I agree. Perhaps I didn't state my opinion clearly. Or we may differ in where the line is drawn for what is considered a strong companion.
My preference would be for a weak companion that didn't require the character's action to act on a normal basis; the ranger could empower the companion...
This is what I was thinking. Having the companion around for only a minute a day loses a lot of role playing flavor. I would much rather see a PHB level companion that didn't require your action to act. Then you could have an Empower Companion ability for a limited time per day.
