Excellent idea (and title too), put it on the schedule Paizo! (please)
+1
can't be a big book, but surely more than a 32 page companion. Is there something in between?
I honestly think there could be enough material there for a hardcover rulebook.
They could also have special barding as magic items. They could even go into where the mounts are found. It could have some more things for training animals in a social section of a companion.
I would like to add: yes! Yes and yes. I would love such a book too. I nearly always play pet classes (come to think of it). I would love just a clean write-out of everything, more options, more items.. more.. everything. ^^
Agree 100%
The game needs such a book much more than a new race book in my opinion. I think we are now up to 6 classes (oracle nature, paladin, cleric animal domain, cavalier, ranger, druid) with the animal companion feature, two of which with int 6 mounts (oracle nature, paladin)
add Shadow Dancer, Diabolist
+1
can't be a big book, but surely more than a 32 page companion. Is there something in between?
I'm almost positive that whatever they do has to be multiples of 16. So 48 or 64 would work. I imagine that if new mounted combat rules and options were presented, those sizes would be reasonably easy to fill with desirable content. Not everyone would buy this niche book but enough classes involve "buddies" that I suspect it'd do well.
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The Companion Companion!
I would also buy an expanded companion/mount/familiar/eidolon/cohort/hireling book!
AND an 'Ultimate Gear' book as Set suggested.
A "Player Companion" book (or three) would probably suffice, but I would definitely pay for this if it were to be hard-covered and called something like... Bestiary 3.
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A formal system for folks who don't get companions to do so.Adding companion options for classes that don't have them.
Here is the non-formal 3.5E version...
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*Ultimate Companion could also deal with rules for Leadership (cohorts and followers), hirelings and henchmen, animated undead, planar allies and bound critters, golems / homonculi and other constructs, etc. Any sort of secondary character that can accompany a primary character...
*Ultimate Gear book that includes not just some new items of equipment, but also some developments in equipment, such as expanded crafting rules...
They could probably test the waters with something like "Companions Revisited" book. If it does well, then it could be developed into a larger hardcover.
I think we are now up to 6 classes (oracle nature, paladin, cleric animal domain, cavalier, ranger, druid) with the animal companion feature, two of which with int 6 mounts (oracle nature, paladin)
Nine PRD base classes currently have the option to get animal companions. Barbarian (with Mounted Fury archetype), Cavalier, Cleric (with Animal domain), Druid, Inquisitor (with Animal domain), Oracle (with Nature mystery), Paladin, Ranger, and Sorcerer (Sylvan wildblooded Fey bloodline).
Five PRD base classes can get animal familiars. Bard (Sea Singer archetype), Druid (Blight Druid archetype, Eagle/Frog/Monkey/Serpent domains), Magus (arcana), Sorcerer (Arcane or Serpentine bloodlines), and Wizard.
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Nine PRD base classes currently have the option to get animal companions. Barbarian (with Mounted Fury archetype), Cavalier, Cleric (with Animal domain), Druid, Inquisitor (with Animal domain), Oracle (with Nature mystery), Paladin, Ranger, and Sorcerer (Sylvan wildblooded Fey bloodline).
Five PRD base classes can get animal familiars. Bard (Sea Singer archetype), Druid (Blight Druid archetype, Eagle/Frog/Monkey/Serpent domains), Magus (arcana), Sorcerer (Arcane or Serpentine bloodlines), and Wizard.
And if an 'ultimate companion' book is to live up to its name, it should probably cover the Summoner and his Eidolon as well.
Plus there's the stuff that *everyone* can use (Monks, Rogues, etc.), like buying a dog or horse or trained monkey with a little vest and using Handle Animal on it, or taking the Leadership feat, or just hiring someone to cook your meals, carry your pack and wash your fancy robes.
Ideally, IMO, such a book should include cohorts/followers, animal companions, familiars, henchmen/hirelings, eidolons and garden-variety horses, hounds, hawks, etc. as well as rules to expand all of the above (new improved familiar options, a familiar-themed archetype, rules for vermin or magical beast companions, expanded rules for Handle Animal and fleshed-out descriptions for how an animal becomes 'combat-trained' and what it gets when it does, etc.).
Five PRD base classes can get animal familiars. Bard (Sea Singer archetype), Druid (Blight Druid archetype, Eagle/Frog/Monkey/Serpent domains), Magus (arcana), Sorcerer (Arcane or Serpentine bloodlines), and Wizard.
Gah, six. Witch, of course.
As a player of Cavaliers and Paladins, and as a player who gives almost everyone of his PCs the Leadership feat, and as a player in solo, 1 on 1, and smallish party (2-3 players) games, I can safely say this is one of the best ideas out there right now.
Can't decide between Ultimate Companion or the Companion Companion for best title, though. :P
I also think this would further seperate Pathfinder from that other game we used to love. Everything that has been released to this point has been done in one way or another already. But, this would be a Pathfinder specific development. The current Kobold Magazine really got me thinking about how little attention the companion and cohort has really gotten. I want a knight on a large bipedal bird or some other atypical mount, but as it stands right now pony and horse are about it for most games.
I want a knight on a large bipedal bird or some other atypical mount, but as it stands right now pony and horse are about it for most games.
Axe Beak, Bonus Bestiary, character has to be level 4 druid-equivalent however before it becomes large. Commonly found in Absalom(sp?) due to the local centaur population's dislike of horses.
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I honestly think there could be enough material there for a hardcover rulebook.
I could too. Below is just me dreaming something up in 5 minutes for kicks and giggles.
Advanced Companion Guide
- new companions, mounts, warbeasts, familiars, eidolons
- new mount & Handle Animal skill options
- new feats, teamwork feats (Rohirrim Charge!), spells, and traits
- new equipment: saddles, & mount armor and weaponry
- gamemastering chapter: viable rules for mounts in enclosed settings, mount bestiary, and mount creation rules (this may already be in a hardback. I haven't read the bestiaries in great detail yet.
This in addition to a Campaign Setting book like the Warbeasts of Golarion mentioned earlier.
I don't know. A full hardback seems a bit much for various companions, a revisited book seems more like the right page count. On the other hand, while companions seem well a pretty mundane topic they may now be class features for enough classes to generate enough interest or a hardcover.
Companion, 32 pages is too short, would be another Humans of Golarion
Won't somebody please think of the children?
AND Roughrider Fighter? Barbarians can get a mount, fighters cannot.
WHY, IN THE NAME OF THE GODS OF GAMING
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I like the companion rule but i do not think they work for mounts. I mean there should be a different list. A mounts biggest need is to be big. To carry there rider. Take a raptor. it is just a lot meaner then a horse. IF you made it large. I think that if you removed some of the powers and other things for a mount only list. it would be better. A mount horse do not need the scent trait. IT needs to be trained to stay in combat. I understand that flying mounts are a bigger problem. But I think that also should be work able. For are campaign I worked out rules for a unicorn mount for the virgin paladin and a dragon for the other paladin.
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Some ideas for said book:
Eidolons - New base forms (slower evolution point gain in exchange for abilities related to different planar subtypes)Familiars - Spirit familiars such as kami, loa, and manitou
Cohort Archtypes - class archtypes for cohorts, geared towards support roles (such as squire)
Ooh, I love the spirit familiar and cohort archetype ideas!
Undead, Fey, Dragon, etc. type eidolons (with the extraplanar subtype, where necessary) could also be very cool.
I remember when Tome of Magic for 3.5 came out and I felt that the Totemist class *so* terribly missed the boat. An undead, dragon, elemental/genie, demon/devil/archon, aberration, animal, etc. themed Totemist could have *rocked,* and not been the themeless mish-mash of bizarre monsters-that-didn't-fit-anywhere-else that was Magical Beasts.
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That'd be cool. Maybe it could include a character sheet type thing for them too...Like THIS ONE? :)
Just a quick FYI ...
The new issue of Kobold Quarterly I mentioned before is now out:
I'm thinking some of you (or hopefully, ALL of you :) might find the Beast Masters article interesting and helpful ... it's not an entire book, but it's a start :)
Like THIS ONE? :)
Thanks for the link, that's very cool and useful for me.
I don't know why people don't think they could make a whole book on this. If anything, I think they'd have a hard time limiting it. Between feats, spells, magic items, prestige classes? and archetypes (hopefully few, they're starting to go overboard on these) based on ACs, familiars, and Eidolons, I think they'd have a ton of stuff to cover. not to mention, of course, a plethora of potential rules covering summoned monsters and cohorts.
I can't speak for everyone here, but ACs/Familiars play a huge part in most of my games.
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Like THIS ONE? :)Thanks for the link, that's very cool and useful for me.
Awesome - glad you like it!
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I'd buy one.
I don't need 82 billion additional mounts/companions/familiars but additional rules and options for them would be good.
Options like:
A formal system for folks who don't get companions to do so. Or to upgrade them. A sorcerer should be able to use a combination of familiar and animal companion mechanics for his "friend" if he pays the right feats.
Mechanics to ease the burden of having a companion. Teleport just became available? Great. Unless you've got a companion in which case you wait 3 more levels to add the extra body. Or stick it in an bag of holding. I've got house-ruled "companion bracelets" that help with stuff like this but that's house.
Stuff like that. Feats, magic items, spells, goodies for and about our furry little friends. That I'd pay for.
So you want pokeballs?