[ACG] Nature Shaman Animal Companion and Improved Familiar?

[Khevtol]

If I am a lev 16 Nature Shaman and thus get the true spirit ability:

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.

I am curious about what exactly caries over from the familiar. If I have a parrot familiar, can my raptor animal companion/familiar now speak?

If I take improved familiar beforehand, does that mean my animal companion gets the spell like abilities/special abilities of the improved familiar?

[moondoon]

I am wondering this too. I would like to get the improved familiar feat, but not sure how that will effect for the animal companion.

[Onyxlion]

The way I did it in a WoTR game was apply the correct level animal companion statistics to my pseudodragon familiar. For example I gave him the level 16 AC chart which is +13 animal companion hit dice, overlayed the bonus natural armor for both, stat increases for both, and abilities for both. Think of it similarly to the monstrous mount feat, even though they are magical beasts they get the AC chart stuff.

Edit: Also your companion should follow the same theme as a non improved companion, for example you really shouldn't go from parrot to tiger because that doesn't make much sense with your spirit but a parrot to say a ROC would.