So the animal companions were all supposed to be pretty comparible to each other with slight differences but I am not really seeing this. So which ones do you think are the best?
Below 6th level: APE
The ape at 4th level is large, has a higher strength then almost all the other companions, gets 3 attacks and has a climb speed. Not too shabby.
7th level and above:
DIRE BAT
A large sized creature which the player can ride on and has BLINDSIGHT which is always amazing!
ROC
Aother large flying creature but this one has multiple attacks and a slightly higher Strength.
I was kind of fond of the Axebeak in the Bestiary Preview, especially as a Paladin mount.(It would be large by the time a Paladin got one, if he wanted it to be.)
First thought/theme was gnome/bloodelf from WoW, Second thought/theme was Joust (old arcade game), even though Axebeaks don't fly. :D
I have a pretty awesome theme in mind for the Ape as well, but I think the changes to 'Share Spell' killed that now.
Side note/Off-topic: I've always wanted to try a Warforged Paladin with a Clockwork Steed(3.5E MM III?), theme-wise it would be pretty awesome.
I was kind of fond of the Axebeak in the Bestiary Preview, especially as a Paladin mount.(It would be large by the time a Paladin got one, if he wanted it to be.)
First thought was gnome/bloodelf from WoW, Second thought was Joust (old arcade game), even though Axebeaks don't fly. :D
I used to love Joust!!
And a dire bat isnt situated for a cave? also:
Reduce Animal
School transmutation; Level druid 2, ranger 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range touch
Target one willing animal of Small, Medium, Large, or Huge size
Duration 1 hour/level (D)
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
This spell functions like reduce person, except that it affects a single willing animal. Reduce the damage dealt by the animal's natural attacks as appropriate for its new size (see Equipment how to adjust damage for size).
I'd imagine Dire Bats are well suited for caves, just not ones narrower than their wingspan.
Awaken the Roc as soon as you can and keep it on call flying overhead at 30,000 feet, and then get a new companion that fits into small holes (i.e. dungeons):)
Sure, I don't see a problem with doing that at the same time I'm chain-switching out Leadership Cohorts using maxed-Diplomacy to retain them all as my "special forces in reserve". :-)
It wouldn't be D&D without cheese, would it?
wolves are just so damn cool
Actually, when you consider what you want out of an animal companion, there are several *good* ones.
The large cat, Crocodile, and constrictor snake are all awesome grapplers depending on your environment. The cat is your go-to for land based games, but the croc can swim and the snake can swim & climb.
The camel has an excellent debuff as a ranged touch (up to 2 times per round with multiattack), and functions well as a mount. The viper snake deals constitution damage, and you can pump it's DC as high as 22 with ability focus and dumping points into CON.
Any of the small/medium animals make for good delving companions, with the Badger being a powerful attacker and the dinosaur having an insane amount of attacks (none of which are secondary, by the by).
Horses and Ponies can wear armor, making them sturdier than most others.
Wolves and small cats make great anti-mages if you don't want to focus on grappling- free trip attempts every round are nothing to scoff at.
Any of the companions with Scent make for excellent tracking companions.
You really have to decide what you want out of a companion before you can decide which is the best.
I just looked at the Bestiary PRD as I don't have the real book yet.
The Dinosaurs seem to have great abilities, and all have Scent (helpful vs. invis):
Ankylosaurus: Stun, Brachiosaurus: Trample, Stegosaurus: Trip,
T-Rex: Grab, Powerful Bite Triceratops: Powerful Charge
Moray Eel's Grab/Gnaw is interesting, especially as Caster disruption(?), though it can't breath air.
Dolphins/Orca have Blindsight 120' with no TECHNICAL restriction outside of water, so slap a Fly spell on... :-)
Large Elephant Companions (Mastodon) with Gore + Slam + Trample
Rhino: Powerful Charge, Roc: Fly/Grab are all good choices
And of course Big Cats/ Deionychus both have Pounce (Cats with Grab/Rake)
...I don't think there's a lack of good options here :-)
I just looked at the Bestiary PRD as I don't have the real book yet.
The Dinosaurs seem to have great abilities, and all have Scent (helpful vs. invis):
Ankylosaurus: Stun, Brachiosaurus: Trample, Stegosaurus: Trip,
T-Rex: Grab, Powerful Bite Triceratops: Powerful ChargeMoray Eel's Grab/Gnaw is interesting, especially as Caster disruption(?), though it can't breath air.
Dolphins/Orca have Blindsight 120' with no TECHNICAL restriction outside of water, so slap a Fly spell on... :-)
Large Elephant Companions (Mastodon) with Gore + Slam + Trample
Rhino: Powerful Charge, Roc: Fly/Grab are all good choicesAnd of course Big Cats/ Deionychus both have Pounce (Cats with Grab/Rake)
...I don't think there's a lack of good options here :-)
I agree. Prior to 3.PF, you just traded up for the biggest, meanest thing you could manage with as many Hit Dice and bonuses to hit. Now you've got awesome tactical options to the point that there's likely to be some serious differences between companions, even from a CharOp perspective.
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I think the Anklyosaurus is a pretty solid tank at low levels... +9 natural armor, size medium and 14 dex gives a base AC 21 at first level!
when it reaches 7th it becomes size large losing 2 dex and gaining +2 natural armor, Plus 4 natural armor and 2 dex from druid level taking it to base AC 27 its tail now does 2d6 +7 with its +10 strength (20 base) and can stun targets for up to 1d4 rounds (str based DC).
The downside is the 9 Con but I'd be inclined to boost that as often as possible with bears endurance or similar magics.
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Quick quasi threadjack ...
There is a nice (well, I think so anyway, though I am certainly a little biased :) ) animal companion character sheet in the new issue of KQ 11. The animal companion sheet is on one side; the other is a ranger tracking sheet to keep track of your ranger's favored rettain and favored enemy bonuses etc.
Oh, and I am also partial to a wolf animal companion ... or some kind of hawk or falcon.
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I think the Anklyosaurus is a pretty solid tank at low levels... +9 natural armor, size medium and 14 dex gives a base AC 21 at first level!
when it reaches 7th it becomes size large losing 2 dex and gaining +2 natural armor, Plus 4 natural armor and 2 dex from druid level taking it to base AC 27 its tail now does 2d6 +7 with its +10 strength (20 base) and can stun targets for up to 1d4 rounds (str based DC).
The downside is the 9 Con but I'd be inclined to boost that as often as possible with bears endurance or similar magics.
The AC gets even better if you invest in the armor proficiency feats.
A 9th level, an ancylosaurus companion can have an AC of 35 (+17 natural, +9 armor, +1 dex, -1 size). This is of course augmentable with spells like bark skin or magic vestment.The tail stun is also nice.
I am a big fan of the Raptor. Nothing quite so scary as a 5 attack dinosaur with pounce.
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I think the PRD Triceratops entry should read 2d8+12 instead of 1d8+12, btw. Looking at the elephant, which has been calculated correctly IMO, I think the triceratops needs an extra d8 there...
Thoughts?
PS: why is it relevant? well.... I plan to shift into triceratops a lot!
PS2: T-rex without swallow whole is not that great of a choice IMO.
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By the way:
Why is the triceratops gore attack 2d10 instead of 2d6?
According to the following table, should be 2d6 (scroll down to the end of this: http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/monsters/universalMonsterRules.html#
And how do you calculate damage bonus on Powerful Charge? is it STR bonus x2? (like the triceratops entry?)
Cheers!
A Large-sized "baby" T-Rex (which is what you get as an AC)
wouldn't really get all that much advantage from Swallow Whole IMHO...
I believe there IS another AC that does have Swallow Whole, though likewise it's only Large (or even Medium, I can't remember what Animal it was, I was just surfing thru the Animal Companions when I noticed the Bestiary was up on PRD).
Creative Director
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I think the PRD Triceratops entry should read 2d8+12 instead of 1d8+12, btw. Looking at the elephant, which has been calculated correctly IMO, I think the triceratops needs an extra d8 there...
Thoughts?
PS: why is it relevant? well.... I plan to shift into triceratops a lot!
PS2: T-rex without swallow whole is not that great of a choice IMO.
While we tried to keep the Animal Companion stats and the actual monster stats pretty closely aligned... this isn't always possible, especially if the animal in question is a high CR creature or a really big creature. Like a dinosaur.
A Large-sized "baby" T-Rex (which is what you get as an AC)
wouldn't really get all that much advantage from Swallow Whole IMHO...I believe there IS another AC that does have Swallow Whole, though likewise it's only Large (or even Medium, I can't remember what Animal it was, I was just surfing thru the Animal Companions when I noticed the Bestiary was up on PRD).
Frog has swallow whole...its medium...
That was it... RIBBIT :-)
What's a good companion for an archer Ranger?
An animal that likes long walks in the woods, probably.
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What's a good companion for an archer Ranger?
jokes aside it would really depend on your game...
if your outdoors alot then preferably something that gives you aerial maneuverability that you can ride such as the roc.
If your light on the ground a fast moving animal you can ride is preferable like a horse.
Finally if your in dungeons alot then you probably want something thats engaging the enemy while you stay back shooting into melee like the anklyosaurus. (I would recommend taking a +2 con at 7th level instead of the size increase to prevent his large bulk from having to squeeze through 5 ft corridors though. )
If your in difficult terrain most of the time or dealing with really complex dungeons you are better sticking with something that has a climb speed like an ape IMHO.
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So the animal companions were all supposed to be pretty comparible to each other with slight differences but I am not really seeing this. So which ones do you think are the best?
Best for what, exactly?
Fighting orcs?
Crossing a desert?
Looking good on the cover of a fantasy novel?
Being cooked with lemon zest?
My black Labrador/Chow mix, Shadow.
I am surprised that the Riding Dog wasn't selected to get animal companion stats in this book. The wolf is CLEARLY better than the dog in every possible way except for the 3 level lag in their advancement (not really a detractor, by the way).
I can make my own stats, I guess.
I am surprised that the Riding Dog wasn't selected to get animal companion stats in this book. The wolf is CLEARLY better than the dog in every possible way except for the 3 level lag in their advancement (not really a detractor, by the way).
I can make my own stats, I guess.
Not in one area, social acceptance. I can bring my riding dog into a town and nobody blinks an eye. But that is not the case with a wolf. Of course this is up to DM discretion, however from a realistic aspect the wolf is the enemy of "civilized" man, being responsible for raiding of flocks and oftentimes attributed to attacks on man.
Not in one area, social acceptance. I can bring my riding dog into a town and nobody blinks an eye. But that is not the case with a wolf. Of course this is up to DM discretion, however from a realistic aspect the wolf is the enemy of "civilized" man, being responsible for raiding of flocks and oftentimes attributed to attacks on man.I am surprised that the Riding Dog wasn't selected to get animal companion stats in this book. The wolf is CLEARLY better than the dog in every possible way except for the 3 level lag in their advancement (not really a detractor, by the way).
I can make my own stats, I guess.
That's not enough IMO. Character stats and balance should be constructed in a vacuum, separate of campaign world considerations. In my campaign, the wolf would be accepted in most regions as a pet. People are used to traveling menageries and carnivals, not to mention adventurers and Druids.
That's not enough IMO. Character stats and balance should be constructed in a vacuum, separate of campaign world considerations. In my campaign, the wolf would be accepted in most regions as a pet. People are used to traveling menageries and carnivals, not to mention adventurers and Druids.Not in one area, social acceptance. I can bring my riding dog into a town and nobody blinks an eye. But that is not the case with a wolf. Of course this is up to DM discretion, however from a realistic aspect the wolf is the enemy of "civilized" man, being responsible for raiding of flocks and oftentimes attributed to attacks on man.I am surprised that the Riding Dog wasn't selected to get animal companion stats in this book. The wolf is CLEARLY better than the dog in every possible way except for the 3 level lag in their advancement (not really a detractor, by the way).
I can make my own stats, I guess.
Well, we're all entitiled to our opinion. As far as I see it, menageries and carnivals keep their critters in cages, which if I had a PC who wanted to do that while it town I might allow, although the guards would likely be looking for a "dangerous creature" ;) tax. Unless of course that particular PC and creature are well known in town for good reason.
Otherwise "sorry mate, you're not bringing that into town." And if there are no guards, I still don't see the average innkeeper allowing a wolf inside. As for adventurers, as they're well known to be loaded with gold, see above. As for druids, unless you play with the Urban druid variant, I don't see them being common at all in town. Sure maybe the locals know of a circle in the hills, "but they mind their business and we mind ours."As you might be able to tell I try to run a middle fantasy kind of game, ymmv.
That's not enough IMO. Character stats and balance should be constructed in a vacuum, separate of campaign world considerations. In my campaign, the wolf would be accepted in most regions as a pet. People are used to traveling menageries and carnivals, not to mention adventurers and Druids.Not in one area, social acceptance. I can bring my riding dog into a town and nobody blinks an eye. But that is not the case with a wolf. Of course this is up to DM discretion, however from a realistic aspect the wolf is the enemy of "civilized" man, being responsible for raiding of flocks and oftentimes attributed to attacks on man.I am surprised that the Riding Dog wasn't selected to get animal companion stats in this book. The wolf is CLEARLY better than the dog in every possible way except for the 3 level lag in their advancement (not really a detractor, by the way).
I can make my own stats, I guess.
Well, we're all entitiled to our opinion. As far as I see it, menageries and carnivals keep their critters in cages, which if I had a PC who wanted to do that while it town I might allow, although the guards would likely be looking for a "dangerous creature" ;) tax. Unless of course that particular PC and creature are well known in town for good reason.
Otherwise "sorry mate, you're not bringing that into town." And if there are no guards, I still don't see the average innkeeper allowing a wolf inside. As for adventurers, as they're well known to be loaded with gold, see above. As for druids, unless you play with the Urban druid variant, I don't see them being common at all in town. Sure maybe the locals know of a circle in the hills, "but they mind their business and we mind ours."
As you might be able to tell I try to run a middle fantasy kind of game, ymmv.
reduce animal.. he's not a real wolf see, he's too tiny. He just looks like it.
What's a good companion for an archer Ranger?
Just considering combat:
Something high AC/hp that can keep enemies at a distance while you shoot them dead.That or a mount that can move you a distance away to shoot while enemies run back up.
What's a good companion for an archer Ranger?Just considering combat:
Something high AC/hp that can keep enemies at a distance while you shoot them dead.That or a mount that can move you a distance away to shoot while enemies run back up.
I reccommend a Stegosoraus (spelling?) or an Ape...Both high AC, High HP and large...
reduce animal.. he's not a real wolf see, he's too tiny. He just looks like it.That's not enough IMO. Character stats and balance should be constructed in a vacuum, separate of campaign world considerations. In my campaign, the wolf would be accepted in most regions as a pet. People are used to traveling menageries and carnivals, not to mention adventurers and Druids.Not in one area, social acceptance. I can bring my riding dog into a town and nobody blinks an eye. But that is not the case with a wolf. Of course this is up to DM discretion, however from a realistic aspect the wolf is the enemy of "civilized" man, being responsible for raiding of flocks and oftentimes attributed to attacks on man.I am surprised that the Riding Dog wasn't selected to get animal companion stats in this book. The wolf is CLEARLY better than the dog in every possible way except for the 3 level lag in their advancement (not really a detractor, by the way).
I can make my own stats, I guess.
Well, we're all entitiled to our opinion. As far as I see it, menageries and carnivals keep their critters in cages, which if I had a PC who wanted to do that while it town I might allow, although the guards would likely be looking for a "dangerous creature" ;) tax. Unless of course that particular PC and creature are well known in town for good reason.
Otherwise "sorry mate, you're not bringing that into town." And if there are no guards, I still don't see the average innkeeper allowing a wolf inside. As for adventurers, as they're well known to be loaded with gold, see above. As for druids, unless you play with the Urban druid variant, I don't see them being common at all in town. Sure maybe the locals know of a circle in the hills, "but they mind their business and we mind ours."
As you might be able to tell I try to run a middle fantasy kind of game, ymmv.
Clever, I could buy off on that.
Or you could just stick your companion in a bag of holding with a bottle of air when he's not welcome.. That could be interesting with a dinosaur though.. don't want them ripping it open.
As you might be able to tell I try to run a middle fantasy kind of game, ymmv.
Indeed. You might categorize mine as "ridiculously high fantasy". Goblin walks into town and people wave and smile. Goblin waves and smiles then proceeds to the pub/merchant/his own farm or whatever.