Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Help Tips & Tricks Ranger's Familiar ?

Hi,

I am currently experimenting to play a ranger with beastmaster ability and I am a bit confused about it works.
Since I am not a Dnd specialist, is anybody can tell me please if the ranger has a spell to summon the familiar ?

I was expecting to select one animal during character creation and keep it all the time until it sadly dies. Make sense for me for a ranger who has lived in the nature and developed a special link with a specific animal.
The spell Summon Familiar which allow you to choose the animal you want makes sense for a wizard but for a ranger ?

I also don't see the interest of a such animal right now. No interaction with him even with communication with animals ? No possibility to make a stronger link ? Quite useless in combat since they don't level up.

The only thing which is really fun is to see the bear crawling like a kitten ready to attack when using the hidden mode / jump function of the same bear (my bear likes to jump ) or the wild boar climbing the ladders.

Yeah, unfortunately the beastmaster's animal is less of a 'companion' right now, and more just another combat feature. I have criticized this in the past because the ranger's animal companion should be, as you say, an animal I choose once and then keep until it dies. Currently it is an ability with which you can summon an animal out of a select few, and unsommon whenever you like as well as change your choice of animal. Ultimately, this doesn't feel like the beastmaster.

So I think you're right to complain, this needs to be changed, otherwise the class just feels like an animal summoner.

The beasts do level up per 5e, not yet implemented IIRC: "Add your proficiency bonus to the beast’s AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in. Its hit point maximum equals its normal maximum or four times your ranger level, whichever is higher."

Also, the spider and raven are both extremely good in combat. Raven can consistently apply Blind by flying behind enemies + Hiding for Advantage. Spider has Web.

thanks