Hi,
I want to make an archer with a pet. After some research the falconer ranger archetype seems interesting. I have some questions:
1 - Can it use a Roc as a pet? If not would you still recommend the archetype if i use a regular bird (hawk, owl, eagle)?
2 - What is the difference between an hawk, owl or eagle as animal companions?
3 - Can i still be affective at switching between archery and melee if i loose one combat style feat (from falconer archetype)?
4 - If you want an AC thats at your own lvl, would you take the falconer or would you take a regular ranger with the feat to bring your AC to your lvl (boon companion i think)?
1) No for the Roc. Yes for the regular bird.
2) Flavor
3) Yes. Typically all you 'need' for melee is Power attack, then you are done. Use your other feats for archery.
4) Depends if you want the bird or something else. Either way you are losing a feat, either the one for going into Falconer or Boon Companion if you aren't. If this is for PFS remember the 'real world cost' of getting Boon Companion (you must have the source material).
On question three, have you check out the Switch Hitter build in Treantmonk's Guide to Rangers?
On question four, Falconer's animal companion is still (ranger level -3). You would still need boon companion if you want an animal companion at your level. The difference is you could start with the bird rather than waiting and you would have access to two tricks that others can't teach a bird.
A Falconer gets full druid progression on his bird, only with half HP until 4.
A Falconer gets full druid progression on his bird, only with half HP until 4.
I was just reading it based on the PRD where it sounds to me like it works like a normal Ranger animal companion except you get it at first level with half hit points.
No where does it say it is that it improves between 1st and 4th level and the 4th level makes it sounds like it is the normal Hunter's Bond, except they are forced to take a bird.
Is the wording different in Ultimate Combat? I don't currently have that book so I can't check myself.
I get it from the following bolded line.
Feathered Companion (Ex): At 1st level, a falconer earns the trust and companionship of a bird of prey. The bird can be of any type of large hunting or scavenging bird (even a vulture). This ability functions like the druid animal companion ability (which is part of the nature bond class feature), but the falconer must take the bird animal companion, and that companion has only half the normal hit points.
The full progression comes from Feathered Companion entry. The Hunter Bond entry is stating that you don't get a NEW companion and that your Feathered Companions HP increases.
The falconer does get full animal companion progression. My question is what are you looking to get out of your animal companion? As I see it the only thing this archetype gives you is the fact you get your animal companion 3 levels early, but at half HP until 4th level. During those early levels he going to be too frail to be of much use in combat. A small bird is not really a great combat companion, but is a good scout or messenger.
For this you are giving up a bonus combat feat. The big thing with the ranger bonus feats is they ignore prerequisites. That is one of the things that make the ranger the best class for a switch hitter. Losing many shot until 10th level is going to seriously weaken your efficiency as an archer.
If it were me I would not bother with the archetype and just use boon companion at 5th level. If you are playing a human that helps get all the feats even if some of them are purchased early.
With the hunt trick a bird companion, even at low level, can hunt food for the party. Might not be a big thing but paying for rations as well as travelling at half speed can be a nuisance.
This is in addition to scouting, of course.
Everyone seems to forget that any character can purchase an animal with gold. True it does not advance as you level up so tends to be quite frail and only useful for a limited time. A hawk costs a mere 18 gold which could be in the budget for a first level character. At first level it has about the same stats as the animal companion. At 2nd level the animal companion progresses and gains on the average an additional 4 HP for a total of 8 HP. It does not progress at 3rd level and gains full HP at 4th. A normal ranger gets his animal companion at 4th and at this point has about 11 HP and is quite frail. The normal ranger can pick up boon companion at 5th to get his companion up to full druid progression. At 6th level the normal ranger is getting his second combat feat, which the falconer does not get.
So at first level the falcon is about the same. At second and third level the falconer’s companion is slightly better. By 4th level the falconer’s companion is substantially better. At 5th level both the companions are identical. And at 6th level the normal ranger is getting an extra arrow at full BAB. Share spell does not matter until 4th level when a ranger actually gets spells.
The falconer needs to have a DEX of at least 17, and have point blank shot to even qualify for manyshot. He also cannot get this before 7th level because that is the first feat he has after qualifying for it. So at this point the falconer is down a feat from the normal ranger, and also has less STR because he needed to spend the points on DEX. The original poster stated he wanted to be a switch hitter not an archery focused ranger. The switch hitter usual favors STR above DEX so may have trouble qualifying for many shot.
In any case the falcon cannot take the trick hunting because hunting requires scent which he does not have. He can take all the individual tricks in hunting except track.
|
Yeah that is exactly what worried me and why i made a post. Never played an archer so i did read Treantmonk's Guide to Rangers. I understand that with low dex some feats are harder to get. Does manyshot make that much of a difference that you really want it 4 lvl earlier?
No, but Improved Precise Shot does. You should NEVER take manyshot with your 6th level ranger feat, it should always go to IPS unless you worship Erastil and have the Deadeye Bowman trait.