D&D 3E/3.5 [3.5] New Animal Companion Rules?

[psionotic]

I don't get my new PHB until Friday, but I was wondering if someone could post some of the details about the new animal companion rules for Druids and Rangers? At what levels do their abilities increase? Is the Druid's animal still effectively twice as good as the Rangers?

Thanks!

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Sigh. See the Compiled 3.5 Revisions thread in General. It's all in there.

 

[Stalker0]

Sigh. See the Compiled 3.5 Revisions thread in General. It's all in there.

And its there because your the man Olgar

 

[psionotic]

Sorry, Olgar, I went through there earlier and must have missed it the first time. Here's the info for those interested, snipped from Olgar's thread.


. Animal companions: The animal companion rules have changed; it's no longer purely a "HD = level" link. (There's a lot more to it than that, of course.) Since an awakened animal isn't an animal any more (it's a magical beast), it won't be able to serve as an animal companion (or a familiar or paladin's mount, for that matter). The animal friendship spell is no longer on spell lists. Characters with the animal companion class feature will only have one animal companion at a time. Rangers use the druid rules for animal companions, at ½ their ranger level. Animal Companion ability changes by level (Bonus tricks required no training time):

1-2: HD+0 AC+0 Str/Dex+0 Bonus Tricks 1 Link (+4 Wild Empathy and Handle Animal checks), Share Spells
3-5: HD+2 AC+2 Str/Dex+1 Bonus Tricks 2 Evasion
6-8: HD+4 AC+4 Str/Dex+2 Bonus Tricks 3 Devotion (+4 Save vs. Enchantments)
9-11: HD+6 AC+6 Str/Dex+3 Bonus Tricks 4 Multiattack (if no multiple attack forms the creature gets an addition strike at -5)
12-14: HD+8 AC+8 Str/Dex+4 Bonus Tricks 5
15-17: HD+10 AC+10 Str/Dex+5 Bonus Tricks 6 Improved Evasion
18-20: HD+12 AC+12 Str/Dex+6 Bonus Tricks 7

Higher level Animal Companions (treat gaining level as Level 1):
Level 4: Ape, Black Bear, Bison, Boar, Cheetah, Crocodile, Dire Badger, Dire Rat, Dire Weasel, Leopard, Monitor Lizard, Large Shark, Constrictor Snake, Large Viper Snake, Wolverine.
Level 7: Brown Bear, Giant Crocodile, Deinonychus, Dire Ape, Dire Boar, Dire Wolf, Dire Wolverine, Elasmosaurus, Lion, Rhinoceros, Huge Viper Snake, Tiger.
Level 10: Polar Bear, Dire Lion, Megaraptor, Huge Shark, Giant Constictor Snake, Orca Whale.
Level 13: Dire Bear, Giant Octopus, Elephant
Level 16: Dire Shark, Dire Tiger, Giant Squid, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus.

http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=53488

 

[Dimwhit]

So the question is...how do people like the new rules? Is it true that Animal Companions are considered magica beasts, like familiars? (I know Awakened animals are...they always were.) I thought I had heard that somewhere, and if it's true, then I really don't like the rule, since you would be able to cast "animal targeted" spell on them. (If those spells even exists.) Maybe I should just shut up about it until I actually know what the rule is.

However, I'm not sure how I like only getting 1 companion now. My Druid doesn't even have one, and probably wouldn't take more than one. But what of the Druid who likes to have several smaller companions? Maybe some that stay behind at the grove or something?

Having them increase in power along with the Druid is almost too much. I always thought Druids were way powerful. Buffing up their companions like this just adds to it. Not that my Druid will complain!

 

[LokiDR]

I agree the 1 companion is annoying. I always wanted the druid spymaster: lots of dogs, pigions, and other uban creatures as friends. Add "torch of animal speach" and you have quite the information gathering character.

 

[WattsHumphrey]

Add "torch of animal speach" . ...

LOL. Sorry, I'm thinking of ways to set your animal companions on fire Talk, DARNIT!

But yeah, Torc of Animal Speech should work well.

 

[avatarolt]

Well...

Speaking as one of the druids who HAD several companions (four black-footed ferrets from the Orient), I both like and dislike the new rules.

On the plus side, those ferrets weren't getting any bigger and it's difficult to get a DM to go with an optional advancement rule for 4 seperate creatures. Not only is it expensive for the player's EXP, the unbalancing factor of 4 umpteen-HD ferrets could be pretty severe at the higher levels. Since I didn't want to give them up, it would have been a very dull career if they were the only animals I had. They were "utility" animals -- they could steal, fetch, retrieve, grab things out of the backpack...all useful, but relatively weak in combat.

The new rules presented allow a Druid to actually KEEP his animal companion as he levels as opposed to having to dump his animals in his grove as he travels. This allows for roleplaying of the animal (yes, you can roleplay a 2 int) and a greater relationship between the Druid and his *companion* -- not his tool.

Overall? I like it. I hope rules eventually come out to allow animal companion "swarms" -- groups of small animals. I think you could easily advance them as a group using small modifications to the already existing rules without unbalancing things too severely. I wonder what kind of dump-shock this is going to cause for anyone attempting the Tamer of Beasts PrC. I thought re-vamping a ranger was hard.

 

[LokiDR]

LOL. Sorry, I'm thinking of ways to set your animal companions on fire Talk, DARNIT!

No, no, you hear voices in the flame.

 

[MeepoTheMighty]

Say hello to my pet tyrannosaurus. His name is Fluffy.