I have recently started a group to play Pathfinder. We are all pretty new but picking it up quickly. I'm the gm and two of my PC's are playing as a druid with an animal companion. The core rule book seems to gloss over how to actually use them. Should I give my PC's separate character sheet for their animal? Do they get a separate initiative check or the same as the player? Do they get their own hit die or same as player? Maybe I'm just over looking all this but I'm having a hard time figuring out how they really function
There are sources for the rules out there on the webboblag, one of those is Archives of Nethys. Here's their section on animal companions. Not every one of your questions are answered there, but I thought it might still interest you.
Yes, the animal companion (commonly shorted AC here) should have their own character sheet. There are separate sheets available for animal companions, familiars and similar 'add-ons'. My favorite sheets are those from Dyslexic Studeos.
Animal companions roll initiative separately. They're controlled by their owner via the Handle Animal skill. That generally means (at my table) that if the AC wins initiative over its owner, it delays until an order is given.
They get own hit dice. Counterintuitive, an AC's HD isn't the same as their owner's. At the link I gave above there's a table which shows how many HD the AC has at any given level.
Please keep the questions coming!
The animal has diferent stats and abilities so having a separate char sheet makes it easier, while the animal has its own initiative most people have it act on the player's turn since that makes the combat flow a little better and its HD is separate as indicated on the animal companion basic statistics table. I believe the table is on the Core Rule Book but it can also be found here: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/druid/animal-companions/
So does the druid have to make a handle animal check Everytime they want them to do something? If they fail the DC check does the animal not do anything for that turn or do I take control? I really appreciate all the help, I feel like I'm more ready for out session tonight
I'm sure some will disagree, but I believe that the master is supposed to make a Handle Animal check, and then the GM is supposed to control the companion based on whether or not the check succeeded and how he or she believes an animal would act in the situation (though the animal should act in a way that it favorable for its master). The animal will probably continue the last command it was given on successive rounds, but situations can change that. The HA check is a free action, so the master might make the check every round.
I've never actually seen it played that way though. Every time I've seen an animal companion in use, it is the player who decided what it does and moves it around the combat mat. Since the DC to make the animal perform a trick it knows is pretty low, I'm pretty sure some players and GM just skip the check altogether (not that I think you should).
If you choose to let the player control the animal, then you should be ready to step in from time to time if the animal is doing something you believe to be against its nature or is beyond the scope of the tricks it currently knows. Animal companions are great, but they aren't meant to be a second character with human-level intelligence.
Some things to remember:
-Animals have very few skill points and very few skills they can put points into. Two of these skills are not class skills, so do not get the free +3 bonus. Animals have a pretty short list of feats they can choose, although as the GM you are allowed to expand it.
-At 4th level, the animal companion gets a free ability score point. If this is used to raise the animals Intelligence to 3 (which is considered beyond animal intelligence), then it can put points in any skill, can have choose any feat it qualifies for, and its maximum number of tricks it can know increases by 3. Despite it being more intelligent, the master must still make Handle Animal checks.
-Animals can wear certain pieces of equipment, including magic items.
-Figure out what animals are a normal sight in urban areas. Many of the most fierce companions wouldn't be allowed into the tavern full of farmers.
-Animals will not engage in combat with certain kinds of monsters without proper training. Take a look at the "attack" trick.
Should I give my PC's separate character sheet for their animal?
Yes. An animal companion is complicated enough that it needs a sheet.
Do they get a separate initiative check or the same as the player?
If the PC and animal have roughly the same initiative, or the animal has a better init, I would just roll them together. Otherwise the animal delays and waits for a command or the druid waits to give the animals orders when they're relevant.
Do they get their own hit die or same as player?
Animals use D8 hit dice, and they do not get max HP at first level, because companion critter is not a PC class.
Maybe I'm just over looking all this but I'm having a hard time figuring out how they really function
With a reasonable selection of tricks and a +11 handle animal , the animal companion functionally does what the player wants it to do.