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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CapnZapp" data-source="post: 4807010" data-attributes="member: 12731">Okay, so nothing previous on this subject then?Alrighty, let's begin by comparing the current ranger beast companions (there is some variety, so I'm picking Cats and Wolves; two choices I guess are common enough) to the wondrous figurine animals.At level 1 it isn't unreasonable to find a level 4 treasure, so let's start off with the Onyx Dog (or 3-5 Onyx Dogs really, to make both an "encounter" power).HP: Companions win hands down (22 vs 9). Sure you can spend a surge to boost a figurine, but companions have two surges of their own. There simply is no comparison.Attack: Companions +5, Figurine +7. Expressed in relative terms: level+4 vs level+3. About equal. Considering the Expertise feats, I'm willing to go with MP's formula.Damage: I'm a little unclear on how it's supposed to work. Per MP, companions do more damage on OAs than straight attacks. If correct, this is a wonky rule indeed. Regardless, the figurine's d6+3 compares favorably to a single d8.Opportunity Attacks: The companion gets to do one OA per turn (using up your immediate interrupt in the process) with attribute bonus damage to boot. This figurines normally don't do. However, the Onyx Dog does - provided it stays adjacent to the foes that attack you. A wash, I would say.Defenses: Companions get level+14 for AC and around two points lower for NADs. The Onyx Dog fig gets level+12 (roughly). Again, I'm inclined to use MP's formula - it isn't unreasonable to calculate fig values for a level higher than the party after all.I won't go into detail about speed, skills and such, as there didn't seem to be anything game-breaking about either companions or figurines.So, let's just check out if these parameters hold true at higher levels. There aren't any Epic figurines, so we'll have to do with the highest-leveled fig there is: the Golden Lion.HP: Still no match.Attacks: The Golden Lion uses level+1. My guess is the lowered formula is to compensate the very nice special ability of this specific figurine (Pounce). If we take that out of the picture, I'd say the MP comparison holds up.Damage: I guess MP offers the Ranger feats to up his companion's damage, otherwise 1d8 is getting to suck very hard indeed. Not that 1d8+4 is much better.Opportunity Attacks: As written, the Golden Lion offers nothing in this department. However, as a general figurine I'm supposing it wouldn't be out of line to follow the MP framework (replacing Pounce, in this case).Defenses: Golden Lion's got level+11. Close enough I'm buying the MP formula.So.Does this mean I can tell a ranger player "you can switch over from the MP action economy to the AP action economy provided you'll agree to nerfing your critter's hit point total?"Or is there something else I'm missing, that would make this change still overpowered?To be specific: the proposal is to keep everything as per MP rules, only with two changes:1) you only need to use a minor action to command your beast companion. Thus, you first minor action allows the beast to take a standard action. Your second minor action grants the beast a move action. And your third minor action (probably your standard action) grants a minor action.2) Your animal companion only gets 5+level hit points; plus a surge's worth assuming you spend one. This probably works best for characters whose beast companions actually are figurines (didn't Gygax' "Gord the Rogue" books feature one of those?) so having your buddy killed in every combat doesn't become an issue.</blockquote>

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