I have been considering playing a ranger beastmaster (AGP) or a cavalier huntmaster (Animal Archives), but do not understand how the huntmaster feat (ARG) will work with multiple companions of the selected type. Will it apply to each of the companions of the selected type, only one companion, or will it have any effect at all?
Any help would be appreciated.
Firstly, the relevant rule text:
Huntmaster
You are an expert trainer of horses, hounds, falcons, or hunting cats.
Prerequisites: Handle Animal 1 rank; either the animal companion, divine bond (mount), or mount class feature; human.
Benefit: If you have the animal companion class feature, pick one of the following types of animal companions that this feat affects: bird, dog, small cat, or horse. If you have the divine bond (mount) or mount class feature, this feat always affects horses.
You gain a +2 bonus on Handle Animal and Knowledge (nature) checks with creatures of that type of animal. Furthermore, you are treated as one level higher when determining the abilities of your animal companion or mount, as long as it is of the chosen type.
While I'm not familiar with the Huntmaster archetype (yet), I can tell you that the feat will treat you as one level higher in total for your animal companion class feature. This means that for the Beast Master archetype for ranger, your effective druid level will be your Ranger level -2 instead of -3.
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Would Huntmaster stack with Boon Companion? If you have multiple animal companions, can each of them be up to your full HD for effective Druid level of are they limited? I really like the idea of a pack leader type character, but having multiple low-level companions seems like a recipe for them dying pretty frequently in mid-level games.
Would Huntmaster stack with Boon Companion? If you have multiple animal companions, can each of them be up to your full HD for effective Druid level of are they limited?
Those feats affect your effective druid level, not the companion's effective level. If you had Huntmaster and Boon Companion on a Ranger, you'd end up with your level +1 effective Druid levels for the purpose of Animal companions, but if you wanted more than one, you'd have to split those levels as normal.
I really like the idea of a pack leader type character, but having multiple low-level companions seems like a recipe for them dying pretty frequently in mid-level games.
That is exactly what happens if you take multiple low level companions. The only really good use of multiple companions is to have a low level scout type companion, like a bird or something, and then your normal companion that is just one level lower or something.
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Would Huntmaster stack with Boon Companion? If you have multiple animal companions, can each of them be up to your full HD for effective Druid level of are they limited?Those feats affect your effective druid level, not the companion's effective level. If you had Huntmaster and Boon Companion on a Ranger, you'd end up with your level +1 effective Druid levels for the purpose of Animal companions, but if you wanted more than one, you'd have to split those levels as normal.
I really like the idea of a pack leader type character, but having multiple low-level companions seems like a recipe for them dying pretty frequently in mid-level games.That is exactly what happens if you take multiple low level companions. The only really good use of multiple companions is to have a low level scout type companion, like a bird or something, and then your normal companion that is just one level lower or something.
You are incorrect in your interpretation of Boon Companion's effects. The Feat explicitly states, "Special: You may select this feat more than once. The effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a different animal companion or familiar." Therefore, Boon Companion can be taken for each animal, in fact each instance's effects can only be used on one companion.
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You are incorrect in your interpretation of Boon Companion's effects. The Feat explicitly states, "Special: You may select this feat more than once. The effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a different animal companion or familiar." Therefore, Boon Companion can be taken for each animal, in fact each instance's effects can only be used on one companion.
I think you are misunderstanding the effect.
"Benefit: The abilities of your animal companion or familiar are calculated as though your class were 4 levels higher, to a maximum effective druid level equal to your character level. If you have more than one animal companion or familiar, choose one to receive this benefit. If you lose or dismiss an animal companion or familiar that has received this benefit, you may apply this feat to the replacement creature."
You are thinking the benefit applies to one specific creature, but it applies to one "Animal Companion," which is a class feature. The Beastmaster feature is also an "Animal Companion" even though you can actually get several animals from the feature.
The purpose of allowing you to take it more than once is in case you have multiple classes that grant familiars/companions that don't stack with each other. If you are a Druid/Wizard, for example, you could take it twice and apply one to the animal companion and one to the familiar.
So, when you take Boon Companion as a Beastmaster, you use it on your Animal Companion feature, which raises your Effective Druid level to your Ranger level, then you divide that as usual.