Staying relevant against higher encounters requires wealth. No class has the built-in tools to survive encounters designed to be a challenge after a certain threshold (especially at higher levels).
Martials need magical weapons and protections.
Casters need magical protections and ways to boost their spell's chances of successfully landing.
Everyone needs healing.
The Fighter needs only worry about equipping herself.
A Druid/Ranger/Hunter/etc. has to worry about equipping both themselves and their companion - A dire tiger is a huge boon at level 7, but those higher level demons are going to laugh it's pounce right off if it can't get through that DR.
If animal companions/eidolons/etc are treated as "class features" (which, by all arguments, they are), then they obviously shouldn't be granting bonus wealth to their players - that would be unfair to everyone else, right?
However, by not granting them bonus wealth, their "class features" can quickly become ineffectual (and in the worst cases, simply a liability).
Well lets look at the classes with pets and what they get.
Druid (and other spellcasters can do similar), magic fang can cover your weapon costs. Barkskin a good chunck of your AC costs.
Barbarian can have his animal rage with him for extra attack and damage.
Rangers companions get the FE bonuses.
I don't have experience at high level play because we just reached 7th level but I see several things my Hunter's Stegosaurus AC will be able to do at those levels:
- Provide flanking for me
- generate AoOs for me via paired opportunists/broken wing gambit
- trip enemies
- activate all my teamwork feats
- use bodyguard/aid another on me
- eat attacks
And with vital strike on a high damage attack it might even do enough damage to get at least something through DR.
And right now (at level 7) the only magic item it has is a dire collar to become huge 1/day
As of now it deals 2d8+~11 damage. That may be increased via strong jaw, INA, dire collar (not all at once, certainly). Once it has vital strike it gets better. Sure, it will do little damage vs high DR but it should be far from useless. And from a certain point on some basic items are hardly a huge draw on the Master's wealth.
A halforc barbarian/hunter or barbarian/sacred huntsmaster can use amplified rage so both he and the AC get +8 to str and Con total when raging.
And, even is most here on the forums hate bleed damage it ignored DR and with the evolved companion feat your pet deals 1d6 bleed in addition to the normal damage. So at least your pet can put a dot (damage over time) on every opponent.
Or you just use the AC as scouts/utility if they get too weak for combat without financial investment. For example take evolved companion to grant the pet +8 to one skill (perception?), use the pet's feats to boost that skill, too and it will be better than most PCs.
TL;DR Pets can provide assistance without being huge money sinks.
AC don't need much equipment. Barding is generally enaugh. Beside, 2 +4 belt cost less than a single +6 and gives more. Ecc. Ecc. Really companions are the most powerfull feature you can have.
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However, by not granting them bonus wealth, their "class features" can quickly become ineffectual (and in the worst cases, simply a liability).
Simply put: no.
Using animal companions as an example, over the course of 20 levels your animal companion gains the following non-HD related features.
+6 Strength, +6 Dexterity
+12 Natural Armor
Share Spells
Evasion w/out conditions (like Ring of Evasion only Ex)
4 Ability Score Increases (as written these are separate from HD)
Devotion (+4 vs enchantments)
Multiattack
Improved Evasion w/out conditions (better than Ring of Evasion)
In addition the animal companion reaches 16 HD and all that entails.
Most animal companions begin with an average Natural Armor bonus of +2, and a Dex of +1 or +2. This means without equipping armor, the animal companions AC without items is easily around 29, naked, with no buffs and nothing invested into Dexterity beyond what they began with. Non-magical armor alone can push this much higher.
The animal companion doesn't need a ring of evasion, gets twice as many ability score increases as typical for it's HD (because it both gains HD and also receives ability increases as an Extraordinary ability), and gets a +4 vs enchantment effects, and can be targeted by spells and effects that aren't suitable for its type and those that are supposed to be personal.
With a few low level buffs from a druid or cleric (animal domain) master, about the only magic item you might actually need to invest in would be a cloak of resistance for better saves, as things like barkskin and shield of faith will get you right on up there.
There's also the fact that the classes that get companions (aside from Cavaliers but nobody should care about them :P) are also casters who can craft their own magic items and thus keep tossing a few cheapo-hand-me-downs to their companions as needed.
I'd like to note that animal companions receive all the benefits of a Ranger's Favored Enemy and Favored Terrains which means that when Mr. Aragorn casts instant enemy, Fido gets pissed too. Likewise, Share Spells allows Rangers, Druids, and Clerics to do some interesting things in the buff department such as casting shapechange on your companion (lasts all day and gives your companion buffs as per the best polymorphing/wildshaping things). For clerics, hit them with things like divine power, (greater) spell immunity, spell resistance, holy aura, etc.
A Really Big Thing
Most companions are expendable. Animal companions and eidolons are a revolving door. Familiars are cheap to resummon by comparison to actually getting a party member raised. This means that anytime an enemy expends time and effort trying to kill your companion, that's time and effort that was wasted as you'll get another one in 24 hours.
This is why companions are almost always better choices as generic tanks than actual PCs. If a sudden critical occurs or a run of bad luck leaves Old Yellar pushin' daisies, you aren't down a party member and you'll get a new one in a day.
If you happen to have a Wizard or Cleric in the party (or are a cleric with the animal domain) you can even recycle the dead companions using animate dead as they are a ready source of corpses that have both high HD and exceptionally high Strength, Dexterity, and Natural Armor without the need for arming them.
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Animal Companions are a consumable
Nonsense! They're far more valuable than that. A consumable is something that you have to replace by spending gold after you use it.
An Animal Companion can be replaced for free. They fall more into the same category as daily resources.
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My point is that those players who enjoy RP and see their specific animal companion as an essential part of their PC (the character, not the build) are royally screwed.
Very similar in fact to the PC who always want to fight with the family sword he started adventuring with at 1st level ;-)
The PFRPG system is just not built this way :-(
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Animal Companions are a consumableNonsense! They're far more valuable than that. A consumable is something that you have to replace by spending gold after you use it.
An Animal Companion can be replaced for free. They fall more into the same category as daily resources.
I think this sentiment is what gave rise to the Nodwick comic :)
Raise Animal Companion is cheaper than other forms of resurrection, if you don't like to treat them as expendable.
Paladins and Druids can usually manage pretty well if they have to share their wealth, since they have lots of amazing superpowers (compared to Fighters, Rogues, etc.) And anyone who can cast powerful buff spells on their companion (eg Sylavan Sorcerer) doesn't really need to work hard to equip them.
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Paladins with Ultimate Mercy don't even have to worry about their companions dying. The snuff it, Paladin rezzes 'em, rests and voila.
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Very similar in fact to the PC who always want to fight with the family sword he started adventuring with at 1st level ;-)
The PFRPG system is just not built this way :-(
Maybe take a look at Masterwork Transformation for that family sword.
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A bit ago I thought up a fun concept for a cleric. Be a magical taxidermist.
Take a cleric with the animal domain who's Neutral or Evil. Second domain is optional. By 5th level you get an animal companion and can cast animate dead.
When your animal companion snuffs it, animate 'em and make 'em your stuffed monster. 24 hours later, get a new animal companion.
For extra gits and shiggles, skin 'em, turn 'em into bloody skeletons, then put the skin back on and stuff 'em. You now have horrific stuffed undying Five Nights At Freddies animals to sick on your foes.
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Burning, Bloody, Skeletons~
Send shivers down your spine~
4 Ability Score Increases (as written these are separate from HD)
There are no ability score increases for HD, only for character level. The Ex increases are there to make up for that, since otherwise animal companions would not get them.
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4 Ability Score Increases (as written these are separate from HD)There are no ability score increases for HD, only for character level. The Ex increases are there to make up for that, since otherwise animal companions would not get them.
For every 4 additional Hit Dice gained by the monster, add 1 to one of its ability scores.
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4 Ability Score Increases (as written these are separate from HD)There are no ability score increases for HD, only for character level. The Ex increases are there to make up for that, since otherwise animal companions would not get them.For every 4 additional Hit Dice gained by the monster, add 1 to one of its ability scores.
Huh. Well, that's what I get for checking the character advancement section.
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Animal Companions are a consumable
That has certainly been my experience in Carrion Crown. My Ranger has lost a badger and a pair of wolves. At 13th level he now has a lion.
Our GM is experimenting with Mythic rules so we're all Tier 1, and the Ranger took an ability that will let him use raise dead on his animal companion just by burying it overnight. So I shouldn't need to replace this one.
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Of course, most companions are optional. A druid can grab a domain instead. Only a few base classes get no choice about having a companion, and even they can take archetypes to get around it.
On the subject of gear, the eidolon uses up the summoner's item slots, so a summoner+eidolon shouldn't need meaningfully more wealth than a non-companion having character.
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4 Ability Score Increases (as written these are separate from HD)There are no ability score increases for HD, only for character level. The Ex increases are there to make up for that, since otherwise animal companions would not get them.For every 4 additional Hit Dice gained by the monster, add 1 to one of its ability scores.
Monster Advancement does not apply to Animal Companions. In fact, they are not monsters from the Bestiaries at all
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In fact, they are not monsters from the Bestiaries at all
That's not entirely true. They draw missing information from their Bestiary entry, as the Companion entry is just a small block. For instance, the small cat animal option has the Sprint power, but that ability is only described in the Bestiary entries for small cats.
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The ability score increase in the Animal Companion entry is just a summary/reminder, is not an addition.
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My point is that those players who enjoy RP and see their specific animal companion as an essential part of their PC (the character, not the build) are royally screwed.
Very similar in fact to the PC who always want to fight with the family sword he started adventuring with at 1st level ;-)
The PFRPG system is just not built this way :-(
My 18th level fighter still has the first magic spear he acquired. I just had to keep upgrading it and it's been my trusty companion ever since.
As to the other aspect, I certainly have never felt slighted for wealth when it came to equipping characters with companions. Could such a character be more powerful with more gold? Of course. But they've always seemed on par with expected potency for classes of that level.
It's like a two weapon fighter complaining that they have to enchant two blades instead of the two handed fighter. It just comes with the territory.
Although most of the time in my groups the relative wealth by level of the group fluctuates. Found gear goes to the most needed character first, and it all balances out over time.
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Gaining feats and ability score increases is an automatic part of gaining Hit Dice. It is a basic law of the d20 system. Granting an ability score increase as an Extraordinary special ability is redundant and is a separate effect from the ability score increases that occur as part of the HD acquisition.
Unfortunately, Paizo is not very good at writing rules and hasn't been since the onset of the Pathfinder system. In the same way that RAW, you get double skill points for headbands of intellect because the headband specifies the special effect of granting ranks in a specific thing while not making any exceptions to the normal rules of permanent increases to Intelligence granting additional skill points retroactively.
EDIT: I'm not saying that it should work that way, just that as written it does. This sort of stuff is why it is important to carefully consider how you are writing your rules.
Rules and how they are written matter.
In the same way that RAW, you get double skill points for headbands of intellect because the headband specifies the special effect of granting ranks in a specific thing while not making any exceptions to the normal rules of permanent increases to Intelligence granting additional skill points retroactively.
I have wondered that myself for the longest time. And yeah, I don't run it that way either.
Handing out "free" wealth for the Animal Companion is outside the scope of what is intended in the natural game. It would definitely make Animal Ally alot more appealing.
Of course you're more than welcome to disregard that intention if it bothers you.
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FAQ/Errata
If I wear a headband of vast intelligence, do I get retroactive skill ranks for my Int increase in addition to the skill ranks associated with the item?
No.
Seems pretty clear.
Last I checked it's still in the rules. There's no exception to the rule called out. So at best the FAQ can tell you the RAI but the rules are still that permanent Int increases grant skill points and the bonus ranks of the Headband are an effect of the headband item.
This is why you have to be careful when writing rules.
Likewise, there are magic items that still work in the traditional sense. For example, there are Ioun stones that just grant bonuses to Int without the extra skill point clause and thus just grants the normal skill points for increasing your Int.
Creative Director
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The design intent of any item that grants an increase to Intelligence is that the skills it boosts should be hardcoded into the item. Frankly, it should ALSO hard code in bonus languages.
This is to prevent folks from using those items as "instant skill generators." It's not intended to be able to let a player pick and choose each skill rank each time she puts such an item on, since that devalues the whole concept of skills to a certain extent.
Of course, if you as the GM are fine with players being able to swap out skill ranks as needed with items like this, go for it. It's not the intention, though, despite the somewhat loose language that comes along with items like ioun stones that also grant boosts to intelligence.
In fact, attaching hard-coded languages and skills to all items that grant Int boosts is really kinda cool—it helps to make those stat-boosting items, at least, have more personality than merely doing math to your character.
Which is why I said that you have to be careful when writing rules. :)
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This is to prevent folks from using those items as "instant skill generators." It's not intended to be able to let a player pick and choose each skill rank each time she puts such an item on, since that devalues the whole concept of skills to a certain extent.
Unfortunately, they can do something similar by getting multiple intelligence boosting items with different skills assigned to them. More expensive, but same result.
An alternative way to handle it is to allow the player to choose the skills to be granted by boosting intelligence to a given level and then record those choices and have them always apply regardless of the source of the intelligence boost. Players then can't swap out boosted skills unless they actually take ranks in those skills (either due to gaining a level or permanently increasing intelligence) and thus 'free up space' to boost some other skill.
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It would be a waste of time for us to bicker about this. Suffice to say that I will only agree that the rules are the rules and that everything else is at best a suggested house rule or a RAI clarification.
I think we're failing to communicate. I'm perfectly aware of what the FAQ is.
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Interestingly, Animal Companions are a prime target for the Maze Spell. It will never, except under rare circumstances, be able to make the DC 20 Intelligence check to "escape" the maze.
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Interestingly, Animal Companions are a prime target for the Maze Spell. It will never, except under rare circumstances, be able to make the DC 20 Intelligence check to "escape" the maze.
They tend to be pretty good targets for things like succubus' charm monster and similar things too.
Good call on Maze. It's pretty rough. XD
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Don't all classes with animal companions get spells and can therefore craft their own gear for half the price anyway?
Well... Other than Cavaliers, of course, but you're better off either taking an archetype that trades the mount away or just flat out forgetting the class exists, anyway...
Anyway... The biggest problem with Animal Companions is their awful saves. AC and accuracy are usually okay, but even with CoR that weak-ass will save is really crippling. Stuff like a resonating Clear Spindle Ioun Stone can help, though...
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Interestingly, Animal Companions are a prime target for the Maze Spell. It will never, except under rare circumstances, be able to make the DC 20 Intelligence check to "escape" the maze.
Well... To be fair, they aren't much worse off than any other non-Int-based class...
Unless you're using point buy so high that characters can afford to invest in tertiary stats, most characters will have either 0 or 5% chance of success. So if they aren't casters with Plane Shift or similar spell, they might as drop the dice and go to the kitchen for a snack.
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Interestingly, Animal Companions are a prime target for the Maze Spell. It will never, except under rare circumstances, be able to make the DC 20 Intelligence check to "escape" the maze.Well... To be fair, they aren't much worse off than any other non-Int-based class...
Unless you're using point buy so high that characters can afford to invest in tertiary stats, most characters will have either 0 or 5% chance of success. So if they aren't casters with Plane Shift or similar spell, they might as drop the dice and go to the kitchen for a snack.
Very true. We've started using the Automatic Bonus Progression from Unchained, which will give you bonuses to all ability scores sooner or later. Even then, that's about a 10% chance to escape a Maze on a given Martial. Things like Heroism help, if they've got it anyway.
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My point is that those players who enjoy RP and see their specific animal companion as an essential part of their PC (the character, not the build) are royally screwed.
Very similar in fact to the PC who always want to fight with the family sword he started adventuring with at 1st level ;-)
The PFRPG system is just not built this way :-(
Actually the system works just fine. You just have to not fixate on the animal companion being a pet and think of it as a benefit of being a powerful individual connected with nature. This isn't simply your dog rover, it's a resource nature gives you for the roll you play and will give you again tomorrow. You can even think of it as the same 'nature spirit' each time.
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Actually the system works just fine. You just have to not fixate on the animal companion being a pet and think of it as a benefit of being a powerful individual connected with nature. This isn't simply your dog rover, it's a resource nature gives you for the roll you play and will give you again tomorrow. You can even think of it as the same 'nature spirit' each time.My point is that those players who enjoy RP and see their specific animal companion as an essential part of their PC (the character, not the build) are royally screwed.
Very similar in fact to the PC who always want to fight with the family sword he started adventuring with at 1st level ;-)
The PFRPG system is just not built this way :-(
That works for some , but not for everyone.
Like he said some will use only one "pet" during the whole game , if it dies , they will pay to have it ressed , if it isnt simple , then it will become a side quest far more important than whatever was happening in the campaign , which they wont be following anyway until they recover said pet.
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The design intent of any item that grants an increase to Intelligence is that the skills it boosts should be hardcoded into the item. Frankly, it should ALSO hard code in bonus languages.
This is to prevent folks from using those items as "instant skill generators." It's not intended to be able to let a player pick and choose each skill rank each time she puts such an item on, since that devalues the whole concept of skills to a certain extent.
Of course, if you as the GM are fine with players being able to swap out skill ranks as needed with items like this, go for it. It's not the intention, though, despite the somewhat loose language that comes along with items like ioun stones that also grant boosts to intelligence.
In fact, attaching hard-coded languages and skills to all items that grant Int boosts is really kinda cool—it helps to make those stat-boosting items, at least, have more personality than merely doing math to your character.
In me playing group we get skill points that we can spend freely, but then the are fixed, i.e. if you have brought a +2 intelligence headband at level 4 and spent you 4 skill points into Disable Device, every time you put on a +2 or better intelligence headband, the first 4 level of skill point it give you "activate" those 4 skill point.
Essentially we treat it as a increase in intelligence where you can assign the skill points.Even with your true intelligence there can be situations where you lose access to skill points (intelligence drain, feeblemind), but when your intelligence return to normal you don't get to reassign them differently.
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FAQ/Errata
If I wear a headband of vast intelligence, do I get retroactive skill ranks for my Int increase in addition to the skill ranks associated with the item?
No.
Seems pretty clear.
Last I checked it's still in the rules. There's no exception to the rule called out. So at best the FAQ can tell you the RAI but the rules are still that permanent Int increases grant skill points and the bonus ranks of the Headband are an effect of the headband item.
This is why you have to be careful when writing rules.
Likewise, there are magic items that still work in the traditional sense. For example, there are Ioun stones that just grant bonuses to Int without the extra skill point clause and thus just grants the normal skill points for increasing your Int.
Skill points are granted. They are not retro actively granted.
It's pretty clear. That's why they give you a skill tied to it.
At best the FAQ can tell you it's a frequent question and at best an errata can tell you is the official answer. Making it the rules
Actually, intelligence score increases from advancing in level or getting inherent bonuses increase you total skill bonus, and that is applied retroactively to all your levels.
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Read the FAQ and errata paizo took the time to type out that I linked saying no. You don't get retroactive points.
That's why you get a skill attachment. To make up for not getting retroactive points. Scroll up I quoted and linked it. It's right here on this site too.
I don't get why people are saying "it's not the rules" when it clearly is according to the people making the rules.
You may want to double check your friendly local rules compendium. ☺