Animal Companion is tiny...

[AlphaCentauri]

I have a question concerning animal companions. One of my players starts as a druid and he'd like to have a bug (yeah that's right!) as his ac. It's not even a huge bug, it's just a simple small bug.
I'm not sure now if I should allow him this ac. In the PH it says only that there is a limit in HD max of 2 at lvl 1. But what about tiny creatures?
I don't think he will spoil my game since a bug is not an intelligent being and therefore he's not able to explore areas or spy on someone with that bug.
Have you ever had a player with a similar ac? what did you do?

 

[Sejs]

Personally, I'd say no go on account of the vermin = unintelligent thing. Frankly, I can see where the player is more than likely going with his idea ("What do you mean they notice my AC spying? It's just a bug!"), but *shrug*

 

[DonaldRumsfeldsTofu]

Yeah, bugs are vermin.

Perhaps a mouse or hummingbird.

 

[Tonguez]

There's is a vermin druid at the WotC site (although even here the bug companion is at least small sized).

Personally I don't see anything wrong with a tiny bug companion - a cricket sitting on his shoulder, of a spider in his pocket.

 

[Li Shenron]

It's probably hard to even write-up the stats of a bug in D&D! What would it be... Str 1 seems even too much, but it can't be 0. 1 Hp is the minimum but it really takes no effort at all to kill it once you hit it. And it should be size=Fine, right?

OTOH I think the idea would be very cute!

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Here's the thing: an animal companion is a melee brute combat tool for the druid. Pure and simple. By choosing a tiny bug, your druid PC is hamstringing himself for as long as he has the thing. I play in a game with a 7th-level druid and her black bear companion. Trust me on this one: the potential strength in an AC, at least up to the mid-levels, is not to be ignored.

Now, that's not to say it wouldn't be fun, or possible, for your game's druid PC to have a tiny bug friend. I'd just go about it another way, so the PC can keep the effective strength of the AC, while getting his roleplaying goodness too.

Suggest to the player that he get a small or even medium-sized bug as his AC. This can serve as his melee brute. Then, allow him to train a bug friend as per the Handle Animal rules. Technically, Handle Animal doesn't work on bugs, but an exception can be made for your druid and his tiny friend. Now your druid has his tiny bug friend for roleplaying, and a larger bug companion to help kick arse when the party's in trouble.

Or that's how I'd do it. If the player is adamant on having the bug be his companion, I suppose at the end of the day I'd allow it. A player has a right to prioritize concept over efficiency. If he really wants his companion to be a tiny bug, sure thing.

 

[Li Shenron]

Also another possibility is to have the bug as a Familiar (utility-oriented) instead of as an Animal Companion (combat-oriented), as suggested in UA the switch of features should be fair.

 

[Liquidsabre]

I'd go with the BOUS (bug of unusual size) for your bug-smitten Druid. Nothing like having a giant dung bettle on one's shoulder or a small spider skittering across one's neck. *shudders* vermin druids, ugh.

 

[AlphaCentauri]

Thank you guys.
I hope he likes the BOUS idea..