Boon Companion Feat Clarification

[Velarrio Ileor the Faceless]

Last night I just got the 1xp I needed to level up my Pathfinder Chronicler from 8th to 9th. This means that I'll be able to take another feat and I came across the Boon Companion.

Prerequisites: Animal companion or familiar class feature.

Benefit: The abilities of your animal companion or familiar are calculated as though your class were 4 levels higher, to a maximum effective druid level equal to your character level. If you have more than one animal companion or familiar, choose one to receive this benefit. If you lose or dismiss an animal companion or familiar that has received this benefit, you may apply this feat to the replacement creature.

Special: You may select this feat more than once. The effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a different animal companion or familiar.

I have seen multiple threads talking about it, however I've not seen an exact clarification on if it helps or not in terms of the companion.

The current rough draft plan for my 9th level advancement would cause the character to have the following classes.

4 Levels of Archaeologist (Bard Archetype)
1 Level of Fighter
3 Levels of Pathfinder Chronicler
1 (Planned) Level of Hunter

With the level of hunter I would gain access to an Animal Companion. Boon Companion would allow me to have an Animal Companion calculated as 4 levels higher than it is. Thus I see that I would be a 9th Level Character with a 5th Level Animal Companion.

Is this correct? Or would I be better off without taking the level in Hunter / is it a waste to take the level in hunter and the boon companion feat?

[Grey_Mage]

Generally, it would be a waste, as a 5th lvl creature won't do much vs what you'll be up against at that lvl.

You would be equivalent to a ranger companion who didn't take boon companion. My wolf mostly just looks pretty since I haven't taken boon companion yet.

[BigNorseWolf]

Thats correct.

And so is grey mage. 5th level animal companion with a 9th level character is road kill.

[Velarrio Ileor the Faceless]

Thank you for the quick response.

[Andrew Christian]

Animal companions like this are only road kill if you treat them as a bag of hit points or the tank.

I've seen a standard ranger AC survive Eyes if the Ten.

[Velarrio Ileor the Faceless]

As a clarification on the leveling. As it says you compute the stats to be at +4 levels higher, does this include the special abilities in the progression (such as the +1 to an ability score) or is it limited to just the stats? (HD, BAB, Feats, etc, etc.)

[BigNorseWolf]

Its everything.

[Muser]

If you have the feats to spare, consider Animal Ally

[Atragon]

Wait, so for the price of 3 feats, any character can gain a full-progression animal companion from a limited list?

[Velarrio Ileor the Faceless]

I would have to retrain my 1 level of the Unbreakable (Fighter Archetype) in order to be able to attempt to have the Animal Ally Feat.

Also from doing a quick audit of my character's Feats, I just realized that I'm missing a Feat that I should have gotten at 3rd level.

[Muser]

Yes, it's a big trade-off, but very worthwhile and cool.

I have a lone grenadier who'd love a furry friend.

["Dragonfly"]

Atragon wrote:

Wait, so for the price of 3 feats, any character can gain a full-progression animal companion from a limited list?

My Aerokineticist will soon be getting a Bird Companion (Bodyguard archetype) to help keep her safer from those few enemies that can reach her.

I even found the perfect mini for it =)

[Nefreet]

BigNorseWolf wrote:

Its everything.

Just to corroborate what the wolf said.

[kinevon]

Andrew Christian wrote:

Animal companions like this are only road kill if you treat them as a bag of hit points or the tank.

I've seen a standard ranger AC survive Eyes if the Ten.

@Grey_Mage: Worse, that 9th level Ranger would have a 6th level AC without Boon Companion.

@Andrew: Even if they can be useful, with skills 4 levels behind anyone in the party, and hit points even worse, they are still fairly fragile, so an AoE that includes them can turn them to toast, even if they are lucky enough that it is a Reflex save so EVasion applies, if they fail the Reflex save.