Making an existing animal and animal companion (WARNING, minor spoilers)

[Grimserver]

So today in our Burnt Offerings game we managed to get into thistle top and found ourselves in the courtyard area. Lo and behold a mighty horse named shadow mist (or something like that) was trapped in a stall, and the ranger of the party (namely me) was able to tame it. Now I don't yet know the stats, only that it appeared to play hacky-sac with some goblin heads, but as a ranger that is on his way to getting an animal companion it would make sense to make it this horse he saved (assuming he and shadow mist make it back to sand point alive).

This begs the question, what do you do when you make a per-existing animal an animal companion. My dm hinted that it was a war trained horse, so does it retain that training? If it has extra hit die does it keep those? I really want to make this horse his horse, but I'm worried that making it an animal companion would weaken it and put it at risk of getting killed (which is always a risk, I just don't want to increase that risk).

I am planning on getting boon companion at fifth, but that is still a level that I'm not to sure what the rules are.

Thanks in advance!

[Chess Pwn]

if you make it an animal companion, any stats it has would be replaced with the animal companion stats, but it would revert back to it's normal stats if you "released" him.

[Eridan]

In my group a paladin took Shadowmist as his mount. It has a nice background for a mount and all players like the new party member and how it joined the party.

By RAW you only can choose a 'common' horse as an AC. Is Shadowmist a common horse (based on his stats)?
The final answer to your question can only be answered by your GM. I hope he will allow it :)

I dont have my books at hand but i dont see there big problems. If shadowmist is really better than a common horse (more HD etc.) than i would rule that you can take it as an AC but it dont advance until it has the same HD as an AC should have.

[Rikkan]

Animals basically polymorph into a different animal when they become animal companions.
Their size might change, their stats probably change, their feats and skills might change, they lose all their racial bonuses (like say good eyesight), and sometimes they lose and/or gain natural attacks.

Like say the Pachycephalosaurus which loses its slam attack and gains a gore attack if it becomes an animal companion.

Just treat it like a MMO tame ability that can completely change the animal in question. It has the stats the animal companion lists, no more, no less. Thus it would also lose any template.

[DarkPhoenixx]

As ppl already said, it will get stats of 1st level horse companion (2d8+2 HP instead of 2d8+10 if its heavy horse, and 1 less AC). You can say it got weaker cos it got beaten or neglected or whatever was happening to it.
In case things go sour you can prepare Cure Light Wounds while lvl 4, unless you have archetype that loses spells.

As GM i would allow it to keep its stats from your level 4 to 5, so you don't have to recalculate stats for level 1 horse and then for level 5 horse (in case you get Boon).

[Doombringer the DM]

Grimserver wrote:

This raises the question

Fixed that for you... (Pet peeve of mine. Begging the question is a technical term that refers to making a circular argument)

Okay, as others have said, it's stats should change so that it becomes an appropriate animal companion. Or, I'd go with what Eradin said, and don't advance it until it matches the stats of an appropriately leveled animal companion.

[Grimserver]

Thanks again for your advice! I'll ask my dm if I can make it an animal companion but keep its base stats until I get boon companion. Alternatively I suppose I could get another animal companion at level 4, then release it at level 5 and take shadow mist once I get boon companion.