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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 1886137" data-attributes="member: 1210">Help me out here, guys!  I want to make this one worth taking but not overpowered using multiple animal companions as the balancing factor.  How did I do?***Master of the HoundsWhether for hunting, herding, guarding or simple companionship, many humanoid creatures raise dogs.  Some cultures are so symbiotic with their canine friends that a person is considered crippled if she doesn’t have one.  A master of the hounds exceeds even the greatest ability that others might show with dogs.  Some masters of the hounds raise their dog pack from the time they are puppies while others put a pack together out of alley strays. Many masters of the hounds are employed by nobles, maintaining a proud hunting pack for knights or dukes.  Some are druids in the wilderness, living with packs of wolves.  Others are crusty rogues in urban settings, using their dogs to help fleece victims.  Still others are old women in houses with hundreds of different animals.  Hit Dice: d8    Prerequisites: Handle Animal (10 ranks).  Animal Affinity, Run.Class Skills: Handle Animal (cha), Heal (wis), Intimidate (cha), Listen (wis), Sense Motive (wis), Survival (wis), Swim (str), Tumble (dex), Use Rope (dex).  Skill points per level: 2 + int bonus.    Base Attack: Medium (as cleric).Good Saves: Will.Poor Saves: Fort and Ref.Level-Special Abilities1---Hounds (2)2---Speed increase +10’3---Flanking attack +1d64---Hounds (3)5---Perfect understanding6---    7---Hounds (4)8---Flanking attack +2d69---Speed increase +20’10--Hounds (5)CLASS FEATURESWeapon and Armor Proficiencies: A master of the hounds gains no new proficiencies.Hounds: A master of the hounds has at least two, and possibly more, hounds that accompany him wherever he goes.  These may be any canine animal of a size no larger than medium.  These hounds are formidable examples of their kind, possessed of greater than normal intelligence, and as the master of the hounds advances in levels his hounds increase in power.  The master of the hounds’ dogs’ type changes to magical beast.A master of the hounds with a dog, wolf or similar animal companion may use this companion as one of his hounds.  If he chooses to do this, all the special abilities gained from both classes stack.A master of hounds gains more hounds as time passes.  These hounds are just as powerful as the hounds he has had since 1st level.  They gain all the appropriate abilities, etc.If a master of the hounds loses one of his hounds to death or other misfortune, he can replace it after a month of mourning.  He must spend 1000 gp and 100 xp and take another month to train the new hound.Level-HD-Natural AC-Int-Special Abilities1--+4--+2--+1--Devotion, evasion2--+5--+3--+1--Flanking attack +1d63--+6--+4--+2--Ability increase +24--+6--+5--+3--5--+7--+6--+4--Flanking attack +2d66--+7--+7--+5--Ability increase +27--+7--+8--+68--+8--+9--+7--Flanking attack +3d69--+8--+10--+8--Ability increase +210--+8--    +11--+9--Class levelLevel: The master of the hounds’ class level.  HD Increase: As the master of the hounds advances, all of his hounds gain hit dice.  (These are d8s; the hounds are treated as animals for purposes of base attack bonus, skill advancement, etc.)Natural AC: The hounds’ natural AC bonus increases as noted on the chart.  Int: Eventually, a master of the hounds may have dogs as smart as he is!Special Abilities: As the hounds advance, they gain the following abilities:-Devotion: The hounds’ devotion to their master is so complete that they gain a +4 morale bonus on Will saves against enchantment spells and effects.-Evasion: If a hound makes a Reflex half saving throw, it instead takes no damage.-Flanking Attack: Whenever flanking, a hound inflicts extra damage unless its target possesses the improved uncanny dodge ability.  This extra damage stacks with sneak attack and similar effects.-Ability Increase: The master of the hounds, by intensive training, may choose one ability score of each of his hounds to improve by two at each indicated level.-Class Level: Each of the hounds may take a single level in any class.  Given their increased intelligence, there could even be hound wizards.Speed Increase (Ex): The master of the hounds must keep up with his animals.  His base speed increases as he advances.    Flanking Attack (Ex): Whenever flanking, a master of the hounds inflicts extra damage unless its target possesses the improved uncanny dodge ability.  This extra damage stacks with sneak attack and similar effects.Perfect Understanding (Ex): The master of the hounds can communicate clearly with his dogs, as if under a speak with animals spell at all times.  ***I'm definitely waiting to finalize this until I see the tamer of beasts update in Complete Adventurer, but I've been thinking about a master of hounds for a while.  What do you guys think?  Is the sheer number of slightly lower-powered companions a good balance?  Does it compensate for losing whatever class abilities you had before?Interesting builds: a druid/MotH... a halfling paladin with a riding dog mount multiclassing into it... a wizard whose familiar is a dog going into MotH... etc.</blockquote>

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