Animal Companions and Equipment.

[Elias Darrowphayne]

The simple question is Do animal's and Animal Companions (Also Dragons for the Dragonrider class) have Item slots just like a biped character?

It says that the animal can wear barding (armor) with the appropriate feats but no where does it say it has magic item slots.

So, any ideas about this one?

[John Templeton]

I would at least say they have collar (amulet slot) and barding (armor slot) and I believe there magical horseshoes so horseshous as well if appriote (boots slot). You could argue that they get the same slots as anyone else or at least those slots that they can physically handle so, maybe blinders (tech I think that is slotless because I don`t think goggles are a slot), collar, barding, braces, maybe horseshoes depending. Horned creatures could have ring slots on their horns.

[Adamantine Dragon]

There is no RAW on this, but the general interpretation is that animals (and monsters) have the same slots as people if and when the animal or monster has physical attributes which allow an item to be worn. In some cases there are specific magic items that are described as attaching to a specific part of an animal (like horseshoes of speed).

So most folks interpret that as dogs can wear collars (necklaces), barding (armor), headbands, armbands (small enough to fit), etc. They can't wear rings because they lack fingers and something like a belt or a cloak is pushing the envelope, but most GMs would probably allow it (Superboy's dog Krypto wore a cape).

Since magic items are supposed to resize to fit, in most cases putting them on an animal or monster is an exercise in figuring out where it would fit and stay on.

[Elias Darrowphayne]

Thanks alot john and Adamantine. This helps out alot as my group started to say animals cant be equiped and my animal companion is getting rocked by every encounter we come across.

the summoner tried to say it should work just like an eidolon but i thought it was faaaar too restrictive.

[Shifty]

Well they have to be able to use some equipment, like barding at the very least.

I'd say it would be different to eidolon because how those things 'work'.

As above though, collars, headbands, armbands, amulets etc... all fine.

Enhancing the natural weapons is a hassle though.

[Quatar]

Belt's can also be flavored as collars on an animal, but that clashes with the necklaces then.
Probably just best to simply handwave it and assume they can just wear everything.

Rings... well I guess you could slip them over the ears, or with predators over one of their fangs or something weird like that.

[Elias Darrowphayne]

Tail rings. -nods-

[John Templeton]

@Elias, besides magicial gear you can also use Permancy on your animal companion.

[peterrco]

Remember that if you have party members with item creation feats then slots can be switched around and that you can stack different abilities on the same item.

There is nothing actually in the rules which state that wondrous magic item effects can't be added to armour slots, so you could have magic armour with an amulet or mighty fists effects. You just have to pay the 50% extra cost.

This is a bit costly but a good way round some of the problems that an animal companion may have with equipment..........

Inscribe Magical Tattoo (Item Creation)

You can craft magical tattoos.

Prerequisites: Craft (calligraphy, paintings, or tattoos) 5 ranks, caster level 5th.

Benefit: You can create magical tattoos, magic items inked directly into the flesh of a willing or helpless creature. Both you and the recipient of the tattoo (if the recipient is not yourself) must be present during the entire tattooing process. Magic tattoos must be placed on a part of the body normally able to hold a magic item slot, but they do not count against or interfere with magic items worn on those slots. A single slot can only hold one magical tattoo (nonmagical tattoos and tattoos acquired from the tattooed sorcerer archetype do not count against this limit). Tattoos may be inscribed on the following slots: belt, body, chest, feet, hands, head, neck, shoulder, ring (up to two), or wrist. They cannot be inscribed on armor, eye, headband, or shield slots.

Magical tattoos are difficult to destroy, though they count as magic items for the purposes of dispel magic. The spell erase can permanently destroy a magical tattoo, but the bearer of the tattoo can resist the spell with a Will save, in addition to the caster needing to make a successful caster level check to erase the tattoo. Physically removing a magical tattoo with a sharp instrument or defacing it with fire or acid can destroy it as well. Doing so is a full-round action that not only requires the target to be willing or helpless, but also provokes attacks of opportunity. At least 2 points of damage per caster level of the tattoo must be dealt to destroy a magical tattoo in this manner.

Magical tattoos follow the rules for magic item creation as though they were wondrous items, except that they can use the Craft (calligraphy, paintings, tattoos) skill. New magical tattoos can be researched and designed using the guidelines for pricing new magic items. Magical tattoos are treated as slotless magical items for pricing purposes.

Tattoo Magic

Though known to almost any culture that practices ritual tattooing, tattoo magic is most often employed by Varisian spellcasters. Their tattooed sorcerers bind magic into intricate patterns upon their flesh, and even awaken tattoos into sentient art (see tattooed sorcerer archetype). Yet the wonders of tattoo magic are not limited to sorcerers—any spellcaster can craft magical tattoos, given the proper training.

Sample Magical Tattoos from Inner Sea Magic

The following sample magical tattoos are from Inner Sea Magic:
•Caster’s Tattoo
•Reservoir Tattoo
•Spell Tattoo

Section 15: Copyright Notice - Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Magic

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Magic. © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: Jesse Benner, Jason Nelson, Sean K Reynolds, Owen K.C. Stephens, Russ Taylor.

[SlimGauge]

There's an old online article from WotC "Random Encounters" series called "Wild Life". Yes, that means it's v3.5, but since Pathfinder doesn't explicitly change it, it's probably good. In part two, the following guidance is given

Random Encounters:Wild Life part 2 wrote:

Animal Item Slots

Although it's easy to imagine an animal benefiting from magic equipment beyond a simple saddle and a suit of barding, fitting a mount's physiology to the list of item slots available to characters is not an easy task. Try the following variant list of item slots for quadruped animals (and other monsters when appropriate).

One skull cap or helm
One pair of lenses or goggles
One collar
One saddle blanket or vest
One saddle or jacket
One belt or strap worn in front of or over the haunches
One pectoral or harness worn over the chest or shoulders
One pair foreleg bracers
One pair of foreleg shoes or mitts -- hoofed creatures wear shoes and creatures with paws wear mitts
Two rings -- creatures with toes wear rings on the toes and creatures with hooves wear "rings" just above fore hooves
One pair of hind leg shoes or mitts -- hoofed creatures wear shoes and creatures with paws wear mitts

[Deadmanwalking]

Quatar wrote:

Rings... well I guess you could slip them over the ears, or with predators over one of their fangs or something weird like that.

Rings can debatably also be worn as piercings (though with the normal limit of two to a customer), and that would certainly work on most animals (assuming they don't bite you while you give them a piercing, anyway...)

[blahpers]

Adamantine Dragon wrote:

They can't wear rings because they lack fingers

Baboon Companion frowns on your shenanigans. ; )

[Dark Dwarf]

@Elias, besides magicial gear you can also use Permancy on your animal companion.

@john Templeton, that true the use of magical spell with permacy is possible to use, but doeset that get rather expensive?

[VRMH]

Dark Dwarf, you seemed to have necro'd a thread that has been rendered irrelevant since the release of the Animal Archive book.

[Dark Dwarf]

Just got on these messagebords

[VRMH]

Welcome aboard, then! And don't worry, "necroing" is no crime. ;)