|
You can't do it that way. Here's why:
Strong bond makes your effective druid level equal to your ranger level. Boon Companion increases your effective level by 4 up to a maximum of your character level. Assuming you are a 12 beast master ranger with no other levels, your effective druid level for animal companions is still 12. Boon Companion does literally nothing for level 12+ beast master rangers and most druids (it does do something for Animal Domain druids) unless they multiclass, because you are capped by character level.
You must then divide your 12 effective druid levels between your companions. Your ACs do not have effective druid levels, YOU have effective druid levels, and at character level 12 you can't have more than 12 effective druid levels with the feats and abilities listed (probably not in any way for that matter). Your ACs cannot have combined levels higher than your character level, 12.
RAW could read that way. If so, a level 20 human beastmaster could have a level 20-based animal, two level 14-based animals. all the way to, say, eleven level 5s and nine level 1s at the cost of all of your feats. More practically, you could go beastmaster 16/cavalier 4, take Horse Master, and have two level 20-based companions (assuming one is not suitable for a cavalier mount) or two 12s and a 20.
Ahh, missed Stong Bond. Yeah, that ruins your day.
You can't do it that way. Here's why:
Strong bond makes your effective druid level equal to your ranger level. Boon Companion increases your effective level by 4 up to a maximum of your character level. Assuming you are a 12 beast master ranger with no other levels, your effective druid level for animal companions is still 12. Boon Companion does literally nothing for level 12+ beast master rangers and most druids (it does do something for Animal Domain druids) unless they multiclass, because you are capped by character level.
You must then divide your 12 effective druid levels between your companions. Your ACs do not have effective druid levels, YOU have effective druid levels, and at character level 12 you can't have more than 12 effective druid levels with the feats and abilities listed (probably not in any way for that matter). Your ACs cannot have combined levels higher than your character level, 12.
I thought with the rewording of Boon companion, it would apply in these circumstances....
Benefit: The abilities of your animal companion(singular) 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.
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.
when they re-wrote this to apply separately to each animal companion, I believe RAW your effective druid level is spread to each AC and then the feat is applied to increase the effective druid level applied to that animal up to your character level.
Doesn't Strong bond just reduce the "ranger level -3" issue and make the starting EDL the full ranger level.
|
when they re-wrote this to apply separately to each animal companion, I believe RAW your effective druid level is spread to each AC and then the feat is applied to increase the effective druid level applied to that animal up to your character level.
Doesn't Strong bond just reduce the "ranger level -3" issue and make the starting EDL the full ranger level.
That is incorrect. Boon Companion says:
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....calculated...to a maximum effective druid level equal to your character level.
The portion reading Each time you take the feat, it applies to a different animal companion or familiar would apply to a character such as a Wizard/Ranger who has a familiar and animal companion.
Strong Bond is effectively Boon Companion. If a Beastmaster takes Boon Companion at lower level, once he hits 12th and gains Strong Bond, Boon Companion has no benefit.
so you are saying...
A- strong bond means a lvl 12 beast master with 2 animal companions has both of them as effective druid level 12
B- Strong bond means a lvl 12 beast master with 2 animal companions has both of them as effective druid level 6, and boon companion can't raise that because making one effective level 10 would make the combined level above your ranger level
because making one effective level 10 would make the combined level above your ranger levelThis wouldn't be allowed, as the EDL would be greater than Character Level.
When they errata'ed Boon companion to allow you to use in on multiple animal companions, in the same book where they wrote the huntmaster archetype, that's not what I took away when I read the feat.
when I read "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" that means the Animal Companion's effective level is limited to the character level, (i.e. a lvl 1 druid lvl 1 fighter with boon companion, his companion is limited to 2)
When I see a 12th lvl character with two lvl 6 animal companions, I see two legal targets for the boon companion feat, as the limitation of not exceeding the character level doesn't come into play.
The feat is applied separately to each companion (since the printing of animal archive), calls out a singular companion and applies its limits to that companion, not to the character.
Was there ever an FAQ on this?
Owner - D20 Hobbies
|
Was there ever an FAQ on this?
They clarified that a Ranger (EDL -3) doesn't get any benefit.
Huntmaster says that you split up your levels, so if you applied Boon Companion your total would be above Character Level which wouldn't be allowed just as a Ranger at 12th is limited even with Boon Companion to a 9th level AC.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Was there ever an FAQ on this?They clarified that a Ranger (EDL -3) doesn't get any benefit.
Huntmaster says that you split up your levels, so if you applied Boon Companion your total would be above Character Level which wouldn't be allowed just as a Ranger at 12th is limited even with Boon Companion to a 9th level AC.
yes but you are reading boon companion as applying to the character's EDL I am reading it as applying to the EDL for the modifiers on the animal companion's listing.
We are reading the same thing and coming away with different applications and intent.
Benefit: The abilities of your animal companion or familiar are calculated as though your class were four levels higher, to a maximum effective druid level of equal to your character level. If you have more than one animal companion or familiar, choose one to receive this benefit.This would make it clearer. And yes, you can take the feat if you're a single-classed ranger. It's actually pretty sweet deal.
Currently we don't have a place to post FAQ/update material for books other than the Pathfinder RPG hardcovers, so I can't attach this to a permanent FAQ, but consider this an official ruling on this question.
admittedly before the re-write, but it seems the dev intended it to work for rangers.
long story short.. I am hitting FAQ
B is almost correct. the level 12 Beast master has effectively 12 druid levels to split among his two animal companions as he sees fit. (Both must have a minimum of one level allocated to them. So he can have a 10/2 11/1 6/6 4/8. But you can't boost your combined total beyond your present character/class level of 12.so you are saying...
A- strong bond means a lvl 12 beast master with 2 animal companions has both of them as effective druid level 12
B- Strong bond means a lvl 12 beast master with 2 animal companions has both of them as effective druid level 6, and boon companion can't raise that because making one effective level 10 would make the combined level above your ranger level
So when the errata was added allowing you to take boon companion multiple times and apply it to each animal companion...
...it was to account for all the mid-level character that were dipping one level of beastmaster?