Beast Mastery: You gain a beast companion,
chosen from one of these categories: bear, boar, cat,
lizard, raptor, serpent, spider, or wolf. These cat
egories do not describe specific animals, but rather
groups of similarly themed creatures in the D&D
world. You decide the creature’s relevant details—
its species, physical details, and so forth—making
sure they are appropriate for its category and the
campaign.
  For example, if your character hails from a
swampy region, your lizard companion might be a
crocodile. The lizard companion of a ranger from a
different region might be a giant monitor lizard or a
drake. A beast companion’s species doesn’t affect its
game statistics, which are based on its category and
level.
  You and your beast companion work so well
together that the creature is almost an extension of
you. Using your actions in combat, you control your
beast companion by issuing it commands (see “Com-
manding a Beast Companion,” page 41).
  Beast Mastery also alters your Hunter’s Quarry
class feature. When you use Hunter’s Quarry, your
quarry can be either the enemy nearest to you that
you can see or the enemy nearest to your beast
companion that you can see. You or your beast com-
panion can deal the extra damage from Hunter’s
Quarry, but only one of you can deal this extra
damage per round.
  Your beast companion is considered a creature
and an ally and can be affected by powers. A cleric
can heal it with healing word, a warlord can give it a
melee basic attack with commander’s strike, and so
forth. You and your beast companion are treated as
separate creatures.
You can have only one beast companion at a time.
You can dismiss your beast companion at any time,
but gaining a new one isn’t a simple task (see “Gain-
ing a New Companion,” page 42). The link between
a ranger and his or her beast companion is not one of
master and servant but of two close friends.
  As part of the training you underwent that allowed
you to form a close bond with a beast, you learned the
Raise Beast Companion ritual, which allows you to
raise your companion from the dead, even if you are
otherwise unable to master and perform rituals. (This
ritual is described on page 41.)
Beast Com