Releasing Animal Companiopns

[pbd]

Be careful swithching animal companion (well if you have my DM anyway).

I recently releasd my Druid's animal companion due to repeated death; it was a tiger in an 11th level campaign, the DM likes to throw difficult combats our way (which I like) and the animal companion was not able to keep up. The druid decided it would be most resposible as the companions "protector" to release it back to its home range, which he did at the earliest opportunity; he did not plan on awakening the companion prior to releasing it, prefering, instead to return it to its natural range and state (it obviously keeps the advancement it achieved as the druid increased in level).

So anyhoo, I decided that the INT 2 tiger wouldn't know the significance of the bracers of armor +2 and ANA +4 it had and would probably scratch them off without the druid watching or they might be a hindrance in the undergorwth, not to mention that they may make it a target to anyone that sees a tiger wearing amgic items. Plus, with the advancement, it was gonna be king of the forest anyway, so the druid removed the items before releasing it. The DM made a few noises about this but left it as it was, due (i thought) decause I explained my reasoning.

Last night at the next session, the DM says the druid starts having dreams that the animal companion is waiting around the town they were in and was "upset" because the druid had besmirched his honor by "stripping" him of the items. A short in out of agame arguement ensued, which ended with me basically not agreeing, but being able to do nothing (nothing on this in the books we had on us). Basically, his world his rules.

The items were given back to the tiger and the druid awakened it, so that it would at least know the value of them and be aware enough to know it would become a target now. One thing is that the amulet was now being used by another party member, who lost it (the druid wasn't using any comparable item that he could replace it with). The Druid had gotten some flack about letting the copanion use items that others culd use to begin with and this is just gonna piss the group off more. The other is that he seems to be giving the tiger intelligence it didn't have (at least not until it was awakened), he said it partially influenced by a treant grove he had association with, but that seemed like hand waving to me.

Is there anything in the rules that supports either position? I couldn't find anything from my searches. How would other DMs adjudicate the releasesing of an unawakened animal companion that had been using magic items.

If this needs to be moved to a different area, I apologize.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Your DM is, quite frankly, a jerk. Animals hate having things on their bodies, including collars. There's no way even a domesticated animal like a dog would want to have bracers wrapped around its legs. I totally agree with you. More importantly, if the DM plans to use houserules, he has to let you know about them before you start playing. He can't drum up houserules in the middle of the game just to piss you off. As for the rest of the group grumbling about you giving items to your animal companion, as long as the companion is not taking a share of the treasure on its own, but using your share, they cannot grumble. If the companion is taking its own share, however, then they have a right to grumble.

 

[pbd]

Your DM is, quite frankly, a jerk. Animals hate having things on their bodies, including collars. There's no way even a domesticated animal like a dog would want to have bracers wrapped around its legs. I totally agree with you. More importantly, if the DM plans to use houserules, he has to let you know about them before you start playing. He can't drum up houserules in the middle of the game just to piss you off. As for the rest of the group grumbling about you giving items to your animal companion, as long as the companion is not taking a share of the treasure on its own, but using your share, they cannot grumble. If the companion is taking its own share, however, then they have a right to grumble.

Thanks for agreeing, but that assessment may be a bit harsh, he's not much of a jerk at least...

Making house rules on the fly is something that has to happen (which in this case may not be a house rule, just a rules interpretation); especially since the DM hasn't had much experience with druids.

But the stuff about animals hating wearing things is definately true. I debated weather to even use items for the companion, but decided that it would wear them at the druids direction.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

You asked how other DMs would have ruled it, so here's how I would have done it, were I your DM.

An animal companion never gains intelligence. It's Int remains 2, no matter how powerful the druid, though it does learn a few more tricks. I would rule that it had no "honor" to besmirch, and wouldn't understand the concept of magic items at all. As you say, it was probably going to try and get the things off without your PC's influence anyway.

I'd also have ruled, though, that eventually the magic of being an animal companion would fade. It doesn't get to keep the hit dice, natural armor, strength, and dex granted by being an animal companion. That power is due to a magical bond with a powerful druid. Once that bond is severed, the powers granted by it fade over time, until the tiger is left as it once was: an ordinary animal.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

It's an animal.

It has an intelligence score of 2.

It doesn't understand things like honor.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Thanks for agreeing, but that assessment may be a bit harsh, he's not much of a jerk at least...

A jerk on this point at least. Maybe the word 'jerk' comes off harsh. Perhaps just 'uncool' is what I'm looking for. The point is that he's screwing your character over without telling you first of the repercussions of your decision to equip the animal companion. Moreover, his choice has no bearing whatsoever in the rules and can't even be defended logically (as Patryn further corroborates). Does your interpretation have basis in the rules? Yes. Int == 2 and that the fact that he's YOUR animal companion are both enough to support you.

 

[Conaill]

The good news is that you now have an Awakened Tiger NPC who may be much more useful than your Tiger animal companion was (that is, if he decides to stick around and help you out).

In another thread (see my sig), we determined that an Awakened Tiger should have an LA of about +3. If the DM lets him keep the +2HD from having been an Animal Companion, that becomes 6HD Tiger + 2HD Animal Companion + 2HD Awakened +3 LA = ECL 13: quite a useful companion for your party!

Of course, you'd have to convince him to stick around... he'll be Friendly towards you, but he'll have his own goals and desires like any other NPC. And IF he sticks with the party, I would probably build down his 2HD from having been an Animal Companion over time (e.g. don't let him gain any levels until his XP has caught up...)