Animal Companion Buddy Bit the Dust [Archive] - Wizards Community

Animal Companion Buddy Bit the Dust [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Ironbeer
10-02-05, 08:40 PM Well, my good friend the Celestial Fleshraker Dinosaur finally bit the dust this level and after a bout of pain and sorrow I need to start figuring out what I'm going to do for his replacement. I'm almost level 8 at this time, so there's a few things I'm considering and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or ideas on what would be the best pick. I'm a VOP straight Druid with the Exalted Companion Feat.

1. Celestial Brown Bear - Big damage dealing Grappling Juggernaut, complete junk AC though. This poor sucker would probably be getting thwacked on a daily basis. He would have Acid, Cold, Electricity 5, and a damage reduction 5/Magic though, which is pretty nice.

2. Asperi - I can't really figure out how this thing gets a CR 4. It's stats are terrible, it's damage is terrible, it's AC and HP is terrible. Oddly it's immune to cold damage however, it has Telepathy which is pretty crazy, it can fly, cast feather fall, has some dodging abilities. Other then that though one hit and the poor thing is a smear on the pavement.

3. Unicorn - This seems like a prime pick. Super nice stats, lots of AC, constant Magic Circle Against Evil (Amazing!), some healing abilities, decent attacks, good movement rate. No damage reduction or anything, but the AC is pretty decent, and higher against evil creatures, on top of the fact that it's HP's are really nice. Oh yeah, and it talks.

At level 8, I can't think of much else that I would consider beyond these, I don't wanna go the Fleshraker route again. Anyone happen to have any suggestions or thoughts? Maybe there's some new Druid Companions that I'm missing out there. Thanks for any info guys.
PonTelon
10-02-05, 10:09 PM I vote Unicorn.
Free Healing
Free Mount
Free Circle Against Evil
Not too huge
And the best thing is they have an affinity for "pure women".

Overall, I'd go Unicorn. Free powerful mount is nothing to scoff at.
CompleteSatori
10-03-05, 02:30 PM Free powerful mount is nothing to scoff at.

Assuming you have the Ride skill, are not a Wildshaping druid, and do not plan on casting on horseback.... I agree that the Unicorn is cool, but a far more optimized combat choice for your level (assuming the creature is Celestial) is probably going to be a Tiger.
More HD = more Celestial abilities, and it is a much more damaging attacker, being pretty much the number one big cat until its big brother the Legendary Tiger.
jameswilliamogle
10-03-05, 03:16 PM I vote Tiger as well. 3 free grapple attempts per round (at +14!) and rake damage in addition to that (if charging) is just too good. Things can get insane if you decide to ride it, and have the Mounted Combat chain (+4 to your AC w/ a ride check as a free action, and ignore one attack on the tiger per round w/ the feat), but at level 8 you're better off just being wildshaped 24/7. It would be a celestial tiger, though, right? That's just too wicked.
Ironbeer
10-03-05, 05:56 PM Looking back at it, I can't have a Unicorn sadly. I'd need to be Chaotic Good, and as a Druid I must have some Neutral alignment, and my alignment is Neutral Good.

Forgot about the Tiger, he's a pretty good choice too. The only problem is his absolutely atrocious AC. It's 14, and that's bad. Is there anything I can do to pump it up? Obviously I guess I could hit him with a Barkskin spell, but other then that I'm trying to keep my Companion alive in combat. Are there any spells for an 8th Level Druid I can slap on him that increase his survivability (preferrably low level, I am the main party healer), they'd need to last a good amount of time, and all the classic Endurance etc spells only last a few minutes that I see.

Also remember I have VOP, so I'm not sure if I can actually buy any armor or anything for my companion (or rather, have someone else buy some).

Edit: And yeah, it WOULD be a Celestial Tiger :D
Ander Spectacular
10-03-05, 06:13 PM if you put your companion in combat frequently, it will die, thats kind of the crappy thing about companions. There are virtually none that have good ACs either, thats why being an animal sucks. I have started taking the mule as my animal companion when the DM allows it. It is basically the same as a heavy horse. An 8th level mule companion is a large animal with 7 hit dice, an 18 str, 15 dex, 17 con(i would put the 4th level ability point here), an AC of 18, evasion, devotion, and 1 ability point and a feat. When you advance to 9th level, it gets another 2hd, +2na, +1str/dex, another ability point and feat, and multiattack(which gives it a 3rd bite attack). This guy will be your friend, emergency combatant, and non-descript. Last time i used one, the DM allowed Improved Grapple as a feat for the mule(since improved grab is not a feat), and this worked wonders.
-AS-
Ironbeer
10-03-05, 06:34 PM Yeah, except for the Fleshraker. That thing had an AC of 22 at Druid level 7(20 normally, Dex went up by 1 to make it 21, and another +1 Nat armor for 22)! Gah that thing is evil, I wish there was something out there that compared.
Ashlan
10-03-05, 07:11 PM Why not keep the fleshraker and continue advancing it?

Ash
Ironbeer
10-03-05, 07:13 PM Because he got absolutely obliterated in our last adventure and is currently 6 feet under. The other reason is that I want to believe that there is SOMETHING out there that compares to the Fleshraker at this level.
Namarus
10-03-05, 07:26 PM Why didn't you buy barding for your companion?

My Drd3/Wiz1 companion is a Riding Dog with 24 AC alone.

+4 Natural Armour (Base)
+3 Dex Bonus
+1 Dodge Bonus (Took the dodge feat at 3rd HD)
+4 Armour Bonus (Studded Leather Barding +1)
+2 Natural Armour (Druid advancement)
---------------------------------------------------
=24

Better AC than anyone currently in my party.

That's before I buff.

When I buffer he becomes a champion with

+4 Shield Bonus (Shield Spell Shared)
+2 Natural Armour (Barkskin Spell Shared)

=32
Ironbeer
10-03-05, 08:26 PM Heh, I was looking at the statistics of all the different animals a Druid can have that are Celestial at level 8 and I found one that I might actually take, it's hilarious.

The Celestial Rhinoceros! - This thing is actually fairly horrifying. It's HP's are sickening. The one attack it does have has a huge chance to hit, on a charge it does 4d6+24! Heck just normally it deals 2d6+12. The big thing is it's 8HD, so it gets 10 Resistance to it's Celestial Resists opposed to 5. Once per day it can also Smite for +8 damage opposed to the normal +6 for a 6HD creature like a Brown Bear or Tiger. It's AC is fairly bad at 16, but not abysmal like AC 14 or so. AND it has Spell Resistance of 13 instead of the normal 6HD 11 like a Bear or Tiger would have.
UMiskatonic
10-04-05, 12:28 AM I'll put in a second vote for barding. You could even craft it a amulet of natural armor if you're bored, or buy one from a druid buddy with the feat.

Also, consider pumping up the tiger as an attacker. Greater Magic Fang works a while, and maybe you could get magic vestment. Animal growth-a winner as well.

The idea here is that the tiger will do so much damage, so fast, that the tiger opponent will die first. Then, the tiger will no longer take damage, and be fine.

Think about it, isn't that the strategy the fighter in your party is using? Works for him, it can work for you.
X-Codes
10-04-05, 12:54 AM Three words guys: Vow of Poverty.

This druid has Vow of Poverty. He can't get those neat things.

What he can do, however, is give his animal companion Vow of Poverty. =P
jameswilliamogle
10-04-05, 01:21 AM Three words guys: Vow of Poverty.

This druid has Vow of Poverty. He can't get those neat things.

What he can do, however, is give his animal companion Vow of Poverty. =Pbrilliant!
Speed Racer
10-04-05, 02:07 PM X-Codes I am not sure you can give VoP to an animal. With them only having animal int how can they take a sacred vow to the gods. Now I am working on a VoP Druid myself and was thinking maybe make a new exalted feat called Share Vow. You could make it that when your familiar or companion is within 5ft. he gains the benifits of your vows. Sense the effect would be only when he is close to you he would not gain the exalted feats just the other abilities. I think this could work. Any thoughts?
Medicelious-Melharmonac
10-04-05, 02:30 PM X-Codes I am not sure you can give VoP to an animal. With them only having animal int how can they take a sacred vow to the gods. Now I am working on a VoP Druid myself and was thinking maybe make a new exalted feat called Share Vow. You could make it that when your familiar or companion is within 5ft. he gains the benifits of your vows. Sense the effect would be only when he is close to you he would not gain the exalted feats just the other abilities. I think this could work. Any thoughts?

The animal is a celestial version and probably should have a much higher int because its now a magical beast.
Speed Racer
10-04-05, 03:35 PM Good point Medicelious. The companion would have a 3 int. due to the template, but what if you do not take celestiral companion. Maybe the creation of the feat would solve the problem either way. :)

Feat: Share Vow [Exalted]
Prerequisites: Sacred Vow and ability to have an animal companion, familiar, or mount
Benefit: Any Vow you have affects your companion, familiar, or mount. The creature in question must remain within 5 feet of you to receive the benefit. If the creature leaves the radius of the effect, it loses the benefits of the Vow until such time as it returns within 5 feet.
Ironbeer
10-05-05, 12:05 PM So the Tiger is the way to go? Let me just put one more critter up against the Tiger, and let me know what you think.

Celestial Tiger Stats: AC 14, Str 23, Dex 15, Con 17 - 2 Claws 1D8+6, 1 Bite 2D6+3, possible 2 rakes 1D8+3. Improved Grab, Pounce, Rake special attacks. 6HD, 5ft Reach.

Upgraded Celestial Ape: AC 17, Str 22, Dex 16, Con 14 - 2 Claws 1D6+5, 1 Bite 1D6+2. No special Attacks, 6HD, 10ft Reach. He'll get 1 bonus feat at his 6HD, and I was actually thinking of Combat Reflexes.

He doesn't have the crazy pounce damage of a Tiger, but he does have the all-powerful reach. Combat Reflexes gives him 4 Attacks of Oppertunity a Round, and he threatens a huge area. Who knows, maybe I can get the party to buy some Ogre sized leather armor for him too, putting his AC up to 19.

What would you think of this?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Ironbeer 10-02-05, 08:40 PM	Well, my good friend the Celestial Fleshraker Dinosaur finally bit the dust this level and after a bout of pain and sorrow I need to start figuring out what I'm going to do for his replacement. I'm almost level 8 at this time, so there's a few things I'm considering and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or ideas on what would be the best pick. I'm a VOP straight Druid with the Exalted Companion Feat. 1. Celestial Brown Bear - Big damage dealing Grappling Juggernaut, complete junk AC though. This poor sucker would probably be getting thwacked on a daily basis. He would have Acid, Cold, Electricity 5, and a damage reduction 5/Magic though, which is pretty nice. 2. Asperi - I can't really figure out how this thing gets a CR 4. It's stats are terrible, it's damage is terrible, it's AC and HP is terrible. Oddly it's immune to cold damage however, it has Telepathy which is pretty crazy, it can fly, cast feather fall, has some dodging abilities. Other then that though one hit and the poor thing is a smear on the pavement. 3. Unicorn - This seems like a prime pick. Super nice stats, lots of AC, constant Magic Circle Against Evil (Amazing!), some healing abilities, decent attacks, good movement rate. No damage reduction or anything, but the AC is pretty decent, and higher against evil creatures, on top of the fact that it's HP's are really nice. Oh yeah, and it talks. At level 8, I can't think of much else that I would consider beyond these, I don't wanna go the Fleshraker route again. Anyone happen to have any suggestions or thoughts? Maybe there's some new Druid Companions that I'm missing out there. Thanks for any info guys.
PonTelon 10-02-05, 10:09 PM	I vote Unicorn. Free Healing Free Mount Free Circle Against Evil Not too huge And the best thing is they have an affinity for "pure women". Overall, I'd go Unicorn. Free powerful mount is nothing to scoff at.
CompleteSatori 10-03-05, 02:30 PM	Free powerful mount is nothing to scoff at. Assuming you have the Ride skill, are not a Wildshaping druid, and do not plan on casting on horseback.... I agree that the Unicorn is cool, but a far more optimized combat choice for your level (assuming the creature is Celestial) is probably going to be a Tiger. More HD = more Celestial abilities, and it is a much more damaging attacker, being pretty much the number one big cat until its big brother the Legendary Tiger.
jameswilliamogle 10-03-05, 03:16 PM	I vote Tiger as well. 3 free grapple attempts per round (at +14!) and rake damage in addition to that (if charging) is just too good. Things can get insane if you decide to ride it, and have the Mounted Combat chain (+4 to your AC w/ a ride check as a free action, and ignore one attack on the tiger per round w/ the feat), but at level 8 you're better off just being wildshaped 24/7. It would be a celestial tiger, though, right? That's just too wicked.
Ironbeer 10-03-05, 05:56 PM	Looking back at it, I can't have a Unicorn sadly. I'd need to be Chaotic Good, and as a Druid I must have some Neutral alignment, and my alignment is Neutral Good. Forgot about the Tiger, he's a pretty good choice too. The only problem is his absolutely atrocious AC. It's 14, and that's bad. Is there anything I can do to pump it up? Obviously I guess I could hit him with a Barkskin spell, but other then that I'm trying to keep my Companion alive in combat. Are there any spells for an 8th Level Druid I can slap on him that increase his survivability (preferrably low level, I am the main party healer), they'd need to last a good amount of time, and all the classic Endurance etc spells only last a few minutes that I see. Also remember I have VOP, so I'm not sure if I can actually buy any armor or anything for my companion (or rather, have someone else buy some). Edit: And yeah, it WOULD be a Celestial Tiger :D
Ander Spectacular 10-03-05, 06:13 PM	if you put your companion in combat frequently, it will die, thats kind of the crappy thing about companions. There are virtually none that have good ACs either, thats why being an animal sucks. I have started taking the mule as my animal companion when the DM allows it. It is basically the same as a heavy horse. An 8th level mule companion is a large animal with 7 hit dice, an 18 str, 15 dex, 17 con(i would put the 4th level ability point here), an AC of 18, evasion, devotion, and 1 ability point and a feat. When you advance to 9th level, it gets another 2hd, +2na, +1str/dex, another ability point and feat, and multiattack(which gives it a 3rd bite attack). This guy will be your friend, emergency combatant, and non-descript. Last time i used one, the DM allowed Improved Grapple as a feat for the mule(since improved grab is not a feat), and this worked wonders. -AS-
Ironbeer 10-03-05, 06:34 PM	Yeah, except for the Fleshraker. That thing had an AC of 22 at Druid level 7(20 normally, Dex went up by 1 to make it 21, and another +1 Nat armor for 22)! Gah that thing is evil, I wish there was something out there that compared.
Ashlan 10-03-05, 07:11 PM	Why not keep the fleshraker and continue advancing it? Ash
Ironbeer 10-03-05, 07:13 PM	Because he got absolutely obliterated in our last adventure and is currently 6 feet under. The other reason is that I want to believe that there is SOMETHING out there that compares to the Fleshraker at this level.
Namarus 10-03-05, 07:26 PM	Why didn't you buy barding for your companion? My Drd3/Wiz1 companion is a Riding Dog with 24 AC alone. +4 Natural Armour (Base) +3 Dex Bonus +1 Dodge Bonus (Took the dodge feat at 3rd HD) +4 Armour Bonus (Studded Leather Barding +1) +2 Natural Armour (Druid advancement) --------------------------------------------------- =24 Better AC than anyone currently in my party. That's before I buff. When I buffer he becomes a champion with +4 Shield Bonus (Shield Spell Shared) +2 Natural Armour (Barkskin Spell Shared) =32
Ironbeer 10-03-05, 08:26 PM	Heh, I was looking at the statistics of all the different animals a Druid can have that are Celestial at level 8 and I found one that I might actually take, it's hilarious. The Celestial Rhinoceros! - This thing is actually fairly horrifying. It's HP's are sickening. The one attack it does have has a huge chance to hit, on a charge it does 4d6+24! Heck just normally it deals 2d6+12. The big thing is it's 8HD, so it gets 10 Resistance to it's Celestial Resists opposed to 5. Once per day it can also Smite for +8 damage opposed to the normal +6 for a 6HD creature like a Brown Bear or Tiger. It's AC is fairly bad at 16, but not abysmal like AC 14 or so. AND it has Spell Resistance of 13 instead of the normal 6HD 11 like a Bear or Tiger would have.
UMiskatonic 10-04-05, 12:28 AM	I'll put in a second vote for barding. You could even craft it a amulet of natural armor if you're bored, or buy one from a druid buddy with the feat. Also, consider pumping up the tiger as an attacker. Greater Magic Fang works a while, and maybe you could get magic vestment. Animal growth-a winner as well. The idea here is that the tiger will do so much damage, so fast, that the tiger opponent will die first. Then, the tiger will no longer take damage, and be fine. Think about it, isn't that the strategy the fighter in your party is using? Works for him, it can work for you.
X-Codes 10-04-05, 12:54 AM	Three words guys: Vow of Poverty. This druid has Vow of Poverty. He can't get those neat things. What he can do, however, is give his animal companion Vow of Poverty. =P
jameswilliamogle 10-04-05, 01:21 AM	Three words guys: Vow of Poverty. This druid has Vow of Poverty. He can't get those neat things. What he can do, however, is give his animal companion Vow of Poverty. =Pbrilliant!
Speed Racer 10-04-05, 02:07 PM	X-Codes I am not sure you can give VoP to an animal. With them only having animal int how can they take a sacred vow to the gods. Now I am working on a VoP Druid myself and was thinking maybe make a new exalted feat called Share Vow. You could make it that when your familiar or companion is within 5ft. he gains the benifits of your vows. Sense the effect would be only when he is close to you he would not gain the exalted feats just the other abilities. I think this could work. Any thoughts?
Medicelious-Melharmonac 10-04-05, 02:30 PM	X-Codes I am not sure you can give VoP to an animal. With them only having animal int how can they take a sacred vow to the gods. Now I am working on a VoP Druid myself and was thinking maybe make a new exalted feat called Share Vow. You could make it that when your familiar or companion is within 5ft. he gains the benifits of your vows. Sense the effect would be only when he is close to you he would not gain the exalted feats just the other abilities. I think this could work. Any thoughts? The animal is a celestial version and probably should have a much higher int because its now a magical beast.
Speed Racer 10-04-05, 03:35 PM	Good point Medicelious. The companion would have a 3 int. due to the template, but what if you do not take celestiral companion. Maybe the creation of the feat would solve the problem either way. :) Feat: Share Vow [Exalted] Prerequisites: Sacred Vow and ability to have an animal companion, familiar, or mount Benefit: Any Vow you have affects your companion, familiar, or mount. The creature in question must remain within 5 feet of you to receive the benefit. If the creature leaves the radius of the effect, it loses the benefits of the Vow until such time as it returns within 5 feet.
Ironbeer 10-05-05, 12:05 PM	So the Tiger is the way to go? Let me just put one more critter up against the Tiger, and let me know what you think. Celestial Tiger Stats: AC 14, Str 23, Dex 15, Con 17 - 2 Claws 1D8+6, 1 Bite 2D6+3, possible 2 rakes 1D8+3. Improved Grab, Pounce, Rake special attacks. 6HD, 5ft Reach. Upgraded Celestial Ape: AC 17, Str 22, Dex 16, Con 14 - 2 Claws 1D6+5, 1 Bite 1D6+2. No special Attacks, 6HD, 10ft Reach. He'll get 1 bonus feat at his 6HD, and I was actually thinking of Combat Reflexes. He doesn't have the crazy pounce damage of a Tiger, but he does have the all-powerful reach. Combat Reflexes gives him 4 Attacks of Oppertunity a Round, and he threatens a huge area. Who knows, maybe I can get the party to buy some Ogre sized leather armor for him too, putting his AC up to 19. What would you think of this?