Druid animal companions

[Missywelden]

I was watching the movie Willard and it inspires me to make a druid with a horde of rats as animal companions. This was back before 3.5, when I could have as many animals as I wanted so long as it didn't go over the HD I could have. This in combination with a 3.0 ring of animal friendship on each hand and a hand of glory with another one allowed for a really cool swarm of rats. Later modification even had packs of wolves, bears, birds and stuff like that.

When 3.5 came out with there new and improved rules for swarms, I though "Great! This will make game play a lot easier." Then I realised that druids could now only have 1 animal companion. While I like the system for the advancement of an animal companion, my "Willard" character is now impossible. Does anyone know of anything that has rules for multiple animal companions or maybe having a swarm as an animal companion?

 

[moritheil]

I was watching the movie Willard and it inspires me to make a druid with a horde of rats as animal companions. This was back before 3.5, when I could have as many animals as I wanted so long as it didn't go over the HD I could have. This in combination with a 3.0 ring of animal friendship on each hand and a hand of glory with another one allowed for a really cool swarm of rats. Later modification even had packs of wolves, bears, birds and stuff like that.

When 3.5 came out with there new and improved rules for swarms, I though "Great! This will make game play a lot easier." Then I realised that druids could now only have 1 animal companion. While I like the system for the advancement of an animal companion, my "Willard" character is now impossible. Does anyone know of anything that has rules for multiple animal companions or maybe having a swarm as an animal companion?

There are a couple of ways to get vermin animal companions . . . and in theory that might include some ways to get swarms. I don't know of any way to get a swarm of rats, though.

 

[MarkB]

Strictly speaking, swarms count as a single creature for most game-mechanical purposes, so a swarm with the Animal type might be perfectly legitimate, though personally I'd be looking for a druid to spend a feat to enable such a companion.

I'd suggest discussing it with your DM and setting a suitable level-equivalency for the swarm of your choice, along with some groundrules for the limitations as to how you can use the swarm.

Healing is likely to be a big problem, since swarms effectively take damage in the form of attrition, and are immune to spells that target individuals in any case. Most likely, you'd need to replenish a swarm by calling extra creatures to join it, in a manner similar to summoning a new animal companion.

 

[Ruslanchik]

Talk to your DM. The way that swarms are treated in the MM, you could just count a swarm of rats as a 4HD animal companion. It would take some modification and some house ruling, but I think it could be possible. I would allow it as a 4th level animal companion, that seems fairly balanced to me.

 

[Darklone]

Get a pipe of the sewers. That's such a sweeeeet item, saved my butt more than once.

 

[Missywelden]

Thanks, these are all good suggestions. Still one more thing though. What about a pack of wolves? I mean normally you'd have one stronger wolf at higher levels, but what about say 2 or more regular wolves?

 

[Ruslanchik]

There's a PrC in Complete Warrior, Beastmaster, IIRC, that allows you to get more than one animal companion, each at -3 druid levels. You lose your druid casting, but I don't know how important that is to your build.

You can always get pets. Just boost your handle animal skill and grab a Ring of Animal Friendship. You can have a bunch of low-level animals following you around then. The thing about the animal companion is that it levels up with you. If you are just concerned about numbers, the animal companion isn't the most efficient way to do this.

 

[Missywelden]

Thanks Ruslanchik. That helps. I just had a thought. Would it be possible to have animals in place of humans for your regular followers using the leadership feat? That'd make a pretty interesting druid.

 

[Ruslanchik]

It's not in the RAW, but I don't see why not. I would, however, require handle animal-based interactions with these animals.

The thing about that is how animal HD compare with character levels. IMHO, HD=/=levels. I don't know if there is some kind of calculation for this, but level = HD+1/2 might work.

At higher levels, copious use of the Awaken spell would allow you to use the leadership feat pretty much unaltered.

 

[sukael]

It's not in the RAW, but I don't see why not. I would, however, require handle animal-based interactions with these animals.

The thing about that is how animal HD compare with character levels. IMHO, HD=/=levels. I don't know if there is some kind of calculation for this, but level = HD+1/2 might work.

At higher levels, copious use of the Awaken spell would allow you to use the leadership feat pretty much unaltered.

Character Level = HD, actually, by the RAW. Leadership keys off Effective Character Level, though.

Animals would generally have a negative Level Adjustment, and so an ECL below their actual level, I'd think... not having hands and having Int 2 are big penalties, along with less skill points. I'd have to look at individual animals to figure out a more precise adjustment than "relatively large", though.