Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Ryngard 10-18-06, 12:40 PM	One of my players wants an animal companion for her Druid. She calls it her elven cat (which makes me cringe as I remember the cool but powerful magical elven cat from 2e). I have NO problem with her having a cat but she's not a Wizard/Sorcerer and a normal house cat wouldn't be a very worthy animal companion. So I started thinking that we need a wild cat... something akin to a bobcat or lynx. I couldn't find anything like that. Could anyone point me in the right direction? Any suggestions? Thanks!
mvincent 10-18-06, 01:09 PM	A Leopard (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/leopard.htm) is listed as one of the Druid (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/druid.htm) options, which "can describe any feline of similar size, such as jaguars, panthers, and mountain lions." This can also include a bobcat or lynx
Foxhengeyokai 10-18-06, 01:14 PM	I dunno, a bobcat isn't as big as a leopard.
Fireclave 10-18-06, 01:19 PM	One of my players wants an animal companion for her Druid. She calls it her elven cat (which makes me cringe as I remember the cool but powerful magical elven cat from 2e). I never played 2e so I don't know how powerful a elven cat is. I do know that 3e druids can only have normal animals as animal companions. The elven cat sounds like it would be a magical beast type creature and would thus be illegal. But, hey, you're the DM :D According to the alternate druid animal companion list, druids can take a leopard animal companion at 4th, a lion or tiger at 7th, dire lion at 10th and dire tigers at 16th. Plenty of cats for your druid player if she's willing to wait a few levels. If you need a cat companion at first level, the easiest thing to do would be to take the stats of a existing 1st level choice, switch arround some of their skills points and abilities, and call it whatever appropriately sized wild cat you want. Example: Lynx Use base stats of a badger (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/badger.htm) Change Escape Artist racial bonus to Move Silently Change Agile feat to the Stealthy feat Change Rage to Pounce Example: Cougar Use base stats of a wolf (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/wolf.htm) Give it claws (2 claws 1d4+3), reduce natural armor by 1 to compensate Change Trip for Improved Grab Edit: Forgot the link to the wolf's stats
Ryngard 10-18-06, 01:39 PM	Cool, you all gave me some good idears. :)
mvincent 10-18-06, 02:06 PM	Example: Cougar Use base stats of a wolf (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/wolf.htm) Give it claws (2 claws 1d4+3), reduce natural armor by 1 to compensate Change Trip for Improved GrabIsn't "Cougar" another name for mountain lion or panther?
TheCrawlingSpleen 10-18-06, 02:18 PM	Isn't "Cougar" another name for mountain lion or panther? Yep.
CedricBrooks 10-18-06, 02:20 PM	Isn't "Cougar" another name for mountain lion or panther? Yeah, Also Puma, early explorers to the Americas thought they where just Lions,(Leones) and they never seen the males,(the Natives got tired of explaining it to them so they just said the males lived in far off valleys they couldn't get to. There's no need to make stats for a Cougar, just used the Leopard, if you don't like those then you'd have to go up in scale, not down cause they should me rather close to a lion.
Fireclave 10-18-06, 03:27 PM	There's no need to make stats for a Cougar, just used the Leopard, if you don't like those then you'd have to go up in scale, not down cause they should me rather close to a lion. :embarrass I've never looked that closely at the leopard's description, so I didn't know that leopard stats could be used for mountain lions. My goal with the cougar was to demonstrate how to make a reasonably balanced and flavorful feline alternative that could be used at first level. But since cougars/pumas/panthers are covered under the leopard description, either ignore that example or create some slightly fictitious to fill that ecological niche. Isn't "Cougar" another name for mountain lion or panther? Yes, but "Panther" is a bit vague since there are several kinds of panthers and I was specifically referring to the N.American Mountain Lion. Though after some net research, I there isn't much difference between cougars and other panthers (I thought cougars were a bit smaller). "Mountain Lion" just sounds uninspired, and who wants an uninspired animal companion?
CedricBrooks 10-18-06, 03:35 PM	Panther is just another name for Cougar, just as Deer Tiger or cat of god, it has a load of names that could fill a page. what most people think of with the panther is the Flordia panther, a subspeices of cougar, or a black panther, which is flat out a leopard and not really a panther. This is Cats and Biology together, confusing alone, confounding together. Your N. America Mountin lion fares better in south america though.
Sildatorak 10-18-06, 08:21 PM	If you need a cat companion at first level, the easiest thing to do would be to take the stats of a existing 1st level choice, switch arround some of their skills points and abilities, and call it whatever appropriately sized wild cat you want. I agree completely. Hell, I might not even switch the stats and instead just use a mechanically identical companion with a different skin.
zook1shoe666 10-18-06, 08:55 PM	in the Forgotten Realms.... Races of Faerun book. they have the stats for a Lynx
CedricBrooks 10-18-06, 09:02 PM	Stats for a Lynx would work well for a Bobcat and other similar sized cats. Lynx are timid,shy and rather sweet looking, where bobcats, looking just like lynx without the huge paws, tend to look mean and will take whatever they can get, from mice to full grown bucks and will live in town if they have to to get by. Where I'm going with that is just flavor, if she's playing a laidback character the lynx would be more fitting, if she's playing very forward, aggressive, and resouceful, a bobcat would be more fitting. Edit: corrected some errors.