How would you build a ranger companion feat?

[Kzach]

A question came up elsewhere about a player who roleplayed trying to tame a captured dire wolf. I thought that was pretty cool but the DM was a bit lost on how to incorporate this into play.

I recommended merging the ranger beast companion rules with the shaman spirit companion multi-class feat in some way, shape or form. But I'm curious to see what other people would come up with for this sort of situation.

 

[oakbriar]

Are you asking how to handle the taming process, or how to give the PC a beast companion (if that's the case I guess they are a TWF, archer, or whatever)?

The problem with giving a beast companion to a Ranger who already has another fighting style is that Beastmaster's don't have Prime Shot. There are some epic level feats, like Versatile Rogue in MP2, that could be comparable to giving a ranger a second fighting style.

The easiest ways I can think of to handle it would be to either treat is as an item, like the figurines of wondrous power, OR use the rules for companions on page 27 of DMG2 (there may be info in DMG as well, I don't have my copy with me here).

 

[circadianwolf]

A tricky proposition, given the inherent imbalance of adding any body with hit points to the party. At a glance, if you don't want to just call the wolf a minion and let it sit out on fights, I think using the Shaman MC as a guideline is a good idea.

There are two major benefits of companions when not used for attacking (which they usually aren't): flanking and damage soaking. I would just flat out make the companion unable to flank (but maybe offer a feat to make it do so); remember that the shaman's spirit can't flank.

Damage soaking is trickier. However, enemies usually have no reason to target a non-attacking beast. The usual reason, AFAIK, is b/c they pose a threat via OAs, but the ranger already burns their immediate action to order the beast to make the OA, which if your ranger likes immediate action powers may be enough. If they don't routinely use their immediate actions, you might again simply make the beast unable to take OAs (being a wild, non-combat-trained creature).

I would also probably make moving the beast either a standard action or at least a separate move action (as opposed to as part of any other move action).

 

[keterys]

Take a hook off hybrid talent: beast mastery - make it a normal beast mastery pet, but at -2 attack and defenses and only one surge.

 

[cdrcjsn]

I'd make it a companion creature (DMG2) and just increase the number of opponents the PCs face by one.

That way, it doesn't make a single character unduly powerful compared to anyone else and the challenge level is still balanced.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I'd make it a companion creature (DMG2) and just increase the number of opponents the PCs face by one.

That way, it doesn't make a single character unduly powerful compared to anyone else and the challenge level is still balanced.

Yeah, this would be the standard way to do it. Seems well balanced and fair. In some respects the CC is better than a beast companion but at the cost of increasing the level of challenge the party is likely to face slightly. There are some flexibility advantages too, the DM gets to decide what exactly the companion can do and has wider latitude that with beast companions.

 

[P1NBACK]

Wtf..?

It's just a mount. Treat it as such.

What else does he want out of it?

 

[Wik]

I'd agree with Abdul on this one - treat it as a companion character, and go from there. Slightly increase combat challenges as time goes on. Don't be too obvious about it (ie, if most of your fights are usually against party level, the players will notice when the fights suddenly go up by one!)

Make the creature a defender or a leader (imagine a "baying howl" that debuffs enemies and heals the party!), or possibly some other role not well covered by the party. And, give it one power that lets it play right into making the ranger awesome ("Distracting attack", which lets the ranger make a free attack against a monster, or something).

 

[Kzach]

Ah, I should've pointed out that this was originally for a paladin. But the real question was about how to do it for any class or character.

I felt a companion character was just too powerful given that the player expects to control the entity. That brings up all the same problems that were addressed in 4e by eliminating cohorts and pets in the first place.

 

[P1NBACK]

Ah, I should've pointed out that this was originally for a paladin. But the real question was about how to do it for any class or character.

I felt a companion character was just too powerful given that the player expects to control the entity. That brings up all the same problems that were addressed in 4e by eliminating cohorts and pets in the first place.

There. is. no. problem.

The dire wolf is a _mount_. Treat it as such. And, count it toward the character's loot share (the gp value is listed in the Character Builder in the mount section.