Pathfinder Player Companion: Animal Archive (PFRPG) (based on
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From a witch’s black cat to a ranger’s mighty wolf companion or a cavalier’s noble steed, animals have always had a place in fantasy adventuring—but why should only a few classes have all the fun? With the proper training, animals can be invaluable allies for adventurers of all stripes. Whether you’re a scholarly spellcaster looking for a familiar to deliver spells or help turn the pages of your spellbook, or a brawler ready to lead your armored animal into the thick of battle, this book is a treasure trove of rules and advice aimed at helping you and your animal friends get the most out of your fantastic adventures.
Animal Archive presents a player-focused, in-depth discussion of animals and the various roles they can play in your game. Each Pathfinder Player Companion includes new options and tools for every Pathfinder RPG player. Inside this book, you’ll find:
A complete list of every familiar in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, to make choosing yours quick and convenient.
New archetypes like the mad dog barbarian or carnivalist rogue to help classes that haven’t traditionally used animals work with their bestial allies, as well as tips on how every class can employ animals.
New animal companions and familiars, from innocuous squirrels and rabbits to bizarre platypuses, armored armadillos, and powerful pandas.
Information on which animals are closely associated with the various races and deities of the Pathfinder campaign setting.
Tons of new tricks and feats to customize your animals, plus archetypes for animal companions and familiars.
New animal equipment, spells, magic items, information about the personalities of magically intelligent animals, and more!
Written by Amanda Hamon, Philip Minchin, Jason Nelson, Patrick Renie, Owen K.C. Stephens, and Christina Stiles
Each monthly 32-page Pathfinder Player Companion contains several player-focused articles exploring the volume’s theme as well as short articles with innovative new rules for all types of characters, as well as traits to better anchor the player to the campaign.
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I guess slimes (Dragon Quest) are not oozes and kinda silly but I would still like to have one as a companion. I know that it would be limited to slams but I would accept that limitation.
I have tried on three separate occasions to get a Dragon Quest slime-like monster into the game, so far to no result I'd call a success - though the torrble is close. I like the idea of mascot allies, which is one of the reasons I like Improved Familiars so much and am so pleased with how leshies came out in B3. While I wouldn't expect to see riding oozes any time soon, more weird thingers to be friends with? Yeah, you'll be seeing those (though only to a limited degree in this product).
I had never heard of Leshies before B3, but fell in love with them. Whoever ordered them did an awesome job :D
I had never heard of Leshies before B3, but fell in love with them. Whoever ordered them did an awesome job :D
Yay! But most of the thanks goes to Slavic myth. I just do a lot of the "we should do this monster, and this monster, and this monster, and they should look like this."
Mr. Schnider could you add a feat for animal comapnaions that allow them to flank? ALso add the spell heal Companion same level as the Heal Mount spell for Paladin. Add Comapnion treats. Companion treats act as potions in a biscuit or jerky form for companions that can not easily drink potions.
I'm not sure I want to admit that I get that reference. though, Paizo definitely seems to have a Make-me-want-to-buy-it-inator that they use on all their books.
Still, Platypus familiars! You could separate them by sex, one with neurotoxin and one without. Or Small-Medium Platypus Animal Companions! My Gnome could ride one.
I had never heard of Leshies before B3, but fell in love with them. Whoever ordered them did an awesome job :D
Yay! But most of the thanks goes to Slavic myth. I just do a lot of the "we should do this monster, and this monster, and this monster, and they should look like this."
Can you see about getting the Giant Skunk from Bestiary 3 available as an animal companion? I was really looking forward to having a giant skunk ...
Lou Diamond wrote:
Mr. Schnider could you add a feat for animal comapnaions that allow them to flank? ALso add the spell heal Companion same level as the Heal Mount spell for Paladin. Add Comapnion treats. Companion treats act as potions in a biscuit or jerky form for companions that can not easily drink potions.
This is news to me. Since when can't animal companions flank?
This is news to me. Since when can't animal companions flank?
And why on earth should it ever cost a Feat?
Animals can flank (indeed, in the real world, wolves, lions, etc. *love* to flank), but there's no trick or command that one can use to make an animal companion move to flank an opponent, as far as I know, which means that you can't even 'Push' the animal to attempt such a move.
The only way you and your animal companion will end up flanking a foe, is if *you* circle around to stand opposite the companion, since you rarely have any control over what square it chooses to attack from.
(Although you can attempt to micro-manage it's position with 'come' 'stay' 'attack' commands, since druids can give commands for trained tasks or tricks as a free action, which could allow him to make several in a round, although the animal may not be able to comply with more than one of them in a single round...)
There's a lot of stuff that animal companions can't be ordered to do via Handle Animal / Link, like fight defensively, take the total defense action, aid other, take the withdraw action, use a combat maneuver (other than a wolf's free trip, or whatever) such as a grapple or overrun or bull rush, etc. If your animal companion has been boosted to Int 3, and somehow made able to understand your language, then perhaps yes, but the standard Int 2 (or Int 0 Vermin) companion pretty much just attacks with it's standard animal attacks.
You can't even, by the rules, command a wolf *not* to trip or a constrictor *not* to constrict or a viper *not* to inject venom.
Some GMs would allow this sort of stuff as a 'Push' option, rules or no rules, or allow custom 'tricks' to be taught to get your bison to trample on command or your wolf to fight defensively, flank and Aid Other your own attacks ('harry' trick), or whatever.
A feat would be overkill, IMO, although a Feat that allows an animal to learn additional tricks (or a master to teach animals additional tricks) would sure be useful!
Depends how a DM chooses to let a player control his/her animal. All of the things you say aren't allowed, have been allowed in all of our games under multiple DMs.
Sheep dogs can certainly be trained to flank (or not) on command. I'd certainly allow this for pack hunters. Perhaps you could look at old footage of circus-trained animals to see what seems reasonable (a druid/animal companion bond being exceptional for training).
By way of example, 2nd Ed was as granular as some people are requesting PF be (Flanking 'tricks' etc) and by way of example, a Paladins Mount had 20 odd tricks they were allowed. So the more 'micro skill' you make the tricks the more rules you are going to have to change, as the current allotment of tricks is only able to cope with macro level.
Depends how a DM chooses to let a player control his/her animal. All of the things you say aren't allowed, have been allowed in all of our games under multiple DMs.
GMs differ. I've had GM's who wouldn't let an Int 7 Eidolon do some of this stuff, let alone an Int 2 Animal Companion.
As someone who has played a lot of druids, I always did love the argument that druids are OP and that their animal companions are 'as good as a fighter' when, if one plays by the rules of Handle Animal and sticks to the tasks and tricks that the animal can actually be ordered to do, the animal companion is *vastly* less useful than a fighter.
Giving the animal companion a bunch of free 'tricks' and 'tasks,' letting it do any tactical thing a PC could do, and making it able to do something other than 'attack that guy!' or 'come here, boy!' might even be part of why the druid and their companion are so often labeled as crazybroken or CoDzilla.
Heck, an animal (companion or otherwise) can't even leave a fight without provoking attacks of opportunity from everyone present, as it can't be ordered to take a 5 ft. step, it can't be ordered to move around a threatened square, it can't be ordered to take the withdraw action, it can't even be ordered to fight defensively or use the total defense action.
Giving the animal companion a bunch of free 'tricks' and 'tasks,' letting it do any tactical thing a PC could do, and making it able to do something other than 'attack that guy!' or 'come here, boy!' might even be part of why the druid and their companion are so often labeled as crazybroken or CoDzilla.
Ignoring rules meant to be limiting factors does tend to make things more powerful :)
Ever seen a police dog in action (our modern equivalent of combat trained)? Yeah, those things can flank. In combat tactics are not the same as out of combat strategies. Flanking and defending oneself by avoiding enemy attacks aren't done out of intelligence. Flanking is basic combat instinct for any pack animal, and staying out of the way is just basic survival instinct. Int only goes so far in an actual combat. You have to trust your observations and your gut. There's a reason animals generally have decent Wisdom. True melee combat is fast and brutal, with little to no time for most people to really think. Reflexes are instinctive. It's why you train how you fight. Your body does what it knows in a fight, and that is not always quite what you think you're telling it to. You don't need a high Int to understand having someone on both sides of the enemy is good.
Ever seen a police dog in action (our modern equivalent of combat trained)? Yeah, those things can flank. In combat tactics are not the same as out of combat strategies. Flanking and defending oneself by avoiding enemy attacks aren't done out of intelligence. Flanking is basic combat instinct for any pack animal, and staying out of the way is just basic survival instinct. Int only goes so far in an actual combat. You have to trust your observations and your gut. There's a reason animals generally have decent Wisdom. True melee combat is fast and brutal, with little to no time for most people to really think. Reflexes are instinctive. It's why you train how you fight. Your body does what it knows in a fight, and that is not always quite what you think you're telling it to. You don't need a high Int to understand having someone on both sides of the enemy is good.
This is actually a fair point. Just as you can't command a wolf not to trip or a python not to constrict, perhaps without a specific command, a wolf (or other pack animal) would instinctively flank. And having seen pack hunters take down large animals, I think they have a decent understanding of threatened squares.
As a GM, I usually allow players full, PC level control of their animal companions. Does this make them more powerful? Absolutely, but it also makes things simpler for me and the players, and no one has yet complained that those characters are too powerful. Of course, the handle animal rules are interesting, so maybe I'll try using them next time and see how it goes.
You can't even, by the rules, command a wolf *not* to trip or a constrictor *not* to constrict or a viper *not* to inject venom.
Heel Command?
I think the current list commands are really overarching concepts, things like fighting defensively (mother animal vs. anything trying to get her babies), taking five foot steps (stalking, or just cautious), etc. Can all be explained just fine. That said aid another is a case by case scenario, I'm not sure how much a wolf can help you hammer a nail for example. (maybe fetch tools?) But some things like survival or swim or even climb make sense for some animals to be able to help out. It'd be good rp too.
PC: Ewwww your wolf just killed that *insert prey* and left it by the campfire.
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Stratagemini wrote:
Neil Spicer wrote:
"Hey! Where's Perry?"
I'm not sure I want to admit that I get that reference. though, Paizo definitely seems to have a Make-me-want-to-buy-it-inator that they use on all their books.
Still, Platypus familiars! You could separate them by sex, one with neurotoxin and one without. Or Small-Medium Platypus Animal Companions! My Gnome could ride one.
I believe, thanks to the ARG, we're going to have a platypus-based PC race in our next campaign.
There better be a platypus familiar, dammit. My girlfriend's been waiting for one ever since Pathfinder came out. No problem finding a 3.5 one. Just no PF conversion.
Also, a badger animal companion for the gnome barbarian would be cool too.
For a while now, there's been official errata found only on the forums for the feat Boon Companion. This product would be an excellent place to reprint the feat with the errata, since at this point a reprint of Seeker of Secrets seems completely out of the question.
For a while now, there's been official errata found only on the forums for the feat Boon Companion. This product would be an excellent place to reprint the feat with the errata, since at this point a reprint of Seeker of Secrets seems completely out of the question.
You mean this right here?
Benefit: The abilities of your animal companion or familiar are calculated as though your class were four levels higher, to a maximum effective druid level of equal to your character level. If you have more than one animal companion or familiar, choose one to receive this benefit.
This would make it clearer. And yes, you can take the feat if you're a single-classed ranger. It's actually pretty sweet deal.
This would indeed be helpful to see in the new book. And thanks for linking to that, Cheapy.
As much as I like what Paizo did to animal companion/mounts, I really wish I could build a non-Cavalier/Paladin with a mount that matters.
We're playing Carrion Crown. Through a combination of a kind GM with house rules, a fight with a pregnant manticore, a set of lucky rolls, and Leadership, my NG Inquisitor has a LN manticore with class levels. We've had to hat of disguise her into a slightly less conspicuous, way less alarming, giant eagle a few times. Our group is strange.
I'm hoping that this book will have a medium sized version of the dire rat available as a mount for ratfolk... I mean, the thing is pictured in the bestiary entry for ratfolk, but as far as I can tell the creature doesn't really exist.
I already had one player ask for it, only to find that dire rats never get larger than 'small' as animal companions.
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