Fighter with Animal Companion

[Jayder22]

So I am starting up a campaign, 4 of us at level 1, and I have decided to go Fighter with a focus on archery. I would like to get an Animal Companion at level 4-5 kind of like a cleric with Animal Domain picks one up.

Anyone have any ideas of what I could give up that would make it fair/balanced?

[Mysterious Stranger]

Give up playing a fighter and play a ranger. There are plenty of archetypes if you are not interested is spells.

[ANebulousMistress]

Spell-less Ranger.

[garenv]

Jayder22 wrote:

So I am starting up a campaign, 4 of us at level 1, and I have decided to go Fighter with a focus on archery. I would like to get an Animal Companion at level 4-5 kind of like a cleric with Animal Domain picks one up.

Anyone have any ideas of what I could give up that would make it fair/balanced?

There is the Bonded pet option from Stategists and Tacticians by Purple Duck. It replaces either Armor Training at 3rd level or Weapon Training at 5th level, this replaces the entire armor or weapon training progression.

[Jayder22]

Thanks for the ideas.I have looked into ranger hybrid and archetype but they add so many things I don't want, i.e.favored enemy, terrain and give up bonuses I like on the fighter

[eakratz]

The previous two ideas are good. I'm playing a spell-less ranger in a campaign and it is a lot of fun.

There is the cavalier archetype luring cavalier which focuses on ranged combat. Samurai also,has some mounted benefits.

You could take leadership but that is waiting until level 7.

You can still purchase a heavy horse and try and work something out with your GM that allows you to advance its HD for some kind of trade-off.

[kyrt-ryder]

Signature Mount Feat (Note it doesn't actually have to serve as a mount, just be a creature that CAN be a mount.)

EDIT: alternatively, depending on how quickly your party levels (if you have ranks to spare for Handle Animal, which Animal Companions tend to require anyway) you could just buy a Yak and train it for combat. According to Adventurer's Armory, a Yak costs 24 gold and uses the stats of a Bison which is pretty badass at this level, especially for 24 gold.

With 2 int, your Yak can learn up to 6 tricks, which should be enough to handle most combat type stuff. For the occasional odd-ball situation that comes up in day to day life, pushing an animal to do something it isn't trained for is a DC 20 check that you can take 10 on.

[Jayder22]

thanks for the ideas, I will look into it. looks like Signature Mount Feat will do pretty much what I want at the cost of only 1 feat, and a slightly modified companion list (ones I can convince my GM I could conceivably ride)

The yak option looks interesting as well.

[kyrt-ryder]

If you're Small (or for level 9 and above if Medium) Tigers are an option.

It's no weirder than Riding Dogs/Wolves/Worgs

[bookrat]

If your gaming group allows it:

Charisma 13
Feat - Skill Focus (Knowledge: Nature)
Feat - Eldritch Heritage (Sylvan)
Feat - Boon Companion

This will allow you to get an animal companion as if your character level was a druid level.

This is contested, because the Sylvan sorcerer bloodline grants an animal companion at the cost of the bloodline arcana and the first bloodline power. My group didn't think it was overpowered, though. It played out just fine, and it's a 3 feat investment.

Oh, and you'll want to max out ranks in animal handling.

[kyrt-ryder]

Personally I think I'd go for the Yak before I went with a 3 feat chain, but Eldritch Heritage Sylvan is a backup.

[bookrat]

If you're ok with changing classes, check out the Cavalier archetype Hound Master

It's also located in Pathfinder Player Companion: Animal Archive, I think.

[bookrat]

kyrt-ryder wrote:

Personally I think I'd go for the Yak before I went with a 3 feat chain, but Eldritch Heritage Sylvan is a backup.

That would work for low levels, but the yak wouldn't level with you, so it would be taken out of combat easily with its low and never improving HP.

[kyrt-ryder]

True enough. It would probably last until around level 7ish if well-cared for. At which point he could probably afford to replace it with something stronger and more expensive.

[bookrat]

kyrt-ryder wrote:

True enough. It would probably last until around level 7ish if well-cared for. At which point he could probably afford to replace it with something stronger and more expensive.

I don't think it'll last past level 3. With 13 AC and 22 HP, that's pretty weak for a front line combatant by that level. Even the 13 AC is weak for a level 1 melee combatant.

And you can't even equip it with armor. It doesn't have the feats for it. So any armor will use the armor check penalties to all attack rolls. Maybe some studded leather for only a -1 to attack and skills, but even then its AC will still be only 16. Still pretty low for a front line fighter.

The last option would be giving it magical items to increase its AC, but now you're seriously investing money into it that you could use yourself.

As a fighter, I think a 3 feat cost is more than worth getting an animal companion. Fighters have feats galore.

Or you could just travel with a herd of trained yaks, so who cares if one or two die. :)

[kyrt-ryder]

Yak uses Bison's Stats bookrat

[bookrat]

kyrt-ryder wrote:

Yak uses Bison's Stats bookrat

Oops. I read the wrong one. I typed in Pathfinder Bison into google, and went to the PRD webpage, but I didn't realize I was looking at the Auroch, and not the Bison. You have to scroll down for that.

[kyrt-ryder]

It happens, no big deal

[Jayder22]

bookrat wrote:

If your gaming group allows it:

Charisma 13
Feat - Skill Focus (Knowledge: Nature)
Feat - Eldritch Heritage (Sylvan)
Feat - Boon Companion

This will allow you to get an animal companion as if your character level was a druid level.

This is contested, because the Sylvan sorcerer bloodline grants an animal companion at the cost of the bloodline arcana and the first bloodline power. My group didn't think it was overpowered, though. It played out just fine, and it's a 3 feat investment.

Oh, and you'll want to max out ranks in animal handling.

I like this idea, when I calculated it out, does the animal companion have -5 effective level before boon companion?

Eldritch Heritage is treats your Sorc level as your Char level -2
Sylvan Bloodline treats your druid level as your Sorc level -3

Fighter level 8 taking this would be treated as a 6th level Sorc with Sylvan bloodline, which would be treated as a druid level 3. taking boon companion would boost it up to effective druid level 7. Still not bad always 1 level behind, 3 feats. pretty fair considering how many feats fighters get

[Grizzly the Archer]

Now it just comes down to which is a better option for you, animal companion or familiar.