Animal Companions & Wildshape [Archive] - Wizards Community

Animal Companions & Wildshape [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
coff
11-11-05, 03:57 PM Is it possible to get more than 1 animal companion without becoming a level 4 beast master? Is there a feat somewhere? Is Animal Friendship gone in 3.5 or just renamed? Could I just tame an animal in gameplay with Handle Animal?

There is the Shifter in the Masters of the Wild and the Master of Many Shapes in the Complete Adventurer. Is one better? Is the Shifter no longer valid since 3.5? Is there really a significant difference between the two? Do MoMS get Caster Levels?

And there is some PrC in the CW that helps people who wanna be shape shifters. Do those benefits like Str, Con, Fast Heal, Stun and Crit immunity benefit you all the time or only in your alternate form?
finbury
11-11-05, 07:08 PM 1) Nope, animal companions are only one-offs right now. OTOH, they are buffer than they were in 3.0, as they get bonus feats for their bonus HD etc.

2) Master of Many Shapes is explicity stated to be the 3.5 version of the Shifter, so it replaces that class.

3) Complete Warrior has Warshaper and Nature's Warrior. NW is a specifically a wildshape-based class, and the advantages only apply in Wild Shape form, but it has good BAB and you get a couple of caster levels in there too. Warshaper has medium BAB, and IIRC most of the special abilities only apply while you're in alternate form, but if you take Druid up to 11 or Master of Many Forms 1, you can take alternate humanoid forms and thus get a caster form with all the benefits.
coff
11-14-05, 12:06 PM 1) Nope, animal companions are only one-offs right now. OTOH, they are buffer than they were in 3.0, as they get bonus feats for their bonus HD etc.

Then could I just have a trained falcon using the Handle Animal skill to aquire it?

2) Master of Many Shapes is explicity stated to be the 3.5 version of the Shifter, so it replaces that class.

Seems extreamly dumbed down. No more spell casting, Dragon at 10th lvl, not 7th lvl.

3) Complete Warrior has Warshaper and Nature's Warrior. NW is a specifically a wildshape-based class, and the advantages only apply in Wild Shape form, but it has good BAB and you get a couple of caster levels in there too. Warshaper has medium BAB, and IIRC most of the special abilities only apply while you're in alternate form, but if you take Druid up to 11 or Master of Many Forms 1, you can take alternate humanoid forms and thus get a caster form with all the benefits.

I'd rather give up spell casting to be a better shapeshifter though. I'd like to have spell casting in there but I want to make a druid tank who is a Shapshifting Beast in combat (Beast in that figure of speech meaning). Dire Hawk with a Gore attack, DR, Fast healing, and +4 Str and Con sounds like it's the route I'll go.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
coff 11-11-05, 03:57 PM	Is it possible to get more than 1 animal companion without becoming a level 4 beast master? Is there a feat somewhere? Is Animal Friendship gone in 3.5 or just renamed? Could I just tame an animal in gameplay with Handle Animal? There is the Shifter in the Masters of the Wild and the Master of Many Shapes in the Complete Adventurer. Is one better? Is the Shifter no longer valid since 3.5? Is there really a significant difference between the two? Do MoMS get Caster Levels? And there is some PrC in the CW that helps people who wanna be shape shifters. Do those benefits like Str, Con, Fast Heal, Stun and Crit immunity benefit you all the time or only in your alternate form?
finbury 11-11-05, 07:08 PM	1) Nope, animal companions are only one-offs right now. OTOH, they are buffer than they were in 3.0, as they get bonus feats for their bonus HD etc. 2) Master of Many Shapes is explicity stated to be the 3.5 version of the Shifter, so it replaces that class. 3) Complete Warrior has Warshaper and Nature's Warrior. NW is a specifically a wildshape-based class, and the advantages only apply in Wild Shape form, but it has good BAB and you get a couple of caster levels in there too. Warshaper has medium BAB, and IIRC most of the special abilities only apply while you're in alternate form, but if you take Druid up to 11 or Master of Many Forms 1, you can take alternate humanoid forms and thus get a caster form with all the benefits.
coff 11-14-05, 12:06 PM	1) Nope, animal companions are only one-offs right now. OTOH, they are buffer than they were in 3.0, as they get bonus feats for their bonus HD etc. Then could I just have a trained falcon using the Handle Animal skill to aquire it? 2) Master of Many Shapes is explicity stated to be the 3.5 version of the Shifter, so it replaces that class. Seems extreamly dumbed down. No more spell casting, Dragon at 10th lvl, not 7th lvl. 3) Complete Warrior has Warshaper and Nature's Warrior. NW is a specifically a wildshape-based class, and the advantages only apply in Wild Shape form, but it has good BAB and you get a couple of caster levels in there too. Warshaper has medium BAB, and IIRC most of the special abilities only apply while you're in alternate form, but if you take Druid up to 11 or Master of Many Forms 1, you can take alternate humanoid forms and thus get a caster form with all the benefits. I'd rather give up spell casting to be a better shapeshifter though. I'd like to have spell casting in there but I want to make a druid tank who is a Shapshifting Beast in combat (Beast in that figure of speech meaning). Dire Hawk with a Gore attack, DR, Fast healing, and +4 Str and Con sounds like it's the route I'll go.