Zoologist

You will do whatever it takes to track, reach, and research creatures in the wild. You gain the Bestiary benefit below, and you gain an additional benefit below when you reach 6th level and 10th level in this class.

Your study of the world's creatures has earned you the loyalty of a guardian beast spirit that takes physical form to accompany you. The beast is friendly to you and your companions and obeys your commands. Choose its stat block—Beast of the Land, Beast of the Sea, or Beast of the Sky—which uses your proficiency bonus (PB) in several places[...]. You also determine the beast's appearance, choosing something appropriate for the stat block.

In combat, the beast acts during your turn. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another available action. You can command it to use a bonus action at the same time if it has one available. You can also sacrifice one of your attacks when you take the Attack action to command the beast to take the Attack action. If you are incapacitated, the beast can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.

If the beast has died within the last hour, you can use your action to touch it and expend one of your hit dice. Roll the die, as well as any number of the beast's available hit dice, and add the total. The beast returns to life after 1 minute with that number of hit points, up to its maximum.

When you finish a long rest, your companion can reconstitute itself into a new form. The beast vanishes and reappears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you, and you choose its stat block and appearance. The beast vanishes if you die.

Capturing and studying wild animals requires a lot of skill to get the job done safely. You've learned to use your equipment to help you subdue creatures in the wild. Nets and whips have the capture property for you.

You are trained to give medical aid to your guardian beast. You have a pool of healing power that replenishes when you take a long rest. With that pool, you can restore a total number of hit points equal to your zoologist level × 5.

As an action, you can touch your guardian beast or yourself and draw power from the pool to restore a number of hit points, up to the maximum amount remaining in your pool.

Your work often requires you to immobilize and subdue dangerous creatures. Sometimes the best way to do that is by setting a trap and you've become quite the expert with them. You have advantage on all Wisdom (Perception) checks made to spot a trap and on all rolls to disarm one.

You can create two kinds of traps: simple and complex. Simple traps are designed for quick release and can be used in combat. Complex traps usually cannot be set up in combat.[...]

When a creature other than you moves into a trap's space, it must make a Dexterity saving throw against your bestiary save DC; if it fails, it triggers the trap. If it succeeds, it can avoid the trap, which remains dormant until another creature enters the space. If a creature concentrating on a spell triggers a non-damaging trap, it must make a Concentration check as if it took 1 point of damage.

A creature can spot your trap if its passive Perception is equal to or higher than your bestiary save DC. Otherwise, it must make a Wisdom (Perception) check against your bestiary save DC to spot it. If a creature spots a trap, it can use an action to make an Intelligence check against the same DC to disable it. It must be within 5 feet of the trap to make the attempt, but a failed disarm attempt triggers the trap. You can automatically disable your own traps as an action.

You can create a number of traps equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum 1); you cannot have more active traps than this. You regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

Your research habits grant you entry into an acclaimed league of zoologists specializing in a particular field, from the list of available options. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 5th, 11th, 14th, and 18th level.

You can distill the sedative from your tranquilizer trap and use it to coat weapons like a poison. If you hit a creature with a weapon coated in the sedative, it makes a Constitution saving throw against your bestiary save DC. If it fails, its movement is cut in half and it can't take reactions until the end of its next turn. If the target fails by 5 or more, it is restrained and incapacitated until the end of its next turn.

You can distill a number of doses of sedative equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum 1) over 1 minute. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

When you reach 4th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

If your DM allows the use of feats, you may instead take a feat at any of these levels.

At 5th level, you gain a feature from your Research League.

Your time with your guardian beast spirit has increased its devotion to you. It gains the Multiattack benefit below, and it gains an additional benefit below when you reach 10th and 15th level in this class.

Traveling with animals is not always convenient, but your resourcefulness is unmatched. You have seen how those with familiars can dismiss their pets and have made the technique your own. As an action, you can send your guardian beast to a pocket dimension, where it awaits your summons for up to 1 hour. It is unconscious while there, but rests peacefully; it gains the benefits of a short rest if it spends the full hour there. You can recall the beast as an action. When you do, or if the hour expires, the beast appears in an unoccupied space next to you (your choice).

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

When you reach 8th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

If your DM allows the use of feats, you may instead take a feat at any of these levels.

To facilitate your research in even the most dangerous areas, you learn new ways to conceal your presence. When you use your Smuggler feature, you can also cast rope trick without expending a spell slot or material components.

At 11th level, you gain a feature from your Research League.

When you reach 12th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

If your DM allows the use of feats, you may instead take a feat at any of these levels.

Your guardian beast continues to benefit from your experiences. As an action, you can command the beast to grow larger. Its size doubles in all dimensions and its weight is multiplied by eight. This growth increases its size by one category—from Medium to Large, for example. If there isn't enough room for it to double its size, it attains the maximum possible size in the space available. Its natural weapons deal 1d4 extra damage.

The beast can maintain this size for a number of hours equal to your zoologist level, all at once or in several bursts, each one using a minimum of 1 hour from the duration. You can give another command for it to return to its normal size. The duration fully refreshes when you finish a long rest.

At 14th level, you gain a feature from your Research League.

Your time exploring the wilds has toughened you. You gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws.

When you reach 16th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

If your DM allows the use of feats, you may instead take a feat at any of these levels.

When cornered, you're as ferocious as a wild animal. As an action, you can expend a use of your Smuggler feature to unleash a stampede. Magical echoes of the various creatures you and other zoologists have sent to that pocket dimension rush from you in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw against your bestiary save DC. A creature takes 8d10 force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

At 18th level, you gain a feature from your Research League.

When you reach 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

If your DM allows the use of feats, you may instead take a feat at any of these levels.

You are the ultimate creature conservationist. You can create an area around you to defend and protect creatures you care about. As an action, you manifest a 30-foot aura for 1 minute which grants the following benefits to any creatures you choose:

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.