How do you keep an animal companion alive?

[MerakSpielman]

So, you could cast Animal Friendship, Awaken, and then Polymorph the animal into a human they'll still be your animal companion?

If an awakened animal companion died and was raised, would it still be an animal companion? Would it still be awakened?

What if you cast reincarnate, and they came back as a humanoid?

 

[Wippit Guud]

Well, there's rules in MotW to increase the HD of an animal.
Once the cat hits max HD, slap it with an enlarge and permanancy it. Then he's big enough for barding. Can also ride it into battle...

"... Cringer became the might Battle Cat..."

 

[MerakSpielman]

Well, there's rules in MotW to increase the HD of an animal.
Once the cat hits max HD, slap it with an enlarge and permanancy it. Then he's big enough for barding. Can also ride it into battle...

Just watch out for dispel magics at the wrong times...

 

[Wippit Guud]

I had an idea of doing this with a toad familiar, making it a 'dire' toad and riding it into battle (such a gnomish idea), but figured it'd make it too big a target

 

[Cartolis]

masters of the wild has lots of great ways to keep animal companions alive.

first of if you take the create infusion feat then you can make great little kitty treats that do thing like enlarge, barkskin and so on. with your choice of companion I would suggest that when you get into a sticky situation that the cat either scram and come back later(cats are great at that) or get in your pack. 100% cover is wonderful for keeping kitty alive.

 

[Sir Whiskers]

This thread brings to mind the reason I have problems with druids as pc's. From a roleplaying perspective, what would be sufficient reason for a druid to risk his animal companions' lives?
*Protecting the forest? Absolutely!
*Helping out some innocent humans being attacked by orcs? Probably.
*Delving into a dungeon to get some treasure? Um, no...

Having animal companions is a cool ability of the class, and certainly helps the druid hold his own in combat, but I just can't suspend disbelief when the animal companions start dropping like flies. How can any self-respecting druid throw their lives away so cavalierly?

Anyone mind relating how you've resolved this difficulty? I'd love to play a druid the next time I'm a player, but it's got to "make sense" to me.

Thanks.

 

[Caliban]

True, AS FAR AS IT GOES... BUT Animal Friendship will already have been cast, and has an "Instant" duration. Thus, no problem! Also, Awakened Animals can speak 1+INT modifier languages that the caster can, so Speak with Animals is unneeded!

Ergo, no problems.

The minute it takes levels in an class, it's not longer an animal companion. It's an NPC Cohort, and if you don't have the leadership feat, it will wander off on it's own soon enough.

If you want to keep your animal companion alive, use the optional rules in the MOTW for advancing an animal in HD, and talk your DM into letting it become a Legendary animal companion.

 

[Saeviomagy]

As to an awakened animal becoming a 'magical beast', it's my belief that that is an error, given the huge amount of problems it causes, along with the fact that it's not mentioned in either of the awaken spells (even mass awaken, which is printed in the same book as the flavour text which suggests that such an animal becomes a magical beast).

 

[Caliban]

As to an awakened animal becoming a 'magical beast', it's my belief that that is an error, given the huge amount of problems it causes, along with the fact that it's not mentioned in either of the awaken spells (even mass awaken, which is printed in the same book as the flavour text which suggests that such an animal becomes a magical beast).

It's not an error. I have confirmed this with the Sage, and with Sean K Reynolds (he even ran it by the WOTC R&D department for me).

That's not to say that it won't work differently in 3.5 though.

 

[Chacal]

about the animal being awakaned as a magical beast, I believe SKR
suggested that "physical" spells targeting animal should work, but not "mental" spells.

I'll probably rule it this way IMC.

Chacal