(Generic) Hunter with Vermin Companion or Verminous Hunter with Planar Focus?


Rules Questions


I've been toying with the idea of a hunter with a mantis companion, but I also find the planar focus feat really attractive, and I'm trying to figure out if it is possible. So I'm technically asking two different questions.

First, can a generic hunter (i.e. no archetype) get a vermin companion? RAW, "a hunter may begin play with any of the animals available to a druid", and "a druid who is so inclined may select a vermin as her companion." The crux then seems to be whether a vermin is considered an animal. I am guessing not as the animal and vermins are two different subtypes?

Separately, can a verminous hunter take the planar focus feat? RAW, vermin focus "replaces animal focus", and planar focus has "animal focus class feature" as a pre-requisite. So I believe a verminous hunter would not qualify for planar focus.

So either way, it seems it is not possible for a hunter to have a vermin companion and have the planar focus feat?

Sovereign Court

This is my divine verminous hunter, a follower of Achaekek with a (fiendish) giant mantis companion. He's a pfs character. I enjoy playing him. I wouldn't count him as being highly optimised, but he is certainly fun.

Vermin Focus doesn't count as Animal Focus, so a verminous hunter does not qualify for Planar Focus. (Sometimes when an archetype replaces a class feature it says that the replacement ability counts as that class feature). There might be a work-around available though. You could dip a level of Druid Feral Shifter archetype, which gives you Animal Focus in place of nature bond. Four levels of Sacred Huntmaster Inquisitor also grants Animal Focus; or one level of Jungle Lord Ranger or Wild Hunter Ranger; or four levels of Naturalist Summoner

As for whether a generic hunter can choose a vermin companion, I'm inclined to say yes. A hunter gets an animal companion as per druid nature bond, and a druid that selects animal companion as his nature bond can choose a vermin companion. The vermin doesn't have to be considered an animal for this purpose, it just has to be on the list of vermin companion options.

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