Can a Druid have a Earth elemental as an animal companion?

[Kokoa Shuzen]

Can a Druid have a Earth elemental as an animal companion?? Per Pathfinder rules (forget what GM can rule, just by the book).

[Phillip0614]

Kokoa Shuzen wrote:

Can a Druid have a Earth elemental as an animal companion?? Per Pathfinder rules (forget what GM can rule, just by the book).

Short answer? No, because an elemental isn't an animal.

[BobChuck]

By the rules, no.

That said, looking specifically at the Small Earth Elemental and comparing the stat block to the various first level Animal Companion stat blocks, I'm not seeing anything significnatly overpowered.

The Earth Elemental has a higher AC and a slightly better attack, but it's slower and it only has a single natural attack; it's roughly equivalent to the Raptor.

Of course, it's also an elemental, which gives it some significant benefits, and it's technically intelligent (int 4), so it does not need to learn tricks.

I'd need to do the math on comparative creature advancement before I'd let a player have one, but going solely on my initial assessment, I'd say "feat tax and its fine".

[chaoskin]

Earth elemental is a Familiar not animal companion

Improved Familiar
This feat allows you to acquire a powerful familiar, but
only when you could normally acquire a new familiar.
Prerequisites: Ability to acquire a new familiar,
compatible alignment, sufficiently high level (see below).
Benefit: When choosing a familiar, the creatures listed
below are also available to you (see the Pathfinder RPG Bestiary
for statistics on these creatures). You may choose a familiar
with an alignment up to one step away on each alignment
axis (lawful through chaotic, good through evil).

Arcane Spellcaster Familiar Alignment Level
Elemental, Small (any type) Neutral 5th

[sunshadow21]

Either Complete Arcane or Players Handbook 2 had an option of taking an elemental as a companion back in 3.5; I can't remember the details of it, but it grew stronger at a different rate than a normal animal companion. Officially in PF though, I don't know of any option to do so.

[Tryn]

It was an alternate class feature at the "Complete Magic".
The Problem is that the druids companion progression back then was an other one.

From a DM perspective, I would allow it, maybe to start from a small elemental.
I like the idea of a "elemental druide", maybe change of some abilities, too.

Maybe something for an "alternate class" :)

[sunshadow21]

Tryn wrote:

It was an alternate class feature at the "Complete Magic".

The Problem is that the druids companion progression back then was an other one.

From a DM perspective, I would allow it, maybe to start from a small elemental.
I like the idea of a "elemental druide", maybe change of some abilities, too.

I knew it was somewhere in one of their dozen splat books.

[Sgmendez]

I would probably make a feat like this one.

Elemental Companion
Your ties to nature have evolved beyond the norm and into the primal elements of nature.

Prerequisite: Cha 13+, Animal Companion class feature (or something similar)

Benefit: You can choose an elemental companion from the list below. Your effective druid level for determining the abilities of any of these companions is equal to the class that provided you with the animal companion - 2 (minimum 1).

List of Elementals:

• Air Elemental
  Starting Statistics: Size Small; Speed fly 100 ft. (perfect); AC +2 natural armor; Attack slam (1d4); Ability Scores Str 12, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 11; Special Attacks air mastery; Special Qualities elemental traits

  4th-Level Advancement: Size Medium; AC +1 natural armor; Attack slam (1d6); Ability Scores Str +2, Dex +4, Con +2; Special Attacks whirlwind (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Str modifier, 10-30 ft.)

• Earth Elemental
  Starting Statistics: Size Small; Speed 20 ft., burrow 10 ft.; AC +4 natural armor; Attack slam (1d6); Ability Scores Str 16, Dex 8, Con 13, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 11; Special Attacks earth mastery; Special Qualities elemental traits, tremorsense 30 ft.

  4th-Level Advancement: Size Medium; Speed 20 ft., burrow 20 ft.; AC +3 natural armor; Attack slam (1d8); Ability Scores Str +4, Con +4; Special Qualities earth glide, tremorsense 60 ft.

• Fire Elemental
  Starting Statistics: Size Small; Speed 50 ft.; AC +2 natural armor; Attack slam (1d4 + burn); Ability Scores Str 10, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 11; Special Attacks burn (1d4, DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Con modifier); Special Qualities elemental traits, fire immunity, vulnerable to cold

  4th-Level Advancement: Size Medium; AC +1 natural armor; Attack slam (1d6 + burn); Ability Scores Str +2, Dex +4, Con +4; Special Attacks burn (1d6)

• Ice Elemental
  Starting Statistics: Size Small; Speed 20 ft., burrow (ice and snow only) 20 ft., swim 60 ft.; AC +4 natural armor; Attack slam (1d4 + 1d3 cold); Ability Scores Str 12, Dex 8, Con 13, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 11; Special Attacks numbing cold (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Con modifier); Special Qualities cold immunity, elemental traits, snow vision, vulnerable to fire

  4th-Level Advancement: Size Medium; AC +2 natural armor; Attack slam (1d6 + 1d4 cold); Ability Scores Str +4, Dex +2, Con +2; Special Qualities ice glide, icewalking

• Lightning Elemental
  Starting Statistics: Size Small; Speed fly 100 ft. (perfect); AC +1 natural armor; Attack slam (1d4 + 1d3 electricity); Ability Scores Str 10, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 11; Special Attacks metal mastery; Special Qualities elemental traits

  4th-Level Advancement: Size Medium; AC +1 natural armor; Attack slam (1d6 + 1d4 electicity); Ability Scores Str +4, Dex +4, Con +2; Special Attacks spark leap

• Magma Elemental
  Starting Statistics: Size Small; Speed 20 ft., burrow 20 ft.; AC +5 natural armor; Attack slam (1d3 + burn); Ability Scores Str 10, Dex 8, Con 11, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 11; Special Attacks burn (1d4, DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Con modifier), lava puddle; Special Qualities elemental traits, fire immunity, vulnerable to cold

  4th-Level Advancement: Size Medium; AC +2 natural armor; Attack slam (1d6 + burn); Ability Scores Str +4, Con +4; Special Qualities earth glide

• Mud Elemental
  Starting Statistics: Size Small; Speed 20 ft., burrow 10 ft., swim 30 ft.; AC +4 natural armor; Attack slam (1d6 + entrap); Ability Scores Str 14, Dex 8, Con 13, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 11; Special Attacks entrap (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Con modifier, 10 minutes, hardness 5, hp 5); Special Qualities acid immunity, elemental traits, tremorsense 30 ft.

  4th-Level Advancement: Size Medium; AC +2 natural armor; Attack slam (1d8 + entrap); Ability Scores Str +2, Dex +2, Con +2; Special Qualities earth glide

• Water Elemental
  Starting Statistics: Size Small; Speed 20 ft., swim 90 ft.; AC +4 natural armor; Attack slam (1d6); Ability Scores Str 14, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 11; Special Attacks drench, water mastery; Special Qualities elemental traits

  4th-Level Advancement: Size Medium; AC +2 natural armor; Attack slam (1d8); Ability Scores Str +2, Dex +2, Con +2; Special Attacks vortex (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Str modifier, 10-30 ft.)

[Kokoa Shuzen]

Thanks people!!! The Info. was great!! (^.^)\/

[Lael Treventhius]

Another way to do this, is somehow Awaken the elemental, and then take the leadership feat and have as a cohort.

[Kierato]

Lael Treventhius wrote:

Another way to do this, is somehow Awaken the elemental, and then take the leadership feat and have as a cohort.

Elementals are intelligent, they can even speak.