The Verdict is in: Large Wolf versus Small Cat Animal Companion- Who wins?

[sspitfire1]

They both do! Depending on what you are going for...

If it is one-on-one melee badassery, the small cat is king. My test cat, built out to level 10, topped the Wolf for to-hit, average damage, and ability to avoid damage (AC and Ref). The cat's trip and small size round out the kitty quite nicely.

But the Wolf is not without its redeeming qualities. Chief among them are its battle presence, ride-ability, its sheer power per hit, and its powerful trip. While the Wolf can't keep up with the kitty on damage, it can out shine the feline as a support character. The key is in the wolf's trip, which it gets each time it hits with a bite.

The small cat gets a trip, as well, but can't use it on large creatures or larger. Also, the small cat has a very small chance to trip and only one attempt per round. The wolf, on the other hand, can take down huge creatures and has a sturdy trip chance at +16 (+14 power atk). This is a potentially tremendous boon to a hunting party, where several allies might get the benefit of a toppled foe (+4 to hit plus potential for lots of op attacks if the baddy stands up). The wolf also makes a great pack-animal and mount, and has sturdy defenses and HP to boot.

My test cat:
L10 Small Cat, Size Small
Str 15
Dex 26
Con 16
Int 3
Wis 12
Cha 6

HP: 68
AC: 31
Fort 9
Ref 14
Will 4

Attacks:
Bite +15 1d4+8, 2Claws +14 1d2+8
Power Bite +15 1d4+12, 2Claws +12 1d2+12
Trip +7
Power Trip +7

Total Average Damage versus AC 10 to 40, assuming CMD 20
629.0 pts

Max Average Damage/Highest AC max damaged achieved versus
39.4 pts/AC 14

Feats:
Weapon Finesse
Weapon Focus (Claws)
Power Attack
Furious Focus
Combat Reflexes

My test wolf:
L10 Wolf, Size Large
Str 24
Dex 16
Con 20
Int 3
Wis 12
Cha 6

HP: 85
AC: 26
Fort 11
Ref 9
Will 4

Attacks:
Bite +14/+9 1d8+11
Power Bite +12/+7 1d8+17
Trip +16
Power Trip +14

Total Average Damage versus AC 10 to 40, assuming CMD 20
526.6 pts OR 575.7 w/ Furious Focus

Max Average Damage/Highest AC max damaged achieved versus
40.9 pts/AC 9

Feats:
Narrow Frame
Weapon Focus (Bite)
Power Attack
Combat Reflexes
Body Guard or Furious Focus

[Calth]

You might want to check your damage bonuses for the small cat, you don't get to add dex to damage without an agile AoMF. Also, a level 10 small cat is medium size, with 22 dexterity, not small with 26. The correct values would be:

Bite +12 1d6+4, 2 Claws +13 1d3+4 (You applied weapon focus to bite not the claws as well)
Power Bite +12 1d6+8, 2 Claws +11 1d3+8

[sspitfire1]

Calth wrote:

You might want to check your damage bonuses for the small cat, you don't get to add dex to damage without an agile AoMF. Also, a level 10 small cat is medium size, with 22 dexterity, not small with 26. The correct values would be:

Bite +12 1d6+4, 2 Claws +13 1d3+4 (You applied weapon focus to bite not the claws as well)
Power Bite +12 1d6+8, 2 Claws +11 1d3+8

Riiight... forgot to mention that the small cat does have an agile AoMF and mithril chainmail +1

Not increasing your creature's size is an option, granting it a +2 to Dex and Con instead of the normal lvl4/lvl7 advancement.

The wolf has a +1 AoMF and +leaf armor

[Calth]

Was totally not aware that forgoing the boost was an option. And while your dpr calculation for this are ok then, you still are ignoring the largest benefit of the wolf, only having a single attack to enchant with greater magic fang(especially if you use permanancy). Also, you have 6 feats invested in damage for the small cat, and only 5(if you include furious focus) for the wolf. Narrow frame is just not that big of a deal. Replace that with Improved Natural attack, and you boost wolf dpr significantly. (Also assuming you meant mithril chain shirt and not chainmail, the cat would have -2 to all attacks from chain mail, as it still has a -2 ACP.)

[sspitfire1]

Right, chain shirt not chainmail.

Narrow Frame is a huge issue for a large wolf! I cannot begin to tell you how much use I get out of it in narrow dungeons and even in regular, open combats. I went so far as to debase my winter wolf mini and build two wood bases for it- one that is 2x2 for non-squeeze and one that is 1x2 for squeezing.

This is also a PFS based comparison, so permanency isn't an option :( But good point there. I'll redo the numbers to see how it differs.