Handling Animals as a non-druid / ranger

[Waffle_Neutral]

Under handle animal it says that you can Handle Animal as a move action, or a free action if you are a Druid or Ranger, and Druids or Rangers get +4 to Handle their companions.

Does this include any class that gets an animal companion, such as Paladins, Cavaliers, or Clerics with the Animal Domain? In all cases, those classes' animal companions use the Druid rules. What I find odd is that Ranger is singled out under Handle Animal, even though its companion also behaves as if a Druid's.

[LazarX]

They use the Druid rules only for determining the power of the companion. Only a Ranger can handle wild animal companions as a free action. Cavaliers and Paladins with the animal mount treat their steeds as trained warhorses. Animal domain clerics use the rules that mundane folks do. i.e. Handle animal as a standard action.

[Seraphimpunk]

if it advances as an animal companion using the animal companion rules, it gains the abilities based on the character's level like a standard animal companion.

the Link ability is what allows druids, clerics, rangers, paladins, cavaliers to handle their animal as a free action with the +4 bonus

Link (Ex): A druid can handle her animal companion as a free action, or push it as a move action, even if she doesn't have any ranks in the Handle Animal skill. The druid gains a +4 circumstance bonus on all wild empathy checks and Handle Animal checks made regarding an animal companion.

When it says your effective druid level = your class level in paladin/cavalier, or your level -3 in ranger, you can substitute Druid for ClassName when figuring the benefit.

[Waffle_Neutral]

Seraphimpunk wrote:

if it advances as an animal companion using the animal companion rules, it gains the abilities based on the character's level like a standard animal companion.

the Link ability is what allows druids, clerics, rangers, paladins, cavaliers to handle their animal as a free action with the +4 bonus

Link (Ex): A druid can handle her animal companion as a free action, or push it as a move action, even if she doesn't have any ranks in the Handle Animal skill. The druid gains a +4 circumstance bonus on all wild empathy checks and Handle Animal checks made regarding an animal companion.

When it says your effective druid level = your class level in paladin/cavalier, or your level -3 in ranger, you can substitute Druid for ClassName when figuring the benefit.

Ah, thanks. Don't know how I missed that.