Reign of winter advice.

[Kawaiipiggy]

I hope this is in the right spot.

I am going to play a courtly hunter in reign of winter home run. Even if that is a bad choice it fits my concept.

Now the part i need help with is the animal companion. I notice adventure path player guides suggest animal companions but not all of them turn out to be really viable. How viable is a large Size category companion? What animal companion do you suggest and why?

Thank you in advance for the help.

[Douglas Muir 406]

I don't think it's a spoiler to say that while a lot of the first module is outdoors, you sometimes go indoors as well. So, while a large companion is possible, you're probably better with something medium sized that can follow you wherever you go.

Also, note that the AP is called "Reign of Winter". You probably want something that can tolerate the occasional bit of cold weather. So, no jaguars or crocodiles.

Doug M.

[ryric]

I (as a player) just finished book 3 of Reign of Winter this last weekend. A large animal companion may have issues getting around inside and in fact may need to squeeze frequently, as well as blocking other party members.

Our group's druid started with a giant weasel, who died. He just replaced it with a large wolf so I guess we'll see how the size thing goes.

Given how much deep snow there is early on(not really a spoiler, the AP is called Reign of Winter), a bird might be a solid choice actually. Having a bird of prey could also fit well with a courtly hunter concept.

[LordKailas]

I think it really depends on what you plan on using your animal companion for. do you want a mount (like a moose)? something big and brawny (like a bear)? or something small and sneaky (like a monkey).

Reign of Winter is a specifically "cold themed" AP and so any animal that would be found in a cold climate is probably a fine choice. I wouldn't worry about size too much IMO. Druids get the spell reduce animal at 2nd level and so if it seems like you might be going to be adventuring in an area that won't be accommodating for a large animal companion you can always hit them with this spell. It lasts an hour per level and combined with a rod of extend you'll only end up using 1 to 2 second level spells even if you have to keep the spell going 24/7.

Just have a game plan in mind if you need to descend a ladder down a small shaft to proceed. Honestly, it's something you should have a plan for regardless if you were playing an AP or not.

If you want suggestions, I've always been partial to wolves and big cats. They can serve as mounts and they get extra combat options for free like trip and rake respectively.

[Saldiven]

Don't feel too constrained to not taking a Large AC. If you do, just make sure the AC has the following Feat to offset the penalties for being indoors:

"Narrow Frame

Source Animal Archive pg. 19 (Amazon)

Your excellent coordination allows you to maneuver better in close quarters.

Prerequisites: Escape Artist 1 rank, animal or magical beast.

Benefit: You do not take penalties on your attack rolls or to your AC for squeezing through a narrow space that is at least half as wide as your normal space, though each move into or through a narrow space still counts as if it were 2 squares.

Normal: You take a –4 penalty on attack rolls and a –4 penalty to AC while squeezing."

[Kawaiipiggy]

Thank you for answering my question. I appreciate it!