I need to level up my CORE Ranger for a game next week but it's been over a year since I last played him, so I can't recall if I made a choice for Hunter's Bond. He has a few GM credits on him which leads to me needing to do this level up and then doing it again after the game.
So which is the better form of Hunter's Bond; Party Companions or an Animal Companion? And if AC, what are some good options using only the CRB?
The party companions option is narrow, weak until very high levels, and poor action economy.
Animal companion is useful even if it just absorbs an attack or 2 before dying. Replacing it is free though you'll have to train the replacement. Be sure to max out Handle Animal. As for which animal to get it depends on your style.
At low levels a good choice is small cat with Weapon Finesse and then Agile Maneuvers. But if you are an archer you don't want it to trip. Bear is a good choice since it it does good damage.
At levels 4 - 6 you have 2 good options.
Large Ape gets 3 attacks and has a climb speed. It also has reach so Combat Reflexes is handy.
Large Constrictor Snake is good at Grab both locking down the target and making it easier to hit.
Use 2 prestige points to buy a scroll with 5 casts of Reduce Animal for tight dungeon crawls. Remember it just loses 2 str from the spell, Not the +8 size bonus.
At 7th level Large Cat is hands down the best option.
Pounce, Rake, Grab (It is unclear if the grab is just on the bite or on all 3 of the listed attacks.)
If you flat out don't want a large companion then Crocodile is a decent level 4 option and Deinonychus at 7th.
The party companions option is narrow, weak until very high levels, and poor action economy.
Animal companion is useful even if it just absorbs an attack or 2 before dying. Replacing it is free though you'll have to train the replacement. Be sure to max out Handle Animal. As for which animal to get it depends on your style.At low levels a good choice is small cat with Weapon Finesse and then Agile Maneuvers. But if you are an archer you don't want it to trip. Bear is a good choice since it it does good damage.
At levels 4 - 6 you have 2 good options.Large Ape gets 3 attacks and has a climb speed. It also has reach so Combat Reflexes is handy.
Large Constrictor Snake is good at Grab both locking down the target and making it easier to hit.
Use 2 prestige points to buy a scroll with 5 casts of Reduce Animal for tight dungeon crawls. Remember it just loses 2 str from the spell, Not the +8 size bonus.At 7th level Large Cat is hands down the best option.
Pounce, Rake, Grab (It is unclear if the grab is just on the bite or on all 3 of the listed attacks.)If you flat out don't want a large companion then Crocodile is a decent level 4 option and Deinonychus at 7th.
Rangers don't get a lot of those. They're limited to badger, bird, camel, small cat, dire rat, dog, horse, pony, viper, constrictor, and wolf. Also, their effective druid level is Ranger-3 so advancements don't happen until 7th or 10th.
Vek Orcbreaker is a axe/hammer & board wielder with the TWF combat style whose motto is CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!
Wow never noticed Rangers had restrictions on companions. Lucky for me my core ranger is using a constrictor snake.
Since you are melee I would go with the small cat early on then switch to and stay with the constrictor snake.
A scout doesn't help much if you can't talk to it. Extra Item Slot is now legal in Core http://paizo.com/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5ljwv?A-Few-More-Answers#18 So you can get it a cloak at higher levels to increase it's chances of survival. Along with feats like Toughness and Dodge.
