Animal Companion morbidly annoying?

[frankthedm]

I'm with sniffles. One of the 3.5 changes I really dislike is making the animal companion even more of a meatsheild.

Don't forget they also now take up less room in the bellies of monsters who swallow whole.

The compainions are assumed to be replaceable every day monster chow, thus why druids are able to not wear armor & still live and rangers only get D8s.

 

[Aaron L]

How exactly does one use an animal companion as a scout, without resorting to speak with animals all the time?

Teach them tricks,of course!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I've also seen druids combine Awaken and leadership to gain even more deadly companions.

Ditto. In the last campaign I ran, the druid DID awaken his companion, and it was a boon to the party.

But, like I said before, Animal Companions, Familiars and Paladin's mounts can all become utterly useless if the DM doesn't care for them.

And, since in my personal experience most DMs DON'T like them, I tend to avoid them in designing my PCs.

 

[frankthedm]

And, since in my personal experience most DMs DON'T like them, I tend to avoid them in designing my PCs.

Could you elaborate?

I tend to find players try to break the rules and squeeze more out of animal Companions than is entitled. They will often try to make the DM feel like the bad guy when the animal compainion is not given every trick in the book and is not treated like a telepathic second set of hands from first level.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Well, in an earlier post, I gave an account of how the first thing my bat familiar did was get eaten when it flew into a large chamber occupied by a small blue dragon in RttToEE. I had no problem with the attack roll- THAT was rolled in full view. My problem is that the Bat had done NOTHING in the campaign to that point, and the dragon STILL took notice of it (among all the other small flying critters in the room) immediately upon entering the room and ate it.

In the past 10 years in my current game group, my (and other players') familiars have gotten shot down by arrows (while flying above the party - not attacking), animal companions have been killed in the alpha strike from the ambush party, and Paladins have been unhorsed in round 2 of the first battle of the campaign. Other than a pair of draft horses, only 1 animal companion, 1 familiar and 0 mounts have survived more than a few adventures, one in a campaign I was running. (The draft horses have become part of a running joke, and, at this point, would probably survive a direct attack from C'thulhu.)

Why the animus towards the animals? I have no idea. While they can be effective allies, they are seldom more powerful than any PC in the party, and are definitely less game-breaking than most magic weapons.

 

[ThirdWizard]

As a DM, I've found fun ways to incorporate the ranger's celestial wolf animal companion. In fact, I introduced the animal in the first adventure as a sort of helper for them to get through a dangerous area (after a handle animal check as it was injured ). Later, when the ranger gained the levels necessary to get a companion, she took the feat that allows celestial creatures as animal companions and went out to find and befriend the celestial wolf. It now travels with the PCs through thick and thin.

It is very useful having a companion who understands common, by the way.

 

[boolean]

Even more of a meatshield? Are you kidding me? Back in 3e an Animal Companion could be up to *twice* the Druid's HD... (or did I dream that up?) you just had to find the right critter. Lvl 6 Druid with an Advanced Tiger, anyone?

Only if they were based in a single location, IIRC. Druids (and Clerics with the Animal Domain) who moved around a lot, as adventurers generally do, were limited to HD equal to their caster level.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Me, I love it when the players have an animal companion - the Druid in one game trained his bear to give him a bonus to Intimidate... not much good in town, but very effective in at least one encounter...

The Auld Grump - who likes familiars as well...

 

[Perun]

With the Druid that I'm playing currently, Greater Magic Fang is a prep spell done far in advance of any expected combat. Once in combat, my character sticks close to his companion and casts buff spells using the share spell ability. Sure, it doesn't always work out, but tactically/mechanically it's a huge boost. Two combat power houses for half the price (spell wise), and as a player I get to attack every round. In terms of spell usage, it's no worse than playing a combat oriented cleric.

Yes, I used to cast three GMFs at the start of every adventuring day -- one for the dire bat, and two for me (one for bite, one for claws).

However, the campaign specifics, and my choice of companion, made share spells less than useful. It's relatively difficult to stay within 5 ft. if you're flying and fighting multiple opponents. In the end, I just felt it wasn't for this paerticular character.

But, like I mentioned, in another campaign, the druidess' wolf is the main fighter of the party, and enormously useful.

[mini rant]Personally I wish that Druids would loose some of their "tree hugging" aspects. Historic Druids certainly weren't afraid to give up the lives of a few animals (or humans, for that matter) for the better of the clan. They, like many early cultures, had a healthy respect for nature's power, but they were more than willing to tap into it by any means necessary.[/mini rant]

Oh, I agree there. My druid always tries to see the bigger picture. If a couple of animals and dryads, for example, have to get slaughtered so as to protect the entire forest from being transformed into a tanar'ri spawning grounds, he's all for it

 

[The_Gneech]

Me, I love it when the players have an animal companion - the Druid in one game trained his bear to give him a bonus to Intimidate... not much good in town, but very effective in at least one encounter...

The Auld Grump - who likes familiars as well...

I'm the same way ... I made the ranger's wolf more like a familiar (mental link, etc.), and gave the wizard a blink puppy (who has now grown into a full-grown blink dog) for her familiar, just 'cause it was more better coolness.

-The Gneech