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Beastmaster's animal companion: can it survive for 2 rounds?
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<blockquote data-quote="Mouseferatu" data-source="post: 6372284" data-attributes="member: 1288"><p>So, I've been thinking a lot about this. I haven't actually run numbers, but in terms of general concept...</p><p></p><p>I don't think it's viable to compare the ACo to summoned/conjured monsters. We're talking about something that's constant vs. a spell; a one-combat (for the most part) effect. It's like comparing a fighter's sword to a <em>spiritual weapon</em>.</p><p></p><p>In pure gamist terms, the animal companion is a floating action. It's an attack, or an aid. The other things it can do--dash, dodge, move--are in service to the attack/aid concepts, so you can get it where it's supposed to be.</p><p></p><p>It does seem weird for it to take your action to command the thing. It breaks verisimilitude; but it's not <em>mechanically</em> weaker than just taking an attack. It's just also not substantially stronger.</p><p></p><p>But I understand the sense that the ACo should add more than just an option. No matter how balanced it may be, it <em>feels</em> wrong to have a companion that doesn't let you do at least a little more in one turn than you otherwise could.</p><p></p><p>You know what else gives you an extra attack without taking your action? Two-weapon fighting. So what about this: "On any turn when you spend your action, or part of your action, commanding your companion, you may spend your bonus action to make an attack with one weapon you are wielding. This attack does not add your ability modifier to damage."</p><p></p><p>Boom. You're now getting your full number of attacks--one if you don't yet have the extra attack feature, two if you do--<em>plus</em> your companion's attack.* It's just that one of those attacks costs your bonus action and isn't quite as strong--exactly as TWF. You can justify it as being the attack you made while also directing your ACo, so it didn't have have your full attention behind it.</p><p></p><p>*(Unless, of course, you were already a TWF ranger, in which case you're missing out on your "normal" off-hand attack. But not <em>everything</em> can be accounted for. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite7" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue :p" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":p" /> And it would be easy to add "If you have the Two-Weapon Fighting style, you <em>do</em> add your ability modifier to the damage," so at least you're not losing that. I suppose the rule <em>could</em> be phrased to allow TWF rangers to take two attacks with one bonus action, like the monk's flurry, but that'd have to be <em>very</em> carefully phrases/balanced, and only one of the two would get the ability modifier.)</p><p></p><p>Do the numbers work out exactly? No; you're likely to be wielding a weapon that deals more damage than a light weapon. But given that the other ranger subclass is getting damage-increasing options, too, I think it at least <em>might</em> work out. (As I said, I haven't run the numbers.) And it's a lot simpler than rewriting the entire companion feature.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mouseferatu, post: 6372284, member: 1288"] So, I've been thinking a lot about this. I haven't actually run numbers, but in terms of general concept... I don't think it's viable to compare the ACo to summoned/conjured monsters. We're talking about something that's constant vs. a spell; a one-combat (for the most part) effect. It's like comparing a fighter's sword to a [I]spiritual weapon[/i]. In pure gamist terms, the animal companion is a floating action. It's an attack, or an aid. The other things it can do--dash, dodge, move--are in service to the attack/aid concepts, so you can get it where it's supposed to be. It does seem weird for it to take your action to command the thing. It breaks verisimilitude; but it's not [I]mechanically[/I] weaker than just taking an attack. It's just also not substantially stronger. But I understand the sense that the ACo should add more than just an option. No matter how balanced it may be, it [I]feels[/I] wrong to have a companion that doesn't let you do at least a little more in one turn than you otherwise could. You know what else gives you an extra attack without taking your action? Two-weapon fighting. So what about this: "On any turn when you spend your action, or part of your action, commanding your companion, you may spend your bonus action to make an attack with one weapon you are wielding. This attack does not add your ability modifier to damage." Boom. You're now getting your full number of attacks--one if you don't yet have the extra attack feature, two if you do--[I]plus[/I] your companion's attack.* It's just that one of those attacks costs your bonus action and isn't quite as strong--exactly as TWF. You can justify it as being the attack you made while also directing your ACo, so it didn't have have your full attention behind it. *(Unless, of course, you were already a TWF ranger, in which case you're missing out on your "normal" off-hand attack. But not [I]everything[/I] can be accounted for. :P And it would be easy to add "If you have the Two-Weapon Fighting style, you [I]do[/I] add your ability modifier to the damage," so at least you're not losing that. I suppose the rule [I]could[/I] be phrased to allow TWF rangers to take two attacks with one bonus action, like the monk's flurry, but that'd have to be [I]very[/I] carefully phrases/balanced, and only one of the two would get the ability modifier.) Do the numbers work out exactly? No; you're likely to be wielding a weapon that deals more damage than a light weapon. But given that the other ranger subclass is getting damage-increasing options, too, I think it at least [I]might[/I] work out. (As I said, I haven't run the numbers.) And it's a lot simpler than rewriting the entire companion feature. [/QUOTE]
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