Expert Sidekick

The Expert is a master of certain tasks or knowledge, favoring cunning over brawn. It might be a scout, a musician, a librarian, a clever street kid, a wily merchant, or a burglar.

To gain the Expert class, a creature must have at least one language in its stat block that it can speak.

A sidekick gains the following class features as it gains levels, as summarized on the Expert table.

At 1st level, the sidekick gains proficiency in one saving throw of your choice: Dexterity, Intelligence, or Charisma.

In addition, the sidekick gains proficiency in five skills of your choice, and it gains proficiency with light armor. If it is a humanoid or has a simple or martial weapon in its stat block, it also gains proficiency with all simple weapons and with two tools of your choice.

The sidekick is adept at giving well-timed assistance; the sidekick can take the Help action as a bonus action.

Starting at 2nd level, the sidekick's agility or quick thinking allows it to act speedily. On its turn in combat, it can take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action as a bonus action.

At 3rd level, choose two of the sidekick's skill proficiencies. The sidekick's proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check it makes that uses any of the chosen proficiencies.

At 15th level, choose two more of the sidekick's skill proficiencies to gain this benefit.

At 4th level and again at 8th, 10th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, the sidekick increases one ability score of your choice by 2, or the sidekick increases two ability scores of your choice by 1. The sidekick can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

At 6th level, the sidekick is adept at fighting in concert with a companion. When the sidekick uses its Helpful feature to aid an ally in attacking a creature, that target can be up to 30 feet away from the sidekick, and the sidekick can deal an extra 2d6 damage to it the next time the sidekick hits it with an attack roll before the end of the current turn. The extra damage is the same type of damage dealt by the attack.

Beginning at 7th level, because of extraordinary good luck, the sidekick is skilled at avoiding danger. When the sidekick is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it failed. The sidekick doesn't benefit from this feature while incapacitated.

Starting at 11th level, When the sidekick takes the Help action, the creature who receives the help also gains a 1d6 bonus to the d20 roll. If that roll is an attack roll, the creature can forgo adding the bonus to it, and then if the attack hits, the creature can add the bonus to the attack's damage roll against one target.

At 20th level, the bonus increases to 2d6.

By 14th level, the sidekick has refined its skills to an exceptional degree. Whenever the sidekick makes an ability check that includes its whole proficiency bonus, it can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.

At 18th level, the sidekick gains proficiency in one of the following saving throws of your choice: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.