So I was considering the use of an animal companion and familiar, combining the two into something special but only for specific combos.
Animal Avatar
You have an unparallelled bond with your companion creature, the two of you share a connection much deeper than that of most animal handlers
Prerequisites: Animal Companion, Arcane Familiar, Skill Focus nature or Skill Focus Arcane.
Bonus: you may chose an animal that appears on both the familiar and animal companion selection lists available to your class, Your familiar gains feats as an animal companion and bonuses to its strength, con, and dexterity based on your level. It does not gain any other bonuses from the animal companion class feature and you can not gain an animal companion through that class. If you have an effect which would grant multiple companions, or multiple effects that would grant animal companions you must dismiss said companions from your control.
Mystical Beastlord
Prerequisites: Animal Companion, Arcane Familiar, Skill Focus nature or Skill Focus Arcane.
Your animal companion familiar gains all bonuses from both your familiar class feature and your animal companion class feature. It's health becomes that of an animal companion of it's level plus all hp granted by your arcane familiar class feature. Use the base statistics of the higher of the two creatures listed and apply any special qualities and abilities listed on the creatures entry as a familiar and those listed for an animal companion including advancements from leveling. this creature counts as both an animal companion and a familiar for all effects that relate to such creatures.
I Think this Will be worth more than one feat. The animal companion Will get a massive boost to HP, AC, int and skills Will be better than any PC class.
I Think this Will be worth more than one feat. The animal companion Will get a massive boost to HP, AC, int and skills Will be better than any PC class.
So far it's three feats and many class levels, making an assumption that a player will be doing this is making said companion centric
I forgot to list animal avatar as a prerequisite for mystical beastlord.
Maybe also require improved familiar and/or monstrous mount?
Thus it'd mean four feats, potentially up to seven if the player is achieving everything through feats
I mean that is a Hefty sum
I'm thinking effective Druid and wizard level should be 4 each for both. Meaning that a player would likely be level eight to gain this, but it would make it a viable option for a rage prophet, a mystic theurge and a cleric.
Also remember that this would be on the overlap so the player would wind up with one of the weaker animal companions .
Even allowing third party the most powerful creature would be a dog or a hawk.
Assuming we'd require monstrous mount maybe allow improved monstrous mount to unlock using similar creatures such as cat/small cat
I'll revise a table though to show balance and better specify the requirements