Both classes share an ability they gain at first level.
Hunter:
"At 1st level, a hunter can take on the aspect of an animal as a swift action. She must select one type of animal to emulate, gaining a bonus or special ability based on the type of animal emulated and her hunter level. The hunter can use this ability for a number of minutes per day equal to her level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but must be spent in 1-minute increments. The hunter can emulate only one animal at a time.
The hunter can also apply one of these aspects to her animal companion. Unlike with the hunter herself, there is no duration on the animal aspect applied to her animal companion. An aspect applied in this way does not count against the hunter's minutes of duration per day—it remains in effect until the hunter changes it. The companion's aspect can be the same aspect the ranger has taken on or a different one. The hunter can select or change the animal foci on both herself and her animal companion as part of the same swift action.
If the hunter's animal companion is dead, the hunter can apply her companion's animal focus to herself instead of her animal companion. This is in addition to the normal one she can choose, and (as with a companion's focus) remains in effect until the hunter changes it instead of counting against her minutes per day."
How the Wild Hunter's differs is that it only applies to himself and not his companion, although it is still called 'Animal Focus' and listed as a supernatural ability.
Wild Hunter:
"At 1st level, as a swift action a wild hunter can take on the aspect of an animal, gaining a bonus or special ability based on the type of animal emulated. This functions as the hunter's animal focus class feature, though this only applies to the wild hunter and not an animal companion (see shared focus, below). The wild hunter can use this ability for 1 minute per day per ranger level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1-minute increments. He can only emulate one animal at a time."
My question is how do these interact? Do they stack onto hunter levels? Does an animal companion gain the Ranger level bonuses without 'Shared Focus'?
It seems to me that although they are both called 'Animal Focus', they are really separate abilities. A player brought it up last night in a multiclass discussion.
They are separate and you have two instances of it and can load a ton onto your companion. Add in Huntmaster Inquisitor and probably some other classes to have like 5 foci for your companion.
I feel that Sacred Huntmaster is clearly written to stack with Hunter. Still on the fence for Wild Hunter...
All of them are separate abilities like Channel energy. They all have their own separate pools, activation, duration, and potency. I think if I remember right you can have 5 going on you at once.
hunter
Wild Hunter ranger
Sacred Huntsmaster inquisitor
Feral Shifter druid
Totemic Skald Skald
yup, five. They could all be on you at once, and as long as they are all different effects you'd benefit from all of them.
I think you are correct sir. Thinking about it in terms of channel energy was what I needed to think about.