Since everyone (except the TW ranger or area attacks) gets one attack per round should handle that. A PC + Pet only means two attacks a round, which is servicable.
The Economy of Actions: Pets
- Thread starter Rechan
- Start date
Magus Coeruleus
Explorer
Based on artificer, mount, and certain power (e.g. Flaming Sphere) rules, I predict one or more of the following will be implemented:
1) shared actions, i.e. you OR the companion/pet can attack, move, etc.; applicable if it's quite powerful but there will be no loss of XP earned.
2) independent actions, i.e. you and it get complete suite of actions; this is balanced if, as per intelligent/powerful mount rules, it gets a share of your XP; this will probably be rare because aside from balance 4e tries to minimize certain players hogging too much time during their rounds.
3) minor action to direct; applicable if it has modest and/or limited use effects.
1) shared actions, i.e. you OR the companion/pet can attack, move, etc.; applicable if it's quite powerful but there will be no loss of XP earned.
2) independent actions, i.e. you and it get complete suite of actions; this is balanced if, as per intelligent/powerful mount rules, it gets a share of your XP; this will probably be rare because aside from balance 4e tries to minimize certain players hogging too much time during their rounds.
3) minor action to direct; applicable if it has modest and/or limited use effects.
Destil
Explorer
I think the problem with pets in 3.0 was the 4th level Driud got a friggin' 8HD bear that could shred even CoZilla to ribbons.
3.5 had the opposite problem, quantity over quality. I played a druid not even slightly customized for summoning and I still was dragging in 5-10 critters for a tough fight. Nevermind the wolf.
Saeviomagy
Adventurer
The easiest way to do things is to make a pet the implement for a variety of class specific powers. Take some of the warlord powers that allow an ally to take extra actions and then replace the ally's attack with some statistic that the pet has.
The biggest problem I see with pets is avoiding making them an extra bag of hitpoints - it's silly to treat them like a minion, but at the same time you can't give them full hitpoints or they're ruining encounter balance.
I suppose you could make them share their master's hitpoint pool in some way... You could give them minion status and then give the master a "spend a healing surge, grant temporary hitpoints to your pet" interrupt power. That way the pet isn't too squishy and doesn't use up resources unless foes target it. The master gets the same sort of benefit out of the power as he might get from some other utility powers.
The biggest problem I see with pets is avoiding making them an extra bag of hitpoints - it's silly to treat them like a minion, but at the same time you can't give them full hitpoints or they're ruining encounter balance.
I suppose you could make them share their master's hitpoint pool in some way... You could give them minion status and then give the master a "spend a healing surge, grant temporary hitpoints to your pet" interrupt power. That way the pet isn't too squishy and doesn't use up resources unless foes target it. The master gets the same sort of benefit out of the power as he might get from some other utility powers.
Saeviomagy
Adventurer
3.0 you could do that too - I had a cleric of the great rat (ie - took animal as a sphere or whatever) and I spent all my animal friendship dice on rats and dire rats. I think it was 4 rats and a dire rat per level. Truly ludicrous amounts of dice rolling if I ordered an attack.
Hypersmurf
Moderatarrrrh...
I had a 3.5 Druid who had a Cat Swarm as an animal companion (we ruled it a Level -4 companion). Thanks to the swarm rules, the amount of dice rolling was minimised, but it still took a while to name three hundred cats!
-Hyp.
Saeviomagy
Adventurer
Heh, with how thoroughly lethal the 3.5 cat was (able to down 1.5 peasants per round!), you got ripped off!
PrecociousApprentice
First Post
Thinking about it, reflavoring Flaming Sphere as some sort of elemental pet would actually make that power thematically cool. It would also probably fit pretty well with what they are likely going to be doing with pets. This thread has given me what amounts to the best idea I have had all day.
RefinedBean
First Post
As an implement, you say?
I really like the idea of a set of powers based off using your pet as an implement, although I don't know how I'd deal with having them on the board (and able to be attacked) or not.
Another idea is to have it be a low-level encounter utility power, and based on whatever animal you choose, it gives a bonus to certain ranger powers (i.e. grants combat advantage to certain attacks, adds the ability to knock a creature prone on the next attack power, etc.) That way, the progression of the animal could be tied into retraining at Paragon and Epic, with better benefits.
Make some feats that changes the encounter power from Move (ordering your animal into battle) to minor (muttering a simple command to a semi-sentient creature) to free, although I don't know if that's needed...
I really like the idea of a set of powers based off using your pet as an implement, although I don't know how I'd deal with having them on the board (and able to be attacked) or not.
Another idea is to have it be a low-level encounter utility power, and based on whatever animal you choose, it gives a bonus to certain ranger powers (i.e. grants combat advantage to certain attacks, adds the ability to knock a creature prone on the next attack power, etc.) That way, the progression of the animal could be tied into retraining at Paragon and Epic, with better benefits.
Make some feats that changes the encounter power from Move (ordering your animal into battle) to minor (muttering a simple command to a semi-sentient creature) to free, although I don't know if that's needed...
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