New campaign on custom world. Campaign is starting at level 3 and will begin with capturing some of the dangerous jungle wildlife then probably exploring ancient recently discovered ruins. We don't know after that. But it won't just be staying in the jungle forever.
I'm going for a build that the party is hiring a local primitive guide on site. Ranger is the obvious choice, but ranger just doesn't have enough spells for me. Unless I come up with a way to add lots of other special abilities to it. Just my personal quirk, but I have a hard time playing a game built around magic and then have a build that doesn't use it pretty often.
So I'm thinking either hunter or inquisitor with one of the domain/inquisition/deities that would give an animal companion or familiar to help me scout. Thought about an arcane trickster, but the group seems very low on any divine capability and it just feels like a 'primitive local guide' to me.
For race I was kinda leaning toward a goblin or vanarran. Not set on that though.
What animal companion do you think would be best for scout/guide to find creatures and explore ruins?
What familiar seems most appropriate?
Any other suggestions you can think of?
A primitive scout could be a druid if you really like magic. Nature fang or green scourge are a bit more into fighting if that's a part of your concept. Besides the animal companion option there are animal/terrain domains which give familiars if you like.
What else? There are oracles which get animal companions or mounts (lunar, nature). Full spellcasters, again. Then there's nature shamans.
A kineticist can get elemental whispers for a concentration-duration scout (terrakineticist archetype has a built-in motive to travel).
Spiritualists have incorporeal scouts. They can be 'primitive' without needing to change anything, but a totem spiritualist gets an animal-ghost if you like that sort of styling.
Geomancer occultists study and gain power from the land. They don't get a pet unless they pay feats, true, but they're fine as guides.
Then there's fey bards and many others, but there's nothing wring with your first thought there. Hunters and inquisitors work just fine.
Forgot to mention, the occult book is one of the few not allowed.
Which kinds of animals seem best to you?
As a scout I'd prefer something with a little smarts. 2 Int or even 3 could be hard to work with, depending on how your GM plays it. A druid (or Green Faith marshal inquisitor) with the eagle domain or the monkey domain gets a familiar which can end up smarter than its master.
Edit: a small size nature oracle can get a wolf with 6 Int as their mount, which seems good.
Just looking at ordinary animal companions a small cat (cheetah or leopard) can get away fast if necessary, or a badger/wolverine can both climb and burrow which is useful. A big cat (tiger) is a terrifying scout.
I'm not sure the wolf/wolverine/badger works with the jungle. I get the impression that a fair bit of it may be a swampy/lowlands jungle like the Amazon basin.
I'm leaning toward the small cat. But I do also like the monkey or bird familiar.
For PV race, I'm thinking monkey-goblin or vanarran.