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Stretching ever onward, the road is grueling and unforgiving. But, as houndmasters know, it need not be lonely. A single dog, mankind’s most loyal companion, can make all the difference in the world. Houndmasters are never found without their dogs, who both serve as inseparable companions and fearsome defenders as the need arises.
Faithful Hound
Starting when you set out on this road at 3rd level, you always have your loyal hound at your side. Your hound’s statistics improve as you gain levels in this class.
Commanding Your Hound. You can control your hound with verbal commands or hand signals while you are conscious without using any actions. In combat, your hound takes its turns immediately before or after your turn each round (your choice). If you are unconscious, your hound will move and attack to protect your body from harm.
Hit Points. For each vagabond level you gain after 3rd, your hound gains an additional Hit Die and increases its hit points accordingly. If your hound drops to 0 hit points, it is stable but unconscious until it regains any hit points. See the Does the Dog Die? sidebar for how to govern your hound living or dying.
Proficiencies. Your hound uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. Due to your connection and your hound’s training, your hound adds your proficiency bonus to its Armor Class, saving throws, and damage rolls.
Hound
Medium Beast, Unaligned
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 16 (3d8 +3)
Speed 40 ft.
STR 13 (+1) DEX 14 (+2) CON 12 (+1)
INT 3 (–4) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 7 (–2)
Skills Perception +3, Survival +3
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages —
Challenge 1/8 (25 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Keen Hearing and Smell. The hound has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 11 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Maneuver: Sick ‘Em!
Also at 3rd level, you learn the following maneuver:
As a bonus action, you can expend a battle die to command your hound to attack a creature you can see within 40 feet of it. The hound moves up to its speed and makes one Bite attack against the target, adding the battle die to its attack roll.
Desperate Companion
Also at 3rd level, your hound will stop at nothing to protect you. If you have no more than half your hit points left, your hound has advantage on weapon attack rolls.
Sidebar: Does the Dog Die?
Your hound isn’t just a minion to be sacrificed in combat: it’s your most loyal companion, an important part of your character, and an integral component of your playstyle. Therefore, discuss with your GM about how to handle the possibility of your dog’s death. Your dog might be narratively immortal and fully healed overnight, or its death might represent a major moment in your character’s story, causing you to adopt another subclass, such as Death Wish, instead of this one.
Hound’s Instincts
By 6th level, your hound can pick up a scent and follow it for miles. While your hound is at your side, you have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks you make to track a creature and can always discern if a creature has passed through a location.
Additionally, you have advantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks you make to discern if a creature is hostile and any ability check you make to determine if a creature is disguised, possessed, or transformed.
Loyal Redirection
By 10th level, you would put your life on the line for your hound. When your hound is within 5 feet of you and is targeted by an attack while you are within the attack’s range or reach, you can use your reaction to change the target of the attack to you instead. Or vice-versa, your hound can use its reaction to change the target of an attack to it instead, provided it is within 5 feet of you and within the attack’s reach or range.
Old Dog, New Tricks
Starting at 14th level, your dog has learned how to perform dangerous combat maneuvers.
Battle Dice. Your hound has two battle dice, which are d12s. A battle die is expended when your hound uses it. It regains all of its expended battle dice when it finishes a short or long rest, or when it rolls initiative.
Maneuvers. Your hound knows two of your maneuvers that don’t have a prerequisite. If a maneuver you use requires a target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver’s effects, the saving throw DC equals your Maneuver save DC.
Changelog: 4/11/2024 (1.1):
- Removed final sentence from Faithful Hound proficiencies
