Please rephrase your question more clearly.
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Unlike D&D 3.5e, Pathfinder doesn't have level adjustments on monster PCs or templates. It could vary wildly based on what the base creature is, and it would ultimately be up to your GM to come up with an appropriate level adjustment for such a character compared to the rest of the party.
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There aren't rules for running an awakened creature as a player character.
But if you're wondering if your applying the effects of awaken to an animal correctly,
An awakened animal gets 3d6 Intelligence, +1d3 Charisma, and +2 HD. Its type becomes magical beast (augmented animal). An awakened animal can't serve as an animal companion, familiar, or special mount.
An awakened tree or animal can speak one language that you know, plus one additional language that you know per point of Intelligence bonus (if any). This spell does not function on an animal or plant with an Intelligence greater than 2.
As for what level to consider the character. It is a level 1 character assuming it has 1 class level. However, its CR may be higher than that. The CR of humanoid characters is their class level - 1, for awakened animals it will depend on how powerful the animal is.
I had a friend who played an awakened house cat, we didn't count the cat HD against him at all and his CR was based on character level only.
If you played a wooly rhino it wouldn't be balanced to say that it counts for nothing.
The easiest solution is probably to use the CR of the animal in the bestiary + character levels -1 as the total CR. All players should have the same CR rating.
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There aren't rules for running an awakened creature as a player character.
But if you're wondering if your applying the effects of awaken to an animal correctly,
An awakened animal gets 3d6 Intelligence, +1d3 Charisma, and +2 HD. Its type becomes magical beast (augmented animal). An awakened animal can't serve as an animal companion, familiar, or special mount.
An awakened tree or animal can speak one language that you know, plus one additional language that you know per point of Intelligence bonus (if any). This spell does not function on an animal or plant with an Intelligence greater than 2.
As for what level to consider the character. It is a level 1 character assuming it has 1 class level. However, its CR may be higher than that. The CR of humanoid characters is their class level - 1, for awakened animals it will depend on how powerful the animal is.
I had a friend who played an awakened house cat, we didn't count the cat HD against him at all and his CR was based on character level only.
If you played a wooly rhino it wouldn't be balanced to say that it counts for nothing.
The easiest solution is probably to use the CR of the animal in the bestiary + character levels -1 as the total CR. All players should have the same CR rating.
Considering that Awaken adds two more hit dice, would that be wise? When I allow intelligent animals, I just let the characters use the animal stat like this:
Physicals are modified as listed (so they buy stats, then add listed stat-10 if even, listed stat-11 if odd).
Mentals, I just treat as normal point buy, no modifiers.
CR of animal used+character levels. So, a wolf at CR 1 would have STR +2, CON +4, DEX +4, whatever you buy for mentals, and essentially count as a level one character.
So in a level three game, he could have two class levels.
The penalty? No thumbs. Also, you are a freaking wolf, no one is gonna take you seriously.
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HD are just extra hp, generally speaking. It doesn't add anything offensively. While extra hp is nice, it's hardly terribly overpowered. Honestly, for higher CR creatures it's actually usually pretty terrible since the penalty to class levels will usually make you less effective than the basics that the animal provides. You do make a decent point about stats though, they should be modified though I'm not sure if I like your system or not, but it's better than nothing. It does also help to balance with other players who are on a point buy.
HD are just extra hp, generally speaking. It doesn't add anything offensively. While extra hp is nice, it's hardly terribly overpowered. Honestly, for higher CR creatures it's actually usually pretty terrible since the penalty to class levels will usually make you less effective than the basics that the animal provides. You do make a decent point about stats though, they should be modified though I'm not sure if I like your system or not, but it's better than nothing. It does also help to balance with other players who are on a point buy.
Extra hit dice also raise saves and BAB.
The way I do it, I have been doing since 3.x, and it seems to work.
We arbitrarily let them talk too.
You could use Awaken, but it basically prevents you from building high CHA characters.
low cha is okay i don't wana be a bard, cleric or paly. am i missing a class? as for the awakened animal i was thinking a war trained riding dog. when i was working through the stat stuff i just took what they had down for the riding dog which is 15s 2 12 and 6 and 2 HDs d8 and put the skills that a riding dog would have. then i apply the awaken stats 2 int becomes 16 int and 6 cha becomes 9 cha if your lucky. then i added the first lvl of the class.
would the dog get to keep companion lvls as well once it was awakened if it was a companion animal before it was awakened?
if i made an awaken animal as a pc did i miss anything or am i adding too much? for alexd1976.
There aren't really rules on what you are doing, honestly. Using the published stats and slapping Awaken on it is correct, if your GM says so... Whether or not a companion animal would keep it's levels is also up to the GM, no rules on this.
You should talk to your GM, what you are trying to do isn't even remotely supported by the rules.
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Sounds like a fun character, by the way, I have always enjoyed playing intelligent critters.
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RISE THREAD RISE!
Seriously though does anyone have any thoughts on PC-ing awakened animals or creating pc races that are basically awakened animals.
alexd1976's half 3.x savage species method makes sense but I'm trying to create a race for a player who wants to be a sentient house cat without having them have three extra HD.
This player is theming the character after a Green Lantern character named Dexstarr who is a house cat that becomes a Red Lantern (silly but I just want my player to have fun so I don't care), they are going to be a kineticist going telekinesis and pyrokinesis but I'm stuvk on making the race.
In a different forum someone just made a race using the race building system from the Advanced Race guide: Tiny, Magical Beast, Quadraped, +2 dex, +2 wis, -2 str, with sneaky, scent, and skill bonus +2 to climb but I'm not sure if that perfectly captures it.
Any ideas? Please help as this is a huge curveball.
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The Noble Wild is the best I've seen for "awakened" animals.
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I've played in a game that had awakened animal pcs (it didn't last long though), and I've played a Blink Dog PC. I don't think you can underestimate the downside of having no thumbs. How do you carry your Gold around? You are totally reliant on other pcs loading you up, and even then you can't get stuff out so you are relying on them to get it out for you. You can't use weapons, wands or scrolls; that makes you a substandard fighter or mage. I played Monk for my blink dog - it seemed a reasonable way to make a decent character that doesn't rely on being able to hold stuff.
The only other way would be to take a monkey, squirrel or other creature with a grasping hand. Alternatively, you would need a decent set of natural attacks, but then you get no iterative attacks and face problems against DR.
For spell-casting, you would either need to use spells with no material component (where would you keep materials, how would you grab them and use them?), use the eschew materials Feat or play a sorcerer.
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RISE THREAD RISE!
Seriously though does anyone have any thoughts on PC-ing awakened animals or creating pc races that are basically awakened animals.
alexd1976's half 3.x savage species method makes sense but I'm trying to create a race for a player who wants to be a sentient house cat without having them have three extra HD.
This player is theming the character after a Green Lantern character named Dexstarr who is a house cat that becomes a Red Lantern (silly but I just want my player to have fun so I don't care), they are going to be a kineticist going telekinesis and pyrokinesis but I'm stuvk on making the race.In a different forum someone just made a race using the race building system from the Advanced Race guide: Tiny, Magical Beast, Quadraped, +2 dex, +2 wis, -2 str, with sneaky, scent, and skill bonus +2 to climb but I'm not sure if that perfectly captures it.
Any ideas? Please help as this is a huge curveball.
Huh, didn't realize the method I used was spelled out in Savage Species. I either based it on that and forgot, or just a coincidence. :D
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It's close anyway