Ranger: Houndwarden
Your connection to the natural world takes the form of a canine spirit, which can manifest in physical form as a hound. As your powers grow, your hound grows as well, blossoming from a small four-legged companion to a majestic beast of the hunt, large and strong enough for you to ride. Along the way, you gain an increasing share of the awe-inspiring power of canines.
Consider the source of the hound spirit you have bonded with. The Houndwarden Origin table offers examples.
Source: Terrus (modified from Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, Drakewarden)
Houndwarden Origin
| d6 | Origin |
|---|---|
| 1 | You studied a canine's fur or claw, or a location frequented by canines, creating your bond through that location's lingering magic. |
| 2 | A secret order of rangers who collect and guard canid lore taught you their ways. |
| 3 | A dog gave you a bone or toy to care for. To your surprise, the dog reappeared when you absently tossed it to yourself, as if playing catch. |
| 4 | You ingested a few drops of dog blood, forever infusing your nature magic with canid power. |
| 5 | An ancient inscription on a standing stone empowered you when you read it aloud. |
| 6 | You had a vivid dream of a mysterious figure accompanied by a flock of black butterflies, who warned you of impending doom. When you awoke, your hound was there, watching you. |
Canid Gift
At 3rd level, the bond you share with your hound creates a connection to caninekind, granting you understanding and empowering your presence.
You gain the following benefits:
- Otherworldly Connection. You learn the thaumaturgy and primal savagery cantrips, which are ranger spells for you.
- Tongue of Hounds. You learn to speak, read, and write Infernal, Silvan, or one other language of your choice, mirroring the origin of your hound companion.
Hound Companion
At 3rd level, as an action, you can magically summon the hound that is bound to you. It appears in an unoccupied space of your choice within 30 feet of you.
The hound is friendly to you and your companions, and it obeys your commands. See its game statistics in the accompanying Hound Companion stat block, which uses your proficiency bonus (PB) in several places. Whenever you summon the hound, choose a damage type listed in its Canid Essence trait. You can determine the cosmetic characteristics of the hound, such as its color, its scale texture, or any visible effect of its Canid Essence; your choice has no effect on its game statistics.
In combat, the hound shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. That action can be one in its stat block or some other action. If you are Incapacitated, the hound can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.
The hound remains until it is reduced to 0 hit points, until you use this feature to summon the hound again, or until you die. Anything the hound was wearing or carrying is left behind when the hound vanishes.
Once you summon the hound, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher to summon it.
| Hound Companion |
|---|
| Small Hound |
| Armor Class: 14 + PB (natural armor) |
| Hit Points: 5 + five times your ranger level (the hound has a number of hit dice d10s equal to your ranger level) |
| Speed: 40 ft. |
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 (+3) | 12 (+1) | 15 (+2) | 8 (−1) | 14 (+2) | 8 (−1) |
| Saving Throws: Dex +1 plus PB, Wis +2 plus PB |
| Damage Immunities: determined by the hound’s Canid Essence trait |
| Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12 |
| Languages: same as the language you chose as part of your Canid Gift |
| Proficiency Bonus (PB): equals your bonus |
| Canid Essence When you summon the hound, choose a damage type: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison. The chosen type determines the hound’s damage immunity and the damage of its Infused Strikes trait. |
| Actions |
|---|
| Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 plus PB to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6 plus PB piercing damage. |
| Reactions |
|---|
| Infused Strikes. When another creature within 30 feet of the hound that it can see hits a target with a weapon attack, the hound infuses the strike with its essence, causing the target to take an extra 1d6 damage of the type determined by its Canid Essence. |
Bond of Fang and Claw
At 7th level, the bond you share with your hound intensifies, protecting you and stoking the hound's fury. While your hound is summoned, you and the hound gain the following benefits:
Ethereal Step. The hound vibrates slightly between the material and ethereal planes, gaining the ability magically teleport 30 feet as a bonus action. Immediately after you using Ethereal Step, each creature of your choice within 5 feet of your hound takes damage, of the type chosen for its Canid Essence, equal to your proficiency bonus. This trait can be used a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and the hound regains all expended uses when it finishes a long rest.
Hound Mount. The hound grows to Medium size. Reflecting your special bond, you can use the hound as a mount if your size is Medium or smaller. While you are riding your hound, it can't use its Ethereal Step ability, granted by this feature.
Magic Fang. The hound's Bite attack deals an extra 1d6 damage of the type chosen for the hound's Canid Essence.
Resistance. You gain resistance to the damage type chosen for the hound's Canid Essence.
Elemental Breath
At 11th level, as an action, you can exhale a 30-foot cone of damaging breath or cause your hound to exhale it. Choose acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison damage (your choice doesn't have to match your hound's Canid Essence). Each creature in the cone must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC, taking 8d6 damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
This damage increases to 10d6 when you reach 15th level in this class.
Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a spell slot of 3rd level or higher to use it again.
Perfected Bond
At 15th level, your bond to your hound reaches the pinnacle of its power. While your hound is summoned, you and the hound gain the following benefits:
Empowered Bite. The hound's Bite attack deals an extra 1d6 damage of the type chosen for its Canid Essence (for a total of 2d6 extra damage).
Large Hound. The hound grows to Large size. When you ride your hound, it is no longer prohibited from its Ethereal Step of Bond of Fang and Claw.
Reflexive Resistance. When either you or the hound takes damage while you're within 30 feet of each other, you can use your reaction to give yourself or the hound resistance to that instance of damage. You can use this reaction a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Type: Subclass (Ranger)
