Animal Companion Leveling

CrazyNinjabeast · Aug 10, 2011

I saw the table for how to level up a ranger and druid animal companion, but I didn't see where it says anything about improving the base attack bonus of your companion (I have a wolf) as a 10th level ranger my wolf is level 8 (5 + 3 improved animal companion) so anyways, what is it's base attack bonus, and does it gain animal feats and ability scores as well?

Vegepygmy · Aug 11, 2011

Your animal companion is a standard wolf with +4 HD, +4 natural armor bonus, +2 Str and Dex, 3 bonus tricks, evasion and devotion.

A standard wolf has 2 HD, so your animal companion has 6 HD. It thus gains feats at 3 HD and 6 HD, and gets +1 to any stat (at 4 HD) in addition to the +2 Str and Dex it gets for being an improved animal companion. It also gets 4 skill points to spend. Its BAB improves from +1 to +4, and its base saves go up from +3/+3/+0 to +5/+5/+2. See Monster Manual page 290, Creature Improvement by Type.

Its size does not change, regardless of bonus HD.

Sekhmet · Aug 11, 2011

Vegepygmy said:
Your animal companion is a standard wolf with +4 HD, +4 natural armor bonus, +2 Str and Dex, 3 bonus tricks, evasion and devotion.

A standard wolf has 2 HD, so your animal companion has 6 HD. It thus gains feats at 3 HD and 6 HD, and gets +1 to any stat (at 4 HD) in addition to the +2 Str and Dex it gets for being an improved animal companion. It also gets 4 skill points to spend. Its BAB improves from +1 to +4, and its base saves go up from +3/+3/+0 to +5/+5/+2. See Monster Manual page 290, Creature Improvement by Type.

Its size does not change, regardless of bonus HD.

At 10th level (with Natural Bond/Improved Animal Companion), your Wolf acts as if you were an 8th level Druid (+4 HD).

An Animal has 3/4 BAB progression (like a Cleric or a Druid).
His BAB is +6, not +4 as stated by Vegepygmy.
The Wolf's Strength score (13+2 for 8th level Druid equivalent) puts the Wolf's total attack bonus at +8.
He would have two additional stat points to place wherever you like, plus two feats (for 3rd and 6th HD).

It's base saves would be Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +3 (Good Fort and Ref, Poor Will, as per the Animal Type, accounting for ability score modifiers).
As Vegepygmy stated, the Wolf also has 4 skill points to place where ever you would like.

CrazyNinjabeast · Aug 11, 2011

I should have closed this thread but I have no Idea how to, but as it turned out awakened animals cannot be animal companions, so at any rate I wrote him up as a cohort (12 int. and can speak common) I took the leadership feat, so he joined in with 8 HD(+2 awakened) =10HD (effectively 8 though), And I made him a dire wolf instead, I re-chose his feats, but other than that I worked up from his 6HD BA, AC, and Ability Scores. But I still have a question regarding AC, do animals gain Nat. Armor as the level up?

-- Thanks again for all your help

Sekhmet · Aug 11, 2011

Good question.
No.

If they increase in size category from advancement, they'll sometimes have some extra natural armour.
Your best bet is to train it in Warfare, which gives it Armour Proficiency, and give it magically constructed plate barding coupled with an Amulet of Natural Armour and other such AC increases.

Vegepygmy · Aug 12, 2011

Sekhmet said:
At 10th level (with Natural Bond/Improved Animal Companion), your Wolf acts as if you were an 8th level Druid (+4 HD).

An Animal has 3/4 BAB progression (like a Cleric or a Druid).
His BAB is +6, not +4 as stated by Vegepygmy.

You are mistaken. If it has 3/4 BAB progression (and it does), then it would have to be 8 HD to get BAB +6...just like a cleric or druid.

Sekhmet said:
He would have two additional stat points to place wherever you like, plus two feats (for 3rd and 6th HD).

Again, you seem to be thinking the wolf has 8 HD. If it had 8 HD, it would get two +1 stat bumps (at 4 HD and 8 HD). But since it has only 6 HD, it gets only one.

Sekhmet said:
It's base saves would be Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +3 (Good Fort and Ref, Poor Will, as per the Animal Type, accounting for ability score modifiers).

Base saves don't include ability score modifiers. A 6 HD animal has base saves of Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +2.

Vegepygmy · Aug 12, 2011

Sekhmet said:
Your best bet is to train it in Warfare, which gives it Armour Proficiency, and give it magically constructed plate barding coupled with an Amulet of Natural Armour and other such AC increases.

He can't train it if it has been awakened; its Intelligence is too high. It would have to spend a feat to gain armor proficiency.

Sekhmet · Aug 12, 2011

Vegepygmy said:
If it had 8 HD.

You are correct, for some reason I was adding 6HD and not 4HD.

Vege said:
He can't train it if it has been awakened; its Intelligence is too high. It would have to spend a feat to gain armor proficiency.

I don't recall the rule that states animals with a higher intelligence score can no longer learn tricks, and considering the Epic Use Table for Handle Animal gives rules for teaching tricks to and rearing Magical Beasts, Vermin, and "other creatures"...

CrazyNinjabeast · Aug 12, 2011

Doesn't matter now

but thanks a lot sekhmet! i'll look into armor and Nat. armor enchantments

[MENTION=40109]Vegepygmy[/MENTION] -- sekhmet is correct about the stats regarding animal companions, 10 lv Ranger = 5th Druid + 3 improved companion = 8HD
Secondly my I decided that Jake the Dog was awakened at Level 5, therefore he could have easily been trained to use armor prior to being awakened, but vegepygmy my be correct regarding armor proficiancies, I will ask my DM about it

Thanks yet again, you guys here are the best