Animal Companion Advancement [Druid] [Archive] - Wizards Community

Animal Companion Advancement [Druid] [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Akimor
10-03-07, 06:50 AM Hello everyone, although I am playing (DMing) DnD for quite some time know, my new group is the first one, that includes a druid. Know that I´ve read the Druid rules again, I wanted to ask you to confirm, that I understood the rules for advancing a druid´s animal companion correctly.

Let´s take the wolf as an example:

The standard wolf has the following stats:

Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 50 ft. (10 sqaures)
Armor Class: 14 (+2 Dex, +2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grappel: +1/+2
Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d6+1)
Full Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d6+1)
Space/Reach: 5ft./5ft.
Special Attacks: Trip
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 15, Con 15, Int2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Hide +2, Listen +3, Move Silently +3, Spot +3, Survival +1
Feats: Track, Weapon Focus (bite)
CR: 1
Advancement 3HD (Medium); 4-6-HD (Large)

Upon reaching 3rd level, the companion´s:

HD increases by 2
Natural Armor increases by 2
Str and Dex increases by 1 each
The wolf gains evasion and one bonus trick.

This alone changes the wolf as follows:

Large Animal
Hit Dice: 4d8+4 (22 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 50 ft. (10 sqaures)
Armor Class: 17 (due to increased Dex) (+3 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grappel: +1/+2
Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d6+2)(due to increased strength)
Full Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d6+2)(due to increased strength)
Space/Reach: 5ft./5ft.
Special Attacks: Trip
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +6 (due to increased Dex), Will +1
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 16, Con 15, Int2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Hide +2, Listen +3, Move Silently +3, Spot +3, Survival +1
Feats: Track, Weapon Focus (bite)
CR: 1
Advancement 3HD (Medium); 4-6-HD (Large)

This above is not the full advancement, because the creature changes in size, for the 4HD.

The attack bonus for an animal is calculated as follows:
HDx3/4. For the wolf this would be: 4x3 = 12. 12 / 4 =
3.

So the wolf has now a base attack of +3
It gains gool Fort. and Ref. Saves, as if it was Level 4, because it has 4 HD resulting in an increase of the corresponding bonuses of +4.

Now that it´s size increase it gaings

+8 Str -2 Dex +4 Con +2 Armor -1 to AC and Attack

The damage changes form 1 dice 6 to one dice 8.

Furthermore, the wolf gains 1 additional ability score from haveing a number of hd divisible by 4 (which I put in Int)

So the final wolf looks as follows:

LargeAnimal
Hit Dice: 4d8+5 (due to higher con)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 50 ft. (10 sqaures)
Armor Class: 16 (+3 Dex,+4 natural -1 size), touch 12, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grappel: +0/+1
Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d8+6) (due to higher str)
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d8+6)(due to higher str)
Space/Reach: 5ft./5ft.
Special Attacks: Trip
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +6(due to increased Str),Ref +5 (due to decreased Dex), Will +1
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 14, Con 17, Int3, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Hide +2, Listen +3, Move Silently +3, Spot +3, Survival +1
Feats: Track, Weapon Focus (bite)
CR: 1
Advancement 3HD (Medium); 4-6-HD (Large)

Now the wolf can choose 2 addtional feats, because it has an Int of 3 and may choose 1 + 1feat per 3 HD

Now my big question ist:

Is it really that complicated or am I missing something?

Greetz
Akimor
Kouk
10-03-07, 07:12 AM Animal Companions do not actually advance in size. You only give them what the rules explicitly call out, don't infer that they also get size bonuses.

"Advancement" in the Monster Manual does not refer to a creature getting older (with the exception of a few creatures like Dragons), or else any "old" wolf would be Large. It usually refers to unusual specimens that are freakishly large or strong.

It also terribly upsets game balance if Animal Companions increase in size, because their combat capabilities go through the roof (for animals), and makes the Fighter or other melee character look even worse.
Akimor
10-03-07, 08:31 AM Can you give me a referens to the core rules, where this is stated?

Because in the Druids Animal Companion Sidebar it says:

An Animal companion gains addtional skill points and feats for bonus HD as normal for advancing a monster´s Hit (see the Monster Manual)

Greetz
Akimor
runestar
10-03-07, 08:58 AM It is clarified in the 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.
Akimor
10-03-07, 01:37 PM Thx that is exactly what I was looking for.

Greetz
Akimor

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Akimor 10-03-07, 06:50 AM	Hello everyone, although I am playing (DMing) DnD for quite some time know, my new group is the first one, that includes a druid. Know that I´ve read the Druid rules again, I wanted to ask you to confirm, that I understood the rules for advancing a druid´s animal companion correctly. Let´s take the wolf as an example: The standard wolf has the following stats: Medium Animal Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hp) Initiative: +2 Speed: 50 ft. (10 sqaures) Armor Class: 14 (+2 Dex, +2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12 Base Attack/Grappel: +1/+2 Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d6+1) Full Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d6+1) Space/Reach: 5ft./5ft. Special Attacks: Trip Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1 Abilities: Str 13, Dex 15, Con 15, Int2, Wis 12, Cha 6 Skills: Hide +2, Listen +3, Move Silently +3, Spot +3, Survival +1 Feats: Track, Weapon Focus (bite) CR: 1 Advancement 3HD (Medium); 4-6-HD (Large) Upon reaching 3rd level, the companion´s: HD increases by 2 Natural Armor increases by 2 Str and Dex increases by 1 each The wolf gains evasion and one bonus trick. This alone changes the wolf as follows: Large Animal Hit Dice: 4d8+4 (22 hp) Initiative: +2 Speed: 50 ft. (10 sqaures) Armor Class: 17 (due to increased Dex) (+3 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12 Base Attack/Grappel: +1/+2 Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d6+2)(due to increased strength) Full Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d6+2)(due to increased strength) Space/Reach: 5ft./5ft. Special Attacks: Trip Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent Saves: Fort +5, Ref +6 (due to increased Dex), Will +1 Abilities: Str 14, Dex 16, Con 15, Int2, Wis 12, Cha 6 Skills: Hide +2, Listen +3, Move Silently +3, Spot +3, Survival +1 Feats: Track, Weapon Focus (bite) CR: 1 Advancement 3HD (Medium); 4-6-HD (Large) This above is not the full advancement, because the creature changes in size, for the 4HD. The attack bonus for an animal is calculated as follows: HDx3/4. For the wolf this would be: 4x3 = 12. 12 / 4 = 3. So the wolf has now a base attack of +3 It gains gool Fort. and Ref. Saves, as if it was Level 4, because it has 4 HD resulting in an increase of the corresponding bonuses of +4. Now that it´s size increase it gaings +8 Str -2 Dex +4 Con +2 Armor -1 to AC and Attack The damage changes form 1 dice 6 to one dice 8. Furthermore, the wolf gains 1 additional ability score from haveing a number of hd divisible by 4 (which I put in Int) So the final wolf looks as follows: LargeAnimal Hit Dice: 4d8+5 (due to higher con) Initiative: +2 Speed: 50 ft. (10 sqaures) Armor Class: 16 (+3 Dex,+4 natural -1 size), touch 12, flat-footed 13 Base Attack/Grappel: +0/+1 Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d8+6) (due to higher str) Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d8+6)(due to higher str) Space/Reach: 5ft./5ft. Special Attacks: Trip Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent Saves: Fort +6(due to increased Str),Ref +5 (due to decreased Dex), Will +1 Abilities: Str 22, Dex 14, Con 17, Int3, Wis 12, Cha 6 Skills: Hide +2, Listen +3, Move Silently +3, Spot +3, Survival +1 Feats: Track, Weapon Focus (bite) CR: 1 Advancement 3HD (Medium); 4-6-HD (Large) Now the wolf can choose 2 addtional feats, because it has an Int of 3 and may choose 1 + 1feat per 3 HD Now my big question ist: Is it really that complicated or am I missing something? Greetz Akimor
Kouk 10-03-07, 07:12 AM	Animal Companions do not actually advance in size. You only give them what the rules explicitly call out, don't infer that they also get size bonuses. "Advancement" in the Monster Manual does not refer to a creature getting older (with the exception of a few creatures like Dragons), or else any "old" wolf would be Large. It usually refers to unusual specimens that are freakishly large or strong. It also terribly upsets game balance if Animal Companions increase in size, because their combat capabilities go through the roof (for animals), and makes the Fighter or other melee character look even worse.
Akimor 10-03-07, 08:31 AM	Can you give me a referens to the core rules, where this is stated? Because in the Druids Animal Companion Sidebar it says: An Animal companion gains addtional skill points and feats for bonus HD as normal for advancing a monster´s Hit (see the Monster Manual) Greetz Akimor
runestar 10-03-07, 08:58 AM	It is clarified in the 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.
Akimor 10-03-07, 01:37 PM	Thx that is exactly what I was looking for. Greetz Akimor