JiffyPopTart
Bree-Yark
When my players druidic wolf animal companion gets its stat bonus increase when the druid hits 3rd level, does the size of the wolf change?
DS
DS
Druids animal companion
- Thread starter JiffyPopTart
- Start date
Eye Tyrant
First Post
I am almost 100% certain that they do not. I can't tell you where it's stated, perhaps the WotC FAQ or errata...
Egres
First Post
From the FAQ:
When you add Hit Dice to a druid’s (or ranger’s)
animal companion as the master’s level goes up, does the
animal get any bigger? For instance, when a druid has a
wolf companion, the wolf starts out with the standard 2 Hit
Dice and is size Medium. By the time the druid is 3rd level,
the wolf has 2 bonus Hit Dice. According to the wolf entry
in the Monster Manual, an “advanced” wolf with 4 Hit Dice
would be Large. Is the example companion wolf also
Large?
An animal companion doesn’t get bigger when it adds extra
Hit Dice for the master’s levels. The advancement entries for
creatures, and the rules for advancing monsters, refer to
unusually powerful specimens that are simply tougher (and
perhaps bigger) than normal for their kinds.
When you add Hit Dice to a druid’s (or ranger’s)
animal companion as the master’s level goes up, does the
animal get any bigger? For instance, when a druid has a
wolf companion, the wolf starts out with the standard 2 Hit
Dice and is size Medium. By the time the druid is 3rd level,
the wolf has 2 bonus Hit Dice. According to the wolf entry
in the Monster Manual, an “advanced” wolf with 4 Hit Dice
would be Large. Is the example companion wolf also
Large?
An animal companion doesn’t get bigger when it adds extra
Hit Dice for the master’s levels. The advancement entries for
creatures, and the rules for advancing monsters, refer to
unusually powerful specimens that are simply tougher (and
perhaps bigger) than normal for their kinds.
huh, I'll be darned. I still like the idea of them getting bigger though 
Although I can see problems with creatures that 'could' get really big and thus do. In any case, how would you rule a wolf of larger size being an animal companion? I'm guessing it would be in the level -3 category of creatures?
Tellerve
Although I can see problems with creatures that 'could' get really big and thus do. In any case, how would you rule a wolf of larger size being an animal companion? I'm guessing it would be in the level -3 category of creatures?Tellerve
nittanytbone
First Post
Use the rules for calculating the CR of advanced animals in the monster manual to calculate a CR for the HD-advanced giant wolf. Compare the CR to the ones for the given animals to figure out what category it should be in.
Alternatively, look at the new proposal and compare it to existing choices. If it is superior to all of the existing choices, then it needs to be in a higher category. I think you will find that a giant wolf is too overpowered for the -3 level category -- look at its damage potential, trip attack, useful track feat, high land speed, and ability to serve as a mount, and I don't think anyone would ever pick a leopard again.
Alternatively, look at the new proposal and compare it to existing choices. If it is superior to all of the existing choices, then it needs to be in a higher category. I think you will find that a giant wolf is too overpowered for the -3 level category -- look at its damage potential, trip attack, useful track feat, high land speed, and ability to serve as a mount, and I don't think anyone would ever pick a leopard again.
Tellerve said:huh, I'll be darned. I still like the idea of them getting bigger though
Tellerve
A dire wolf is in the -6 category, so a large wolf would probably be in between, if your DM let's you go that route.
JiffyPopTart
Bree-Yark
Egres said:
I am not arguing the ruling (I actually agree with it) however the reasoning is kind of cheesy since animal companions of characters obviously ARE by definition "powerful specimens that are simply tougher than normal for their kinds".
DS
Infiniti2000
First Post
From the Improving Monsters section of the SRD: "Creatures with increased Hit Dice are usually superior specimens of their race, bigger and more powerful than their run-of-the-mill fellows."
From the Druid's Animal Companion: "A druid’s animal companion is superior to a normal animal of its kind and has special powers, as described below."
I'd say Sabathius42 has a point. Is the FAQ the only place that says that the bonus HD don't increase the animal's size? Can anyone reference a page in Races of the Wild perhaps? I see nothing in the core rules (SRD anyway) that says that size is not increased.
On the other hand, nothing explicitly says that it should increase the size so therefore it doesn't. Is this the only explanation for why it doesn't increase?
From the Druid's Animal Companion: "A druid’s animal companion is superior to a normal animal of its kind and has special powers, as described below."
I'd say Sabathius42 has a point. Is the FAQ the only place that says that the bonus HD don't increase the animal's size? Can anyone reference a page in Races of the Wild perhaps? I see nothing in the core rules (SRD anyway) that says that size is not increased.
On the other hand, nothing explicitly says that it should increase the size so therefore it doesn't. Is this the only explanation for why it doesn't increase?
Len
Prodigal Member
The other explanation is that monsters with increased hit dice are "superior specimens of their race", they are not ordinary specimens that got bigger as they grew older. A normal wolf is a full-grown adult, not a baby. A wolf with extra HD is an extra-large wolf. He was bigger and stronger ever since he was a pup.Infiniti2000 said:
There are several sets of rules for advancing creatures. The rules for adding hit dice specifically say that an advanced creature is larger (as you quoted). The rules for adding class levels, applying templates and advancing animal companions do not. (For templates it depends on the template.) There's no reason to suppose the one set of rules applies to the other situations.
