How in the world does the ACG nature shaman's animal companion work?

[Khevtol]

My current nature shaman is getting to that level and the animal companion true spirit ability has me bewildered. How does it work? Here are a few of my questions:

1.Let's just say I chose a parrot familiar. Once I get the ability, it says my parrot becomes an animal companion as well as a familiar. Does this mean I can turn my parrot into a t-rex when I get the ability? Or does it just get the boosts and feats?

2. If the answer to the above is yes, can my t-rex talk? Does it get free weapon finesse because the raven had it?

3.If the answer to the first question is yes, and I pick improved familiar, does my t-rex get the spell like abilities?

4.If the parrot stays a parrot, but gets feats and things, do I still have to use handle animal to control it in pfs.

5.Can I pick both a familiar archetype and an animal companion archetype?

6.Is my spirit animal still outsider(native)?

7.Do the natural armour bonuses stack?

8. If my character dies permanently, does the familiar/companion persist and have sentience afterwards?

9.What is the HP/skills/base saves of my familiar/animal companion? Which order are they applied?

10.What is the HD of my companion/familiar, and does this give it extra feats?

[VRMH]

I don't have the ACG myself, so I may be wrong about a few things. Bit:

Khevtol wrote:

it says my parrot becomes an animal companion as well as a familiar. Does this mean I can turn my parrot into a t-rex when I get the ability

No, just like a Wolf doesn't become a Velociraptor just 'cause you picked it as an Animal Companion.

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If the parrot stays a parrot, but gets feats and things, do I still have to use handle animal to control it in pfs.

No, though you could if you wanted to.

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Can I pick both a familiar archetype and an animal companion archetype?

Yes, provided they don't clash (which they shouldn't).

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Is my spirit animal still outsider(native)?

Yes - becoming an AC does not change a creature's type.

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Do the natural armour bonuses stack?

No, unless they're typed.

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If my character dies permanently, does the familiar/companion persist and have sentience afterwards?

Ask your GM; it's not covered by any rule.

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What is the HP/skills/base saves of my familiar/animal companion? Which order are they applied?

Always the best of either.

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What is the HD of my companion/familiar, and does this give it extra feats?

I've no idea...

[Khevtol]

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What is the HP/skills/base saves of my familiar/animal companion? Which order are they applied?

Always the best of either.

Thanks for the reply! For this question, taking the best of either works well for saves but becomes odd when it comes to HP and skills. You see, familiar HP says 1/2 of yours regardless of the animals HD, and while the animal companion might have higher HP, I am not sure which order they are applied.

So far as skills, the familiar gets your skills or its, whichever is better. The animal companion gets skill points. Does this mean I get to apply the skill points and then take whichever is better.(Which gives it a lot more effective skill points) or do I have to pick one or the other?

Thanks for your time!

EDIT:I looked over the wording of the ability and it says

"Companion Animal (Su): The shaman's spirit animal takes the form of an animal companion of her choice, using her shaman level as her effective druid level. The animal retains all the special abilities and the Intelligence score of the spirit animal, but also has the statistics and abilities of an animal companion. If the animal is dismissed, is lost, or dies, it can be replaced in the same way as a normal spirit animal."

If I read right it means you can make your raven into a t-rex since it says 'take the for. Of' and so those other questions are still an issue.

[Thymus Vulgaris]

Khevtol wrote:

1.Let's just say I chose a parrot familiar. Once I get the ability, it says my parrot becomes an animal companion as well as a familiar. Does this mean I can turn my parrot into a t-rex when I get the ability? Or does it just get the boosts and feats?

You found the answer for this in the text already :)

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2. If the answer to the above is yes, can my t-rex talk? Does it get free weapon finesse because the raven had it?

That's a rules interpretation thing... I could both imagine an answer going "yes, because it says all the special abilities and the Intelligence score of the spirit animal and the spirit animal could talk and had weapon finesse" and another answer going "no, it only applies to general spirit animal abilities," though I'd probably go with the former.

(it's not like a weapon finesse-ing t-rex is in any way game breaking any way) :)

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3.If the answer to the first question is yes, and I pick improved familiar, does my t-rex get the spell like abilities?

If the answer for question 2 is yes, then this should be as well. If the answer is no, this is also a no.

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4.If the parrot stays a parrot, but gets feats and things, do I still have to use handle animal to control it in pfs.

Moot point, as PFS only goes to level 12 and true spirit ability isn't available before level 16. But even if that wasn't the case, your dear parrot would be way above animal intelligence and understand language, so no handle animal check should be needed.

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5.Can I pick both a familiar archetype and an animal companion archetype?

Wait, there are archetypes for familiars?

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6.Is my spirit animal still outsider(native)?

Yes.

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7.Do the natural armour bonuses stack?

I'm inclined to say no, but can't say for sure

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8. If my character dies permanently, does the familiar/companion persist and have sentience afterwards?

What VRMH said, although there is a rule that says that a witch's familiar will only remember spells for 24 hours after her death, during which time one may convince it to teach those spells to another witch's familiar.

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9.What is the HP/skills/base saves of my familiar/animal companion? Which order are they applied?

What VRMH said.

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10.What is the HD of my companion/familiar, and does this give it extra feats?

HD would presumably be that of a familiar/spirit animal since it is higher than the Animal Companion's. Feats... I don't know.

[Chris Kenney]

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4.If the parrot stays a parrot, but gets feats and things, do I still have to use handle animal to control it in pfs.

Moot point, as PFS only goes to level 12 and true spirit ability isn't available before level 16. But even if that wasn't the case, your dear parrot would be way above animal intelligence and understand language, so no handle animal check should be needed.

In PFS, an animal companion's intelligence and languages are considered irrelevant - you always need to use Handle Animal checks to control the animal regardless of what you try to do to get around it.

[Thymus Vulgaris]

Chris Kenney wrote:

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4.If the parrot stays a parrot, but gets feats and things, do I still have to use handle animal to control it in pfs.

Moot point, as PFS only goes to level 12 and true spirit ability isn't available before level 16. But even if that wasn't the case, your dear parrot would be way above animal intelligence and understand language, so no handle animal check should be needed.

In PFS, an animal companion's intelligence and languages are considered irrelevant - you always need to use Handle Animal checks to control the animal regardless of what you try to do to get around it.

Thank you for correcting me, I wasn't aware of that.