Path of the Beast Rider

Some barbarians are raised in the saddle. Fighting from the back of a charging beast is second nature for them. The Path of the beast rider is a study of skill, discipline, and animal bonding.

Beast Mount

Upon taking this path at 3rd level, you can perform a ritual that summons a spirit in the form of an unusually intelligent, strong, and loyal steed, creating a long-lasting bond with it. Appearing in an unoccupied space within 30 feet of you, the steed takes on a form that you choose: a warhorse, a pony, a dolphin, a boar, a camel, an elk, a giant lizard, a giant badger, a giant sea horse, or a mastiff. The steed has the statistics of the chosen form, though it is a celestial, fey, or fiend (your choice) instead of its normal type. Additionally, if your steed has an Intelligence of 5 or less, its Intelligence becomes 6, and it gains the ability to understand one language of your choice that you speak.

Your steed serves you as a mount, both in combat and out, and you have an instinctive bond with it that allows you to fight as a seamless unit. If you become enraged while mounted on your steed, the steed gains 2d8 temporary hit points and its speed increases by 10 feet. These advantages last until your rage ends or you dismount. When the steed drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. You can also dismiss your steed at any time as an action, causing it to run off and disappear. In either case, using this ability again summons the same steed, restored to its hit point maximum.

While your steed is within 1 mile of you, you can communicate with it telepathically.

You can’t have more than one such steed at a time.

Enhanced Mount

At 6th level, your steed becomes more powerful. You can also choose a new form for the steed: a lion, tiger, brown bear, giant boar, giant elk, giant goat, giant spider, giant toad, polar bear, or dire wolf. If your steed’s hit dice are 4 or less, its hit dice increase to 5. Its armor class also increases to 12 if it is not that high already. Finally, if the creature’s attacks deal 1d8 damage or less, the die’s size increases by 1 (from 1d8 to 1d10, for example).

Bonded Mount

When you reach 10th level, your steed becomes immune to exhaustion and gains darkvision of 60 feet. It also gains 2 hit dice and its natural armor increases 2 points. If you become enraged while mounted on your steed, the steed gains resistance to bludgeoning, slashing, and piecing damage from nonmagical attacks until your rage ends or you dismount.

Legendary Mount

At 14th level, your steed becomes more powerful. You can also choose a new form for the steed: an elephant, a hippogriff, a giant bat, a giant eagle, a giant squid, a griffon, or a Pegasus. If the creature you choose has fewer than 10 hit dice, its hit dice increase to 10. Its armor class also increases to 16 if it is not that high already. Finally, if the creature’s attacks deal 1d10 damage or less, the size of the die increases by 1 (from 1d10 to 1d12, for example).