Does the animal companion grow?
- Thread starter Chaldfont
- Start date
No, it only gets the abilities outlined in the Animal Companions sidebar.
Personally, I think that makes sense. I don't really see the "advancement range" for most of the animals as indicating that animals can actually advance like that. For instance, a "regular" brown bear has the 6 HD listed in the stat block. A grizzly instead is a 10HD monster. The same goes for other animals: a 3 HD eagle isn't an older, more experienced eagle - it's a different species of eagle than the regular 1 HD eagle.
Personally, I think that makes sense. I don't really see the "advancement range" for most of the animals as indicating that animals can actually advance like that. For instance, a "regular" brown bear has the 6 HD listed in the stat block. A grizzly instead is a 10HD monster. The same goes for other animals: a 3 HD eagle isn't an older, more experienced eagle - it's a different species of eagle than the regular 1 HD eagle.
Stormrunner
Explorer
The extra Hit Dice gained by an animal companion, familiar, or paladin's mount represent supernatural toughness rather than an increase in size. A paladin's warhorse doesn't increase from Large to Huge size because of its extra HD; likewise a wolf animal companion shouldn't enlarge because of extra HD from being a companion. (Similarly, an _awakened_ wolf cohort with several levels of ranger doesn't get bigger either.)
Stormrunner said:
Yeah, but horses don't have varying sizes listed in their Advancement line of their description like a wolf does.
The question is whether or not the bonus HD (from either Druid or Ranger levels) are animal HD or not. If they are, then the wolf grows, if they aren't, then no.
And class levels are not animal HD, so they wouldn't increase size.
I've seen arguments both ways as to whether or not a wolf grows. Have to wait for Errata I guess......
youspoonybard
First Post
Legildur said:
It will be in the Errata (hopefully), and they won't grow.
The first thing I did when I saw the HD progression was go, "Geez, look at my large wolf now..."
So I asked Andy, and he said, "Animal Companions size do not change."
A literal reading of the rules supports this.
Now, if only they had gotten the Animal/Magical Beast type right...
billd91
Not your screen monkey (he/him) 🇺🇦🇵🇸🏳️⚧️
Legildur said:
I think one thing to do here is to understand what monster advancement is. It's not generally a specific monster getting tougher and bigger as it goes about its life. Rather, advancement shows you how to take the basic, most common specimen, and make a bigger, more powerful specimen of that particular creature.
The bonus HD, whether they are 'animal HD' or not, are immaterial to the size of the companion because they are bonuses the base-sized creature gets through being associated with the druid/ranger.
youspoonybard
First Post
No, they don't.
The rules never say "Advance by the MM..."
You just do what it says to do in the Animal Companion Sidebar, which doesn't involve changing your size.
The rules never say "Advance by the MM..."
You just do what it says to do in the Animal Companion Sidebar, which doesn't involve changing your size.
youspoonybard said:
Exactly. Note that they spelled out exactly which benefits the animal companion gains from the extra HD. They didn't just take the easy way out and say "see the monster advancement section of the Monster Manual for the benefits of extra HD".
Search Andy's message boards. He also gave some reasoning. He didn't think it would be wise for a druid's chosen animal companion to suddenly double in size and no longer be able to go with the druid into the same dungeons or places as it used to.
DM2
