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A player and I were looking at the feat animal ally:
Prerequisites: Nature Soul, character level 4th, must not have an animal companion or mount that advances as an animal companion.
Benefit: You gain an animal companion as if you were a druid of your character level –3 from the following list: badger, bird, camel, cat (small), dire rat, dog, horse, pony, snake (viper), or wolf. If you later gain an animal companion through another source (such as the Animal domain, divine bond, hunter's bond, mount, or nature bond class features), the effective druid level granted by this feat stacks with that granted by other sources.
At first it seemed simple enough, but then it was pointed out that, by RAW would it be possible to have a very high levelled animal companion through this. The reasoning was that your animal companion is 3 levels lower than your character (so a level 4 fighter with this feat could have a level 1 dog), and that the druid level from this feat stacks with other animal companion classes. So let's say the fighter character is level 5, and he took is 5th level in Hunter. His character level -3 is now 2, and his Hunter level that is stacking is now 1, meaning that the animal companion should be level 3. If this character went to level 20 with all of their levels in Hunter, their Hunter level would be 16, and their character level -3 would be 17, and if this stacks, then the animal companion level is 33.
This isn't to say this is how the feat was meant to work, or that it should ever be allowed to work that that, but is it a valid interpretation of RAW?
No. A given 'level' will only count one time.
If you stop meeting the prerequisites for the feat, you lose the benefits of the feat.
Taking levels in a class that grants an Animal Companion makes you no longer qualify for the feat.
Just delete the last sentence of the feat and it makes sense.
If you combine this feat with Boon Companion and Huntmaster:Human, you can wind up with an Animal Companion one level higher than your character, without taking a class that even gets one.
:D
That last sentence makes no sense given the feat's prerequisites.
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There are already several threads on this. Let me save you the time.
There is also value to Dave's interpretation, as that is the normal ruling. But the wording on the feat "stacks" implies otherwise. Thus, the rules change to restrict you to your character level +1 applies.
There are already several threads on this. Let me save you the time.
There is also value to Dave's interpretation, as that is the normal ruling. But the wording on the feat "stacks" implies otherwise. Thus, the rules change to restrict you to your character level +1 applies.
Thanks for the link :)
The ruling stated that a character could not have an animal companion whose HD was more than one above the character level. Does this mean the character could have a level 26 (21HD) animal companion at level 20? Not really unbalanced that late on, but I could see it causing trouble at level 12 or something, when you have a level 16 animal companion (13HD).
There are already several threads on this. Let me save you the time.
There is also value to Dave's interpretation, as that is the normal ruling. But the wording on the feat "stacks" implies otherwise. Thus, the rules change to restrict you to your character level +1 applies.
Thanks for the link :)
The ruling stated that a character could not have an animal companion whose HD was more than one above the character level. Does this mean the character could have a level 26 (21HD) animal companion at level 20? Not really unbalanced that late on, but I could see it causing trouble at level 12 or something, when you have a level 16 animal companion (13HD).
Honestly? I think it would depend on how your GM handles above 20. *shrug*
Tangential to the question of the original post:
Could an Elemental Ally Druid take this feat?
Could a Druid who took a Domain instead of a companion take this feat?
Tangential to the question of the original post:
Could an Elemental Ally Druid take this feat?
Could a Druid who took a Domain instead of a companion take this feat?
Yes, but with the serious caveat that since your Druid type gets no animal companion, it adds nothing in the way of companion levels and can't use class-based boons like share spells.