I have a player who would like to play a skald with a bear as an animal companion. Is this possible? If so, what's the easiest way to achieve it? He'll be starting at 11th level.
Thanks!
2 feats will get an animal companion at level-3, with a third investment getting it fully leveled.
Nature Soul
Animal Ally
Boon Companion
Variant Multiclassing (VMC) into Druid would cost every 2nd feat (3rd, 7th, 11th), and would also provide a fully leveled companion (along with Wild Empathy and the Druidic Code).
Gaining a domain (via VMC Cleric or otherwise) and taking the Animal Domain will get them one at level-3, which again could be increased by Boon Companion.
There are at least a few more ways to get more restricted animal companions like those of Rangers or Cavaliers, but the above hopefully helps.
Animal ally normally has a very limited selection of possible animal companions. As the DM you could easily allow them to have a bear through the feat without any additional investment. This is probably the most straight forward method of having them gain an animal companion without multiclassing.
Also maybe possible, but unclear:
Skill Focus: Knowledge Nature
Eldritch Heritage (Sylvan)
Boon Companion
The unclear parts are that Sylvan is a Wildblood variant, so maybe isn't valid with EH, and the level 1 bloodline power is also the bloodline arcana, but it's fully written up as the bloodline power. The arcana tells you to look at the power.
What you are looking for is Exotic Heritage instead of Skill Focus.
An alternative would be to pick up something with a bloodline already, like a level dip into Bloodrager, and trade away the 1st level power for a Familiar. Then pick the Mauler Archetype for your familiar and pick something suitably bear-like. Something like a Red Panda, Racoon, Koala or Weasel.
The downside to doing the Eldritch Heritage route is that you end up with a companion equal to your character level -5, meaning even with boon companion the companion is a level behind.