Herder Shut-Ins are consummate animal lovers, their private sub-realms filled to bursting with digital cats, dogs, lizards and birds, and have dedicated their technical abilities to creating hardlight versions of their favourite pets and creatures of their own design. Known as "crazy cat ladies" (even the men) by anyone unfortunate to live near them, Pack Animal Shut-Ins utilise their NEETS and hardlight pets to support their allies to surprising effectiveness. When they're not cuddling them, of course.
Speech of the Woods
At 2nd level, you gain the ability to converse with beasts and many Spam.
You learn to speak to beasts through a combination of speech and avatar manipulation. In addition, beasts can understand your speech, and you gain the ability to decipher their noises and motions. Most beasts lack the intelligence to convey or understand sophisticated concepts, but a friendly beast could relay what it has seen or heard in the recent past. This ability doesn't grant you any special friendship with beasts, though you can combine this ability with gifts to curry favor with them as you would with any nonplayer character.
Animal Projection
Starting at 2nd level, you gain the project holographic animals and use them to influence the world around you.
As a bonus action, you can summon an incorporeal hologram to a point you can see within 60 feet of you. The hologram creates an aura in a 30-foot radius around that point. It counts as neither a creature nor an object, though it has the spectral appearance of the creature it represents. As a bonus action, you can move the hologram up to 60 feet to a point you can see.
The hologram persists for 1 minute. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
The effect of the hologram's aura depends on the type of hologram you summon from the options below.
Bear hologram. The bear hologram grants you and your allies its might and endurance. Each creature of your choice in the aura when the hologram appears gains temporary hit points equal to 5 + your Shut-In level. In addition, you and your allies gain advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws while in the aura.
Hawk hologram. The hawk hologram is a consummate hunter, aiding you and your allies with its keen sight. When a creature makes an attack roll against a target in the hologram's aura, you can use your reaction to grant advantage to that attack roll. In addition, you and your allies have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks while in the aura.
Unicorn hologram. The unicorn hologram lends its protection to those nearby. You and your allies gain advantage on all ability checks made to detect creatures in the hologram's aura. In addition, if you cast a tech using a tech slot that restores hit points to any creature inside or outside the aura, each creature of your choice in the aura also regains hit points equal to your Shut-In level.
Mighty Hardlighter
At 6th level, beasts and Spam that you project are more resilient than normal. Any beast or Spam summoned or created by a tech that you cast gains two benefits:
The creature appears with more hit points than normal: 2 extra hit points per Hit Die it has.
The damage from its natural weapons is considered technical for the purpose of overcoming immunity and resistance to nontechnical attacks and damage.
Stalwart Hologram
Beginning at 10th level, your hologram projector safeguards the beasts and Spam that you call forth with your tech. When a beast or Spam that you summoned or created with a tech ends its turn in your hologram projector aura, that creature regains a number of hit points equal to half your Shut-In level.
Separate Power Source
Starting at 14th level, the digital holograms you create protect you when you are the most defenseless. If you are reduced to 0 hit points or are incapacitated against your will, you can immediately gain the benefits of Bind Beasts as if it were cast with a 9th-level tech slot. It creates four beasts of your choice that are challenge rating 2 or lower. The conjured beasts appear within 20 feet of you. If they receive no commands from you, they protect you from harm and attack your foes. The tech lasts for 1 hour, requiring no concentration, or until you dismiss it (no action required).
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.