Animal Companion and animal advancement [Archive] - Wizards Community

Animal Companion and animal advancement [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Dave1001
10-31-04, 10:00 AM I'm currently playing a druid 6 that has a medium snake (nothing like having Ability Focus and Virulent Poison feats for a DC 15 Fort save or take 1d6 Con damage). Now, I was playing the animal companion bonus features (HD, etc.) as not counting towards animal advancement. They were just bonus HD. But everyone else in the party says that those bonus HD can advance an animal (that is, a wolf with X HD would be size large, instead of medium). For the life of me I can't find anything that says those bonus HD [i]don't[/t] count towards animal advancement.

So whos's right?
MetalGemini
10-31-04, 10:22 AM I've never found anything that says the animal advances in size, etc from the bonus HD, so I assume it does not. It generally works out better this way too, b'c if you don't want to deal with i.e. a Large snake that could get into trouble, then you shouldn't have to switch to a smaller companion.

Also, the table showing alternate animal companions lists the Medium, Large, etc versions of the same animal at different levels. I look at that meaning if you want a Large viper, get one at level 4 b'c your medium viper from level 1 will not increase in size.
Lord Schpungus
10-31-04, 11:14 AM It's in the FAQ. Animal companions don't increase in size with bonus HD.
Egres
10-31-04, 01:37 PM From the Main 3.5 FAQ:

When you add Hit Dice to a druid’s (or ranger’s)
animal companion as the master’s level goes up, does the
animal get any bigger? For instance, when a druid has a
wolf companion, the wolf starts out with the standard 2 Hit
Dice and is size Medium. By the time the druid is 3rd level,
the wolf has 2 bonus Hit Dice. According to the wolf entry
in the Monster Manual, an “advanced” wolf with 4 Hit Dice
would be Large. Is the example companion wolf also
Large?

An animal companion doesn’t get bigger when it adds extra
Hit Dice for the master’s levels. The advancement entries for
creatures, and the rules for advancing monsters, refer to
unusually powerful specimens that are simply tougher (and
perhaps bigger) than normal for their kinds.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Dave1001 10-31-04, 10:00 AM	I'm currently playing a druid 6 that has a medium snake (nothing like having Ability Focus and Virulent Poison feats for a DC 15 Fort save or take 1d6 Con damage). Now, I was playing the animal companion bonus features (HD, etc.) as not counting towards animal advancement. They were just bonus HD. But everyone else in the party says that those bonus HD can advance an animal (that is, a wolf with X HD would be size large, instead of medium). For the life of me I can't find anything that says those bonus HD [i]don't[/t] count towards animal advancement. So whos's right?
MetalGemini 10-31-04, 10:22 AM	I've never found anything that says the animal advances in size, etc from the bonus HD, so I assume it does not. It generally works out better this way too, b'c if you don't want to deal with i.e. a Large snake that could get into trouble, then you shouldn't have to switch to a smaller companion. Also, the table showing alternate animal companions lists the Medium, Large, etc versions of the same animal at different levels. I look at that meaning if you want a Large viper, get one at level 4 b'c your medium viper from level 1 will not increase in size.
Lord Schpungus 10-31-04, 11:14 AM	It's in the FAQ. Animal companions don't increase in size with bonus HD.
Egres 10-31-04, 01:37 PM	From the Main 3.5 FAQ: When you add Hit Dice to a druid’s (or ranger’s) animal companion as the master’s level goes up, does the animal get any bigger? For instance, when a druid has a wolf companion, the wolf starts out with the standard 2 Hit Dice and is size Medium. By the time the druid is 3rd level, the wolf has 2 bonus Hit Dice. According to the wolf entry in the Monster Manual, an “advanced” wolf with 4 Hit Dice would be Large. Is the example companion wolf also Large? An animal companion doesn’t get bigger when it adds extra Hit Dice for the master’s levels. The advancement entries for creatures, and the rules for advancing monsters, refer to unusually powerful specimens that are simply tougher (and perhaps bigger) than normal for their kinds.