Druid's Animal Friendship

[prodawg]

Let's take the following scenario:
A level 18 druid with 2 rings of animal friendship. The druid can recruit up to 18 HD worth of animals with his class and 12 HD for each of his two rings, for a total of 42 HD worth of animals.
Now we know that he cannot have an animal above 18 HD because of his class level. So the question is can he have 2 legendary horse (18 HD)? Or is he limited to one legendary horse (18 HD) and two legendary eagles (12 HD)?
I think it is the latter because of the caster level of the ring.
Let's consider this scenario: a sorcerer casts fireball with greater spell focus with DC of 19. Now he runs out of level 3 spells, so he pulls out a wand of fireball. Now his fireballs are subject to the wand's DC rather than his 19.
I think the same principle applies here. The druid uses his level to recruit 18 HD worth of animal. To recruit more, he is using a ring. That ring is subject to the caster level determined at the time of creation.
Any thoughts on this matter? If I am correct, can the ring be adjusted to a higher level, say 18th level to recruit 18 HD animal?
Thanks.

*Edit spelling

 

[PersonWhoIsNotRob]

Umm...I say, in my non-Robbish and unbiased opinion, that the..uh..rings just increase my...uh..I mean..the druid's max...ya....


*walks non-chalantly away from the thread, innocently whistling a snake-charmer's tune...*

 

[hong]

I am just so taken by the thought of a legendary eable. Perhaps it's a second cousin to the even rarer, legendary beable.

Beable beable beable.

Mmm.

 

[Johno]

Hello prodawg

Your spelling is atrocious. Just so you know.

I know nothing about Legendary animals, as MotW sold out as soon as it hit the stores here, and I haven't seen it since.

I would say that the roving adventurer Druid(ess) in your example could have one 18HD animal and two 12 HD animals under his control. In my game I wouldn't allow the Druid to combine the HD to control a 42HD animal (Dire Whale??). Note that in the SRD it mentions:

From http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/srd/srdmagicitemsrings.html

If animal friendship is already on the character’s spell list, this ring allows the character to befriend additional animals.

No mention of adding the HD, just additional animals.

Of course the Druid with the Forge Ring feat could create a better version of the ring, by spending an appropriate amount of additional gold and experience. Exactly how much would have to be determined by the DM.

This could be as simple as 50% increase (as the effect is very much tied to the caster's level). But is this enough? (1.5*9,500 gp = 14,250 gp)

Another way of creating something similar would be to store the same effect into a single ring twice (thus freeing the finger ring of one hand for a different ring). Thus you would have a single ring providing two 12HD animals, but not one 24HD animal). According to the guidelines in the DMG, this would cost three times as much as the ordinary ring would. (3*9500gp=28,500gp)

I am not very good at evaluating these rings, there are others on this board better than I. But at least you now have some guidelines, that you and your DM will need to discuss. I feel that the 18HD animal friendship ring should come in at around 18,000 - 20,000 gp, but that is just me. That kind of money is loose change for that level of character anyway...

Good luck with those legendary eables...

 

[Speaks With Stone]

I believe you have the right of it. One legendary horse and two legendary eagles. But really, if you get to pick these like jelly beans at the candy counter, perhaps they aren't actually that legendary.

 

[PersonWhoIsNotRob]

Well, I am no expert but the wording in MoTW seems to indicate that the rings simply increase the maximum and do not limit the druid to use his extra bonus to 12 hd or lower animals. On page 37 of MoTW it clearly states "Regardless of the total hit dice of animal companions an adventureing character can have, none of them can exceed his or her own hit dice." Nowhere in this section, or any other, does the source material state that a 12 hd limit for bonus campanions gotten from rings of animal friendship exists. I find it very peculiar that the material would fail to point this out especially in page 36/7 of MoTW where it takes an entire paragraph explaining how the bonus from these rings work.

Additionally, in the awakened animals section of MoTW (pg 37), an instance is explained where a druid could have an animal companion could exceed his own hd. Yet, there is no mention of any dynamic concerning a hit die max for animals gotten from rings of animal friendship. This lack of information is very telling.

Clearly this points to these rings not imposing such a limit on the user. Furthermore, while I can understand the point of the magic level of the ring and the comparison to a wand, the fact that the effect of these rings stack (which is also explained in MoTW) clearly shows that such comparisons are flawed.

Just my two cents.
Rob

 

[prodawg]

As determined by a previous post, these rings are not stacking. Think of them as objects holding spells. Again, I go back to a sorcerer with wand of fireball (level 5 caster). Nothing prevents him from using one in each hand. However, if he was to use one the fireball cast will be 5d6 and not 10d6. They can function together but one does not boost the power of another.
This sorcerer example applies similarly here. Nothing prevents the druid from having more than one ring of animal friendship at a time. However, they are two separate spells and one cannot function as a caster level booster to another.
Also if you look in DMG pg 192, under caster level of animal friendship, it states "caster level: 6th." This is significant because under the old rules, a druid can recruit an animal with twice the HD of his level. So a 6th level character can befriend a 12 HD animal. Therefore, I think the intent of this ring is not have its powers stack but function individually.
Now in MotW pg 36/37, the example is of a 8th level druid. Under the new rules, that druid can only befriend an animal worth 8 HD. This is below the 12 HD limit set by the ring and the original PHB. Therefore, this example does not fully support either argument.
Given the totality of the arguments, I must conclude that the intent of the ring is to befriend an animal up to 12 HD. Having two rings simply means that a druid can have 2 animals at 12 HD each plus whatever level worth in HD (given of course that he is above 12th level).