Hey all,
I have found it rather interesting the way different DMs (including myself) choose to have their rangers acquire their animal companion upon reaching level four. Some have you just pick one, some have you pick one based on your current location (dungeon, forest, city, etc.), some have you make handle animal checks (or similar spells/abilities) to actually tame the animal, I even had one DM who had built a whole table for rolling d% based on location... and then of course there are various combinations and variations.
Typically, I just let my players choose an animal that would make sense for their current location (if they are in a dungeon under an ancient ruin, they obviously wouldn't normally be able to choose a hawk, for example.)
As far as I can tell, there are no official rulings on how to handle this (if there is I would love to know!), and I am curious what you all do for your players, or any house rules you use yourselves.
I'd usually let the player pick her AC, she comes to talk to me about it and then it's handed over in a small ingame ceremony with the appearance of a herold of the player's god(dess).
Ruyan.
I always let players choose their ACs. However if it happens during gameplay, they will have to make do with a region/terrain appropriate one. I want to let players build their characters how they like them, but there are limits to this when it becomes implausible.
I do take some measures though if the player isn't happy with what his current environment has got to offer. He comes across a raided caravan or even circus that was transporting the animal in a cage, it is unharmed but left behind. Or if the animal could pass as an unusually sized version of a local animal i would let them do that as well. For example, you want a big cat in an environment where you can hope for small cats at best, let's say, it's a really big snow leopard or something.
I think there is an archetype for a griffon companion now.
My GM let me find my Griffon AC (which I wanted very very much, and spent a homebrew feat to get) in a cell in the BBEG's home where he was kept to be sacrificed as part of some vile ritual. We both felt our lifelong bound the first time our eyes met.
Griffons for the win. I would love to have a Griffon riding ranger... but from a DM perspective I would be hesitant to let my player have one... cause now he is borderline too powerful... and that's the DMs job ;P
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I think there is an archetype for a griffon companion now.
There is one for the Hippogriff (Sable company) in the Paizo Blog. Do not know about a Griffon one though.
My GM let me find my Griffon AC (which I wanted very very much, and spent a homebrew feat to get) in a cell in the BBEG's home where he was kept to be sacrificed as part of some vile ritual. We both felt our lifelong bound the first time our eyes met.Griffons for the win. I would love to have a Griffon riding ranger... but from a DM perspective I would be hesitant to let my player have one... cause now he is borderline too powerful... and that's the DMs job ;P
In case you are interested, I put the characteristics here. Basically, it is a tougher Lion AC that flies.
Way we deal with the overpowered thing is that I do not, for the moment (waiting to get a Hosteling full plate), take my Griffon with me when I get into cramped quarters (most dungeons and similar environments). This way I still get to use its wonderful abilities (ie, flying) without cluttering the table with one more character in most fights. Also I avoid putting in in danger, because I feel that if I get it killed, my GM will make it really difficult and time-consuming to find a new one.
Raise Animal Companion gets around this, but way I read it, the Companion has to be willing to come back. If the PC just used it as one more means for powergaming, it will stay happily dead.
I think there is an archetype for a griffon companion now.There is one for the Hippogriff (Sable company) in the Paizo Blog. Do not know about a Griffon one though.
True that. But considering that it's not using the original statblock anyway, nothing really prevents you from reskinning the companion to a regular griffin. One might want to give it an extra point into intelligence as soon as it gets its 4th hit die though, since griffons are normally a little smarter than an animal.