```metadata title: Barbarian Path of the Houndkeeper description: Charge into battle with man’s best friend! tags: [] systems: - 5e renderer: V3 theme: 5ePHB ``` ### Primal Path of the Houndkeeper Barbarians of the Path of the Houndkeeper bond with a fierce canine companion and employ aggressive group tactics to take down fierce foes. #### Canine Companion Beginning at 3rd level when you select this Primal Path, you gain the friendship of a ferocious dog, wolf, or related beast called your canine companion. The canine companion is friendly to you and your companions, and it obeys your commands. See this creature’s game statistics in the Canine Companion stat block, which uses your proficiency bonus (PB) in several places. You can determine the cosmetic appearance of the com-panion, whether it is a dog, wolf, jackal, or other beast. These choices don’t have any effect on the companion’s game statistics. In combat, the companion 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. You can take this bonus action as part of the same bonus action for entering your rage. The action the companion takes can be one in its stat block or some other action. If you are incapacitated, the companion can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge. When you use your Rage feature, the companion also gains its benefits. The companion remains until it is reduced to 0 hit points or until you die, at which point the companion vanishes. If you lose your companion, it returns to you when you finish a long rest. #### Primal Bond At 6th level, the connection between you and your canine companion grows. Your companion shares in the benefits of your Danger Sense and Fast Movement features when they are active on you, and you share in the benefits of your companion’s Keen Hearing and Smell feature. Additionally, your companion’s Maul attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical piercing damage. #### One of the Pack Starting at 10th level, you understand beasts instinct-ively. You are always under the effect of a *speak with animals* spell, and add can your Constitution modifier to any Wisdom (Animal Handling) check you make. Additi-onally, you have advantage on Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks involving dogs, wolves, and other canine creatures. \column :: #### Apex Predators Starting at 14th level, your bestial connection to your canine companion lets you augment its capabilities. When you enter a rage, you can choose to expend two charges of it to give yourself and your canine companion your choice of one of the following effects: * Increase in Size by one category and gain temporary hit points equal to a number of d12s equal to your Rage damage bonus. * Increase the damage dice of weapon attacks by one “step”, e.g. 2d4 becomes 2d6; 1d12 becomes 1d20. * Gain blindsight out to a range of 120 feet, proficiency with the Survival skill, and advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track creatures. The effect lasts for the duration of your rage, until the companion drops to 0 hit points, or until you die, whichever comes first. {{monster,frame ## Canine Companion *Medium beast, Unaligned* ___ **Armor Class** :: 12 + PB (natural armor) **Hit Points** :: 10 + five times your barbarian level (the companion has a number of Hit Dice [d10s] equal to your barbarian level) **Speed** :: 35 ft. ___ | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:|:-----:| |16 (+3)|14 (+2)|17 (+3)|5 (–3)|13 (+1)|8 (–1)| ___ **Saving Throws** :: Dex +2 plus PB, Con +3 plus PB **Skills** :: Perception +1 plus PB, Stealth +2 plus PB **Senses** :: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11 + PB **Languages** :: understands Common but can’t speak it **Challenge** :: — {{width:30px}} **Proficiency Bonus (PB)** equals your bonus ___ ***Keen Hearing and Smell.*** The companion has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell. : ***Pack Tactics.*** The canine companion has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the companion’s allies is within 5 ft. of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated. ### Actions ***Maul.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +3 plus PB to hit, reach 5ft., one target. *Hit:* 2d4 plus PB piercing damage. ### Reactions ***Intercept Attack.*** When a creature the companion can see hits a target with an attack, and the target is within 5 feet of the companion, the target instead takes half the damage. The companion takes the remainder of the damage. }} :::: {{wide
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