D&D 5E druids don't get animal companions?

[Tony Vargas]

Don't have the book in front of me but I will check out Animal Friendship and Awaken. It's still just sort of weird that it isn't something more specific in the class, but on the other hand if it's a spell at least you can do something.

The idea of druids getting an animal companion feature came directly from the AD&D 'Animal Friendship' spell, so it's not that big a surprise.

BTW, I think it would be fun, if your druid had money to burn, to just Awaken a new animal every month, and leave a trial of sentient nature-guardians in your wake.

 

[evilbob]

ye ole Animal Friendship spell isn't in the druid's spell list?

Actually, I don't have to wait to read the Animal Friendship spell - it's in the Hoard of the Dragon Queen supplement.

And no: Animal Friendship isn't anything close to having an animal companion. All it does is make one beast think you're not hostile for 24 hours. Nowhere close to something that would fight for you in a battle or even follow you around.

Awaken (from the description above) sounds more like the thing: but you can't get it until level 9. Bleh.

 

[Mouseferatu]

You realize the door Awaken opens, yes?

If it has 10 int, and it has free will, can it gain class levels? Why not have it be a PC?

 

[Lalato]

You realize the door Awaken opens, yes?

If it has 10 int, and it has free will, can it gain class levels? Why not have it be a PC?

See my Rocket Raccoon reference above. I'm pretty sure I'm going to petition my DM to play an awakened Raccoon with a penchant for blowing stuff up.

 

[steeldragons]

double post. weird.

 

[steeldragons]

Actually, I don't have to wait to read the Animal Friendship spell - it's in the Hoard of the Dragon Queen supplement.

And no: Animal Friendship isn't anything close to having an animal companion. All it does is make one beast think you're not hostile for 24 hours. Nowhere close to something that would fight for you in a battle or even follow you around.

Awaken (from the description above) sounds more like the thing: but you can't get it until level 9. Bleh.

Yeah. Apparently, from what folks are saying, the 5e one is crap. The 1e one made an animal understand you were its friend...not a charm or anything. You had no specific control over it (other than what the DM let you have). As long as you didn't mistreat it it would stick around [as well as it naturally could in the terrain you were in]. No time limit.

Assuming you did treat it well/it liked you, it could/would fight with/to defend you (though was unlikely it would intentionally fight to its death). Then, of course, in conjunction with Speak with Animals, you could have conversations. It could scout/track/warn you about stuff it heard or smelled or saw, etc...tell you everything.

 

[Psikerlord#]

Cant a druid use a combination of animal friendship, and then nature skill or whatever animal handling is these days, and persuade an animal to be his/her pet? That still works just fine at lower levels. then from 9th if you really want a special pet use Awaken, that all looks sweet to me.

I'm glad the "official class pet" went to the ranger first, and the druid second, who already has heaps of cool stuff. And frankly too many pets = annoying at the table.

 

[evilbob]

I can hear you about too many pets. And it's nice they are limiting pets to one subclass of ranger (*except see necromancer), I agree. And frankly the druid in 3.5 was probably the most powerful vanilla class in the GAME, and it was because they had way too many things they could do, so taking away stuff also makes sense.

It's just really, really weird that the two pictures of a druid in the druid class section are clearly fighting with animal companions.

 

[Charles Wright]

There's always the option to create your own paths.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

I'm sure they'll one day have a "beastmaster" Druid, even though I think it'll be partially based on the 4e Shaman with it's spirit companion that just manifests physically and always comes back.

But the way I see it with the Druid and their spells, is that they can be like the Rogue with plenty of contacts and allies, except it's with animals and plants. And much like how the Rogue isn't guaranteed to have a network of contacts, neither is the Druid, but they can certainly build one up.