Yes, the player of the Beast Master Ranger does effectively control his/her animal companion most of the time. As you quoted: The beast obeys your commands as best as it can. It doesn’t take an action unless you tell it to.
Can Rangers have pets in DnD?
Once you reach 3rd level and choose this subclass, you gain the Ranger’s Companion feature, allowing you to choose your animal companion. If you want your animal companion to aid you in combat, you should choose a beast with a challenge rating of 1/4 (the highest you’re allowed to choose).
Which is better, the ranger or the companion?
The companion becomes more helpful to the ranger’s allies then to the ranger. Having the ranger and companion taking concurrent turns makes the ranger and companion work better as a team. If this has to be considered a house rule, so be it. The beast obeys your commands as best as it can.
What to do as a player when Ranger animal?
Suggest to your GM that they allow your animal companions to make death saving throws. This would also give you more time to react once your companion begins to “die”, potentially saving them. And it expressly mentioned in the following section:
What happens when you pick an animal companion?
These limitations mean you can’t just pick any old beast, but its not all bad. Your beast companion adds your proficiency bonus to its AC, attack rolls, damage rolls, skills it’s proficient in, and saving throws that it’s proficient in. You also can boost its HP as you level too, though it will never have as many hit points as you do.
How big do you have to be to be a mounted ranger?
No pseudodragons, no imps, no skeletons. Your buddy is all-natural. Your Ranger Companion has to be Medium size or smaller. If you want to play a mounted ranger, you need to be small sized like a Halfling or a Gnome. Your companion has to have a 1/4 challenge rating or lower.
