:
Easy Start
Important attributes: MA and WP
Since a Beastmaster is a form of fighter, then a decent STR, CON and DEX are also preferred.
Suggested starting skills
Beastmaster List
Animal Lore to level 1
Beastmaster to level 1
Warrior List
A weapon skill to level 1
Talent List
Pick your maximum starting talents (1 for dual-classed, 3 for single-classed)
Description
A beast master is a person who is trained in the art of training animals. He takes a wild animal and, from a adversary relationship, develops a rapport with it. He trains young animals from birth, until they heed his every command. A beast master will, in almost all cases, become very fond of animals. He will defend them against wanton cruelty and slaughter, and will treat his charges as personal family.
A beast master will encounter three kinds of animals: the easily domesticated (such as the horse), the naturally wild (such as the lion), and intelligent or rebellious creature (such as the unicorn). The latter can never be steadfastly loyal to the beast master; such creatures always have at least a subconscious desire to escape. A beast master can be a slaver if he specializes in training humanoids.
Animals which spend their lives with the beast master and are trained by him will be loyal to their master and serve to protect him as much as possible. If necessary, an animal can be trained to temporarily serve another master (if one week of mutual training is undergone), but the animal will always obey the original master before the new one.
Prerequisites, Restrictions and Notes
- A beast master's willpower must be at least 17
- He may only train animals for his own personal use until he reaches rank 5. He may domesticate animals at any rank.
- A beast master's rank with Animal Trainer is equivalent to his rank with his profession. In game terms, Animal Trainer skill will have a multiple of 0 and must be set to be equal to beast master skill.
- Beastmasters with an MA of 17 or better can learn spells from the College of Lesser Summonings. They can choose either Option One (buy up spells individually) or Option Two (buy up spells as a group).
Special Abilities by Rank
Rank | Special Ability |
1 | First Animal Category |
1 | Locate Animal |
2 | First Animal Bond |
3 | Animal Empathy |
4 | Animal Invisibility |
5 | Second Animal Category |
5 | Can train animals for others |
6 | Second Animal Bond |
7 | Telepathic Bond |
9 | Remote Sensing Through Bond |
10 | Third Animal Category |
10 | Third Animal Bond |
14 | Fourth Animal Category |
14 | Fourth Animal Bond |
18 | Fifth Animal Category |
18 | Fifth Animal Bond |
21 | Sixth Animal Category |
21 | Sixth Animal Bond |
Animal Category
| Category | Animals Included | Fantastic Creatures |
| Amphibians | Frog, toad, giant frog, giant toad | Fire toad, Ice toad, poisonous toad |
| Bees and Scorpions | Bee, scorpion, tick, giant bee (worker & soldier), giant tick, giant wasp, centipede, carrion crawler | Giant bee (drone & queen), giant scorpion, cave fisher, ankheg |
| Canines | Dog, wolf, fox, jackal, dingo | Astral wolf, blink dog, death dog, devil dog, hell hound, moon dog, shadow mastiff, winter wolf |
| Dinosaurs | Triceratops, allosaurus, diplodocus, velociraptor, brachiosaurus, stegosaurus, tyrannosaurus, etc. |  |
| Felines | Cat, tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard, panther, sabre-tooth tiger | Displacer beast, griffon |
| Flightless Avians | Ostrich, rhea, moa, tinamou, emu, kiwi, elephant bird | Owlbear, roc |
| Hunting Birds | Hawk, eagle, buzzard, harrier, kite, osprey, falcon, vulture | Griffon, hippogriff, peryton |
| Large Avians | Chicken, grouse, turkey, duck, geese, swan, flamingo, pigeon, dodo, crane, stork, loon, penguin, heron, pelican, condor, owl, parrot | Stirge, cockatrice, peryton |
| Large Land Mammals | Bison, buffalo, antelope, gazelle, sheep, goat, muskoxen, rhinoceros, cattle, giraffe, deer, elk, reindeer, caribou, moose, pig, hog, boar | Gorgon |
| Large Sea Mammals | Whales, dolphins, porpoises | |
| Primates | Ape, monkey, gorilla | Carnivorous ape, yeti |
| Reptiles | Turtle, tortoise, chameleon, Iguana, gecko, monitor lizard, alligator, crocodile | Basilisk, cockatrice, dragons, giant crocodile, minotaur lizard, rust monster |
| Riding Animals | Camel, llama, alpaca, elephant, mammoth, mastodon, horse, donkey, zebra | Hippogriff, valiance steed, pegasus, unicorn |
| Small Avians | sparrow, hummingbird, finch, parakeet, and most other small birds | |
| Small Land Mammals | Weasel, badger, otter, marten, ferret, mink, wolverine, Mouse, rat, squirrel, prairie dog, porcupine, beaver, guinea pig, hamster, bat, raccoon, shrew, mole, giant rat, giant rabbit | Night Hunter Bat, Sinister Bat, cockatrice |
| Snakes and Worms | Coral snake, boa, anaconda, viper | Giant constrictor snake, giant spitting cobra, purple worm, sea serpent |
| Spiders and Beetles | Spider, tarantula, giant spider, beetle, boring beetle | Phase spider, sword spider, bombardier beetle, fire beetle, rhinoceros beetle |
| Ursines | Black bear, brown bear, polar bear, koala bear, panda bear | Owlbear |
| Fantastic Creatures | This category cannot be taken prior to rank 10 in beast master. When taken, it allows the beast master to include fantastic creatures of his specialized categories. For example, if the beast master was previously specialized with the Canines category, choosing Fantastic Creatures now allows him to train and bond with Winter Wolves, Hell Hounds and other fantastic canines. |
Locate Animal
There are two versions of this ability; Locate Specific Animal and Locate Animal by Type
Locate Specific Animal - This ability is used to find a specific animal. For example, to find a friend's animal familiar. Range is 100 yards per rank initially but, at rank 12, becomes 1 mile per rank. It cost 1 spell point to use this ability. The beast master rolls percentile dice and adds ((MA - 15) x 3) + (rank x 5). The result is compared to the following table:
- Absolute Success - Knows exact distance and direction, in 3 dimensions, to the target
- Success - Knows distance and direction, in 2 dimensions, to the target within 5% (i.e., if target is 200 yards away, will know distance and direction within 10 yards)
- Near Success - Knows distance and direction, in 2 dimensions, to the target within 15%. Can spend another spell point and try again with +10.
- Partial Success - Knows distance and direction, in 2 dimensions, to the target within 30%. Can spend another spell point and try again.
- Failure - Failure. Any future attempts within the next hour will also fail.
- Absolute Failure - Failure. Any future attempts within the next 24 hours will also fail.
- Blunder - Failure. Any future attempts within the next 10 days will also fail.
Animal Bond
Whenever this ability is gained, the beast master is able to form a special bond with one animal. The animal must be of a type within an Animal Category in which the beast master specializes.
The act of bonding to the animal requires that the beast master feed it and spend time with it for 4 hours a day for 5 days in a row. The beast master must expend 10 spell points over the course of each day to create and cement the bonding.
The bonding has several effects.
- The bonded animal will become an exceptional example of the give animal type. For a creature of level 2 or less, they will be at maximum hit points. For animals above level 2, roll hit points 3 times and take the best roll. If the roll is not at least (average HP x 1.25), then HP will be (average HP x 1.25; round up)
- Characteristics will be 1 or 2 points higher than normal for the animal type. Look at the standard characteristics for the creature in the Monster Manual and then roll 1d2 and add that amount to each characteristic.
- After the bonded animal's characteristics are determined, the beast master character can add 1 point per rank to their characteristics. For example, a rank 2 beast master might choose to add both points to STR, or maybe one point to INT and one to KNOW. As they improve in rank, they gain another point at each rank to use to increase one characteristic by one point.
- The animal will be considered to be combat trained at a level equal to the beast master's rank.
- The beast master will always know the approximate distance and direction to a bonded animal, as long as it is not more than (Rank x 250) feet away (Rank x 1000 ft starting a rank 10).
- The beast master is able to issue a gentle summons which the animal will feel and attempt to respond to. The animal will know which direction to travel to respond to the summons but could become confused by obstacles.
- The beast master will suffer one tenth of all damage (round up) inflicted on a bonded animal. If a bonded animal dies, the beast master will suffer intense emotional trauma and grief resulting in a -30 penalty to all activities. This penalty will diminish at a rate of 1 per day.
- Because the bond is a two way thing, a bonded creature also gains +1 to its INT. This is in addition to any characteristic boosts gained for being a bonded animal (see above).
Animal Empathy
By spending one spell point, the beast master is able to determine the basic needs, drives and/or emotions of a given creature or group of like creatures. The beast master must be able to see the creature(s) to use this ability. The following table indicates what animals may be scanned by level. Duration is 1 minute per rank. The beast master may switch targets (and animal categories) as often as desired for the duration of the effect. Each switch is a half round action.
Rank | Animal Category | Range |
1 | Specialized | 20 feet/rank |
2 | Mammals, excluding cetaceans | 15 feet/rank |
3 | Cetaceans | 15 feet per rank above 2nd |
5 | Avians | 15 feet per rank above 4th |
6 | Reptiles | 15 feet per rank above 5th |
7 | Amphibians | 10 feet per rank above 6th |
10 | Arachnids | 10 feet per rank above 9th |
12 | Insects | 5 feet per rank above 11th |
+2 * | Fantastic | 10 feet per rank starting at minimum |
- Fantastic creatures of a given category can be targeted if the beast master's rank is +2. For example, at rank 5, a beast master can target avians so, at rank 7, they can target fantastic avians.
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Animal Invisibility
By expending one spell point, the beast master is able to walk among normal animals without being noticed. This is not true invisibility. It is more that the animal or animals simply don't regard the beast master as a threat any more than they might regard a bush as a threat. The "invisibility" is broken if the beast master attacks one or more of the animals. Note that this is an all or nothing thing. If the beast master fails his roll, the animals will react in a normal fashion, as determined by their instincts. The beast master need only make a single roll for a group of animals.
Rank determines the types of animals that the beast master can use this ability on as well as their chance of success.
Rank | Animal Category | Skill Roll | Duration |
1 | Specialized | ((MA - 15) x 3) + (Rank x 6) | 15 minutes per rank |
3 | Mammals | ((MA - 15) x 3) + (Rank x 5) | 10 minutes per rank |
5 | Avians, Amphibians and Reptiles | ((MA - 15) x 3) + (Rank x 4) | 5 minutes per rank |
8 | Arachnids and Insects | ((MA - 15) x 3) + (Rank x 3) | 2 minutes per rank |
+2 * | Fantastic | | |
- Fantastic creatures of a given category can be targeted if the beast master's rank is +2. For example, at rank 5, a beast master can target avians so, at rank 7, they can target fantastic avians.
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Animal Invisibility Effect
- Absolute Success - The beast master can walk among the creatures and they will ignore him. Duration is doubled.
- Success - The beast master can walk among the creatures and they will ignore him.
- Near Success - As long as the beast master is careful to avoid drawing attention to himself, the creatures will ignore him. If he accidentally steps on a tail, makes a loud noise, etc., the invisibility is broken. Duration of the invisibility is halved.
- Partial Success - As long as the beast master avoids getting near than 3 feet to a creature, and avoids drawing attention, the creatures will ignore him. Any disturbance will break the invisibility. Duration of the invisibility is reduced by 75%.
- Failure - The invisibility fails.
- Absolute Failure - The invisibility fails and immediately attracts the ire of any animals within 50 feet who may or may not attack depending on their nature.
- Blunder - All normal animals within 50 feet become enraged and attack the beast master.
If the roll is Failure or worse, the beast master cannot try with the same group of animals until at least 6 hours have passed.
Telepathic Bond
This ability is gained at rank 7 and may only be used on a bonded animal. The beast master may communicate telepathically with the animal, in thoughts that a very intelligent animal would understand, as long as it is within (rank x 15) feet. Because of the close mental bond between the beast master and the bonded creature, a bonded creature gains +2 to its INT. This is in addition to the +1 gained for becoming a bonded animal so total bonus becomes +3.
If the animal is out of range, the beast master may expend one spell point to establish and maintain telepathic communications at double bonded range for 5 minutes per rank. Expending 2 spell points will double the range again, and so forth.
Remote Sensing
This ability may only be used on a bonded animal. By expending one spell point, the beast master is able to see through the eyes of a bonded animal who is within bonded range for up to 1 minute per rank. The beast master uses the senses of the bonded animal so if, for example, the bonded animal is a blind bat, the beast master will be sensing with the sonar sensing of the bat.
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