Companions and evolutions.

[Heather 540]

The Evolved Companion feats says that an animal companion gains a one-point eidolon evolution that's not pounce or reach. The companion must conform to the limits of the evolution.

The Wing Buffet evolution states the eidolon must have the Flight evolution.

Using the Evolved Companion feat, can I give a bird companion with a flight speed the Wing Buffet evolution?

[Name Violation]

RAW no.

[Heather 540]

Ok.

[Trokarr]

The evolved companion feat is essentially the evolved familiar feat but for animal companions. After pathfinder unchained came out there were questions about how the new eidolon subtypes affected the evolved familiar feat. I found this quote in one of the threads by one of the devs (sorry don’t know how to directly link the thread so I’m copy/pasting). “We've talked over how to approach this feat, and we'd like it to use Unchained evolutions without blocking access to evolutions that most subtypes can take. We're planning to add the following to the next update of the Campaign Clarifications document.

"For the Evolved Familiar feat, use evolutions for the unchained summoner (Pathfinder RPG Pathfinder Unchained 25). The familiar must conform to all requirements listed in the evolution, such as having wings to take wing buffet, with the following exception. If any of the eidolon subtypes that appear in Pathfinder Unchained qualify for the evolution, then a familiar qualifies for that evolution as well." So clearly a familiar with wings can take the wing buffet evolution and it seems the intent is only restricting the familiar to using evolutions it can physically use rather than being restricted by eidolon evolution requirements. It seems logical as the two feats are nearly identical that the evolved companion feat would follow the same set of restrictions. Whether or not your GM agrees is another question.

[Heather 540]

Ask the GM, got it. Hopefully he'll say yes.

[Sysryke]

While this is ultimately a GM call, there is a decently strong RAI argument in favor of letting the bird take wing buffet. Original eidolons (don't know about unchained) have base forms, and each base form starts with a pre-set mix of evolutions that are equivalent to 5 evolution points. These do not count against your EP pool. For example the serpentine base eidolon starts with bite, tail, tail slap, and a climb speed (maybe swim.) It's totally logical reasonable to assume that your bird companion is equivalent to the winged/avian base eidolon form, and so technically "has" the wings and winged flight evolutions.