Avian Eidolon small -> large stat changes

[Variant]

So given this snippet from the Summoner Eidolon page:

Quote:

Size: When summoned, an avian eidolon is Small unless it spends 2 points from its evolution pool. At 5th level, a Medium or larger avian eidolon's flight speed increases by 40 feet, as if it had 2 more points in the flight evolution; Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (good); AC +2 natural armor; Saves Fort (bad), Ref (good), Will (good); Attacks 2 claws (1d3); Ability Scores Str 12, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 11.

And this:

Quote:

These base forms also note any free evolutions that base form possesses. The bonuses from these free evolutions are already factored into the starting statistics. Alternatively, any one of these base forms can be used to make a Small eidolon. If the eidolon is Small, it gains a +2 bonus to its Dexterity score. It also takes a –4 penalty to its Strength and a –2 penalty to its Constitution. It also gains a +1 size bonus to its AC and attack rolls, a –1 penalty to its CMB and CMD scores, a +2 bonus on its Fly skill checks, and a +4 bonus on its Stealth skill checks. Reduce the damage of all of its attacks by one step (1d6 becomes 1d4, 1d4 becomes 1d3). If this choice is made, the eidolon can be made Medium whenever the summoner can change the eidolon’s evolution pool (which causes it to lose these modifiers for being Small).

Does making it medium mean that the avian eidolon's physical stats become:

STR 16
DEX 14
CON 15

Or do they stay the same for both medium and small?

[Weirdo]

Yes, the size change will adjust stats. The avian form just makes small the default and adds a cost for choosing to be medium.

[Goblin Joel]

I know this is an old thread, but I just ran into this issue with a player who wanted a summoner with an avian base form eidolon. I'm posting this here for posterity such as future Googlers (sorry for thread necro).

I would argue that all the base form stats, including Avian and Tauric (even though they are specified to require 2 EP to start at medium) are meant as medium-version stats. Here is the rationale for my ruling for my game:

1. Tauric and Avian both have this small unless 2 EP restriction, so they are both presumably stats for the same size as each other.

2. Both have 13/7/10/11 con/int/wis/cha, with 28 total str+dex, just like all the medium-default base forms.

3. Both have +2 AC natural armor. If the small was already factored in, one would expect it to include the +1 size bonus as well. Furthermore, the other small bonuses and penalties are not described in the Avian/Tauric stats. (This point is a weaker argument though.)

4. All the standard forms have 5 EP of free evolutions, including the Aquatic form, while Tauric has 7 EP of free evolutions and Avian has 5, but with one of those Avian evolutions normally requiring a lv5 summoner. So, I interpret it as getting a bonus ability for free instead of medium size. For Tauric, it's the extra set of limbs. For Avian, it's being allowed to have a high-level evolution early.

5. The Large evolution is normally 4 EP. Going from Large to Huge costs 6 EP. Therefore, it's reasonable for the 2 EP for Medium requirement to be read as an evolution you normally get for free, but that these must buy. So, I read it as swapping out the normally free, implicit, 2 EP Medium evolution for another 2 EP evolution (Tauric) or a game-changing ability at low level (Avian). Granted, an argument against this is that normally you can voluntarily make the other forms small, but you don't get to add 2 EP for doing that. Counterpoint from my player: This makes the Avian form 2 EP weaker past level 5, since we are essentially charging it 4 EP for flight instead of 2. To which I respond, "At 5th level, a Medium or larger avian eidolon's flight speed increases by 40 feet, as if it had 2 more points in the flight evolution." Therefore, those 2 points are converted to something useful once they become redundant.

I also thing that, since the Tauric and Avian both have the same claws evolution listed for free, and since the Tauric's are d4 even though both forms are small by default, the Avian's d3 claws are a typo, possibly born from this same confusion about whether small or medium is being listed. I would rule that a small Avian has d3 claws, but a medium one has d4.