Okay,
So, I'm not new to gaming, but I'm relatively new to Pathfinder.
My group is playing through Rise of the Runelords and I'm playing a Half-Orc Sorcerer. I'm really digging the character, and the team seems to really like him too.
Point is, early in the game when the goblins attack Sandpoint, while putting out fires the GM added an 'orphaned puppy' to the game. My character adopted the puppy and has been raising him since.
My concern is that eventually we're going to get to a point where the puppy is just going to die. I mean, really. People throw fireballs at player characters all the time (only a slight exaggeration), and I realized that unless I take levels as something pet-class-like, the dog is going to stay very very squishy.
My question is this: is there some rules related way to have the dog level up? Is that even done? Or failing that, is there someway to actually 'acquire' a familiar bond through a feat or something? I know there isn't a familiar bond feat in the rules as written. And even if there were, right now there's no game example of a 'dog' familiar at all, but is there any other thing I can do to help the dog be less squishy?
Note: I'm actually more of a combat gamer, but our group is more roleplay centered so I'm actually (for the first time in a long while) trying to enjoy the roleplay of this whole thing.
Leadership is your best choice. If you want him to stay a normal pup, just have him advance like an animal companion or some other way your DM finds agreeable. Or, get him Awoken by a druid and let him take class levels.
You could leave the puppy with family or friends, and visit.
take skill focus:knowledge arcana so you can get the eldritch heritage feat giving you the arcane bloodline ability, giving you a familiar. you're a sorcerer already so you have the 13 cha requirement.
Agreed, Awaken, ideally cast by a Druid wielding a rod of maximizing, and then Leadership feat. You will have the smartest dog in the neighbourhood :-). I am not sure what style and type the dog and game is, but you could go for it being a caster, if you can handle the workload. Maybe a druid, the shape changing could help out. Or an arcane caster, for the polymorfphs.
Bard would be a tad too comic, what is he going to do, sing?
Main melee classes would probably not go so well, it is a dog after all.
You can take it the sorcerer way (crossblodded orc/draconic level 5, dragon disciple thereafter), and build it around breath weapon and dragon breath (the spell). With an enlarge (or even better, grow animal), you can ride it as well. It eventually grows wings, and you have your flying mount, the Dragondog... :-)
Just glad the DM didn't give you a pig...
Awaken turns the dog into something else though, not sure you want that.
Making him your familiar might be a good idea. Alternatively make him an Animal Companion (eldritch heritage Sylvan with Boon Companion)
A level dip into druid works too of course, with Boon Companion it counts as a 5th level one, but it won't get higher after that so you'll face the same problem again in a few levels.
To bad this: http://paizo.com/products/btpy8tdj?Pathfinder-Player-Companion-Animal-Archi ve , isn't out till Jan because these might have some stuff to help.
Also don't forget you can have the dog trained, and permancy versions of magical fang and other such spells.
Good info all. Thank you very much for this. Looking at all of the options I have to admit that 'Awaken' is the best. The familiar thing is very very cool, but I'd have to jump through hoops that would use at least two feats (Skill Focus Knowledge (any one), and Eldritch Heritage (Bloodline Arcana - Eldrich Heritage requires you have skill focus in teh skill provided by the bloodline you're adding), and I think I've already got plans for all my feats.
I'm 'giving roleplay a shot' here, but its hard for me to spend 2 of my 10 lifetime feats (assuming we played to Lvl 20)(20%) on a cute little puppy.
I think that level of investment in roleplay might break something in me.
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Thinking about it, I might just give it to the kid who's dog and dad died when the lone goblin got stuck in his closet.
That seems the best thing to do.
Good info all. Thank you very much for this. Looking at all of the options I have to admit that 'Awaken' is the best. The familiar thing is very very cool, but I'd have to jump through hoops that would use at least two feats (Skill Focus Knowledge (any one), and Eldritch Heritage (Bloodline Arcana - Eldrich Heritage requires you have skill focus in teh skill provided by the bloodline you're adding), and I think I've already got plans for all my feats.
I'm 'giving roleplay a shot' here, but its hard for me to spend 2 of my 10 lifetime feats (assuming we played to Lvl 20)(20%) on a cute little puppy.
I think that level of investment in roleplay might break something in me.
If you think you can wait till it comes out, check this out. comes out in January
Pathfinder Player Companion: Animal Archive (PFRPG)
Linkified John's link.
Otherwise, just keep him around. Who says he has to join battle? Could just be a mascot.
You could awaken it and then give it to the kid, it would be a nifty npcs to have in that town and if I were dming and you decided to do this with the dog I wouldn't have the druid charge you for the spell, or at the most have the druid want to trade a spell for a quest of his. Along those same lines if something were to happen to your character giving levels to this kid as say a ranger and playing him and his dog companion wouldn't be a bad idea either, you would already have ties to the party and it would make sense that the boy would want to learn to protect himself after what happened, even taking goblin as a favored enemy...
Edit: sorry I just saw that the animal couldn't serve as a companion but no reason the kid couldn't take leadership and the dog be a cohort if the level was at the right spot. And would make sense that the dog would be loyal to the kid enough to serve as a cohort
You can take it the sorcerer way (crossblodded orc/draconic level 5, dragon disciple thereafter), and build it around breath weapon and dragon breath (the spell).
Umm... it's a dog. It has orc AND dragon heritage? Unless this is a comedy game, I don't see that flying. In addition to my standard dislike of the orc bloodline.
Making him your familiar might be a good idea. Alternatively make him an Animal Companion (eldritch heritage Sylvan with Boon Companion)
There are valid arguments why this doesn't work, since sylvan is modified by the wild blooded archetype from fey, and eldritch heritage says a sorcerer bloodline, not a sorcerer bloodline also modified by an archetype.
Umm... it's a dog. It has orc AND dragon heritage? Unless this is a comedy game, I don't see that flying. In addition to my standard dislike of the orc bloodline.
You can take it the sorcerer way (crossblodded orc/draconic level 5, dragon disciple thereafter), and build it around breath weapon and dragon breath (the spell).
Awaken -> the dog can take class levels (actually only levels it can take).
Crosblooded sorcerer = archetype. -> mix two bloodlines according to rules. This combo allows good bonuses to certain damage spells, as well as very good strength, and opens up for the prestige class Dragon Disciple, further improving strength and draconic specials.
If you are asking HOW the dog got orc blood in its bloodline, I must say I have no suggestion. But I am sure someome else do...
Personally I would not drag a dog around in a dungeon, but the OP asked how he could use the rules to make it survive, as well as make it a bit usefull. I think dogs are cute but goofy and completely unsuited for adventuring.
Better: take a Rhinoceros, awaken it, give it barbarian class levels, and ride the bugger into combat, screaming and wielding an oversized earth breaker... Now that is fantasy-esque...
On a different note:
Awaken alone will NOT make it take class levels, no rules support that the dog develops with the party, unless a Leadership feat is spent.
You could leave the puppy with family or friends, and visit.
This would be my recommendation as well.
At the first chance you get, maybe a stretch of time where you're not putting yourself in harms way, get a friend you trust or family member to come pick the little guy up and take care of him while you finish the rest of the adventure path. In the end, it'd give your character someone else to go home to when all is said and done.
Then again... if you're keeping him, you could keep him inside of a Bag of Holding to keep him safe and stuff a Bottle of Air (or whatever that endless air magic item is called) inside with him. That would keep the little guy nice and safe when all the Fireballs come out.
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My concern is that eventually we're going to get to a point where the puppy is just going to die. I mean, really. People throw fireballs at player characters all the time (only a slight exaggeration), and I realized that unless I take levels as something pet-class-like, the dog is going to stay very very squishy.
My question is this: is there some rules related way to have the dog level up? Is that even done? Or failing that, is there someway to actually 'acquire' a familiar bond through a feat or something? I know there isn't a familiar bond feat in the rules as written. And even if there were, right now there's no game example of a 'dog' familiar at all, but is there any other thing I can do to help the dog be less squishy?
Talk to your GM - there are some things that you shouldn't have to resort to the rules for. If I were running this, and everyone was enjoying having the dog around, I'd just have it peek out from behind the tree that it was peeing up when the fireball went off. I'd make a thing about its uncanny talent for being just in the right place at the right time to avoid harm. Meteor swarm obliterates an area? Dog peeks out from underneath a glowing and smoking tower shield it ducked under.
I might have your dog kidnapped by hungry goblins, but I wouldn't kill it off for no good reason.
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Use him to find traps, mourn, move on.
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Use him to find traps, mourn, move on.
Ouch, a little harsh huh?