Advice for a gm - pseudodragon and ranger animal companion.

[John Whyte]

So last night my campaign ended early as the players clobbered to bbeg when he was meant to escape. The party was 5th level.

That's all good. The Ranger had for fairly good roleplaying reasons a pseudodragon as her animal companion.

2 players wanted to get new characters so the campaign concluded there.

The next campaign is set 15 years in the future dealing with some side quest issues and players have chosen new characters, except for the Ranger who wants to keep her character. She's happy to drop back to our starting level of level 2. She's got a good concept of what has happened in the 15 years and she really really wants to keep the pseudodragon.

Whilst fine my bigger concern is the other players. Classes of bard, rogue, and investigator. The Ranger is going to get her animal companion earlier and it's a better companion than usual.
What benefits would you suggest offering the other pcs for equal coolness/power level? Extra gold? Of what value? Additional extracts per day? Something else?

[Duiker]

Instead of going that way, I'd actually go the opposite direction. Have her pick another vaguely physically similar animal in design (a bird or something like that) and have it have the correct stats for level and just fluff it as a pseudodragon. Maybe the old one is really out of shape from 15 years of easy living, so it takes a few levels before it's back to it's old self.

[choyer7]

Nerfing never works. Talk to your player, explain your concern and figure out the solution with the entire group. Ive seen stuff like this many times and the one thing you do not do is say no outright.

[Nox Aeterna]

Better companion than usual?

How exactly is this a better companion than usual compared to something like you standard and popular big cat?

Only thing i see it has going for it is intelligence.

[John Whyte]

I don't want to nerf it, but I'd like some options or suggestions to pitch to other players because otherwise it seems unfair. However I have no clue how to value or approximate the worth of a pseudodragon.

[Mysterious Stranger]

Since you already allowed the player to have a pseudo dragon as an animal companion and it does not seem to have caused problems I would be inclined to let him keep it as his companion. What I would not do is to allow him early access to the companion. An animal companion is a class feature and should not be given early. Instead I would find some reason for the companion to be unavailable until he reaches the appropriate level. Maybe it was captured and he finds and rescues it during the course of the game. If you think that the pseudo dragon is more powerful than normal have him spend a feat for it. Considering a class with a familiar who wants a pseudo dragon as the familiar has to do that it seems fair. Personally I agree with Nox Aeterna that it is not really all that much more powerful than a normal companion. I would however advance it like a familiar not an animal companion.