Red Hand of Doom - help me get a new animal companion

[RangerWickett]

I'm playing a mounted archer (ranger 5/beastmaster 2 with the Nature Bond feat so my effective druid level for animal companion is 10th) in Red Hand of Doom, and the party is about to head into a swampy area for a potentially extended adventure. It looks like I'm going to have leave my horse behind, so I'm looking to get a new animal companion. What do you guys think about temporarily dismissing an animal companion, and then calling it again?

I'm thinking of taking a giant crocodile, or possibly a giant constrictor snake. Could I ride either of these? If I could manage to get a giant eagle, that'd be optimal, but I don't know if the GM will let me because of the local environment.

Any comments or suggestions?

 

[Rystil Arden]

You'll almost certainly be okay on either the crocodile or the constrictor to ride, but your GM may choose to impose the -5 penalty to Ride for unusual/unsuitable mounts (though at your level, that probably isn't too much of a problem).

 

[Gargoyle]

I'm playing a mounted archer (ranger 5/beastmaster 2 with the Nature Bond feat so my effective druid level for animal companion is 10th) in Red Hand of Doom, and the party is about to head into a swampy area for a potentially extended adventure. It looks like I'm going to have leave my horse behind, so I'm looking to get a new animal companion. What do you guys think about temporarily dismissing an animal companion, and then calling it again?

I would allow it, as long as it isn't done too often.

I'm thinking of taking a giant crocodile, or possibly a giant constrictor snake. Could I ride either of these? If I could manage to get a giant eagle, that'd be optimal, but I don't know if the GM will let me because of the local environment.

Any comments or suggestions?

If I were DM'ing I'd want you to take something land-bound at that level, because if you're flying that would likely split up the group. The crocodile might work. Hard to imagine a snake as a mount though. I'm partial to large spiders or dinosaurs.

 

[Drowbane]

nice build

What do you guys think about temporarily dismissing an animal companion, and then calling it again?

Sure, why not? Gandalf dismisses and then recalls his animal companion constantly

I think a dire (swamp) bat would be spiffy. If it splits up the group, so be it! Rogues go off to scout ahead all the time...

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

Swampy Terrain? It needs to swim then.

Horses well they have their advantages, slogging through swamps isn't a place those show and they don't swim very well either.

Crocodile is good. Somewhere on the WOTC site there's a large salamander with about the same HD and a swim speed that looks like it was made for just this purpose.

Here's the link to it at WOTC it's called the Titan Salamander http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mm/20030920a

 

[Capellan]

If a druid releases her companion from service, she may gain a new one by performing a ceremony requiring 24 uninterrupted hours of prayer.

Releasing your Animal Companion is A-OK,a nd I see no reason why you couldn't call a previous one back later. Giant Crocodiles are a great choice in a swamp, and are certainly big enough to be ridden. You GM may assign a -5 penalty (for being a creature that is ill-suited to riding) and if you ride bareback you'll suffer another -5 for that.

 

[MarkB]

From the same 7th-level list as the giant crocodile, you could choose an Elasmosaurus, which has a superior swimming speed and would arguably make a slightly less unsuitable mount. It lacks Improved Grab, though.

 

[EricNoah]

If you are patient there might be an opportunity for you to meet something suitable in the course of the next part of the adventure.

 

[RangerWickett]

If you are patient there might be an opportunity for you to meet something suitable in the course of the next part of the adventure.

Well, I don't want spoilers, but I'll keep my eyes peeled. Thing is, my DM is a true stickler for rules, so the '24 hours of uninterrupted prayer' means exactly 24 hours, which won't work if we're on the road. The only real chance I'll get to do this is while we're in the elvish city, so I'm going to do it there. I'd like to get a giant owl, but they're apparently magical beasts with an Intelligence higher than my character's. *grin*

(Why do I keep accidentally typing magical breast?)

The main factor I need to pay attention to is number of bonus tricks, because I need a companion that won't kill the party, and that would be willing to attack unnatural creatures (which counts as two tricks). Crocs only have Int 1, so they only get 3 tricks to begin with, and if my DM decides to be really mean he might say that the critter starts with only the bonus tricks, because I haven't had time to train it anything else.

 

[kanithardm]

Well personally Id go crocodile or giant eagle just because

[sblock]You get some major points from the elves because their leader has a croc and they all ride giant eagles, so they might trust your party with their eagles when they see you have one.[/sblock]