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Best Animal Companion Choice
- Thread starter Pickaxe
- Start date
Ridley's Cohort
First Post
Dog vs. Wolf
Dog: +2 Str, +2 Natural Armor
Wolf: +10' move
The argument for Wolf is essentially that your Dog's offense is fading as you go up in level even if it is better than the Wolf, so movement in a mount is more valuable that a little bit more Str or a bit of AC. If you buy this line of reasoning, then Spring Attack chain becomes the obvious choice because it combines well with movement.
As someone who has been playing a low level gnome Druid, I must say that last 10 feet of movement allows my Wolf to make unexpected attacks into the rear or end around to open a flank. My DM is often surprised what is within my reach.
That said I will disagree with sticking with Wolf or Dog in the long time, and recommend the Dire Wolf or any other Dire animal. The reason is Will save. Dire animals have vastly better Will saves than comparable HD normal animals, and the gap will widen as you climb up to higher levels. Devotion helps, but only against some enchantments. There are plenty of Will based attacks that are not enchantments.
Spring Attack would be nice, but I think the superior Tripping is more than fair compensation. I also plan on bringing some Reduce Animal scrolls along just in case movement is tight.
Dog: +2 Str, +2 Natural Armor
Wolf: +10' move
The argument for Wolf is essentially that your Dog's offense is fading as you go up in level even if it is better than the Wolf, so movement in a mount is more valuable that a little bit more Str or a bit of AC. If you buy this line of reasoning, then Spring Attack chain becomes the obvious choice because it combines well with movement.
As someone who has been playing a low level gnome Druid, I must say that last 10 feet of movement allows my Wolf to make unexpected attacks into the rear or end around to open a flank. My DM is often surprised what is within my reach.
That said I will disagree with sticking with Wolf or Dog in the long time, and recommend the Dire Wolf or any other Dire animal. The reason is Will save. Dire animals have vastly better Will saves than comparable HD normal animals, and the gap will widen as you climb up to higher levels. Devotion helps, but only against some enchantments. There are plenty of Will based attacks that are not enchantments.
Spring Attack would be nice, but I think the superior Tripping is more than fair compensation. I also plan on bringing some Reduce Animal scrolls along just in case movement is tight.
Ridley's Cohort said:
The Will save is something I noticed in a recent session, when my druid was contemplating casting Calm Animals on a dire wolf, figuring it was an animal with a bad Will save. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that these things have a monk's saves!
--Axe
Ysgarran
Registered User
Lord Pendragon said:
An option is to go with the BeastMaster prestige class. While I don't think it is a good min/max option I do think it is a Fun one. A druid would have to burn a feat (Skill Focus(Handle Animal)) and lose a spell level to do this. In exchange their effective druid level for animal companion is three higher (90% sure about this, it might be only two, I don't have my books with me).
Ysgarran.
kjenks
First Post
Consider the Cheetah. Three attacks per round, a free trip attack with every hit. Mount up, share a Bull's Strength with him and watch the fur fly. Make sure you get the Handle Animal trick to attack an unusual opponent.
Cast Produce Flame to get your own hits in. Share Produce Flame with kitty for even more fun.
Warning: this schtick ceases to work well around level 6, when your foes are beefy enough that you don't want to go toe-to-toe anymore.
Cast Produce Flame to get your own hits in. Share Produce Flame with kitty for even more fun.
Warning: this schtick ceases to work well around level 6, when your foes are beefy enough that you don't want to go toe-to-toe anymore.
Pickaxe - another great option although it may be too late is the racial substitution from Races of the Wild. A halfling druid taking these racial substition levels doesn't get to spontaneous summon animals but gets a list of spells that he can cast spontaneously that help his mount companion like Spider Climb, Jump, Freedom of Movement.
The Beastmaster PrC does give +3 to the effective druid levels for animal companion AND the levels in Beastmaster stack as well. You do lose a level of spellcasting but gain +1 BAB, +2 Fort and Refl, 4 skill points. At later levels the Beastmaster can take extra companions.
Another interesting option for a character that really loves his companion is taking enough levels in an arcane spellcasting class to qualify for Arcane Heirophant which is also in Races of the Wild. Arcane and Divine spellcasting increases for each level, the Arcane Hiero levels stack for animal companion abilities and the really interesting thing is that the companion also becomes the caster's familiar and gets some of the benefits of a familiar - Intelligence and special abilities.
The Beastmaster PrC does give +3 to the effective druid levels for animal companion AND the levels in Beastmaster stack as well. You do lose a level of spellcasting but gain +1 BAB, +2 Fort and Refl, 4 skill points. At later levels the Beastmaster can take extra companions.
Another interesting option for a character that really loves his companion is taking enough levels in an arcane spellcasting class to qualify for Arcane Heirophant which is also in Races of the Wild. Arcane and Divine spellcasting increases for each level, the Arcane Hiero levels stack for animal companion abilities and the really interesting thing is that the companion also becomes the caster's familiar and gets some of the benefits of a familiar - Intelligence and special abilities.
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