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First off Animal Companions are so far out of my Comfort Zone on how to build them effectivly ... Ive searched for information on it but my search Fu is weak.. found 1 Thread based on a level 5 Deinonychus but that was as close as I could come
2nd off this is PFS Character
I know about the Imp Unarmed Strike ,Dragon style, and Improved Natural attack Feats
my Issue is Skills, Tricks, and purposes as well as some mechanical issues with feat placment
Ive gotten that Acrobatics is the big skill I want to work on but is that it ?
Tricks are a bit more problematic ... I know I need Attack twice but what else
this is what I have thus far
Deinonychus Companion level 1
N Small Animal
Init + 3; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +2
Defense
AC 15, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+3 Dex, + 1 natural, +1 size, )
hp 15 (2d8 +6) Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +1
Offense
Speed 60 ft. Attack 2 talons +4 (1d6), bite +4 (1d4)
Statistics
Ability Scores Str 11, Dex 17, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 14
BAB + 1; CMB + 5; CMD 15
Feats: Weapon Finesse
Skill Points Acrobatics +7 (+19 for jumping), - still have 1 Rank
Skills Special Qualities: Link, share spells,
Tricks:
Attack x2(DC 20)
5 left
Max tricks at lvl 1: 7 6 from Int + Bonus
The Mechanical issue Im Having is with getting Imp unarmed and dragon style Since the AC has to be 4th lvl before it gets its int boost (required for any feats outside of animal) and Imp Natural attacks landing at lvl 8 due to BAB, if you release the animal and gain new one are you just assuming that the new AC Started with an Int of 3 and build it from there ?
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This is going to be long. If you can narrow down what you want your animal companion to do we might be of more help. Over all I'm not a big fan of the Deinonychus or any of the dinos but that's more of a flavor thing for me. There are other animal companions that are better for a verity of reasons. I recommend a few that are small that become medium. I don't recommend medium that become large. As they cause problems with most of the scenarios not having room for large creatures.
First : Magic items for animal companions follow the rules in the additional resources. They have access to Neck slot, and Armor only with out taken the feet.
Pathfinder Player Companion: Animal Archive
*Note: The Animal Magic Item Slots table found on the inside front cover of the book is not legal except under the following conditions. First, an animal companion, familiar, or bonded mount, may choose one slot listed under its body type when taking the Extra Item Slot feat (this feat may be taken multiple times, each time selecting a different available magic item slot based on the creature’s anatomy). Second, access to specific magic item slots may be granted at a later date by another legal source.
Second : When you release the animal you have to train the new one with handle animal. That requires you to make multiple DC 20+ rolls to teach it tricks. The only tricks you don't have to train it for are the extra tricks learned from being a animal companion.
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This is for a reach cleric of eristal the animal companion is just for added damage and to synergize the growth subdomain ...
the retraining tricks is not a big deal for me
The dieonychus is a small to medium and I agree on the size thing
And I wanted pounce which they get at 7
Again the mechanical issues with releasing and regaining an animal seem just off to me even tho I can't find any reason it won't work by RAW
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Start with animal companion 1 then you release it. Gain a new animal companion. When you gain the new animal companion it has a new set of feet's, skill's, and all bonus tricks from druid level. The 6 base tricks it can know must be trained using handle animal. In PFS you can not train a animal for a purpose. You must train each trick separate.
Example : You release the animal companion at level 4. The new animal companion can have different feet's, and skill's. They must still meant the requirements for feet's as normal. So if you give it a bonus to Int at 4. It can only pull from the animal companion feet list until then. It retains the two bonus tricks for being a animal companion. Then you train it in between scenarios by rolling handle animal in front of the DM. The DM marks success at trained tricks. All fails are not trained until after you play your next scenario. After that scenario you can then tray to train the animal again. Keep it up until you have all tricks you can train.
Reduce Animal will take care a lot of those fitting issues you're having.
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Check out this Animal Companion Comparison. Remember to consider Archetypes. Bodyguard is good, but you lose the ability to cast You spells on it.
It sounds like you want your animal to be a fighter. Are you going to be fighting alongside, or casting spells?
For durability armor is cool. Keep in mind there is an extra cost for armor of a non humanoid. The armor will need to have a 0 armor check penalty to avoid messing up attack rolls, or you can get him the required proficiency feats. Then when he "grows up" at level 7, new armor.
Also, if you are going to find your self in situations with lots of water, that last skill point in swim would help. Otherwise I'm a fan of having another decent perception skill check.
My Raptor Conan, with his pet druid Doyle, just recently hit level 12.
For tricks you want
Attack, attack,- Because a lot of things he wont' attack otherwise.
down- because you want him to withdraw when he's hurt
defend- You can set the critter to defend you in the morning, and then even if you're incapacitated or miss the handle animal to "attack!" check he'll still attack something too close to you.
heel, come.- Because the city frowns on these wandering off without you.
Fetch- can be useful for mission macguffin retrieval.
If you have the animal archive, you also want flank, especially at lower levels when sending him around the bad guys for a +2 is more viable than the charge pounce KILL! machine he will become at higher levels.
For levels 1-7 go with masterwork studded leather armor barding. No armor check penalty, no proficiency required, no muss no fuss just +3 to his ac for the low low cost of 30? gold.
At higher levels either get a mithral chain shirt barding, or if you want to empty your bank account mithral kiko armor.
Get scrolls of Carry companion You can pokeball your raptor and carry him with you to the fancy parties and then just release him when you need him to eat something.
If you want dragonstyle sooner you can be human and give up your human feat for "eye for talent" which will start the critter off with a 4 int. if you do the catch and release option (which you'll probably have to do anyway since the builds at 1 and 7 are pretty incomparable) you have to level him up as if he'd always been with you, so you can't start piling on non standard feats at his first first and third hit die before he gains the int bump at 4.
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To the OP, if you want your companion to be able to take non-standard feats starting at 1st level there is a human alternate racial trait that replaces your bonus feat with a +2 stat increase for your companion. Choose Intelligence and it'll not only gain access to more skills, but it'll also be able to take IUS at 1st level.