I'm not gonna link this page from the other house rules since it isn't a house rule. We haven't buffed or changed the beastmaster in any way. And I just wanted to explain why.

It's just a normal class. About the same damage output, resilience, and utility as any other class. It's hard to buff it because it's already average.

The two common complaints you hear about the beastmaster, both online and at our own table, are that "it sucks that the beast's attack use up my actions" and that "it sucks that I have to spend my entire subclass on a pet when other characters can get pets either intradiegetically [like taming or buying a pet] or through spells such as conjure animals or find familiar".

It's also kind of a rough go when the pet dies because finding a new one to bond with can be hard.

Both these complaints are two sides of the same coin.

"The Pet Sucks."

Sure. It has some significant costs compared to other pets, costing actions and character resources and is fragile. It also has some advantages such as getting some minor buffs as you level up.

The pet has pros and cons. But comparing something your class gives you with something another character has acquired by other means (such via actions in the SIS or via spells) is a little misguided.

A beastmaster complaining about their own pet is like a fighter saying "My sword sucks compared to the LEGENDARY sword BLACKRAZOR that the crappy rogue found in that tomb once. How come my class didn't give me a sword better than the dumb rogue's sword?" [In fact, in some games like Dungeon World, the fighter does get a unique and legendary weapon right away. But that game is also meant for much shorter campaigns.]

This post isn't to encourage beastmaster. I'm kinda happy that we haven't seen a beastmaster in a while. But I wanted something written down so I can just point to if we ever get beastmaster complaints in the future, to explain why it hasn't been houseruled, housebuffed, or replaced with the failed playtest that was the "UA Revised Ranger". Beastmaster just is what it is. If you want it, run it. If you don't want it, don't run it.

Rangers have been one of the most played and successful characters at our table. They're no CoDzilla but they're fine.