Animal Companion vs. Energy drain

[lightful]

Bad things will happen and the druid's wolf animal companion was hit by a wight. Living with a neg. level is no problem, but what happens when the poor animal fails his Fortitude save and gets stuck with losing a level ?

How do you figure that out ? Does it just lose a Hit Die ? What about the fun bonus' that come with that hit die ?

For that matter - what happens when the druid loses a level - does his animal companion lose Hit Dice ? That would make no sense at all !

If anybody knows the rules and can point me in their direction I'd be grateful, as I would be for anyoine who hasa good idea.

Thanks !

 

[Scharlata]

[...] If anybody knows the rules and can point me in their direction I'd be grateful, as I would be for anyone who has a good idea.

Hi!

If you don't like to perform the calculations to deconstruct and downgrade an animal companion due to lost Hit Dice, I'd say: Leave the poor animal at the minimum Hit Dice according to whatever Monster Manual it came to life. If the animal companion had Bonus HD due to a level of his mistress (the druid), it would lose HD according to the amount of negative levels it has suffered and wasn't able to throw off with the Fortitude saves.

And, yes, it makes complete sense that the animal companion loses some or all of its Bonus HD if the druid ever loses one or more levels permanently.

Kind regards

P.S.: Gaudeamus igitur
Iuvenes dum sumus
Post iucundam iuventutem
Post molestam senectutem
Nos habebit humus
...
Also lasst uns fröhlich sein
denn wir sind noch jung;
nach den Freuden der Jugend,
nach den Beschwerlichkeiten des Alters,
wird uns die Erde haben.

 

[Chronosome]

To ease the pain of "devolving" a creature through level loss, you may want to just make the negative level permanent with a failed Fort save. If an animal companion's permanent negative levels ever equal its HD, it dies.

It's not the same as a lost Hit Die, but it's an easy alternative.

Hope that helps.

 

[lightful]

So, apperently there are no set rules...no problems, both of your suggestions are perfectly valid. Thanks !


Scharlata - originally the "m" and "n" inversion was a strange typo, I was about to change it, and then I though "Hell, I'll let it be and see if anybody picks up on it" - and by the gods, someone finally did

 

[Li Shenron]

Good question...

I suppose that if you like the idea of the companion to get improvement just because he's a "druid's companion", to emphasize the magical bond you may want to tie its extras to the druid's level and nothing else.
By this idea, you could rule that (1) if the druid get drained, the animal becomes weaker (2) if the animal gets drained - but obviously not killed - it regains its lost levels and catches up with the druid's level (although you may this to happen after some delay).

If you otherwise prefer the idea that the animal's abilities have grown by the fact that he adventured with the druid and got some sort of experience itself, you may want to (1) if the druid gets drained, nothing happens to the animal and (2) if the animal gets drained, it's now "behind the druid".
The latter is however easily circumventable by the fact that the druid could just dismiss the animal and get an identical one with no drain after 24 hours, and this is ther reason why I wouldn't do this.

I like Chronosome suggestion, however. And remember that levels lost due to energy drain CAN be restored later, even once they are permanent because you failed the save.

 

[Thanee]

They don't have levels, so they lose Con instead, I think.

EDIT: Hmm... no, not really.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Scharlata]

Scharlata - originally the "m" and "n" inversion was a strange typo, I was about to change it, and then I though "Hell, I'll let it be and see if anybody picks up on it" - and by the gods, someone finally did

Gaudeo!