u/mahatmakg

Lion Tamer:

Hit Points:
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
At Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per level after 1st

Proficiencies:
Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, shortswords
Tools: Choose one from Artisan's tools, Herbalism kit, Musical instrument, Navigator's Tools, or Poisoner's Kit
Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
Skills: Choose three from Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Persuasion, Stealth and Survival

Deft Explorer

• Canny: At 1st level, choose one of your skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make using the chosen skill.
• Roving: At 6th Level, your walking speed increases by 1.5m (5 ft), and you gain a climbing speed and a swimming speed equal to your walking speed.
• Tireless: At 10th Level, you can use an action to give yourself a number of temporary hit points equal to 1d8 + your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1 temporary hit point). You can use this action a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Beast Companion
At 1st level, you gain a Boar companion (or other beast of 1/4 CR or less) that accompanies you on your adventures and is trained to fight alongside you. Add your proficiency bonus to the beast’s AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in. Its hit point maximum equals its normal maximum or four times your ranger level, whichever is higher. Like any creature, the beast can spend Hit Dice during a short rest.
The beast obeys your commands as best as it can. It takes its turn on your initiative. On your turn, you can verbally command the beast where to move (no action required by you). You can use your action to verbally command it to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, or Help action. If you don’t issue a command, the beast takes the Dodge action. Once you have the Extra Attack feature, you can make one weapon attack yourself when you command the beast to take the Attack action. While traveling through your favored terrain with only the beast, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
If you are incapacitated or absent, the beast acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself. The beast never requires your command to use its reaction, such as when making an opportunity attack. If the beast dies, you can obtain another one by spending 8 hours bonding with another beast that isn’t hostile to you, either the same type of beast as before or a different one.

Banth Charming
Beginning at 1st level, you can use an action to attempt to calm hostile beasts. Target up to 4 hit dice worth of hostile beasts within 18m (60 ft), no two of which can be more than 9m (30 ft) apart. Each targeted creature makes a Charisma Save with a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier. Each target beast that fails the save ceases hostility towards you and your allies for 1 hour. Creatures charmed in this way cannot be the target of your Speak with Animals ability. If the beast is attacked by you or an allied creature, the effect ends. Each creature that passes the Charisma save is unaffected. This ability cannot be used if you are unable to speak.

Fighting Style
At 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options.

• Blind Fighting: You have blind sight with a range of 3m (10 ft). Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn't behind total cover, even if you're blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.
• Defensive: While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC
• Interception: When a creature you can see hits a target that is within 1.5m (5 ft) of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.
• Thern Secrets: You learn two cantrips. Whenever you gain a level, you can replace one of these cantrips with another.
• Thrown Weapon Fighting: You can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon. When you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.
• Tunnel Fighting: As a bonus action, you can enter a defensive stance that lasts until the start of your next turn. While in your defensive stance, you can make opportunity attacks without using your reaction, and you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against a creature that moves more than 1.5m (5 ft) while within your reach.
• Unarmed Fighting: Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier. If you strike with two free hands, the d6 becomes a d8. When you successfully start a grapple, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to the grappled creature. Until the grapple ends, you can also deal this damage to the creature whenever you hit it with a melee attack.

Speak with Animals
Beginning at 3rd level, you can attempt to communicate with non-hostile beasts. Once per short rest, you can make a DC 15 Charisma check targeting a non-hostile beast within 9m (30 ft). On success, you can spend up to a few minutes communicating with the beast. The knowledge and awareness of many beasts is limited by their intelligence, but at minimum, beasts can give you information about nearby locations and beasts, including whatever they can perceive or have perceived within the past day. You might be able to persuade a beast to perform a small favor for you, at the DM’s discretion. On a failed save, the beast ignores you, and may flee if it can.

Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Bestial Fury
Starting at 5th level, when you command your beast companion to take the Attack action, the beast can make two attacks.

Improved Beast Companion
Starting at 6th Level, you can now replace you beast companion with a dire wolf or another beast with a CR of 1 or less.

Exceptional Training
Beginning at 7th level, on any of your turns when your beast companion doesn’t attack, you can use a bonus action to command the beast to take the Dash, Disengage, or Help action on its turn. In addition, your beast companion's attacks overcome resistances to slashing, piercing and bludgeoning.

Land's Stride
Starting at 8th level, moving through difficult terrain costs you no extra movement. You can also pass through plants without being slowed by them and without taking damage from them if they have thorns, spines, or a similar hazard.

Hide in Plain Sight
Starting at 10th level, you can spend 1 minute creating camouflage for yourself. You must have access to naturally occurring materials with which to create your camouflage. Once you are camouflaged in this way, you can try to hide by pressing yourself up against a solid surface, such as a tree or wall, that is at least as tall and wide as you are. You gain a +10 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks as long as you remain there without moving or taking actions. Once you move or take an action or a reaction, you must camouflage yourself again to gain this benefit.

Tiger Companion
Starting at 12th level, you can replace your beast companion with a Saber tooth tiger or another beast with a CR of 2 or less. Additionally, your beast companion can take the Multiattack action if it has that action instead of its normal attacks.

• Red Martian

Ability Score Increase: Your ability scores each increase by 1.
Size: Medium
Speed: 9m (30 ft)
Scripts: you can read one extra script in addition to your native script.
Skills: You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice
Feat: You gain one feat of your choice
Can cast Detect Thoughts once per long rest

• Green Martian

Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength, +2 Constitution
Size: Large (-1 AC, can wield heavy weapons)
Speed: 9m (30 ft)
Scripts: Typically none
Feats: You gain the Grappler feat
Four-armed - you can hold a corresponding number of items at the ready
Female Green Martians can use tusk as natural weapons (1d8)

• Earthling

Ability Score Increase: +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity
Size: Medium
Speed: 15m (50 ft)
Scripts: Typically 1
Feats: You gain the Athlete feat
All Earthlings have the "Earthling" background, granting proficiency in Acrobatics and Athletics
Automatically resist Detect Thoughts, Advantage on saving throws against Enchantment spells

• Half-Earthling

Abililty Score Increase: +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity
Size: Medium
Speed: 12m (40 ft)
Scripts: you can read one extra script in addition to your native script.
Skills: You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice
Feats: You gain the Athlete feat
Can cast Detect Thoughts once per long rest
Advantage on saving throws against up to 2nd level Enchantment spells

• Thern

Ability Score Increase: +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma
Size: Medium
Speed: 9m (30 ft)
Scripts: you can read two extra scripts in addition to your native script.
Feats: You gain the Observant feat
Can cast Detect Thoughts once per day if you otherwise have no spell slots

• Hormad

Ability Score Increase: +4 Constitution
Size: Medium
Speed: 7.5m (25 ft)
Scripts: Typically none
Feats: You gain the Tough feat
Long arm - melee weapons wielded with one hand have an extra 1.5m (5 ft) reach
Resistance to piercing damage
Automatically stabilizes when downed
Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma have a maximum value of 10

Building a low-magic fantasy one-shot - possibly a campaign someday - in the source material, though, no one wears any armor. Like all combat is dodging and parrying. Any thoughts on how I might balance AC? Perhaps just make base AC 12 instead of 10? Or double the Dex bonus to AC?