Post/Author/DateTime	Post
reese 03-31-05, 07:54 PM	1. Could a half-orc druid have a tiger animal companion trained in combat riding (PHB) and actually ride it (has an exotic saddle, Mounted Combat, etc.)? 2. If question 1 is possible, than could the druid follow this particular course of action? a. cast animal growth on tiger companion/mount b. drink potion of enlarge person c. charge something on his now bigger tiger with his now bigger spear :confused:
Tharivol 03-31-05, 08:15 PM	1: I'm not sure, but I think this looks fine. 2: Animal growth only targets animals; animal companians are magical beasts. This part doesn't work.
reese 03-31-05, 08:37 PM	thanks, okay tiger mount, check... but how come a druid with natural spell transforms into a brown bear then casts animal growth on himself which affects his brown bear companion by proxy of share spells...? so it should affect companions for the fact they are the druid's companion and the druid is casting the spell... because otherwise i think people all over have been doing it wrong for a long time. i think i'm lost.
Zherog 03-31-05, 09:15 PM	Animal companions are animals as far as spells are concerned. This all works fine. For even more fun, wildshape into an ape, and cast animal growth on you and your companion with the same spell (share spells). :D
Seeker95 03-31-05, 09:57 PM	Just be careful which animal companions you try to turn into mounts. I don't think I would view someone too kindly who wanted to treat a friend as a beast of burden.
Tharivol 03-31-05, 10:17 PM	Animal companions are animals as far as spells are concerned. This all works fine. Do they? Sorry, I've never played a druid before, but I guess I made the mistake of thinking that I knew something. And I double-checked the book, too. The companion is treated as a magical beast, not an animal, for the purpose of all effects that depend on its type.
reese 03-31-05, 10:38 PM	i think thats just stupid :ahem: and needs to be redone... whats the point of having all these boosting spells if you can't even use them on your on companion!?:banghead: i think i will just allow it for the fact.
Zherog 03-31-05, 10:41 PM	I'll be damned... thanks, Tharivol - I could have sworn there was something there that allowed spells like animal growth to function on Animal Companions.
Zherog 03-31-05, 10:55 PM	Found it! It's in the PHB errata: Animal Companion Player’s Handbook, page 36 Contrary to the text, a druid’s animal companion is not treated as a magical beast; it remains an animal. Trim the first paragraph of the sidebar so that it reads as follows: A druid’s animal companion is superior to a normal animal of its kind and has special powers, as described below.
Tharivol 03-31-05, 11:05 PM	Yeah, I wasn't arguing that I'm right when people who actually know what they're talking about said I was wrong. I was just pointing out where I was looking when I made the mistake.
Zherog 04-01-05, 08:07 AM	No worries, Tharivol. I'm not always right (though sometimes I think so :P ).
amethal 04-01-05, 08:16 AM	Our group had been getting along just fine assuming an animal companion was (gasp) an animal. Then I actually read the book and found out it was a magical beast. It was ages before I read the errata and realised we had been right the first time. I don't think there are any rules on what you can and can't ride, and I don't think this is a case for using real world logic. "So, I can't ride a tiger because that would be unrealistic? But its ok to ride a unicorn?" What I do think is important is standing up for the rights and dignity of animal companions. Just because someone is my friend doesn't mean they are happy to carry me everywhere. You can argue elephants, riding dogs and horses might think it was no big deal, and a dolphin might even think it was fun, but a tiger certainly wouldn't carry someone unless it was a life or death situation.
Escef 04-01-05, 08:23 AM	I seem to recall the party druid casting animal growth on his Dire Elephant in 3.0 rules. That was scary. We had an epic animal fighting for us. It was just so wrong. It made the party redundant. Less than redundant. It was just wrong. :weep:
Disturbed1 04-01-05, 11:44 AM	first campaign me and my friends ever played in dnd i was a druid wth a wolf companion. another guy was a halfling bard/rogue and he would ride my wolf into battle:P as theyd ride past the bad guy, hed jump off, then theyd flank him:P worked quite well:P. No, we didnt have a saddle, but yes, he did put ranks in ride so it would make at least some sense:P