Animal Companions and Familiars (and Handle Animal)?

[Mbertorch]

So, my friend is playing a Druid with a Raccoon AC. And another is an Eldritch Guardian with a Thrush companion (Emissary archetype). And a third is a Ranger (Freebooter) who wants to use Handle Animal to get a monkey we found to... Hang out with him and have it not run away, I guess? The DM is new to Pathfinder, and while I'm not, I've never had an animal companion or familiar in the party, mine or otherwise. So... I'm a little lost.

We started at level 3, and between AC rules, familiar rules, handle animal rules, and the animals' own stats, I'm actually rather lost. I have no idea what these critters should look like as far as stats and abilities are concerned. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

[Mark Hoover 330]

Please clarify what question(s) you're asking here. The start of your anecdote seemed to indicate how to make animals stick around. In general your AC or Mount is trained with tricks and wants to hang around you, so as long as you're using one of the tricks the creature just acts in combat.

Handle Animal comes into play when either you're asking the creature to do something it's not trained to do or you have some kind of contested roll where someone ELSE is trying to exert control.

Familiars are magical beasts or other creature types with some kind of intelligence bordering on the average barbarian. As such Handle Animal doesn't apply. To influence a familiar it needs to understand a language and then be able to hear you, at which point you can use Diplomacy or Intimidate (with some penalties/bonuses based on size ratios and such).

Are you wondering about other stuff?

[Mbertorch]

Okay. Very good start. Thanks!
How about this:

1. What is the interaction for Handle Animal with a 'wild animal'?

2. What features of an AC are determined by the animal it is, and which by its being an Animal Companion? And how is this figured out? And by features I mean everything. Ability scores, feats, skills, attacks, BAB, abilities, hit points, saves, etc.

3. Same question, but replace AC with familiar.

4. What kind of action is it for the PLAYER to have the Familiar or AC do something?

EDIT: I know this information is likely on websites and even the books I own, but it's too convoluted for us to sort out.

[shaventalz]

Mbertorch wrote:

2. What features of an AC are determined by the animal it is, and which by its being an Animal Companion? And how is this figured out? And by features I mean everything. Ability scores, feats, skills, attacks, BAB, abilities, hit points, saves, etc.

There's a table here for what animal companions gain as their master levels up. It includes HD, total skill points, feats, misc. bonuses, and abilities.

For the base stats of your animal companion, find it on this list. They do not use the bestiary stats. Generally, animal companions will have a growth spurt at either 4th or 7th level; what that does is listed in this entry. Instead of the growth spurt, the master can choose to keep the animal cute and cuddly, giving it a slight boost to Dex and Con.

Animal companions are generally limited in which feats and skills they can take; these restrictions are at the bottom of the first link.

Mbertorch wrote:

3. Same question, but replace AC with familiar.

Same type of answer, mostly.

The basic familiar advancement chart is here. Note that familiars don't gain their own HD or skill points, and so don't get new feats. It gets half the HP of its master, "borrows" the skill ranks of the master, and uses the BAB & saves of the master (unless its own is better.)

The list of familiar options is here. Unlike with animal companions, you start out with whatever is in the bestiary entry for that species (number and type of attacks, senses, etc.) Type changes to "Magical Beast." The familiar's master also gains a bonus based on the type of familiar (see the table entry for details.)

Mbertorch wrote:

4. What kind of action is it for the PLAYER to have the Familiar or AC do something?

That depends a great deal on what type of critter you've got.

A familiar is independently sapient, and chooses its own actions.

An animal companion requires Handle Animal checks, but the "Link" ability it gets at level 1 lets the master do them as (usually) free actions.

A regular animal also requires Handle Animal checks, as described in the skill. According to the skill description, handling an animal is usually a move action.

[Flutter]

Druids log is written for PFS, but 99% of the basics are the same (besides how magic items on the critter works)

[Yorien]

Mbertorch wrote:

I have no idea what these critters should look like as far as stats and abilities are concerned.

Animal companions are basically a common animal of the chosen species, you normally check the bestiary to get the default stats. The main difference is that those companions usually "level up" along with the Druid/ranger.

You'll find a table with the changes a companion gets (over a "normal creature" of the chosen species) based on the player character's level. Some changes are fixed (the companion gets the values stated on the table instead of their normal scores, for example the saving throws) while others increase the default values of creatures from that species (for example, conmpanions "grow up in size and power", and get extra bonuses to their STR-DEX bonuses)

Animal companions normally keep "animal intelligence" so you must handle them as any other animal (Handle animal skill). Normally they're loyal to the druid/ranger, and the character usually has specific bonuses to handle them (for example, a druid can use handle animal on her companion as a free action).

If you raise an animal companion INT to 3 they get several benefits. Can put ranks in any skill, can select any feat they're physically capable to use, can understand spoken non-complicated language and depending on the animal, might even express themselves with basic wording if their vocal cords allow them to do so (for example a parrot)

__________________

Familiars behave similary to animal companions with few changes (they become magical beasts instead of animals, and become sentient with decent INT scores so they understand a languages, for example). Again, check a common member of the familiar species to get the base stats, then check the character class table to see what changes you have to apply to those values.

[shaventalz]

Yorien wrote:

Mbertorch wrote:

I have no idea what these critters should look like as far as stats and abilities are concerned.

Animal companions are basically a common animal of the chosen species, you normally check the bestiary to get the default stats. The main difference is that those companions usually "level up" along with the Druid/ranger.

Animal companions do not necessarily start with the default stats of a bestiary creature. They use the stats for animal companions usually given in the bestiary entry of a qualifying creature type.

For an example of this, see the bestiary entry for the allosaurus. The "normal" version is size huge, with stats to match. The companion version starts at medium, with lowered stats and missing abilities.

[BigNorseWolf]

Quote:

nimal companions are basically a common animal of the chosen species, you normally check the bestiary to get the default stats. The main difference is that those companions usually "level up" along with the Druid/ranger.

They companions start with their companion stat block, not the bestiary version. Then you add the druid chart. Then you add the druid level up.

[blahpers]

When determining animal companion stats, the only use for the Bestiary entry is when the animal companion has a named ability defined solely in the original animal's Bestiary entry (e.g., the crocodile companion's "death roll" ability). Otherwise, use the animal companion stat block and the level table to determine the animal companion's stats. The Bestiary should almost never be necessary.