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Animal Archive Preview

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Since we revamped our Player Companion line last August, we've been able to play with a lot of different ideas and themes in coming up with overarching concepts for the latest Player Companions. Coming up is one of our most exciting new releases in this line, a content-packed volume called Animal Archive, available starting on the 20th of February. This Player Companion is chocked full of awesome new tips, tricks, items, archetypes, spells, and feats for you and your bestial buddy. Oh, and did I mention there'd be a ton of new animal companions and familiars too?

While of course I could never betray the llama animal companion as my favorite new addition to the Pathfinder stables, I think the platypus familiar is particularly well suited for a preview blog. I'm not sure if Seoni shares my sentiment, though...


Illustration by Roberto Pitturru

Platypus CR 1/6

XP 65
N Tiny animal
Init +3; Senses electrolocation 30 ft. (while underwater); Perception +1 (+5 while underwater)

Defense

AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 size)
hp 3 (1d8–1)
Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +1

Offense

Speed 10 ft., swim 40 ft.
Melee spur +4 (1d3–4 plus poison)
Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Statistics

Str 2, Dex 14, Con 8, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 11
Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 6 (10 vs. trip)
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Swim +15; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception while underwater

Ecology

Environment temperate or tropical rivers
Organization solitary
Treasure none

Special Abilities

Electrolocation (Ex) While underwater, platypuses can sense the tiny electrical currents that trigger muscle movement. This allows them to locate living prey and to distinguish it from inanimate objects. Treat electrolocation as blindsight 30 feet, but platypuses can sense only living creatures, and it functions only underwater.
Poison (Ex) Spur—injury; save Fort DC 9; frequency 1/round for 4 rounds; effect 1 nonlethal damage; cure 1 save.
Semiaquatic (Ex) Platypuses can hold their breath underwater for up to 5 minutes before they must start attempting Constitution checks to avoid suffocation.

This little guy is just one of the four new familiars you'll find in Animal Archive, and just one of eight brand-new animals total! In addition to these all-new beasties and a host of new rules options, you'll find expanded information and rules on some of Golarion's most famous endemic creatures, including the razorcrow, ether frog, firefoot fennec, and more!

So dust off the old feedbag and clean out your kennel, because Pathfinder Player Companion: Animal Archive hits shelves later this month!

Patrick Renie
Developer

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Tags: Pathfinder Player Companion Roberto Pitturru Seoni
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Silver Crusade RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
Gauss wrote:

Regarding the Charger (Companion Archetype) on page 20 there is a problem.

It lists the Mounted Challenge ability as being for Cavaliers but it replaces Share Spells which a Cavalier's mount does not get.

Regarding Bleed for your Master it lists that the Master gains cover against area affects. The next paragraph it states that the spell does not apply to area affects.

- Gauss

Yeah I found an error too (at least I think it is one): The Valet familiar archetype gives your familiar the ability to cast (I assume as a spell-like ability) prestidigitation once per hour, but the spell lasts one hour so essentially your familiar can have constant prestidigitation going. Probably not intended.

Dark Archive

Another issue with the book is the spell Hunter's Friend which states

Quote:

You share one of the following class abilities

with your companion for every 4 caster levels you possess:
camouflage, favored enemy, favored terrain, hide in plain sight,
resist nature’s lure, swift tracker, trackless step, venom immunity,
and woodland stride. You must have the ability in question to
share it with your companion, and it functions for your companion
just as it functions for you, save that each favored enemy or favored terrain you share counts as a separate class ability for the
purpose of this spell.

According to the Hunter's Bond ability from the CRB your animal companions:

Hunter's Bond wrote:
A ranger's animal companion shares his favored enemy and favored terrain bonuses.

Minor nitpick but I can see this spell causing confusion to new ranger players/GM's.

REALLY dirty over there being no LARGE bear option.
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
Mathwei ap Niall wrote:

Another issue with the book is the spell Hunter's Friend which states

Quote:

You share one of the following class abilities

with your companion for every 4 caster levels you possess:
camouflage, favored enemy, favored terrain, hide in plain sight,
resist nature’s lure, swift tracker, trackless step, venom immunity,
and woodland stride. You must have the ability in question to
share it with your companion, and it functions for your companion
just as it functions for you, save that each favored enemy or favored terrain you share counts as a separate class ability for the
purpose of this spell.

According to the Hunter's Bond ability from the CRB your animal companions:

Hunter's Bond wrote:
A ranger's animal companion shares his favored enemy and favored terrain bonuses.

Minor nitpick but I can see this spell causing confusion to new ranger players/GM's.

However some/one archetype (Beast Master) don't have that line in their Animal Companion ability; so it's a nice bonus for those archetypes that do lose it.

Platypus are not animals though, they are aberrations... seriously. Who among you can really deny me on this?
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Australia agrees with you.

I love this book, but I have two complaints:

1. The alchemist didn't get an archetype with a guinea pig/lab rat familiar.

2. The porcupine isn't available as a familiar. :(
Dark Archive
1 person marked this as a favorite.

If you put a hat on the platypus does its CR go up?
carmachu wrote:
If you put a hat on the platypus does its CR go up?

This is made better because I am working on a Awakened Platypus Monk...

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