Awaken and Animal Companions

[Lord Pendragon]

They didn't gain extra HD or tricks, and it was even one of the reasons Animal Companion got modified in the revision. People were complaining that a druid had to dismiss his AC (hereafter referring to Animal Companion rather than Armor Class) often to replace it by a more powerful one, rather than keep the same old friend.

You're right. 3.0 and 3.5 got mixed up in my head there for a moment.

Especially given that tagalong NPCs (and a familiar, mount, or AC is one, even if played by a player, it's not a PC) never gain XP for adventuring with the PCs. They need to be allies (DM-controlled adventuring NPCs) or cohorts (player-controlled adventuring NPCs).

So, the druid or ranger player would need to take Leadership in order to give a share of XP to his AC.

This is certainly a workable solution. Is it core? If so, could you give me a reference where you found the text.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Just like a mount or familiar? It doesn't hold water.

Hey, I wasn't arguing it, so I don't recall what the logic of it was.

 

[Gez]

This is certainly a workable solution. Is it core? If so, could you give me a reference where you found the text.

Not exactly core. It's the spirit of the core rules, but not the letters.

Here's the excerpts that makes me say so:

DMG 3.0, page 147--148: Friends (allies, cohorts, and hirelings):

Allies
Allies come in two types: those who help the PCs with informations, equipment, or a place to stay the night; and those who actually travel with them on adventures. The former makes useful contacts and resources. The latter functions as party members and earn a full share of experience points and treasures just as any other character does. Essentially, these latter allies are adventurers who just happen not to be controlled by players. They differ from cohorts or hirelings who work directly for the PCs.

Cohorts
[...] Because they're not making a lot of decisions or helping much on the strategic level, they get only a half share of experience. Although the PCs can work out their own deals with cohorts, they usually get only a half share of treasure too. [...]

Hirelings

[...] Hirelings do not make decisions. They do as they're told (at least in theory). Thus, even if they go on an adventure with the PCs, they gain no experience and do not affect any calculations involving the average character level of the party. [...]

Familiars, mounts, and animal companions are treated like hirelings -- they gain no experience and do not count as members of the adventuring party.

Since you do not want them to become DM NPCs (you want to control your awakened companion), you need to treat it as a cohort rather than as a hireling. Thus, you need Leadership, or a similar arrangement with the DM...

Since there's precedent for using Leadership for better helpers (notably, for getting a dragon mount for the paladin), that's the solution I would use.

As you see, it's more gut instinct and interpretation than black on white rule text.

The DMG 3.5 (pages 104--105) says essentially the same thing -- the calculation for a cohort's XP is modified and better detailed, and there's a Follower entry that says that, like hirelings, they don't gain XP. With the exception of the cohort's adventuring paragraph, the text is not modified.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I like it. I think this is how I'm going to House Rule it from here on out. The druid can use Awaken as written, at the cost of Leadership. And no xp or class levels are involved.

 

[Fallenibilis]

Because any creature with an Int of 3+ can theoretically take class levels, and there were druids out there arguing that their companions be allowed to claim a share of the party xp and take barbarian levels and what have you.

Could an animal conpanion wearing a headband of intelect gain class levels if you say also take leadership and make it your cohort.