Regarding Druid Animal Companions

[DevoutlyApathetic]

Remember a badger's rage is different from a barbarians. They MUST attack whoever triggered it and it ends when they kill that person. No retreat, no tactics (just pure unadulterated killing nastiness...have you looked at these things Animal Growthed?)

 

[Argent Silvermage]

Too Weird! Are we all playing halfling Druids?

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

The Animal companion is a reasonable ability (though if I were your cleric, and you'd nerfed spontaneous healing, I'd gripe too).

The selection of a specific companion, however, might not be. The wolverine is certainly one of the toughest of the bunch, and the power level is a little high for his HD. This is true particularly if you let the player run the animal like a second PC, as opposed to a wild animal that will not always answer to his master's beck and call.

Wolverines in particular should be played as stubborn, selfish, and not-to-bright (compared with wolves, say) -- and should completely lose control when dealt damage (going berserk and attacking the closest thing that moves until it calms down)

A few nods toward animal behavior will keep the tougher animal companions balanced. The wolverine companion in our campaign luckily met with an untimely death recently; his replacement is somewhat more tractable

 

[Kestrel]

hehe...if your cleric thinks it bad now, just wait till the druid gets animal growth.

My gnoll druid summoned three dire apes (Summon Nature Ally 5) and animal growthed em, the rest of the party just sat back and watched the apes rip up the opposition.

My animal companion is an awakened Dire Wolf named Ripper. He's pretty tough, but his AC sucks and he takes tons of damage at our level. (11th). I can't animal growth him anymore, because Awakening made him a Magical Beast.

All in all, the DM shouldnt take away your pet, it may be powerful now, but no more powerful than the druid himself in Brown Bear form.

 

[Bugaboo]

Sounds like petty jealousy to me. If the other members of the party are complaining that an Animal Companion keeps doing all the dirty work, then by all means step back and let them get slapped more often.

Besides, a well-fed Animal Companion can come in pretty handy when the DM suddenly throws the party into a blizzard or desert setting with no food on hand. An intelligent druid recognizes that in the wild, it's every animal for itself; only the fittest survive. So that Animal Companion is really just another portable meal, ready for cooking. Explain THAT to your grumpy companions. A dire wolverine (although stringy and tough to chew) could get your party through another three days without rations.

 

[Kestrel]

Well, the wolverine isnt mindless, he's just your pet. He would definitely defend himself if you wanted to eat him. You would probably be better off letting the wolverine kill the cleric and then eating him to survive.

 

[Conaill]

Any idea why Animal Companion are based on HD, rather than CR, or even better: ECLs?

After all, if if ECL measures the benefit of a race over a long term (loger than a single encounter), then ECL would seem to be the obvious choice to balance Animal Companions as well. Anyone know what the ECL for a Wolverine is? And whether it's significantly higher than for other animals with the same HD?

 

[hammymchamham]

Any idea why Animal Companion are based on HD, rather than CR, or even better: ECLs?

After all, if if ECL measures the benefit of a race over a long term (loger than a single encounter), then ECL would seem to be the obvious choice to balance Animal Companions as well. Anyone know what the ECL for a Wolverine is? And whether it's significantly higher than for other animals with the same HD?

Its based on the Animal Friendship spell. For one thing no offical ECL's for animals exist. One reason is they have an intellgence of 1 or 2 and (without awaken) aren't viable PC's. Even the Dragon Magazine with the semi-offical ECLs assumed they were awakened. The Animal Companion is part of the druid class. When a party fights a druids animal companion, its part of the druids CR.

Of all the things to pick on the druid, the animal companion is whats broken? The cleric gets his domain spells, more armor and weapon proficinies, and isn't limited to what armor and weapons they can use. Without the animal companion, the Druid becomes a Cleric without domain spells, turn undead, domain abiliitys, and a few less weapon and armor flexibility.

 

[gariig]

I can't animal growth him anymore, because Awakening made him a Magical Beast.

Is this true? Where in the rules does it say that?

Sorry to ask a rules question over here.

Gariig

 

[whatisitgoodfor]

Awakening states that the critter becomes a magical beast.

Animal Growth states that it affects animals, not magical beasts.