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I really want boon companion but I am not sure if its worth it. I feel like the pet will be horrible without it and decent with it, but then i have to delay my other feats. I also have a feeling that at high level it might not make as much of a difference.
I am level 4 and I would get it at level 5.
Any words of wisdom :)?
Heya! I have also recently been looking into playing a ranger (mind you, I have NOT yet, so take my words with a pinch of salt...) and it somewhat depends on your playstyle in my opinion, as well as what companions you had in mind.
For instance, when I was making my ranger, I had the concept of making it used as a mount, but wanted not just a normal mount, but a flying one. As a result, I went beastmaster variant of ranger to get a Roc, which from a statistical standpoint, ROCS! (Horrible pun, I know)
Admittingly, level dipping with the ranger did prove useful for me, as I did a level dip into Dragoon (A warrior variant from ultimate combat), that granted Mounted Combat and Skill Focus: Ride.
Now, the exact same may not be the same for you, however I encountered a slightly similar situation of where to place the blasted feat. Things to take into consideration is the starting level of the campaign (some feats can lead to a quicker way of getting others, but will royally screw you over early on...)
Another thing that may assist in helping you out is knowing what kind of ranger you are playing as. Are you playing more based on archery, perhaps a mounted combat player similar to myself, or perhaps a switch hitter similar to Aragorn from Lord of the Rings?
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Heya! I have also recently been looking into playing a ranger (mind you, I have NOT yet, so take my words with a pinch of salt...) and it somewhat depends on your playstyle in my opinion, as well as what companions you had in mind.
For instance, when I was making my ranger, I had the concept of making it used as a mount, but wanted not just a normal mount, but a flying one. As a result, I went beastmaster variant of ranger to get a Roc, which from a statistical standpoint, ROCS! (Horrible pun, I know)
Admittingly, level dipping with the ranger did prove useful for me, as I did a level dip into Dragoon (A warrior variant from ultimate combat), that granted Mounted Combat and Skill Focus: Ride.
Now, the exact same may not be the same for you, however I encountered a slightly similar situation of where to place the blasted feat. Things to take into consideration is the starting level of the campaign (some feats can lead to a quicker way of getting others, but will royally screw you over early on...)
Another thing that may assist in helping you out is knowing what kind of ranger you are playing as. Are you playing more based on archery, perhaps a mounted combat player similar to myself, or perhaps a switch hitter similar to Aragorn from Lord of the Rings?
Bow ranger with no mount, no room to ride on one so far. I would like to get a small/medium cat till 8, then switch to a wolf possibly.
Ok, sorry about the VERY long delay in responding MrJello, however work has been hectic recently.
Note: Things that are listed are not ALL the feats obtained at each level, but the notable ones where tons of options are available (so for example, will NOT be showing things such as favored enemy or camouflage.)
Human Ranger, shooting from the back
level 1: Point Blank Shot, Toughness
level 2: Rapid Shot (Bow Combat Style feat)
level 3: Precise Shot
level 4: You get your pet
level 5: Deadly Aim
level 6: Manyshot (Bow Combat Style feat)
level 7: Boon Companion
This allows you to gain about as much fire power as early as possible for the archer and then proceeding to gain the boon for your new best buddy. The downside of this is that is has an extremely high emphasis on full round action attacks, so if your dealing with A LOT of enemies, or happen to be caught off guard and not having anybody to prevent them from getting to you it can severely crush the damage output. This said though, the companion can be a great tool to prevent them from getting to you as a "if you try to pass me, ill swipe you". Until then though, you'll have to rely a bit more on your teammates to ensure that you are able to use full round actions safely each turn.
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Ok, sorry about the VERY long delay in responding MrJello, however work has been hectic recently.
Note: Things that are listed are not ALL the feats obtained at each level, but the notable ones where tons of options are available (so for example, will NOT be showing things such as favored enemy or camouflage.)
Human Ranger, shooting from the back
level 1: Point Blank Shot, Toughness
level 2: Rapid Shot (Bow Combat Style feat)
level 3: Precise Shot
level 4: You get your pet
level 5: Deadly Aim
level 6: Manyshot (Bow Combat Style feat)
level 7: Boon CompanionThis allows you to gain about as much fire power as early as possible for the archer and then proceeding to gain the boon for your new best buddy. The downside of this is that is has an extremely high emphasis on full round action attacks, so if your dealing with A LOT of enemies, or happen to be caught off guard and not having anybody to prevent them from getting to you it can severely crush the damage output. This said though, the companion can be a great tool to prevent them from getting to you as a "if you try to pass me, ill swipe you". Until then though, you'll have to rely a bit more on your teammates to ensure that you are able to use full round actions safely each turn.
I would agree but i already have deadly aim so I think I like getting:
5 Boon Companion6 Improved Precise Shot(get this here or at 10 at the very least, I would rather have many shot here otherwise)
7 Many Shot
Luckily most fights are indoors or underground so its easier for melee to make a wall. I just have this need to make my pet almost as good as the melee in the group that I play with.
Its so hard to decide
I am making a Ranged ranger with the beastmaster archetype and taking boon companion and reading this I had to admit what I was thinking of for my pet....Koko the Samurai Ape.
As for advice, I'd go with boon Companion first and foremost. Sure you may not be the best archer but many seem to be saying archery can be OP if done right, so by taking Boon Companion, your on par with everyone else.
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I am making a Ranged ranger with the beastmaster archetype and taking boon companion and reading this I had to admit what I was thinking of for my pet....Koko the Samurai Ape.
As for advice, I'd go with boon Companion first and foremost. Sure you may not be the best archer but many seem to be saying archery can be OP if done right, so by taking Boon Companion, your on par with everyone else.
My group has 2 rangers we own things so far, so adding pet dps to that is gona be sick.
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6th level is for Improved Precise Shot. 7th level is for Manyshot.
That's basically gospel for an Archery Ranger. You can take whatever feat anywhere else - but 6 & 7th should be reserved for the two feats I mentioned above.
Your primary use for a pet is a mount so you can make full attacks and move around. If you haven't had that opportunity yet and don't expect that to change I think Boon Companion would be a waste.
I'm a huge fan of taking Boon Companion as soon as possible. I'm playing a TWF Ranger right now and just picked up a badger. It's fantastic. While absolute min-max may call for just using a mount, I like my pet for other things. Especially when using Archery. You get a personal meat shield, a flanking buddy for the rest of your party. You even get a good deal of damage potential that also benefits from most party buffs. Bard songs and Bless from clerics come to mind.
Once you hit 7, you can very easily swap over to a wolf or a horse and having your mount if you so choose. And it's a beefy enough mount that a single fireball won't have you lacking a mount.
If you're going to actively use an animal companion, I can't think of any reason to not take boon companion.
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Boon Companion is worthwhile. I'd rather delay other feats than delay this. Also note that you could afford a one level dip into another class and your pet won't suffer. In our group, my small fox (dog template) might just be the best front liner we have. Your pet could be an asset in keeping you at range, and shooting your bow.
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Boon Companion is worthwhile. I'd rather delay other feats than delay this. Also note that you could afford a one level dip into another class and your pet won't suffer. In our group, my small fox (dog template) might just be the best front liner we have. Your pet could be an asset in keeping you at range, and shooting your bow.
Agreed
I could always dip 1 into fighter for a free feat :). I would dip into monk but the -1 sucks.Actually i would switch to wolf at 9 for vital strike bite 4d6, i guess thats decent.
Well, if you ever start thinking about going into mounted combat with your pet, level 1 dip into Dragoon (Warrior subtype from Ultimate Combat). Gives Mounted Combat and skill focus: Ride at class level 1.
I would say boon companion is a higher dpr boost than just about any fet u can take.. With that said it should be taken asap.. Ntm it makes ur comp a decent tank as well.. One of the best feats a ranger can take no matter what his specialty is..
I'm planning to take Boon Companion at level 5, too, since I want to use my animal companion for mobile archery. I'll be staying with a horse, though, since I prefer that my Ranger has a great bond with this one companion.
I'll be delaying Manyshot until level 10 to take Craft Wand at level 7 ( I got the Magical Knack trait, so yes, it's possible to do so ). Since the list of good archery feats you can take with the archery Ranger fighting style is pretty limited, I personally will delay a bit and get Manyshot at 10 and Point Blank Master at 14.
It's not the optimal build for maximum damage, but it gives me more flexibility with my spells and it keeps the GM from seeing me as too much of a target. I'd rather see the Barbarian get hit in the face, rather than me. :p
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I really want boon companion but I am not sure if its worth it. I feel like the pet will be horrible without it and decent with it, but then i have to delay my other feats. I also have a feeling that at high level it might not make as much of a difference.
I am level 4 and I would get it at level 5.
Any words of wisdom :)?
Do you want it as a melee fighter or as a mount?
One feat that's not listed much is Look Out. Pair it at least with your AC and you can full attack in a surprise round. Very nice addition up front in the fight.
-James
Its more for fighting I have yet to even fight much outside. All though if given the choice i will use a horse or wolf mount.
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I really want boon companion but I am not sure if its worth it. I feel like the pet will be horrible without it and decent with it, but then i have to delay my other feats. I also have a feeling that at high level it might not make as much of a difference.
I am level 4 and I would get it at level 5.
Any words of wisdom :)?
Do you want it as a melee fighter or as a mount?
One feat that's not listed much is Look Out. Pair it at least with your AC and you can full attack in a surprise round. Very nice addition up front in the fight.
-James
Its more for fighting I have yet to even fight much outside. All though if given the choice i will use a horse or wolf mount. Really hope that it can tank well and dps at least average.
My ranger in my tabletop game was not allowed to take Boon Companion, as I was already a bit more effective than some of the other characters, and the DM agreed with the notion that it's among the most powerful feats a ranger can take. My animal companion (small cat) and I are a pretty deadly team in melee even without it, but I would take it as soon as you're able to, at level 5. I'm just starting an Infiltrator Ranger in a PbP game, and I can't wait for Boon Companion.
Before I was told I couldn't go with Boon Companion, I asked about it here. Lots of other useful views on it there.
When you are fighting a favored enemy the animal companion also gets those bonuses. At level 10 a wolf accounts for about 30 points of DPR without Boon Companion.
When you are fighting a favored enemy the animal companion also gets those bonuses. At level 10 a wolf accounts for about 30 points of DPR without Boon Companion.
Interesting, where is that in the rules? I must have read right over it.
A ranger's animal companion shares his favored enemy and favored terrain bonuses..
Under where it talkes about the hunter's bond. animal companion..
I play a ranger in Rotrl and i have a big cat companion with boon companion and regularly does as much damage as me and somtimes more.. Ntm the bonuses apply to him cmb.. Bite/Claw/Claw is also 3 grapple checks at +25 vs gaints.. being grappled by a bic cat sucks...
Boon Companion is on par with power attack/deadly aim for dpr boost with my character.. Hell if i ran the numbers it might even be more..
Lucky you, big cats are normally not on the list for rangers.
Thanks for the info.
Hes a Beastmaster
I wonder how that shared FE bonus for the animal companion interacts with the Instant Enemy spell?
There an official ruling on that? Because as i read it it works just fine..
With this spell you designate the target as your favored enemy for the remainder of its duration. Select one of your favored enemy types. For the duration of the spell, you treat the target as if it were that type of favored enemy for all purposes.
You have FE Giants +6, You fight a dragon and cast instant enemy selecting giant.. For the duration of the spell u treat the dragon as a giant for all purposes involving FE..
Your companion shares ur FE bonuses.. Seems cut and dry that the companion gets these bonuses as well..
There an official ruling on that? Because as i read it it works just fine..
With this spell you designate the target as your favored enemy for the remainder of its duration. Select one of your favored enemy types. For the duration of the spell, you treat the target as if it were that type of favored enemy for all purposes.
You have FE Giants +6, You fight a dragon and cast instant enemy selecting giant.. For the duration of the spell u treat the dragon as a giant for all purposes involving FE..
Your companion shares ur FE bonuses.. Seems cut and dry that the companion gets these bonuses as well..
That'd be my first reading as well.
Ugh. There was a lengthy discussion on it, somewhere, recently...
Dunno if a dev chimed in or was quoted. United Forum Intelligence pointed towards what James wrote.
If I remember correctly, the part of the spell where it reads [..]as if[...] was tipping the scales in favor of the nay-sayers, because the ranger does not actually gain the FE bonus. *shrugs*
@Werepox: Beastmaster changes that, of course!
Ruyan.
I fail to see how that matters.. To me if your getting FE bonuses against a target, so is ur companion.. I agree that the spell has nothing to do with the companion, but it specifically states that ur companion shares ur FE bonuses. If you have the bonus, he shares it..
An official ruling would change my mind, but as is i would be ok with it as a gm...
Yeah, the part where it states that your companion shares your bonus tips me towards saying that Instant Enemy should work on him, too. Contrary to Bane weapons, for example.
I had a Ranger in my Kind Maker AP that I ran. He took boon companion. It wasn't worth it. While it was handy at the low level by the higher levels the animal companion just fell into the background. Now a druid's animal companion works better, they buff it up with spells. The ranger can do that too to lesser degree but he was too busy filling people with arrow to bother.
Unless your campaign is completely indoors, having an animal companion is amazing as an archer for mobility. And, as noted in the archer Ranger guide, he is good for overrunning enemies at the very least. ^^
Found it - not really lengthy though...
Ruyan.
Um, yeah. That is just, like, your opinion man, regarding that that interpretation. IMO, the wording that the animal companions shares your favorite enemy bonuses, without any strings attached as far as I can see, makes it likely that Instant Enemy works for the AC as well.
I was actually in favor of letting it work...
Sorry, I was a bit irritated, since ( in my poor reading, apparently ) you made it sound like James Jacobs had said something about the whole thing, when it was James Maissen, who is just another non-Paizo board member.
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By RAW i can see no reason it doesnt work.. RAI would be somthing a Dev would have to make a decision on..
If the RAW says the "bonuses" are shared with the animal companion, and the spell says the ranger gets those bonuses, then the animal companion should benefit.
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It does not matter. The ranger is still getting his bonuses. Now if you want to show me where the ranger is not getting his bonuses I will change my answer. The spell just allows you to apply the bonus to another creature unless I am misreading it.