Animal Cohort Customization Ideas [Archive] - Wizards Community

Animal Cohort Customization Ideas [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
DM-Scott
02-23-08, 10:42 PM Ok, here's the deal. A player in my tabletop game just took the Animal Cohort feat this level (Animal Cohort is available on the WotC website, but here's the link for it. - Animal Cohort (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) -) for his barbarian and got a heavy horse. Animal Cohort is a great feat I must say, and adds a lot for him to enjoy and play around with. His character has had a heavy warhorse for a few levels and has decided to adopt "Raydric" as his animal cohort.

I let him rebuild Raydric (his horse) from the ground up, selecting the horse's feats, skill points, and so forth. So far he's building his horse to be his ultimate war-horse; worthy of legends and lore for years to come. So far this is what he's got...

Same as typical heavy warhorse except...
7HD, Str/Dex +1, +3 natural armor, 2 extra tricks, evasion
Feats - Improved Natural Attack (Hoof), Multi-attack, Wild Talent
Equipment - Horseshoes of Speed, Mwk Full Plate Barding

So far the horse is a pretty effective tank (+7 natural AC, +1 dex, +8 armor, -1 size for AC 25), and is fast (70ft speed) and beastly in melee (2 hooves +9 [1d8+4] plus bite +7 [1d4+2]), and is a psionic creature (wild talent / 2 power points).

He's planning on taking the feat Up the Walls later on, which will allow his psionic horse to run across sheer surfaces, up walls, and so forth. Eventually he plans to take the Speed of Thought feat, to increase his horse's speed further (as eventually his horse will have mithril full plate barding).

Anyone got any other cool ideas for customizing a super-animal cohort? Looking for feats, ideas, and so forth. A few ideas that sprang to mind while helping him create his horse; like a tomb-tainted soul animal and a necromancer master, or a super tracking animal (skill focus [survival], skill points in survival), or perhaps a magical animal (taking those feats that give spell-like abilities from the complete arcane).

I'd love to hear ideas from everyone. ^____^
Peace out, Game on.
Slimgauge
02-23-08, 11:53 PM Same as typical heavy warhorse except...
7HD, Str/Dex +1, +3 natural armor, 2 extra tricks, evasion
Feats - Improved Natural Attack (Hoof), Multi-attack, Wild Talent
Equipment - Horseshoes of Speed, Mwk Full Plate Barding

So far the horse is a pretty effective tank (+7 natural AC, +1 dex, +8 armor, -1 size for AC 25), and is fast (70ft speed) and beastly in melee (2 hooves +9 [1d8+4] plus bite +7 [1d4+2]), and is a psionic creature (wild talent / 2 power points).

I assume you mean the Wild Cohort feat from the Random Encounters web article.

Can you *BE* psionic with only a 2 INT ?

How do you get a speed of 70ft ? Base Hvy Warhorse (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/horse.htm#warhorseHeavy) is 50 ft, Horseshoes of Speed (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#horseshoesofSpeed) add 30ft, for a base speed of 80 ft. Heavy Armor reduces that to somewhere between 2/3rds and 3/4ths (55ft to 60ft) (I don't remember exactly where the chart is for base speeds other than 30 and 20.)

Edit: Found a chart under Goods and Services (Barding) (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/goodsAndServices.htm#bardingMediumCreatu reandLargeCreature) but it only goes up to a base speed of 60.

If it's speed he's after, I don't recommend giving up the RUN feat (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#run) that base warhorses come with. 4x speed vs 3x (heavy armor) or 5x vs 4x is significant.

I'm not sure I'd take Multi-attack, as the horse only has one secondary attack, the bite.

Remember, those skills other than what the base animal comes with are cross-class (cost double points), with possible DM-specific exceptions. My DM made an exception for JUMP, considering that real life horses are trained to jump all the time.

He's a barbarian ? Does he have five ranks in ride and the Mounted Combat feat ? If so, consider "Mounted Fury" from part two of that article. The mount gets the same benefits when his rider rages. Or Improved toughness also works well for a critter with a lot of hit dice. Lightning Reflexes would help take advantage of the evasion ability.

In my case, I kept the two base feats (Run and Endurance), and added 'Dash (CW)' and 'Fleet of Foot (CW)'. Next up will be "Centaur Trample" by DM fiat, because technically my horse isn't a centaur, but since it's a paladin's mount, it's just as smart.
DM-Scott
02-24-08, 02:52 AM Hey Slimgauge, thanks for the nice ideas. ^___^

Indeed, we just determined that the mount's speed would be 55ft per round without speed of thought in medium or heavy barding. Not quite as fast as he'd like, but y'know. He's going for a pure combat mount. He wants enemies to tremble when they see him and his mighty steed thundering forth on the field of battle, and 55ft of speed is still pretty good considering he can clear 110ft on a charge easily.

As for the question of the horse being psionic. The wild talent feat doesn't have any mental prerequisites, so it's quite possible. From a flavor point of view, there are plenty of creatures with limited intelligence or will which naturally develop psionic power (innately attuned), which may manifest in ways other than powers (for example, the horse isn't going to be manifesting energy wall; though running faster or otherwise innate manifestations such as the psionic feats would be expected).

I'd especially like to thank you for suggesting some of the mounted feats. To be honest, I hadn't really taken a good look at them (saved the animal cohort feat though, 'cause that has a LOT of potential for so many characters). I believe he will absolutely love the mounted rage and coordinated attacking feats (the one which gives you and your mount +1 to attack rolls when targeting the same creature, and the one which extends the benefit of your rage to your mount).

As for the cross-class skills issue, our group has a set of skills which are class-skills for most types of creatures (animals, magical beasts, and so forth). These class skills include Athletics (Climb, Jump, Swim), Perception (Spot / Listen), and Survival (hey, animals, right?).

Improved Toughness is a good idea too. I suggested that one to him today, as well. He took the multi-attack feat so that his mount has a total of +9/+9/+7 to hit for (1d8+4/1d8+4/1d4+2) with Improved Natural Attack [Hooves].

Another idea would involve using the Improved Grapple feat so that he could attempt to use the bite attack as a grapple (grapple at +7 to hit, +13 to grapple) with a pair of hoof attacks, as the horse drags opponents beneath in and stomps them silly. It would work even better with an amulet of natural attacks +5 (mount equivalent) and the coordinated strike feat (+1 to all attacks when rider and mount attack the same foe), and would take advantage of the horse's large size (since a +4 bonus on grapple isn't bad).

Looking for all kinds of fun tricks and ideas to use for animal companions / cohorts, so I'm still all ears for further ideas. By the way, I'll see if I can check out those other feats from the complete warrior (Dash & Fleet of Foot) soon.

Peace out, Game on.
Slimgauge
02-24-08, 01:34 PM Your player probably won't be interested in Dash, because it only works in light armor. I took it because I'm trying to get as fast as possible without magic, as in the low magic world I'm in, Horseshoes of Speed have proven impossible to obtain, so far. Like Oddball from the movie "Kelly's Heroes", I like to think I can get out of trouble as fast as I got in. I may end up with a few levels of the Prestige Class "Cavalier" for the extra speed as well.

And Improved Grapple has Improved Unarmed Strike as a pre-requisite. Some DMs waive that requirement for creatures with natural attacks/improved natural attack, but that's a horse, er, HOUSE rule.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DM-Scott 02-23-08, 10:42 PM	Ok, here's the deal. A player in my tabletop game just took the Animal Cohort feat this level (Animal Cohort is available on the WotC website, but here's the link for it. - Animal Cohort (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) -) for his barbarian and got a heavy horse. Animal Cohort is a great feat I must say, and adds a lot for him to enjoy and play around with. His character has had a heavy warhorse for a few levels and has decided to adopt "Raydric" as his animal cohort. I let him rebuild Raydric (his horse) from the ground up, selecting the horse's feats, skill points, and so forth. So far he's building his horse to be his ultimate war-horse; worthy of legends and lore for years to come. So far this is what he's got... Same as typical heavy warhorse except... 7HD, Str/Dex +1, +3 natural armor, 2 extra tricks, evasion Feats - Improved Natural Attack (Hoof), Multi-attack, Wild Talent Equipment - Horseshoes of Speed, Mwk Full Plate Barding So far the horse is a pretty effective tank (+7 natural AC, +1 dex, +8 armor, -1 size for AC 25), and is fast (70ft speed) and beastly in melee (2 hooves +9 [1d8+4] plus bite +7 [1d4+2]), and is a psionic creature (wild talent / 2 power points). He's planning on taking the feat Up the Walls later on, which will allow his psionic horse to run across sheer surfaces, up walls, and so forth. Eventually he plans to take the Speed of Thought feat, to increase his horse's speed further (as eventually his horse will have mithril full plate barding). Anyone got any other cool ideas for customizing a super-animal cohort? Looking for feats, ideas, and so forth. A few ideas that sprang to mind while helping him create his horse; like a tomb-tainted soul animal and a necromancer master, or a super tracking animal (skill focus [survival], skill points in survival), or perhaps a magical animal (taking those feats that give spell-like abilities from the complete arcane). I'd love to hear ideas from everyone. ^____^ Peace out, Game on.
Slimgauge 02-23-08, 11:53 PM	Same as typical heavy warhorse except... 7HD, Str/Dex +1, +3 natural armor, 2 extra tricks, evasion Feats - Improved Natural Attack (Hoof), Multi-attack, Wild Talent Equipment - Horseshoes of Speed, Mwk Full Plate Barding So far the horse is a pretty effective tank (+7 natural AC, +1 dex, +8 armor, -1 size for AC 25), and is fast (70ft speed) and beastly in melee (2 hooves +9 [1d8+4] plus bite +7 [1d4+2]), and is a psionic creature (wild talent / 2 power points). I assume you mean the Wild Cohort feat from the Random Encounters web article. Can you BE psionic with only a 2 INT ? How do you get a speed of 70ft ? Base Hvy Warhorse (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/horse.htm#warhorseHeavy) is 50 ft, Horseshoes of Speed (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#horseshoesofSpeed) add 30ft, for a base speed of 80 ft. Heavy Armor reduces that to somewhere between 2/3rds and 3/4ths (55ft to 60ft) (I don't remember exactly where the chart is for base speeds other than 30 and 20.) Edit: Found a chart under Goods and Services (Barding) (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/goodsAndServices.htm#bardingMediumCreatu reandLargeCreature) but it only goes up to a base speed of 60. If it's speed he's after, I don't recommend giving up the RUN feat (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#run) that base warhorses come with. 4x speed vs 3x (heavy armor) or 5x vs 4x is significant. I'm not sure I'd take Multi-attack, as the horse only has one secondary attack, the bite. Remember, those skills other than what the base animal comes with are cross-class (cost double points), with possible DM-specific exceptions. My DM made an exception for JUMP, considering that real life horses are trained to jump all the time. He's a barbarian ? Does he have five ranks in ride and the Mounted Combat feat ? If so, consider "Mounted Fury" from part two of that article. The mount gets the same benefits when his rider rages. Or Improved toughness also works well for a critter with a lot of hit dice. Lightning Reflexes would help take advantage of the evasion ability. In my case, I kept the two base feats (Run and Endurance), and added 'Dash (CW)' and 'Fleet of Foot (CW)'. Next up will be "Centaur Trample" by DM fiat, because technically my horse isn't a centaur, but since it's a paladin's mount, it's just as smart.
DM-Scott 02-24-08, 02:52 AM	Hey Slimgauge, thanks for the nice ideas. ^___^ Indeed, we just determined that the mount's speed would be 55ft per round without speed of thought in medium or heavy barding. Not quite as fast as he'd like, but y'know. He's going for a pure combat mount. He wants enemies to tremble when they see him and his mighty steed thundering forth on the field of battle, and 55ft of speed is still pretty good considering he can clear 110ft on a charge easily. As for the question of the horse being psionic. The wild talent feat doesn't have any mental prerequisites, so it's quite possible. From a flavor point of view, there are plenty of creatures with limited intelligence or will which naturally develop psionic power (innately attuned), which may manifest in ways other than powers (for example, the horse isn't going to be manifesting energy wall; though running faster or otherwise innate manifestations such as the psionic feats would be expected). I'd especially like to thank you for suggesting some of the mounted feats. To be honest, I hadn't really taken a good look at them (saved the animal cohort feat though, 'cause that has a LOT of potential for so many characters). I believe he will absolutely love the mounted rage and coordinated attacking feats (the one which gives you and your mount +1 to attack rolls when targeting the same creature, and the one which extends the benefit of your rage to your mount). As for the cross-class skills issue, our group has a set of skills which are class-skills for most types of creatures (animals, magical beasts, and so forth). These class skills include Athletics (Climb, Jump, Swim), Perception (Spot / Listen), and Survival (hey, animals, right?). Improved Toughness is a good idea too. I suggested that one to him today, as well. He took the multi-attack feat so that his mount has a total of +9/+9/+7 to hit for (1d8+4/1d8+4/1d4+2) with Improved Natural Attack [Hooves]. Another idea would involve using the Improved Grapple feat so that he could attempt to use the bite attack as a grapple (grapple at +7 to hit, +13 to grapple) with a pair of hoof attacks, as the horse drags opponents beneath in and stomps them silly. It would work even better with an amulet of natural attacks +5 (mount equivalent) and the coordinated strike feat (+1 to all attacks when rider and mount attack the same foe), and would take advantage of the horse's large size (since a +4 bonus on grapple isn't bad). Looking for all kinds of fun tricks and ideas to use for animal companions / cohorts, so I'm still all ears for further ideas. By the way, I'll see if I can check out those other feats from the complete warrior (Dash & Fleet of Foot) soon. Peace out, Game on.
Slimgauge 02-24-08, 01:34 PM	Your player probably won't be interested in Dash, because it only works in light armor. I took it because I'm trying to get as fast as possible without magic, as in the low magic world I'm in, Horseshoes of Speed have proven impossible to obtain, so far. Like Oddball from the movie "Kelly's Heroes", I like to think I can get out of trouble as fast as I got in. I may end up with a few levels of the Prestige Class "Cavalier" for the extra speed as well. And Improved Grapple has Improved Unarmed Strike as a pre-requisite. Some DMs waive that requirement for creatures with natural attacks/improved natural attack, but that's a horse, er, HOUSE rule.