Hunters and their pets

[Tark of the Shoanti]

A friend and fellow player were tossing around all kinds of ideas tonight, and one among them was a few things about Rangers, and mainly their animal companion. And in detail, about ways to improve said animal companion.
We tossed around ideas on how it could be accomplished, making the Ranger and his/her animal companion stronger. Now the Beast Master archetype found in the APG is a nice starting point, but I feel it's not expansive enough.
I was thinking maybe a pool of points, maybe say like a Summoner's evo points for their eidolon but for teaching their companion "tricks" or enhancing the animal companion. Anyone ever try something like this, or maybe care to chip in their ideas about something similar?

(will post more in the morning, time for bed, damned times to get ideas rolling and all)

[Name Violation]

Rangers arent meant to be the best pet class in the game. WHy not play a druid/summoner if you want a better pet?

[Tark of the Shoanti]

Don't want him to be the "best" pet class, I don't look at it like that at all really. I am thinking more of, him training with his pet, and the two fighting together actually being the "fighting style" instead of bow and 2 weapon actually. More so, it's the image from the Beast Master movies that gives me ideas, he wasn't a druid, so taking that class to make one makes absolutely no sense cause he didn't know any kind of magic at all, aside from his empathy with animals.

[Tim4488]

Rangers Renewed by Gun Metal Games has a Combat Style where the Ranger actually gains combat feats relating to fighting alongside his animal companion. It also has an alternate class feature where you swap Favored Enemy for an Animal Companion equal the Druid's at 1st level, IIRC. That may be up your alley.

Here you go.

[Tark of the Shoanti]

Tim4488 wrote:

Rangers Renewed by Gun Metal Games has a Combat Style where the Ranger actually gains combat feats relating to fighting alongside his animal companion. It also has an alternate class feature where you swap Favored Enemy for an Animal Companion equal the Druid's at 1st level, IIRC. That may be up your alley.

Here you go.

Thanks, I'll go check it out and see.

[Thormind]

Tark of the Shoanti wrote:

A friend and fellow player were tossing around all kinds of ideas tonight, and one among them was a few things about Rangers, and mainly their animal companion. And in detail, about ways to improve said animal companion.

We tossed around ideas on how it could be accomplished, making the Ranger and his/her animal companion stronger. Now the Beast Master archetype found in the APG is a nice starting point, but I feel it's not expansive enough.
I was thinking maybe a pool of points, maybe say like a Summoner's evo points for their eidolon but for teaching their companion "tricks" or enhancing the animal companion. Anyone ever try something like this, or maybe care to chip in their ideas about something similar?

(will post more in the morning, time for bed, damned times to get ideas rolling and all)

Start as a 1st lvl hunter and then multiclass to a ranger. This give you skirmisher tricks for your pet and a bunch of animal focus that you can change as needed. Take boon companion feat to keep the pet at your own lvl. You will be limited to ranger only pet selection but you can get the beastmaster archetype (the ranger one) to solve that problem.

Strongest pet you can get for a ranger while still being RAW.