[MotW] Tamer of Beasts Prc

[The Iron Mark]

In the ToB Prc it says that your companions gain more Int and then become classified magical beasts, though they count as animals for max HD of companions. But in on Magical Beast Mastery, it says that magical beasts are considered twice their HD for max amount of companions. So which is it when you befriend a beast/animal that is then classified as a magical beast?! 2xHD or just HD? I think what they meant was creatures that were already magical beasts when befriended are 2xHD while non-awakened animals and beasts are just HD but I want to make sure I'm doind this right!

 

[shilsen]

The ability description doesn't say for sure, but I agree with your assessment, since otherwise there are all kinds of complications. The fact that the Magical Beast Mastery ability only occurs at the 9th lvl of the PrC implies that the animal companions gained before that only become magical beasts after being befriended, and count only as their HD (and not 2xHD) against the Tamer of Beast's max HD total.

 

[Speaks With Stone]

I believe you have the right of it.

You befriend an animal, then it becomes a magical beast under your tutelage. It still only counts as its normal HD, eventhough now it is a magical beast.

Later you can befriend a magical beast, but to do so uses up 2x its HD of your capacity.

This was the PrC I was hoping would come out of MotW. I'll have to make a character to use that should anything unfortunate happen to my current character.

 

[The Iron Mark]

I wonder if it would be better to have some strong Animals or to have a few strong Magical Beasts. Magical Beasts are tougher, but Animals can be affected by Animal Growth, Nature's Favor, and Nature's Avatar. What do you guys think? If you used three rings of Animal Friendship, as a 10 Druid/10 ToB, you could have 82HD worth of companions. You could get two 20 HD Magical Beasts or four 20 HD Animals!

 

[Morose]

This is one of the things that really bugs me about this PrC. Why in the blue blazes would you ever WANT your animal companions to become magical beasts? Some of your best spells would then be useless on your own animal friends. No Animal Growth, Nature's Favor, etc. The addition of ability to charm beasts and magical beasts is nifty, but having your own animals change type is just strange.

If this is intentional to keep the power of the class down I'm not sure I agree with the reasoning. I would much rather have just one pet that I could buff into a powerhouse than two that will often get whooped by a creature of any CR equal to your character level. If it was intended to be a benefit (for example to keep your animals from being subject to another druid's charms) it wasn't thought out very well.

 

[The Iron Mark]

Well if I was DM I would allow Animal Growth, etc. to affect Animals turned Magical Beast through Awaken or this Prc. Otherwise, you would just want to get two 20 HD Magical Beasts.

 

[The Iron Mark]

Kind of off topic but what does Aniaml Growth do exactly? How much Str, Con, etc. does the animal get? Could someone just make a list of what changes?

 

[shilsen]

Kind of off topic but what does Aniaml Growth do exactly? How much Str, Con, etc. does the animal get? Could someone just make a list of what changes?

The spell description in the PHB is quite clear about what changes. The changes in Str, Dex and Con will depend on the original size of the animal and the new size (according to the rule for size increase, MM, pg. 12-14).

For example, an ape (4 HD originally) on which you cast Animal Growth will double its HD (8 HD), gaining improvements to its BAB and saves, but since its size doesn't change (it remains a Large animal), none of the ability scores change. But a wolf (2 HD medium animal) affected by the spell will become a Large (4 HD) animal, gaining +8 Str, -2 Dex, +4 Con and +2 Natural armor. So the changes will depend upon the disparity between the old and the new size.

 

[The Iron Mark]

Could you tell me where it says in the SRD(I don't have MM) for the stat increases/decreases, natural armor, etc. It says that the affected animal is increased by one size. Would it be easier to make two sheets for your animals? One for normal time, and a second for Animal Growth time. I think that with the ability to get Magical Beasts, Animals would be useless. But I'm starting to think that with Nature's Favor, Narure's Avatar, Animal Growth, and buff-up spells, Animals could actually be good. Oh, another Animal type question. Do all creatures have slots? Does a wolf have the equivilant of a gauntlet? Necklace? Boots? Meaning, could you outfit a few of your companions with equipment?

 

[Crothian]

It's in the very bottom of the creature Overview.