I strongly suspect this isn't what was intended...
Animal companions can take Additional Traits.
Is there anything keeping you from taking Sacred Touch on your animal companion or familiar via additional traits? A fast-moving creature that can move-and-stabilize a downed opponent is something I'm not sure was ever *intended*. While I don't think it's egregiously overpowered, it does strike me as odd.
(The idea of a animal companion horse with Prestidigitation as a 1x/day Magical Talent trait who turns its oats into tasty oatmeal for its pet human makes me laugh, but would probably destroy immersion for someone.)
If this is legal, my PFS two weapon fighter ranger may turn his axe-beak animal companion into an emergency combat medic.
I like flavor - what makes it a bad option?
Do I need to make some sort of DC 485 Handle Animal check to tell the Axe-Beak to go stabilize a downed ally rather than feast on his recently exposed and still steaming entrails?
What I'm considering is this:
Amulet of Menacing Bird Nibbles (4,000 GP)
Mithral Chain Shirt Barding (1,400 GP)
Toughness (first feat)
Weapon Focus (Bite attack)
Additional Traits: Dirty Fighter (+1 damage when flanking), Some Other Trait (probably Sacred Touch).
I could actually see this for a Paladin's mount as being pretty thematic...
pretty sure mithral chain shirt for a large non-humanoid creature is 4400g
You need to raise the INT to 3 to take feat not on the animal list see druid animal feat list.
Animal Feats
Animal companions can select from the following feats: Acrobatic, Agile Maneuvers, Armor Proficiency (light, medium, and heavy), Athletic, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Diehard, Dodge, Endurance, Great Fortitude, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Armor, Improved Natural Attack, Improved Overrun, Intimidating Prowess, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Power Attack, Run, Skill Focus, Spring Attack, Stealthy, Toughness, Weapon Finesse, and Weapon Focus. Animal companions with an Intelligence of 3 or higher can select any feat they are physically capable of using. GMs might expand this list to include feats from other sources.
And I like the flavor it make you stand out instead being the same old ranger and pet build. I give you thumbs up and +1 for thinking out side of the box. I like it so much I think I like steal it for may Ranger who thinks he is cleric build.
Mounts and Related Gear
These are the common mounts available in most cities. Some markets might have additional creatures available, such as camels or even griffons, depending on the terrain. Such additional choices are up to GM discretion.
Barding, Medium Creature and Large Creature: Barding is a type of armor that covers the head, neck, chest, body, and possibly legs of a horse or other mount. Barding made of medium or heavy armor provides better protection than light barding, but at the expense of speed. Barding can be made of any of the armor types found on Table: Armor and Shields.
Armor for a horse (a Large nonhumanoid creature) costs four times as much as human armor (a Medium humanoid creature) and also weighs twice as much (see Table: Armor for Unusual Creatures). If the barding is for a pony or other Medium mount, the cost is only double, and the weight is the same as for Medium armor worn by a humanoid. Medium or heavy barding slows a mount that wears it, as shown on the table below
Which mean Chain chirt 100 gp + Mitharal +1000 GP x4 for horse mean 4400 gp.
Tom S. The cost of making an armor type out of special material does NOT say it changes based on the size/morphology of the wearer - it's a flat +1000 GP for an Ogre wearing Mithral Chain Shirt and it's a flat +1000 GP for a Pixie wearing a Mithral Chain Shirt.
I'm sorry but it's not going to cost the same to make a colossal size suite of fullplate out of adamanite and a medium size suit of fullplate out of adamantine. Now I might see the argument about the nonhumanoid maybe not increasing the cost, it's about the same amount of material, but size is definitely going to play a factor in the cost.
Edit: It never says it doesn't change based on the size/morphology. Though it never specifically says this, I would rule that it is added to the base cost of the item for determining any effects, including size and shape. It just makes more sense that way.
You are applying common sense to Pathfinder rules - this is generally a bad bet. :)
No, it really does give it as a flat cost for the item by the RAW, and this is for PFS. I agree that it SHOULD add to the base cost before multiplication for creature size and morphology, but it does not actually do so - and there are thousands of PFS Rangers and Druids who have bought barding based on this interpretation.
For that matter, it should also cost half as much for the material for special armor for Halflings if that logic holds...
Silly me, I forgot logic was optional for RAW. Anyway, back to the actual subject of the post, this could be pretty nice for the intelligent ACs, such as from the paladin and nature oracle. Add a few class skill or maybe armor master. hell, wisdom is often a dump stat for both classes, give him sense motive. *wolf AC growls* "Mr.fluffles says your lying. Mr.fluffles doesn't like when people lie."
Tom S. The cost of making an armor type out of special material does NOT say it changes based on the size/morphology of the wearer - it's a flat +1000 GP for an Ogre wearing Mithral Chain Shirt and it's a flat +1000 GP for a Pixie wearing a Mithral Chain Shirt.
That is same math that game has use since 3.0 through 3.5 and now in to pathfinder search the boards this has been handeled all before sorry you are late to party for finding out. It poor editing that you have look in two places in the book to find it but it there just read.
And my orginal post was coppyed from SRD.
I plan on using my Axe-Beak AC as a flanking buddy.
Here's what I plan on doing.
Stat boost: INT 3
Feat #1: Toughness
Feat #2: Power Attack
Feat #3: Extra Traits: Dirty Fighter (+1 to damage when flanking) and Sacred Touch.
Gear: Amulet of Menacing Bird Nibbles. Either Mithral Chain Shirt Barding (if 1,400 GP as I suspect) or Masterwork Chain Shirt Barding (550 GP).
Plan: My double-axe wielding half-orc ranger moves into position and holds his attack until the bird is flanking.
This assumes using a wand of Lead Blades on the Half-Orc's Double Bitted Orc Axe.
Bird flanks. Bird hits at +10 for 1d8+12 damage. Half-Orc hits (first attack) at +16 for 2d6+7 damage. Next round, assuming flanking can be maintained with 5' steps, it looks like:
+10 for 1d8+13 (Bird bites with Power Attack and Dirty Fighter)
+14 for 2d6+5 (Double Axe, Primary Hand)
+14 for 2d6+5 (Double Axe, Off Hand, with Double Slice)
+9 for 1d4+2 (Orc Bitey Attack)
As near as I can tell, menacing stacks with Outflank, and the bird can't get Outflank yet - it doesn't have a BAB of +4 (this is for a 5th level ranger/fighter with Boon Companion.)
there has been no change in the rules on making unusual armor from mithral/adamantine in the conversion from 3.5 to pathfinder. It was clarified in the 3.5 FAQ that the cost of the base material is multiplied along with the cost of the armor itself. but what i had forgotten is you subtract the cost of masterwork from the material before multiplying. this was not brought over to pathfinder.
On page 217 of the DMG, it states that “the cost of the
masterwork quality and any magical enhancement remains
the same” regardless of a creature’s unusual size or shape.
Adamantine and mithral both state that items made from
such material are masterwork quality and the masterwork
cost is part of the material cost listed. How much would a
set of mithral chainmail barding for my warhorse cost?A strict reading of the rules indicates that in such a case the
masterwork cost for armor should be subtracted from the
special material price before applying the multiplier for any
unusual size or shape of the intended wearer.
For example, according to the Armor for Unusual Creatures
chart on page 123 of the PH, a set of chainmail barding for a
warhorse (a Large nonhumanoid creature) would normally cost
600 gp (four times the normal cost of 150 gp). A set of mithral
chainmail barding would cost 16,000 gp: 600 gp for the
chainmail barding plus 15,400 gp (the cost of mithral medium
armor [4,000 gp], minus the masterwork cost for armor [150
gp], times 4).
so the cost is 4400g, because there is no similar rule under armor for unusual creatures in the CRB for subtracting masterwork.