Ranger: Cryodon Guide (Homebrew: Fools Gold)

The frosty iguana-like cryodons grow in an unusual way, developing from babies to adults only as they learn. Young cryodons remain infants until they gain enough knowledge to grow to adulthood. As a cryodon guide, you have been entrusted with the care and protection of a young cryodon, guiding its growth. In exchange, you become infused with the cryodon’s magic, becoming a hardy protector capable of defending both your young companion and your allies. Cryodon guides have roles both as scholars and rugged defenders of their precious companions.
You may have been entrusted with your cryodon companion by the Cryodon Council of Breckart, come into possession of a cryodon egg by chance or a scheme, or perhaps rescued a baby cryodon. However you and your companion met, the cryodon has decided that you are a good person to help them learn and grow. Once a cryodon guide and their companion have set out on their journey, they are not expected to return to Breckart until they have discovered something entirely unknown to the Cryodon Council.

CRYODON COMPANION

At 3rd level, you form a mystical bond with an immature cryodon who becomes your companion. This companion uses the cryodon companion stat block. The cryodon is friendly to you and your companions. The cryodon shares your initiative count. In combat, the cryodon can only take the Dodge action and move unless you use a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. If you are incapacitated, the cryodon can take any action of its choice. Generally, young cryodons prefer not to engage in combat but support their guide in other ways and flee, hide, and protect themselves without their guide to defend them.

CRYODON’S GIFTS From 3rd level, your companion shares some of its icy intelligence and chilling power with you.

• Ice Guard. You have resistance to cold damage and automatically succeed on checks made against exhaustion due to extremes of both hot and cold temperatures.
• Ice Skating. You ignore difficult terrain caused by ice and snow. While moving on ice, your speed is doubled.
• Ice Student. You gain proficiency in the Investigation skill, and when you make an Intelligence skill check, you can add your Wisdom modifier to the roll. You also learn to understand and speak the Cryodon language.
• Ice Strikes. When you hit a target with a weapon attack, you can deal an extra 1d4 cold damage once per target on a turn. This extra damage increases to 2d4 when you reach 11th level in this class. 

You lose all these gifts if you and your cryodon companion or its seed crystal are separated by more than 1 mile for 24 hours, and you regain them immediately when you are reunited.

CRYODON GUIDE MAGIC

Your connection with your cryodon grants you access to some of your companion’s innate magic. Starting at 3rd level, you learn an additional spell when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Cryodon Guide Spells table. The spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.

COLD COVER

At 7th level, you gain the ability to summon blocks of magical ice to provide cover for yourself and your allies. As a bonus action, you can create a 5-foot high, 1-foot thick, and 10-foot long barrier of magical ice in an unoccupied space you can see within 30 feet of you. This barrier provides three-quarters cover for up to two Medium-sized creatures. The barrier lasts until the end of your next turn. If you create a second barrier, any existing barrier melts. You can use this feature a number of times per day equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all expended uses on a long rest.

STUDENTS OF THE WORLD

When you reach 7th level, you gain proficiency in two of the following skills of your choice: Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion. Additionally, whenever you make an Intelligence check, your cryodon companion can magically assist you, giving you advantage on the roll while it is within 30 feet of you.

GLACIAL AGING

At 11th level, your aging slows so that you can spend more time with your immortal cryodon companion. Your natural lifespan is tripled.

GLACIAL GLARE

At 11th level, you can freeze foes in their tracks. As a reaction, when a creature within 60 feet that you can see makes a melee attack against a creature other than you, you can attempt to stop it with an icy stare. The attacking creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your spellcasting DC or become incapacitated until the start of your next turn. You can use this feature a number of times per day equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1) and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

PERMAFROST PROTECTOR

When you reach 15th level, you and your companion can draw on the power of your bond to unleash the untapped potential dormant in each of you. As a bonus action on your turn, you can transform your cryodon companion into an advanced form resembling a permafrost cryodon for 1 minute. This transformation ends early if either you or your companion are reduced to 0 hit points.
While your companion is transformed, it uses the statistics of a permafrost cryodon* without the Freezing Gaze trait and Icy Blast action. If a cryodon companion dies and uses its Recrystallize trait while transformed, it is restored to life as a cryodon companion, not an adult cryodon. Additionally, while your cryodon companion is transformed, you gain the following benefits:

• You gain temporary hit points equal to 2d10 + your ranger level, which last until your companion’s transformation ends. 
• You make Constitution saving throws with advantage.
• The extra cold damage you deal with your Ice Strikes feature increases to 2d8.

Once this feature has been used, it can’t be used again until both you and your cryodon companion have completed a long rest.