All of the pets!

[Sysryke]

This is completely for shiggles. Throwing this out both for those who love "pet" class features, but also as a theory crafting challenge for those of you who may hate them, but like to crunch the numbers.

I'm wondering if it's possible to build a character who has all the different "pet" class features and is able to still contribute effectively in a group. I get that these builds are usually disfavored for the complication, book keeping headaches, and uneven play time; like I said, this is just theory.

So, a build with a familiar, an Animal companion, an Eidolon, and a phantom I think. Bounus points if you can get specifically a mount that is seperate from the AC. Also curious if you can get a spirit familiar separate from a standard one. So, minimum 4 critters, max 6? Are there more I'm missing. The various multiple same class feature critter archetypes, are I think a no go for this build (excepting maybe as a way to do mount and AC). Also be cool if each critter/pet fulfilled a specific role as a helper/ally/tool.

Whatcha got?

[avr]

Familiars and animal companions are available via feats (Familiar bond or wasp familiar or eldritch heritage (arcane), animal ally) as well as class features or domains. Phantom is only available as a class feature, a weak eidolon can come via VMC summoner or the full strength ones are a class feature.

So; spiritualist or ghost rider cavalier or death druid is the class. With all your feats going to pets you need a solid base class, let's go with the death druid (possibly also menhir savant archetype for a little CL bonus). Human for the bonus feat. You worship Calistria. VMC summoner.

feats:

1: Nature soul
Human: Wasp familiar (figment & sage archetypes)
5: Animal ally
9: Boon companion (animal companion)
13: Sage's guidance
17: Figment's fluidity

The animal companion can be your mount; a horse probably. It also kicks enemies in melee. The familiar is the brains of the group and a disposable scout, oddly. The eidolon is going to be a meat shield. The phantom (fear emotional focus) can sneak, walk through walls, and scare people in melee. Lust emotional focus might be more appropriate for a Calistrian but that intrudes on the eidolon's role. As for you, you're going to be busy buffing all of these.

The familiar and phantom are there from 1st level, the animal companion from 5th (though it's not of use in melee until 9th), the eidolon from 7th level.

[Scavion]

Half Elf Sacred Huntsmaster Inquisitor
Feather Domain
Eldritch Heritage(Arcane)
Boon Companion(At 5th)
Improved Familiar at 9th(Upgrade Cockroach to a Mephit or something and use wands)

Grizzly Bear Companion as a mount.
Giant Owl Companion as a flying mount/attacker/flying scout
Figment Cockroach(Gets evolution points!) familiar as indoor scout and stealth machine

Alternatively...

Half Elf Death Druid
Nature Spirit, Animal Ally, Boon Companion
Eldritch Heritage(Arcane)
Summon Guardian Spirit feat

Feat intense but...
Phantom as primary combatant
Animal Companion as a mount
Figment Familiar Cockroach as a indoor scout
Guardian Spirit summons a caster familiar

[Sysryke]

Cool. So, short hand, this is doable. I need to look into Death Druid to see if it appeals to me on the flavor side.

Am I seeing correctly that these builds involve little (no?) multiclassing?

[Scavion]

Sysryke wrote:

Cool. So, short hand, this is doable. I need to look into Death Druid to see if it appeals to me on the flavor side.

Am I seeing correctly that these builds involve little (no?) multiclassing?

Depends on what level you want these to go to. If it's an actual character for a campaign, I think both of the builds I posted are viable. If it's a one shot at a specific level, you could do a Spiritualist or Death Druid multi class with the Phantom Ally feat.

Huntsmaster looks fun and strong, Death Druid instantly wins vs anything that can't deal with an Incorporeal creature and is a Full Caster.

[Dragonchess Player]

Back in 2016, I wrote:

Quote:

The courtly hunter 16/cavalier 4 with Skill Focus (any one Knowledge skill), Eldritch Heritage (Arcane), Boon Companion (on the courtly companion), Horse Master, and Leadership would have:

A full power courtly companion
A full power mount from a limited list
A familiar as an 18th level sorcerer*
A cohort (at either -2 or -6 to the Leadership Score, depending on whether or not the GM stacks the penalty for each "pet")

You could also add VMC summoner for a weakened eidolon on top of that, for four "pets" and a cohort (possibly at -8 to the Leadership Score); five total secondary characters, all rules legal (outside of PFS, at least). You'd have no other available feats, other than a bonus feat at 1st level from race and/or any from class features, though; a human with the Focused Study alternate racial trait would gain two additional Skill Focus feats (at 8th and 16th) and still have their 1st level feat available.

Alternately, a summoner 20 (VMC druid) with Skill Focus (any one Knowledge skill), Eldritch Heritage (Arcane), and Leadership would have:

A full power eidolon
A full power animal companion
A familiar as an 18th level sorcerer*
A cohort (as above)

*- using a feat on Boon Companion on the familiar for +1 natural armor and +1 Int isn't worth it, IMO

Note, you could replace Leadership with Recruits and be able to "switch out" the cohort currently accompanying the character between adventures.

Also note, another poster in the 2016 thread came up with:

CBDunkerson wrote:

Spiritualist 20 = 20th level phantom

Animal Ally + Boon Companion = 20th level animal companion
Eldritch Heritage (Arcane) + Robe of Arcane Heritage = 20th level familiar
VMC Summoner = 20th level eidolon (nerfed)
Leadership = 18th level cohort

Generally speaking, you tend to hit a limit at about 4-5 "pets" as you run out of available feats.

[avr]

Sysryke wrote:

Cool. So, short hand, this is doable. I need to look into Death Druid to see if it appeals to me on the flavor side.

Am I seeing correctly that these builds involve little (no?) multiclassing?

Zip for mine, besides the variant multiclass into summoner. I thought about doing normal multiclassing and getting feats like phantom ally but it narrows the level range where the character works to the point where it looked embarrassing.

[avr]

If you do prefer normal multiclassing to variant, there is one archetype which could help. Totem spiritualists get 'phantom animals' whose levels stack with those of a druid. Totem spiritualist 1 / elemental ally druid X with the magical enigma feat can have a phantom animal at full level and one weak eidolon (at a time) also at full level. Then pick up a familiar and an animal companion via feats if you want.

(no, I can't sleep)

[Sysryke]

Thank you all so much for your input.

I don't know if I'll ever have a game where I could actually try this build without driving my fellow players mad, but I'm glad to know it's possible.

Like all the options I'm seeing, but specifiacally to @avr, I prefer to multiclass as little as possible as a general rule, so thanks for that.

[Theaitetos]

Isn't it easier to just take several animal companions instead of all the pets?

[Heather 540]

Theaitetos wrote:

Isn't it easier to just take several animal companions instead of all the pets?

Sure. But sometimes you just want to see if you CAN do something fun but difficult rather than something easy.

[Sysryke]

Yep yep. This is purely about having all the different kinds. Not about ease or optimization.

[ErichAD]

There are a few companions that are outside the standard, Antipaladin gets a permanent summon, Shadowdancer gets a shadow, Stonelord gets an earth elemental. There's probably others as well, unfortunately they are harder to tack onto a build than the more traditional ones.

I recommend spending your animal companion and phantom feats to get your companions familiars and animal companions. Once you hit 5th level, each pet gets their own full pet stacking to infinity, you can go "Town Musician's of Bremen" or lock it in with a "Turtles all the Way Down", they sky is not the limit.

[Sysryke]

ErichAD wrote:

There are a few companions that are outside the standard, Antipaladin gets a permanent summon, Shadowdancer gets a shadow, Stonelord gets an earth elemental. There's probably others as well, unfortunately they are harder to tack onto a build than the more traditional ones.

I recommend spending your animal companion and phantom feats to get your companions familiars and animal companions. Once you hit 5th level, each pet gets their own full pet stacking to infinity, you can go "Town Musician's of Bremen" or lock it in with a "Turtles all the Way Down", they sky is not the limit.

Just revisiting old ideas/friends.

So, is it possible? Could you get a familiar, an AC, a phantom, an eidolon, plus the shadow, the earth elemental, and the permanent summon? That's 7 different pets. Do any of those features count as the same class feature, and therefore stack/fuse?

And again, can you get a Mount, distinct and separate from an AC? I suppose you could just buy and train a horse with handle animal. So do I hear 8 pets?

I appreciate the cohort/leadership builds, but I'm trying not to count people as "pets". Though . . . if you have to go Anti-Paladin as part of this build . . . . ? ? ?