What to do with animal companions and familiars?

[Kae'Yoss]

You mean there's people that have an intelligence higher than 2? I don't believe that for a second!

But there are. It's a minority, and they're getting fewer almost by the second, but they exist. Yet. I give them another 10 years at the most. Their influence is nearly gone already, if current TV program is any indicator.

 

[Numion]

After which they're no longer Animal Companions.

Whoah, is this 'new' from 3.5? I thought that was the express purpose of the spell .. to make intelligent animal companions for Druids. I still play 3.0 though

 

[Storyteller01]

Whoah, is this 'new' from 3.5? I thought that was the express purpose of the spell .. to make intelligent animal companions for Druids. I still play 3.0 though

As do I, but last I've heard, druids now have companions similar to familairs or the paladins favored mounts. Critter's abilities go up in level with the druid.

Anyone want to correct me on this? I don't play 3.5, so I can't say for certain...


EDIT: Found this via the SRD:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/druid.htm#theDruidsAnimalCompanion


Looks like druids have become a focused mix of wizard and cleric (they spontaneously cast summonings in the same manner clerics cast heal or harm). Mongoose did something similar for Drow (think they called them Dark Weavers).


Not the point of the thread though... /Highjacking over/

 

[Storyteller01]

Sorry. Wrong thread...

 

[kanithardm]

I think its in thr FRC or 3e I forget which, but there is a Belt of Holding that your familiar or animal companion fits in nicely. It doesn't need air, food or water while in there. It doesn't work for other animals though.

 

[Sejs]

Whoah, is this 'new' from 3.5? I thought that was the express purpose of the spell .. to make intelligent animal companions for Druids. I still play 3.0 though

Yeah, they changed how Animal Companions work with the 3.5 revision. They removed the Animal Friendship spell and made the Animal Companion a class feature similar to a paladin's mount or a wizard's familiar. You can only have one at a time, and they advance based on their master's druid level, gaining HD and such as they go. Likewise, the Awaken spell notes "An awakened animal can’t serve as an animal companion, familiar, or special mount" also. I think in part due to the fact that you could use Awaken as a sort of work-around to the HD limitation on Animal Companions, etc in 3.0.

So as it stands in 3.5, creatures you Awaken are still automatically friendly toward you, they're still your buddy, it's just that they don't gain the additional advancements particular to your Animal Companion.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

There are only two things I like RAW, sushi and...well...family show so I won't continue

*shrug* I felt it needed to be pointed out, so readers who aren't familiar with the rules wouldn't get the idea that Animal Companions gain high intelligence in the same way familiars do. I'm not trying to persuade folks either way wrt the RAW.

I have personally lived and worked with numerous dogs, cats and birds - trust me when I say people are more likely to have an intelligence of 2.

I have personally lived with numerous dogs, rabbits, and birds, have a friend who's in her last years of study to become a vet, and have an uncle who raises cows and chickens. And I'd disagree with you. But that's neither here nor there. As I said above, I was merely stating the RAW for the record, so that readers of the discussion would have that info at hand, as it might prove significant if their DMs use the RAW wrt Animal Companions.

 

[Storyteller01]

So as it stands in 3.5, creatures you Awaken are still automatically friendly toward you, they're still your buddy, it's just that they don't gain the additional advancements particular to your Animal Companion.

Minor thread highjack: Was that a major problem in 3.0? Was that feature abused often?

I"M NOT TROLLING! It's an honest question.

 

[RaZorHamZteR]

Rarely indeed...

When it has (rarely) come up in my games, the players have usually just left the animals behind and came back for them later. Thougn on the occasions when they have a bag of holding they have been known to risk it and dump the animals in there till they find a suitable place to let them out.

I had a chicken as a familiar for about 8 levels when I played a Bard some time ago. When the time came I placed the chicken with an NPC friend of ours that was living on a farm. The chicken itself seemed ok with this and my character used some time to make the transition as smooth as can be.

The GM granted me only half the normal xp cost for the loss of my familiar. I met the chicken 4 years later, it seems it had gotten some longevity from our magical bond that was lingering, and it was an moving encounter indeed.

 

[abellius]

When it has (rarely) come up in my games, the players have usually just left the animals behind and came back for them later. Thougn on the occasions when they have a bag of holding they have been known to risk it and dump the animals in there till they find a suitable place to let them out.

I hope they don't forget that they are in there! What's the air time limit for a bag of holding anyways?