Advanced Druid companion

[apesamongus]

I know a druid prays to get another companion, but is the companion "sent" to the druid or is it/can it be an animal that is already present? If it can be, that leads to my real question - how are animals handled (effective druid level for abilities) that have been advanced in HD? It seems like an 18 HD dire wolf shouldn't be getting the same benefits as a 6 HD dire wolf and significantly better benefits than the tyrannosaurus.

By the RaW, it says the animal starts as typical for it's type, but that could just mean that it doesn't start with any special abilities. If it also applies to HD (and stats to a lesser degree), then that would seem to indicate that you don't get to pick an animal you already have (and possibly have already trained).

 

[Klaus]

The druid doesn't "pray" to get his animal companion. He just chooses to befriend it, and that's that.

You get to choose the animal, based on the companion tables, but it is absolutely average for the species, i.e. it's not an advanced animal in any way, shape or form. If you have a wolf, it is a 2HD wolf. The only way your companion gets more HD is from you advancing as a druid and the companion accruing the benefits from the animal companion table. And no matter how many HD your companion gets from your druid level, it never increases in size.

 

[vexare]

In 3.5 the druid technically needs 24hours of prayer to gain new companion. I don't think the animal is "sent" to the druid however, rather that this prayer is a bonding time between the druid and the animal he has befriended. As for the 6HD dire wolf vs 18HD dire wolf in your example, a Druid can first select a dire wolf at druid lvl 7. This dire wolf is completely average for its kind, meaning it has the exact stats listed in the MM (6HD). This alternate companion advances as listed with the noteable exception that the druids class level is treated as being 6 less then it actually is for purposes of determining bonus HD, str/dex adjustments, tricks ect. This means that it would take a level 24 epic druid to obtain an 18HD dire wolf. As for the size increase I think once again thats up to the individual DM. While the animal companions text description doesn't explicitly state that its size increases, it does say to consult the MM for the exact way to do several of the things listed. And according to the MM, most creatures will get larger if you add alot of HD.

 

[apesamongus]

The druid doesn't "pray" to get his animal companion. He just chooses to befriend it, and that's that.

You are incorrect. The PHB explicitly says the druid must perform a ceremony requiring 24 hours of prayer.

You get to choose the animal, based on the companion tables, but it is absolutely average for the species, i.e. it's not an advanced animal in any way, shape or form. If you have a wolf, it is a 2HD wolf.

This seems to be a contradiction. If you've got a 4 HD wolf in front of you and you get to choose your animal companion, then he's not going to lose HD (and shrink significantly) just because you pick him. Either you don't pick, he shrinks, or some third thing no one has suggested yet happens.

 

[Infiniti2000]

You pick from the tables. You don't pick a specific animal that is present, unless that animal is average for his species and listed in the tables; in that case, choosing that animal is purely a story element. If the animal is advanced (or it's an animal not in the tables), you will have to decide what table he best fits on and go with those rules. Is the advanced wolf similar in power to a dire tiger? If so, then use the 16th level or higher chart.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

This seems to be a contradiction. If you've got a 4 HD wolf in front of you and you get to choose your animal companion, then he's not going to lose HD (and shrink significantly) just because you pick him. Either you don't pick, he shrinks, or some third thing no one has suggested yet happens.

The RAW leaves this question entirely open. I would say that the Druid finds an average animal in the wilderness and befriends it, then forms a mystical bond that enhances the animal over the course of the remaining hours.

If I were DM I would happily allow a specific animal to be bonded if you happen to be on friendly terms (in most cases). But there would be no shrinking involved. If the Wolf is 4HD, I would either apply the rules for advanced companions in some fashion, or I would rule the bond fails to take. No shrinking.

 

[Ovistavin]

For a rough estimate I use the CR of the animal. For example, every animal on the 1st level list has a CR of 1 or less. The animals on the Druid - 3 have a CR of 2, Druid - 6: CR 3-4, Druid - 9: CR 4-5, etc. For an advanced animal the CR is increased by 1 for every 3 HD (page 294 of the MM). So I would figure out the CR of the advanced animal and decide which list it would fit the best.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

It is also possible to follow the pattern above and slip animals in between the categories if the DM does not feel the animal fits on any list.

4 HD advanced Wolf might be "Druid lvl -2".