Animal Companion with class features and fun buffs

[thelemonache]

ok my current fun build idea that I'm making for "science" is getting as many bonuses for an animal companion as possible. What things do you all know of that give things like class features and cool permanent buffs to animal companions?

this is just the spaghetti at the wall stage, so try not to think of a viable build just yet, lets just compile all the options and smash the build together at the end. :)

list I know of off the top of my head:
eldrict heritage chains (can even give a perma water blast)
chameleon adept gives them wildshape 1
share class feature feat can give a few things
devotee of the hooded gives them the fey touched template
celestial servant feat (aasimar) gives them celestial template
eye for talent racial (human) gives them +2 to a stat (likely int for how i play)
hunter can give teamwork feats
mammoth rider increases size to huge
nature shaman gets a combined familiar and animal companion at level 16 (aint no one got time for that though)
Totemic Initiate feat chain gives a totem rage power (kinda costly and limited though)
The Bear's Jig bardic masterpiece can temporarily "awaken" an animal companion (limited)
monstrous companion can give actual class levels (but at what cost....)

What else yall got? Bonus points if you get them ways to be humanoid at will (like fey-touched template, rakshasa bloodline from eldritch heritage, etc)

[I grok do u]

nature warden PrC focuses on the AC.

Some cavalier archetypes are interesting, like
Saurian champion for a powerful dinosaur mount or Ghost rider for a phantom mount.

[thelemonache]

I grok do u wrote:

nature warden PrC focuses on the AC.

That's a nice looking PrC!

[Azothath]

polymorph any object and two failed saves... or just a polymorph

[Name Violation]

totem beast can be good

[Tom Sampson]

I believe you could have your animal companion take Obedience feats. An animal companion will not achieve 16 hit dice until level 20, but it achieves 14 hit dice at level 17 and the Diverse Obedience feat enables it to obtain boons 2 hit dice sooner. For that matter, there are a number of feats that bestow spell-like abilities.

Also, if the animal companion is fully intelligent, likely magic items can be used with Use Magic Device to bestow class features as well.

The Evolved Companion feat can also give it a 1 point evolution.

[Oli Ironbar]

Tom Sampson wrote:

I believe you could have your animal companion take Obedience feats. An animal companion will not achieve 16 hit dice until level 20.

There is a way to do this with the Animal Ally feat and the options granted there! Official limit then is AnC can only be 1 greater than PC HD! (such a stupid trick that still brings all the cheese a decade later)

[thelemonache]

the devotee of the hooded ability is confusing to me though. it says you get the template while riding, but can't change shape while riding. it suggests they can use change shape otherwise, but if you're not riding it, there's no template. so like, why not just say "except change shape" instead? it's as if it's intended to have change shape all the time.

[Oli Ironbar]

It reads like the author spent some time writing contracts in the first world. Probably just part of the flavor.

[Azothath]

Cavaliers and such are into pretty & impressive stuff.

[Sysryke]

I think Mammoth Shaman can also get to the Familiar/AC in one combo.

I'm assuming for the purpose of your experiment here, you want only AC, no discussion of Eidolons.

[Rokai Deilong]

My favorite build of all time. It's the huge Raging flying mammoth. 2Barb/3hunter/5barb/1Mamothlord gets him huge, Barbarian (mounted fury) gives him rage and rage powers. Hunter gives him teamwork feats.
Half orc let's him take the teamwork feat amplified rage. The dragon totem line will give him flying with a lot of goodies or you can go beast totem for the pounce.

[Azothath]

Rokai Deilong wrote:

My favorite build of all time. It's the huge Raging flying mammoth. 2Barb/3hunter/5barb/1Mamothlord gets him huge, Barbarian (mounted fury) gives him rage and rage powers. Hunter gives him teamwork feats.

Half orc let's him take the teamwork feat amplified rage. The dragon totem line will give him flying with a lot of goodies or you can go beast totem for the pounce.

→Mammoth Rider Build, 2018-07-31 with various comments

current readers may not be aware of the Mounted FAQ back from 2014 as the CRB text has changed.
→Contention thread over Mounted FAQ back in 2014-03-14 which is about this →CRB FAQ: Mounted Combat: When making a charge while mounted, which creature charges? The rider or the mount? 2014-03 and CRB FAQ: Lance: If I have the pounce ability and I charge with a lance, do my iterative lance attacks get the lance's extra damage multiplier from charging? 2012-03