This creates an opportunity for roleplaying. This results in the animal finishing at level 16 when the master is 20. The GM can create a middle ground, such as requiring you to put ranks in Handle Animal but not requiring you to make checks, or reducing the action needed to command an animal, but these decisions should be made before the companion joins the group. This option means he must pick up Handle Animal as a class skill using a trait. You forge strong connections with animals. Just because a follower is low level and you're not doesn't mean the follower stops being a person with needs, fears, and a role to play in your heroic story. Their party's other melee folk can take this one feat to share in all their attacks of opportunity when adjacent. Effects [edit | edit source]. Having a companion in the party is an incredible opportunity for the GM to introduce plot elements into a campaign—and more interesting plots than "the companion has been kidnapped!" Of course you can’t swap out the same ability multiple times, which means an animal companion generally can’t… Our final example must be human for the bonus feat at first level. Upon reaching ninth level, Wallace stops using Broken Wing Gambit and adopts the listed feat plan to become a melee whirlwind—without using any normal attacks! Enemies are often too far away to charges during the surprise round, and Horace has spells he can use then instead. Like skills, your selection of feats depends heavily on your companions role. Your animal companion gains one specialization of your choice. Even if the animal is taught to understand a language, it probably lacks the anatomy to actually speak (unless awaken is used). Next level (as level five feat) Nigel finally gets Power Attack. Prerequisites: Animal companion or familiar class ability. When you select the Leadership feat, you and the GM should discuss the cohort's background, personality, interests, and role in the campaign and party. Of course, intelligent companions using speech can bypass some of these limitations (such as telling a cohort there's an invisible rogue in the corner). Even if the animal is physically capable of using a tool, it might still prefer its own natural body to manufactured items, especially when it comes to weapons. This created a large but hidden combat sub-system involving animal companions, teamwork feats, and attacks of opportunity. As with Wounded Paw Gambit, the rushed attack of Target of Opportunity is incompatible with Friendly Fire so it does not provoke beneficial attacks of opportunity. I boosted his intelligence making him a magical animal and also making him eligible to take any feat he wants. An extended voyage in a dangerous environment might convince a druid to free a trusted companion that would otherwise suffer and die if forced to travel (such as a polar bear in the desert). Animal companions, eidolons, and cohorts all advance much like PCs, making choices about feats, skills, special abilities, and (in the case of cohorts) class levels. Animal companions with an Intelligence of 3 or higher can select any feat they are physically capable of using. The GM might step in if you make choices that are inappropriate for the cohort, use the cohort as a mechanism for pushing the boundaries of the game rules, or treat the cohort unfairly. Often, a companion is forgotten about when it's not needed. Even without miniatures, having a physical representation of the companion on the tabletop keeps it in mind. if you start with Animal companion it levels up with you so there is no need to take companion boon feat. The second player should roll initiative separately for the companion so the companion's actions don't get forgotten on either turn—giving the companion its own turn reinforces its role in the party. If the animal's Intelligence score is 3 or higher, it can put its ranks into any skill, with the GM's approval. His level three bonus feat can be changed as a standard action. He could take the Lookout feat. A third-level animal companion mount is tougher than a horse. If you're not skilled at training animals or lack the time to do it yourself, you can hire an expert trainer to do it for you or use the downtime system to take care of this training. Your animal companion is better trained than most. However, unless an awaken spell is used, the animal doesn't automatically and instantly learn a language, any more than a human child does. Acrobatic: Inless you companion spends a ton of time tumbling, not worth a feat. Although this doesn't change the cohort's level, the cohort can't gain levels until your Leadership score allows for a level increase, so if you're a poor leader, you must wait longer for your cohort to level up. Eidolons: Outside the linear obedience and intelligence scale of sentient and nonsentient companions are eidolons: intelligent entities magically bound to you. Nigel is an example of what can be done with the above foundation. Animal Companion: Advancement choices for an animal companion include feats, skills, ability score increases, and tricks. A more powerful familiar can speak with other animals of its kind, and if left to roam, it could pick up interesting news about a town or an army camp. A gritty campaign where animal companions can't do anything that real animals can't do forces the GM to act as a check against you pushing the bounds of creativity. Even if an animal's Intelligence increases to 3 or higher, you must still use the Handle Animal skill to direct the animal, as it is a smart animal rather than a low-intelligence person (using awaken is an exception—an awakened animal takes orders like a person). So, the first thing we have to address is, “What’s an animal companion?” The Animal Companion Feats Your companion gets several feats as you progress in level. The adept might send messages about strange events from the wildlands. A druid's wolf companion might have been saved by a famous ranger, fought in an orc tribe's arena, or escaped a wizard's experimental lab. At eighth level, benefitting from Animal Focus, it will have 30' movement, Strength 22, Constitution 19, and +11 natural armor. What happens when that wolf recognizes that helpful ranger, savage orc, or mad wizard? For example, if you have a Leadership score of 10, you can have five 1st-level followers: a city guard in the capital, an acolyte at the high temple, an informant in the thieves' guild, an adept in a frontier village, and a strange child saved from a goblin's hunger. Animal Companion Feats As they grow in strength and experience, animal companions and mounts develop mutations, personality quirks, and tricks that grant them new abilities unlike those seen in typical animals of their kind. With intelligent companions such as cohorts, giving you full control means you're controlling two characters and can take twice as many actions as the other players. How it reacts to things during its limited time on the Material Plane is influenced by its unknown past and secret life. Paladin bonded mounts, familiars, and cohorts fall into this category, and are usually player-controlled companions. The animal companion must conform to any limitations of the evolution. Cassandra does not use the above foundation, but does something different. His animal companion probably has Narrow Frame to avoid being hindered in narrow passages. Other than the Iron Will, which we have already spoke about; you can find other feats and fighting styles for your AC in class guides that have animal companions. In extreme cases, the cohort might abandon you, and you'll have to recruit a new cohort. Twice movement without the restrictions of an actual charge! For example, a toad familiar might project feelings of hunger whenever a member of a fly-demon cult is nearby, a bat familiar might express curiosity about the words a weird hermit is muttering under his breath, and a rat familiar might feel fear when a dangerous assassin walks into the room. A lost animal companion, cohort, familiar, or follower can be raised or resurrected with spells such as raise dead, resurrection, or true resurrection. Before an important combat, Cassandra will cast lockjaw on her animal companion to give it the grab ability for a few rounds, as well as other buff spells. The feat Intercept Charge allows her animal companion to intervene when an opponent decides to charge at the spellcaster. It is probably a Pteranodon, Quetzalcoatlus, Roc, Giant Weasel, Stegosaurus, or Parasaurolophus. This Friendly Fire shot has an extra +2 bonus, so it has only a small chance of instead hitting the animal companion. This means the eidolon is usually willing to take great risks to help you. As you reach higher Leadership scores, you gain dozens of followers. Nothing about increasing your pet's intelligence to 3 makes it a magical animal or Magical Beast.Nothing in Animal Companions allows for you to control an inherently magical creature, or take one as a companion. Ready to try to count their attacks? The players have a general idea about their characters' pre-adventurer histories, but a companion is a bit of a mystery. Instead of having rumors from an unknown source reach your ears from no specific source, a named follower could present that information. Red: Bad, useless options, or options which are extremely situational. Fred begins his adventuring career at a Hunter. They do not provoke beneficial attacks of opportunity. Boon Companion Evolved Companion Spirit's Gift Celestial Servant He's currently level 2, and possesses two companions (each at druid level 1). If you ever decide to build a fort or found a temple or guild, you already have a group of like-minded and skilled followers ready and willing to help. At seventh level Cassandra can take a traditional spellcaster feat such as Spell Focus, Spell Penetration, Persistent Spell, or Craft Wondrous Item. You should decide what feats the animal learns, though the GM should have a say about whether a desired feat is appropriate to the animal's type and training—fortunately, the feats on the list are appropriate for just about any animal. When she decides defense is important, she changes to her sturdy Ankylosaurus. Fred could sacrifice the mobility of Escape Route to instead use Precise Strike for extra damage. Choosing followers gives you a network of loyal contacts who trust and respect you. An eidolon is used as a mount or an expendable resource in battle. The animal companion still has a standard action, and it can also feint, before or after moving, even using Twinned Feint if two foes are adjacent. Special You can select this feat up to three times. Or, if Fred wants to use a reach weapon, Paired Opportunists is an excellent choice—especially if he is human and has taken the feat Evolved Companion so his animal companion has reach. A change in your alignment or religion might drive away your cohort, or the cohort's role in the story might end based on discussion between you and the GM. The random background generator in Chapter 1 can help greatly when filling in details about the cohort. For example, if a druid has complete control over an animal companion, there's no reason for her to put ranks in Handle Animal, freeing up those ranks for other valuable skills like Perception. Fortunately, familiars are usually small creatures that can easily pass for common pets as long as they don't do anything that reveals their unusual intelligence. An animal companion cannot have more ranks in a skill than it has Hit Dice. I have started a druid and took leopard and it just reks everything as it trips enemies up (stun) and does nice dmg. Wallace is riding his animal companion. Benefit: You gain an animal companion as if you were a druid of your character level –3 from the following list: badger, bird, camel, cat (small), dire rat, dog, horse, pony, snake , or wolf. If possible, there is also a foe #3 adjacent to one of the others. In some cases, the rules do not specify whether you or the GM controls the companion. The spell wrath can compensate for the reduced accuracy. See Animal Companions for more information. If the GM is running a kingdom-building campaign where hireling NPCs are heavily involved, you might suggest ways for NPCs to advance, but the final decision is up to the GM. Prerequisite(s) expert in Nature. The acolyte might have tips about an upcoming religious festival and the clergy's concerns about a nearby plague. At fifth level her animal companion learns Stand Still to keep foes away from her until she is ready for melee combat. During his eigth level he hopes to add fortuitous. Then his attacks are both more accurate and more damaging. See the animal companion rules on page 214 for more information. If successful, you bond with the animal. Rather than these followers all being spread thinly across every possible settlement in the campaign, it's more likely that many of these individual followers know each other well, possibly by working together, spending time at the same temple or academy, or being members of the same family, and you should expand these clusters of followers in an organic way. If swimming through acid was the only way to save you, it would do so, knowing that it won't die and will recover. Animal Choices in Pathfinder Kingmaker Animal Companions advance levels according to their master. For a lower-level cohort or a non-adventuring follower, the gift of a second chance at life is something very treasured and earns you great respect and devotion. This helps because Alice lacks the feat Quick Draw, so she misses an attack unless she can move while drawing a melee weapon. 2. An evil campaign where companions are unwilling slaves of the PCs creates a dynamic where the PCs are trying to exploit them as much as possible—perhaps even sacrificing and replacing them as needed—and treat them more like living tools than reluctant allies. At eighth level, benefitting from Animal Focus, it will have 50' movement, Strength 26, Constitution 22, and +3 natural armor. Now it can scamper (technically an accelerated climb) along a wall to pounce with a 2d6 slam, 1d8 bite, and two 1d8 claws. Shreve is another example of what can be done with the above foundation. You might have to use Diplomacy or Intimidate checks to influence a charmed ally, and the GM has the final say as to what happens. After this duration, attempt a DC 20 Nature check. A familiar hides in a backpack and only comes out when the sorcerer needs to spy on something or deliver a spell with a range of touch. For example, the GM's notes about the capital city should mention the thieves' guild informant follower of the rogue PC. You can gain the reputation of "fairness and generosity" for the purposes of the Leadership feat. (However, to me the Burn Rider Barbarian, perhaps with the Boon Companion feat, looks like an especially promising and fun future.). Wallace uses his Hunter sixth level bonus feat to take Broken Wing Gambit. However, if you call the eidolon in an emergency without warning the local authorities, townsfolk might assume it is a marauding monster bent on tearing them limb from limb, requiring hasty explanations and diplomacy to prevent panic. The strange child might have precognitive visions, perhaps from budding magical powers. For example, an intelligent wolf companion can pick the weakest-looking target if directed to do so, and that same wolf trapped in a burning building might push open a door or window without being told. Hirelings: Hirelings don't normally gain levels. So it generates another pair of attacks of opporunity, if not two pairs! Or they can stay still, and attack the original foe again (so foe #2 is more foe #1). It might have been linked to another summoner before its bond with you. Replacing a lost or killed cohort or follower involves a similar collaboration between you and the GM to create a character who is appropriate for the campaign and valuable to you (and hopefully to the rest of the party). Cassandra probably acquires a lesser metamagic rod of persistent during her sixth level and a lesser metamagic rod of dazing during her eighth or ninth level. If extraordinary circumstances merit a mount gaining Hit Dice, and you have Handle Animal ranks and take an interest in training the animal, use the same guidelines as those for animal companions. After that pair of attacks, Wallace on his animal companion can move to foe #2. Animal companions with an Intelligence of 3 or higher can purchase ranks in any skill. (To be non-human the character could sacrifice some animal companion strength by starting with two levels of Lore Warden. Though an eidolon's soul is strongly tied to its summoner, it has an existence in another world when it is away, and in that world it might be a bully, champion, or slave. Whether you or the GM controls a particular companion depends largely on the creature's intelligence and level of independence from you. For an animal companion, the GM should create a random table of creatures similar to its original form—for example, a lion might be reincarnated as a leopard, cheetah, or tiger. It has the feats Awesome Blow to send foes flying. Bonded Animal Feat 2. Use the bear animal companion statistics in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook. Effective level for animal companions is 4 higher, although it cannot exceed character level. Wallace feints once of two allowed feints per round (Improved Feint). What is its motivation for joining the adventuring party? Followers also have a unique companion role in that they spend most of their time away from you, and might use that time positively or negatively. Although Rapid Shot is not compatible with Friendly Fire, it does allow her to "go nova" with the Bane class feature acquired at this level. Another issue is who gets to control the companion's advancement. Again both Wallace and his animal companion get an attack of opportunity (Improved Feint Partner, Paired Opportunists). It would provide Shreve and his animal companion with an untyped +2 bonus to hit when making an attack of opportunity. If you would like help with Pathfinder player options not covered here, please email me and I am happy to provide additional assistance.I will use the color coding scheme which has become common among Pathfinder build handbooks. Prerequisites: Animal Companion. There are several ways to make sure a companion doesn't get lost or forgotten. But thanks to Broken Wing Gambit and Paired Opportunists that allows two nicely-bonused attacks of opportunity from Shreve and his animal companion. Horace could allow his animal companion to also act in every surprise round. You might want to elevate a follower to a cohort, select another known NPC to become a cohort, or start from scratch by introducing a new NPC to the party. However, failing that, any character of at least level 4 may gain access to an animal companion via the Animal Ally feat, though most characters may have to wait to level 5 (the next feat level in pathfinder) to actually take the feat. Conversely, giving a player full control over the actions of two characters can slow down the game. A creature under a dominate effect is more of a puppet, and you can force it to do anything that isn't suicidal or otherwise against its well-being. In most cases, knowing the follower's name, gender, race, class, level, and profession is sufficient, such as "Lars, male human expert 1, sailor." Now each combat round she moves, if necessary, to make one shot at a foe that passes through her animal companion's map square. An animal companion is a loyal comrade who follows your orders without you needing to use Handle an Animal on it. She casts divine favor to help herself and/or her animal companion. Most villages don't want rowdy adventurers bringing wolves, bears, lions, giant snakes, and especially dinosaurs into the town square, and innkeepers don't usually want the larger animals staying in rooms with guests. At seventh level, Alice changes her sixth level bonus feat to Broken Wing Gambit and takes Wounded Paw Gambit as her level seven feat. You get it from lvl 1 and the Animal companion is really strong. The feat Spirit's Gift is not legal for Pathfinder Society play. Benefit: The abilities of your animal companion or familiar are calculated as though your class were four levels higher, to a maximum bonus equal to your character level. Using reincarnate is an alternative option, but has a similar effect on a companion's loyalty and affection. Horace does not do as much consistent damage as Shreve. However, there are several ways for you to temporarily or permanently gain the assistance of a companion, such as an animal companion, a cohort, an eidolon, or a familiar. Choosing an animal companion requires 24 hours of prayer. A cohort who is critically injured by a monster might develop a fear about that kind of monster and avoid attacking it. Not only does this give the GM the opportunity to reject a cohort concept that goes against the theme of the campaign, but the GM can plan adventure hooks involving the cohort for future quests. So using only attacks of opportunity from feinting, Wallace and his animal companion are making 4-6 attacks on their turn against one two non-adjacent foes, or 8-10 attacks if two foes are adjacent. Animal Companion gets the following feats if chosen as either a class or basic feat: Coordinated Defense, Outflank, Precise Strike, Seize the Moment, Shake It Off, Shield Wall, Allied Spellcaster, Back to Back, Coordinated Maneuvers, Shielded Caster and Tandem Trip. No amount of training (including weapon proficiency feats) is going to make it fully comfortable attacking in any other way. A follower should be more than an acquaintance or an employee. Casual Observer: Some gaming groups have a casual player, friend, spouse, or child who isn't interested in playing a normal character for the campaign, but likes to watch the game or be nearby when everyone else is playing. Sharing Information: Whenever you control multiple creatures, there are issues of sharing information between you and your companions. If the companion's Intelligence score is 2 or lower, it is limited to a small selection of feats (see Animal Feats ). (Or he could be a human Sacred Huntsmaster Inquisitor who takes Outflank as his fifth level feat. If the companion's Intelligence score is 2 or lower, it is limited to a small selection of feats (see Animal Feats). Animal companions with an Intelligence of 3 or higher can purchase ranks in any skill. If a village is experiencing attacks on its livestock, angry people might be quick to blame a carnivorous animal companion. It then tramples for 3d6 damage (+12 Strength + 3 Power Attack) with a DC of 21 for half damage. During sixth level she switches between Enfilading Fire and Coordinated Shot for her bonus feat, for additional accuracy. As with feats, you should decide what skills your animal companion learns, chosen from the Animal Skills list and subject to GM approval. He then took one level of Huntmaster Cavalier. Fortunately, Wallace has a 24 Dexterity (16 base + 2 racial + 2 level ups + 4 magical item). Animal companions can also incite fear or prejudice among ignorant townsfolk. Discuss this page at the Paizo Forum here. A cohort is generally considered a player-controlled companion, and therefore you get to decide how the cohort advances. It also grants its bonus to both Fred and his animal companion! It also has the feat Stunning Irruption to dramatically burst through doors or walls. Learn more. His animal companion takes the feats Narrow Frame and Combat Reflexes. That is a blatant lie. Success The animal learns the action. Feats: This is the total number of feats possessed by an animal companion. If you're entirely in control, the companion acts like a subsidiary PC, doing exactly what you want just like a true PC. Home Afflictions/Hazards Classes Deities Equipment Feats Magic Items Monster Index Mythic Index NPC Index Prestige Classes Races Rules Skills Spells/Rituals Technology Traits Licenses Projects Sources Tools Contact Us Contributors Support the Archives In effect, they are trustworthy NPC contacts (Trust score 4; see Contacts). Because Fred is always flanking, the trait Group Fighter (regional) is appropriate. That, of course, again provides both Wallace and his animal companion with an attack of opportunity against foe #3. It also uses the Ability Focus feat, for its tail, wheich then does 3d6 damage (+9 Strength + 3 Power Attack) with a daze DC of 21. You might feel silly talking as both your character and your cohort, but more comfortable having a dialogue with your cohort when it's played by someone else (this also keeps the cohort from blindly doing whatever you say). At ninth level his animal companion can increased its Dexterity by 4. Feats: This is the total number of feats possessed by an animal companion. However, if events require advancing a follower (such as turning a follower into a cohort to replace a dead cohort), use the same guidelines as for cohorts. For example, the other guards who gamble with you could become new followers, the acolyte can train other acolytes or spread the good word about you, the informant might persuade others in the thieves' guild that you're a valuable ally, the adept's entire village might begin to see you as a hero and savior, and the strange child could become a wizard's apprentice and convince the entire cabal to befriend you. Even if Fred now changes to earn levels in a class that no longer advances his animal companion, it is still a respectable mount for an adventurer. She uses her two Evolved Companion feats to give it a 3d6 slam attack. Animal Companion is a one of many Special Abilities in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. Cohort: Advancement choices for a cohort include feats, skills, ability score increases, and class levels. Nonsentient Companions: A nonsentient companion (one with animal-level intelligence) is loyal to you in the way a well-trained dog is—the creature is conditioned to obey your commands, but its behavior is limited by its intelligence and it can't make altruistic moral decisions—such as nobly sacrificing itself to save another. If the cohort has an animal companion, you might also suffer some indirect repercussions for the animal's behavior or reputation. The feat Outflank does not usually help Cassandra or her animal companion, but can help when Cassandra needs rescuing. For those who relish the thrill of the hunt, there are only predators and prey. For example, dogs, elephants, and even gorillas lack the proper physiology to speak humanoid languages, though they can use their limited "vocabulary" of sounds to articulate concepts, especially if working with a person who learns what the sounds mean. It can move once, be targeted by one of Cassandra's smaller spells, and then move again before attacking a perhaps shaken opponent. What if another druid previously cast awaken on it, and it has been pretending to be a common animal so it can watch over or spy on a PC? The Animal Focus ability gives it an additional +4 to Dexterity (Tiger) as well as an additional +4 to hit with attacks of opportunity (Snake). You and the GM should keep notes about each follower (or group of followers, if there are several in a common location such as a temple) and link this information to the followers' base of operations. This section addresses common issues for companions and the characters who use them. What did it do before it met you? The GM may deviate from the above suggestions, such as allowing a druid to control an animal companion directly, creating a more equivalent or even antagonistic relationship between a summoner and an eidolon, or roleplaying a mentoring relationship between a veteran warhorse and the young paladin who inherited his loyalty. Then Wallace can use one of the two feints against two foes at once (Twinned Feint). At fifth level Alice learns Rapid Shot to shoot more arrows when not using Friend Fire. The obvious option is Beast Bond, but perhaps his backstory allows Adopted with either Animal Friend or Beast Bully.). Both his own attacks and those of his animal companion leave false openings. Or, because the share spells ability is great for Hunters or Inquisitors, he could use the Bodyguard animal companion archetype and replace/enhance share spells with the Improved Spell Sharing feat. The abilities of your animal companion are calculated as though your class were 4 levels higher, to a maximum effective level equal to … Level 4. The specifics of controlling a companion vary for different campaigns. An eidolon is normally a player-controlled companion, but the GM can have the eidolon refuse extreme orders that would cause it to suffer needlessly. The trait Fate's Favored compliments that spell nicely. You have lots of boost spells for AC as well. This gives his animal companion an attack of opportunity (Improved Feint Partner) which Wallace also gets (Paired Opportunists).