I can do level 5 druid spells there are a few I don't get. First is "Animal Growth". An animal can double in size. If I used a medium sized animal would I be able to ride it? Second is "Awaken". An animal or tree gains human intellect. If I used it on my animal companion I heard that it could speak common language and talk to me. Would it be able to use items after a check. I wanted to use this but my only thing is that he might not be loyal enough to stay my companion, he may leave. Is this true? These answers will really help me. Thanks:)
Yes if you used animal growth on a medium animal you should be able to ride it. This may still be subject to training and/or physical feasibility issues (does it need four legs? I feel like that was a rule somewhere).
You cannot awaken an animal and keep it as your animal companion. Your animal companion needs to be of the "animal" type, and awaken turns it into a "magical beast." Regardless, an awakened animal can indeed speak. It could also use certain items as any other character would, though again, certain physical feasibility issues may come into play. Can't very well manipulate a magic harp with paws, after all.
|
"An awakened animal gets 3d6 Intelligence, +1d3 Charisma, and +2 HD. Its type becomes magical beast (augmented animal). An awakened animal can't serve as an animal companion, familiar, or special mount."
So that is correct, the Animal Companion would leave your service.
However, . . . "You have no special empathy or connection with a creature you awaken, although it serves you in specific tasks or endeavors if you communicate your desires to it.", so in a way it might act like a second animal companion in a way, at least for a little while.
Animal Growth
"This alteration changes the animal's size category to the next largest"
You can ride a creature (within reason) that is one size catagory larger than you, or bigger. So assuming the animal is normally Medium, and you are normally Medium or Small, and the animal is one that you can reasonably ride, then yes, you may ride the animal by using this spell.
But if he(my companion) still likes what I've done for him, is it possible he will stay with me. I did find him as an egg so we've had a long time to bond.
You could take the leadership feat and if your charisma is high enough to have a cohort of his hit-dice, he could be your cohort, and then you acquire a new animal companion in addition.
Do I get to pick his alignment, I already have the feat actually, it's how I got my Nightmare.
His alignment would most likely start out as true neutral, he has spent most his life as an animal.
If you already have a cohort, you will either need to dismiss that cohort, or if you have obscenely high charisma for a druid, maybe you can have both an awakened, former animal companion cohort and a 6 hit-die nightmare follower. You would need a minimum leadership score of 21 to have a 6 hd follower, and leadership score is character level + charisma modifier +- modifiers. You already get a -2 modifier for having an animal companion, so if you were a person of great renown across the land, you would get a +2 to counteract that penalty. Even so, you would need to be a 15th level character with a 22 charisma score.
If you don't have obscenely high charisma, you could dismiss the nightmare entirely and just replace it with your awakened animal companion. You still would have to have at least a charisma score of 18, and be well renowned across the land to have a cohort of the same hit-dice as you.
So I can't have both my nightmare and my companion if I chose to do this?
Can I have both or do I have to get rid of my nightmare. Another option is can I use him as a special mount?
You would need to lose the nightmare, unless you have the charisma score of a very charming god, and even then, it would be a follower, not a cohort. And, even if you do get rid of your nightmare, you still need at least an 18 charisma score to have a cohort of the same level as you (because your class gives you an animal companion, giving you a -2 penalty to your charisma. This can include items that give a permanent charisma bonus.) If you are not well renowned across the land, you will need a 22 charisma score.