The Arsinoitherium animal companion lists "trample" as a special ability, but it doesn't list how much damage the trample does. How much damage should it do?
The rules say it should be the same as the creature's slam damage, but an arsinoitherium doesn't have a slam attack.
Some options:
(a) Since it doesn't have a slam attack, it does no damage.
(b) If a large creature had a slam attack, it would do 1d6 damage, so the trample should do 1d6 damage. [Note that the regular creature doesn't follow this rule.]
(c) It should do the same trample damage as the regular creature (2d8).
(d) Since the animal companion's gore and powerful charge are half the damage of the regular creature's gore and powerful charge, the trample should also be half damage (which would be 1d8).
(e) Something else.
Any ideas?
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I ran across this same question recently. In another thread they were talking about what to do if you gave the trample ability to warhorses, and they assumed you'd use their regular hoof damage. Obviously that doesn't work for the arsinoitherium, since it doesn't have a hoof attack.
Regarding your options:
(a) Doesn't make sense. Otherwise, why give them the ability?
(b) 1d6 seems too small, and as you point out the regular creature was specifically designed to do more than normal. Ergo, the animal companion should do more than normal as well.
(c) Since animal companions are generally designed to be less powerful, I hesitate to go with this one, either. Personally, I think it's stupid that animal companions are less powerful, though.
(d) I would go with this option. It's most consistent with everything else.
I can't think of any other options. I'm glad I ran across your post, though. You helped me reason it through. I feel comfortable using option (d).