interlocks your minds and souls.

Level 3: Animal Companion

You learn to use your magic to create a powerful bond with a creature of the natural world. You call forth an animal from the wilderness to serve as your faithful companion. You choose 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.

Your animal companion becomes subject to the rules of your Companion’s Bond (described below). You can have only one animal companion at a time.

If your animal companion has died within the last hour, you can use an action to revive it, provided you are within 5 feet of it and you expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher. The companion returns to life after 1 minute with all its hit points restored.

At the end of a long rest, you can call a new animal companion from among the available options. It is subject to the rules of your Companion’s Bond, and you lose your previous animal companion if you have one, the former companion returning to the wilds. You also lose your animal companion if you die.

Level 3: Companion's Bond

Your animal companion changes in the following ways while it is linked to you.

The companion loses its Multiattack action, if it has one.

The animal companion is friendly to you and your companions, and it obeys your commands. In combat, the companion acts on your turn. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes is the Dodge action unless you use an action to telepathically command it to take an action in its stat block or the Help action, or your bonus action to telepathically command it to take any other action. You can’t use your action and bonus action to command your animal companion on the same turn. If you are incapacitated, the companion can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.

The weapon attacks in your animal companion’s stat block count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. If your animal companion has an effect that causes a target to make a saving throw, the effect uses your spell save DC, unless the beast’s DC was already higher.

If your animal companion is large enough, you can use it as an independent mount, though you still determine its actions. See Mounted Combat rules.

Your animal companion has abilities and game statistics determined in part by your proficiency bonus. Your companion uses your proficiency bonus rather than 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.

When the animal companion becomes subject to the rules of this feature, it gains proficiency in two skills of your choice. It also becomes proficient in your choice of Dexterity, Constitution, or Wisdom saving throws, and your choice of Strength, Intelligence, or Charisma saving throws.

For each druid level after 3rd, your animal companion gains an additional Hit Die and increases its hit points accordingly.

Level 6: Instinctive Coordination

You can use your bonus action to telepathically command your animal companion to take an action in its stat block or any other action.

Additionally, you gain the ability to use the magic of your Wild Shape to affect your animal companion. As a bonus action, you can expend a use of your Wild Shape for one of the following effects. You can end the effect on your turn as a bonus action.

Enlarge. Your animal companion’s size increases by one category for a number of hours equal to half your druid level, rounded down. For example, if it was Medium, it becomes Large. It has advantage on Strength ability checks and saving throws for the duration.

Heal. Your animal companion can immediately expend any number of its Hit Dice. For each Hit Die expended this way, you roll the die and add your animal companion’s Constitution modifier to it. It regains hit points equal to the total.

Morph

Level 10: Primal Bond

Magic flows freely through the bond you share with your animal companion. Each time you cast a spell of 1st level or higher, choose one of the following benefits for your animal companion:

• It gains a number of temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1).

• The first time it hits with an attack before the end of the turn, it gains a bonus to the attack’s damage roll equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1).

Level 14: Instinctive Evolution

When you use the bonus action granted by your Instinctive Coordination, you can instead expend two uses of your Wild Shape for the following effect. You can end the effect on your turn as a bonus action.

Evolve. You transform your animal companion into a beast you’ve seen before with a challenge rating as high as your druid level divided by 3 for a number of hours up to half your druid level, rounded down. When you do, the transformation follows the rules of your Wild Shape (you ignore the Max. CR column of the Beast Shapes table), though your animal companion is still subject to the rules and benefits of Companion’s Bond.