PackMaster Hunter / Ranger Animal companion question.

[ObsidianArrow]

First and foremost. If I chose at level two level 1 wolves with the Packmaster archetype and then multiclass into Ranger does the ranger retain the second wolf?

Second.
If now ranger chose two feats of Boon Companion am I correct in assuming his effective druid level at level 20 would be 19 in regards to both the animal companions?

My thinking is this for a character concept.
At level 1 select Boon Companion Feat.
Level two add a wolf under the archetype giving me one level 2 wolf and a level 1 wolf.

Multiclass into the ranger at level 3 and choose the second instance of Boon Companion. Raising both wolves to level 3.
Level 4 they level to 4 along with the character.
At level 5 the character advances and the wolves advance to level 5.
At level 6 the character advances but the wolve remain level 5.
At level 7 the character advances and the wolves advance to level 6.

Am I correct on this?

[thekwp]

Well, you may have a problem in that the language for Pack Bond which replaces Animal Companion for a Hunter does not include the language:

PRD wrote:

If a character receives an animal companion from more than one source, her effective druid levels stack for the purposes of determining the companion's statistics and abilities.

So, it is not clear that the Packmaster can actually gain animal companion level benefits from another class.

But if we read the rules as a RAI saying that this ability in replacing the Animal Companion ability is only intended to have language as to explain the difference, then let us proceed down the logic you have setup.

• Class Level || Effective Druid Level Wolf #1 || Effective Druid Level Wolf #2
  
• Hunter (Packmaster) 1 || 1 + (Boon Companion bonus 0) = 1 || N/A
  
• Hunter (Packmaster) 2 || 1 + (Boon Companion bonus 1) = 2 || 1 = 1
  
• Hunter (Packmaster) 2/Ranger 1 || 1 + (Boon Companion bonus 2) = 3 || 1 + (Boon Companion bonus 2) = 3
  
• Hunter (Packmaster) 2/Ranger 2 || 1 + (Boon Companion bonus 3) = 4 || 1 + (Boon Companion bonus 3) = 4
  
• Hunter (Packmaster) 2/Ranger 3 || 1 + (Boon Companion bonus 4) = 5 || 1 + (Boon Companion bonus 4) = 5
  
• Hunter (Packmaster) 2/Ranger 4 || 1 (hunter) + 1(ranger) + (Boon Companion bonus 4) = 6 || 1 + (Boon Companion bonus 4) = 5
  
• Hunter (Packmaster) 2/Ranger 5 || 1 (hunter) + 2(ranger) + (Boon Companion bonus 4) = 7 || 1 + (Boon Companion bonus 4) = 5
  

The Ranger's Hunters Bond class features is a 4th level ability. It grants effective druid level at Ranger level -3. So, a 4th level Ranger has an effective druid level of 1.

However, Rangers do not have a "pack" type archetype in the Paizo rules. So, a Ranger can only add his effective Druid level for Animal Companion to one animal. As a result, the rules would have all of the animal companion effective druid levels from the ranger class going to one of two pack animal companions from the Hunter class.

[ObsidianArrow]

Actually Ranger does have a pack archetype..
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/ranger/archetypes/paizo---rang er-archetypes/beastmaster

[thekwp]

ObsidianArrow wrote:

Beastmaster

Thanks!

I cannot tell you how many times I had looked at the APG, but had completely forgotten about that one. I even remember now thinking about about how the name was fairly appropriate for the fairly (ok, extremely) cheesey 80s flick. Yet, when I was responding to this message, I had completely forgotten about it.