I like the new Shaman class, soooo much better than the Shaman from the Tome of Secrets. One thing I'm a little confused about is how the Companion Animal greater spirit ability works. When your familiar turns into an animal companion at level 16 or 20, does it completely stop gaining anything as a familiar and only gain the animal companion abilities, or does it gain both as you continue to level up if not taken at 20?
And how does this work with the new Animal Archtypes introduced in the Animal Archive book (something I really hope is expanded upon in later books)? If your familiar has an archtype, such as Valet, does it lose it upon becoming a companion? Or would you be able to keep it and perhaps gain a companion archtype like Racer as well? Or do you have to trade the familiar archtype for the companion archtype?
It's still the familiar in addition to being an animal companion. So it'd still be a Valet. And as far as I can tell you could be a Racer as well.