Barbarian and the Wolf [Archive] - Wizards Community

Barbarian and the Wolf [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Karui_Kage
05-28-07, 06:12 PM Hey again. Once more, I could use your guys help.

I have a new player in the group that is making a female human barbarian. She is using a heavy flail, and so I pointed out the Wolf Totem variant barbarian from the Unearthed Arcana, and explained Improved Trip. Her intelligence is too low for her to qualify normally for this, and she liked the concept, so she took it.

She did ask me though if there is any way for her character to feasibly ever have a wolf, or even a dire one (later on) to ride. Besides druids and rangers, is there any other way within the RAW (a feat or something like leadership or the dragonfriend from Draconomicon, but for an animal), that would allow her to get a wolf/dire wolf/something?

We're using most wotc books, so no 3rd party stuff. But if there's a way within RAW for her, as a barbarian, to get a 'wolf friend', I'd love to help.

Thanks!
Kamin_Majere
05-28-07, 06:17 PM I think theres an option to give up one of the barbarian class features for an animal companion... but i cant think of what.

But honestly break RAW. If the players and the DM dont care and actually like the character concept then come up with something. Say... give up fast movement and trap sense for the druids animal companion ability (but can only use it for wolves and at say 10th level dire wolves)
Karui_Kage
05-28-07, 06:21 PM Thinking of a variant on our own could work too. She already gave up Uncanny Dodge, Imp. Uncanny Dodge, and Trap Sense for the Wolf Totem variant though (she now gets Improved Trip at 2nd level and Track at 5th). If you find the variant in RAW though, that'd be great. If it requires losing things she's already lost, we may be able to work something out. Suggestions on how we can do this?

Thanks for all your help.
glacialcat
05-28-07, 06:22 PM I've seen a feat somewhere on this website that allows any class to get something like an animal companion. I looked for it but couldn't find it. I know its somewhere on this site though.
fatal error
05-28-07, 06:30 PM What about changing Leadership to give a Wolf/Dire Wolf cohort instead of a humanoid one? Just skip the followers, they're mostly fluff anyway, and give the PC a scaling wolf pet after taking the feat. The only tricky part might be equating Animal HD to character levels, since that's how cohorts are measured.

Additionally, if all she wants is a relatively inconsequential pet or mundane mount, wait until mid levels and give her a wolf pet or dire wolf mount, specially trained just like a guard or riding dog would be. By those levels, a non-scaling (dire) wolf won't be a big deal, so it needn't soak up any class features.
Karui_Kage
05-28-07, 06:39 PM That's an alternative as well. I was thinking that there was a feat that was just Leadership without followers, and allowed an animal companion, but I wasn't sure.

I did find a feat called Feral Animal Companion from an FR book called Champions of Ruin that seems to grant one, but I don't have the book and am not sure that's what she'd want. Does anyone have this book and know the basics of it?

Edit - Nevermind about that one, I found some site that had a basic description, and it looks like its a more evil oriented feat, unfortunately. I checked Wizard's feat list, and didn't see anything else that looks like it granted an animal companion...

Suggestions? I'm wondering if having the whole Animal Companion thing as just one feat might be too much, maybe two feats for basic and advanced? The druid in the game also has a wolf companion, and so that could go two ways as well. Either they bond, or she gets jealous (another reason I want to make sure this player doesn't get the companion for cheap either. She's the official DM girlfriend of the game, and I by no means wish to enforce the stereotype, I definitely want to make sure everyone's equal).
Jagd44
05-28-07, 08:42 PM You can use this feat mentioned in this very website. Its a watered down version of the druid/ranger animal companion. Wild Cohort [General]

You have a special bond with a wild animal, and it is willing to travel and adventure with you.

Benefit: You gain an animal cohort. The animal cohort is generally friendly to you and is willing to follow you and adventure with you. If given proper training, the animal cohort will willingly serve as your mount, guardian, and companion. (See the description of the Handle Animal skill on page 74 of the Player's Handbook for more details on training animals.)

You can use the Handle Animal skill on your animal cohort as a move action rather than as a standard action, and you gain a +2 bonus on all Handle Animal checks made to direct or influence your animal cohort.

Provided the DM gives her approval, at 1st level you can choose from a badger, camel, dire rat, dog, riding dog, eagle, hawk, horse (light or heavy), owl, pony, snake (Small or Medium viper), or wolf. Like a druid, you can choose more powerful animals as you increase in level. These alternative animal cohorts work like the alternative animal companions available to a druid, but they are available as cohorts later than they are available as animal companions. When selecting an alternative animal cohort, use the list of alternative animal companions on page 36 of the Player's Handbook, but treat yourself as a druid three levels lower than your character level. For example, once you reach 7th level, you can choose an animal cohort off the list of animal companions available to a 4th-level druid.

Special: Druids and rangers who take the wild cohort feat gain an animal cohort in addition to their animal companion. Although the two abilities are similar, they follow different sets of rules and must be tracked separately.

You can only ever have one wild cohort at any given time.

Like a druid's animal companion, your wild cohort improves as you gain experience. Although the animal cohort improves significantly compared to others of its kind, its abilities do not rival those of a druid's animal companion.

Character
Level Bonus
HD Natural
Armor Adj. Str/Dex
Bonus Bonus
Tricks Special
1st-2nd +0 +0 +0 0
3rd-5th +1 +1 +0 1 Evasion
6th-8th +3 +3 +1 2
9th-11th +5 +5 +2 3
12th-14th +7 +7 +3 4 Devotion
15th-17th +9 +9 +4 5
18th-20th +11 +11 +5 6 Improved evasion

Animal Companion Basics: Use the base statistics for a creature of the companion's kind, as given in the Monster Manual, but make the following changes.

Class Level: The character's class levels and racial Hit Dice.

Bonus HD: Extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal. Remember that extra Hit Dice improve the animal cohort's base attack and base save bonuses. An animal cohort's base attack bonus is the same as that of a cleric or rogue of a level equal to the animal's HD. An animal cohort has good Fortitude and Reflex saves (treat it as a character whose level equals the animal's HD). An animal cohort gains additional skill points and feats for bonus HD as normal for advancing a monster's Hit Dice (see the Monster Manual). The number listed is the current total of extra HD over and above the base creature's total. For example, a creature that normally has 1 HD but that is a wild cohort for a 6th-level character gains an additional 3 HD for a total of 4 HD.

Natural Armor: The number noted here is an improvement to the animal cohort's existing natural armor bonus. For example, a creature that normally has a natural armor bonus of +2 but that is a wild cohort for a 6th-level character gains an additional +3 bonus for a total natural armor bonus of +5.

Str/Dex Bonus: Add this value to the base creature's Strength and Dexterity scores. For example, a creature that normally has a Strength score of 10 but that is a wild cohort for a 15th-level character gains an additional +4 for a total Strength score of 14.

Bonus Tricks: The value given in this column is the total number of "bonus" tricks that the animal knows in addition to any that the character might choose to teach it (see the Handle Animal skill, Player's Handbook page 74). These bonus tricks don't require any training time or Handle Animal checks, and they don't count against the normal limit of tricks known by the animal. The character selects these bonus tricks, and once selected, they can't be changed. For example, a wild cohort that belongs to an 11th-level character has a total of 3 bonus tricks.

Evasion (Ex): If an animal cohort is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw.

Devotion (Ex): An animal cohort's devotion to its master is so complete that it gains a +4 morale bonus on Will saves against enchantment spells and effects.

Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, an animal cohort takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and only half damage if the saving throw fails.
Karui_Kage
05-28-07, 08:44 PM Awesome! That works perfect for her. Thanks so much!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Karui_Kage 05-28-07, 06:12 PM	Hey again. Once more, I could use your guys help. I have a new player in the group that is making a female human barbarian. She is using a heavy flail, and so I pointed out the Wolf Totem variant barbarian from the Unearthed Arcana, and explained Improved Trip. Her intelligence is too low for her to qualify normally for this, and she liked the concept, so she took it. She did ask me though if there is any way for her character to feasibly ever have a wolf, or even a dire one (later on) to ride. Besides druids and rangers, is there any other way within the RAW (a feat or something like leadership or the dragonfriend from Draconomicon, but for an animal), that would allow her to get a wolf/dire wolf/something? We're using most wotc books, so no 3rd party stuff. But if there's a way within RAW for her, as a barbarian, to get a 'wolf friend', I'd love to help. Thanks!
Kamin_Majere 05-28-07, 06:17 PM	I think theres an option to give up one of the barbarian class features for an animal companion... but i cant think of what. But honestly break RAW. If the players and the DM dont care and actually like the character concept then come up with something. Say... give up fast movement and trap sense for the druids animal companion ability (but can only use it for wolves and at say 10th level dire wolves)
Karui_Kage 05-28-07, 06:21 PM	Thinking of a variant on our own could work too. She already gave up Uncanny Dodge, Imp. Uncanny Dodge, and Trap Sense for the Wolf Totem variant though (she now gets Improved Trip at 2nd level and Track at 5th). If you find the variant in RAW though, that'd be great. If it requires losing things she's already lost, we may be able to work something out. Suggestions on how we can do this? Thanks for all your help.
glacialcat 05-28-07, 06:22 PM	I've seen a feat somewhere on this website that allows any class to get something like an animal companion. I looked for it but couldn't find it. I know its somewhere on this site though.
fatal error 05-28-07, 06:30 PM	What about changing Leadership to give a Wolf/Dire Wolf cohort instead of a humanoid one? Just skip the followers, they're mostly fluff anyway, and give the PC a scaling wolf pet after taking the feat. The only tricky part might be equating Animal HD to character levels, since that's how cohorts are measured. Additionally, if all she wants is a relatively inconsequential pet or mundane mount, wait until mid levels and give her a wolf pet or dire wolf mount, specially trained just like a guard or riding dog would be. By those levels, a non-scaling (dire) wolf won't be a big deal, so it needn't soak up any class features.
Karui_Kage 05-28-07, 06:39 PM	That's an alternative as well. I was thinking that there was a feat that was just Leadership without followers, and allowed an animal companion, but I wasn't sure. I did find a feat called Feral Animal Companion from an FR book called Champions of Ruin that seems to grant one, but I don't have the book and am not sure that's what she'd want. Does anyone have this book and know the basics of it? Edit - Nevermind about that one, I found some site that had a basic description, and it looks like its a more evil oriented feat, unfortunately. I checked Wizard's feat list, and didn't see anything else that looks like it granted an animal companion... Suggestions? I'm wondering if having the whole Animal Companion thing as just one feat might be too much, maybe two feats for basic and advanced? The druid in the game also has a wolf companion, and so that could go two ways as well. Either they bond, or she gets jealous (another reason I want to make sure this player doesn't get the companion for cheap either. She's the official DM girlfriend of the game, and I by no means wish to enforce the stereotype, I definitely want to make sure everyone's equal).
Jagd44 05-28-07, 08:42 PM	You can use this feat mentioned in this very website. Its a watered down version of the druid/ranger animal companion. Wild Cohort [General] You have a special bond with a wild animal, and it is willing to travel and adventure with you. Benefit: You gain an animal cohort. The animal cohort is generally friendly to you and is willing to follow you and adventure with you. If given proper training, the animal cohort will willingly serve as your mount, guardian, and companion. (See the description of the Handle Animal skill on page 74 of the Player's Handbook for more details on training animals.) You can use the Handle Animal skill on your animal cohort as a move action rather than as a standard action, and you gain a +2 bonus on all Handle Animal checks made to direct or influence your animal cohort. Provided the DM gives her approval, at 1st level you can choose from a badger, camel, dire rat, dog, riding dog, eagle, hawk, horse (light or heavy), owl, pony, snake (Small or Medium viper), or wolf. Like a druid, you can choose more powerful animals as you increase in level. These alternative animal cohorts work like the alternative animal companions available to a druid, but they are available as cohorts later than they are available as animal companions. When selecting an alternative animal cohort, use the list of alternative animal companions on page 36 of the Player's Handbook, but treat yourself as a druid three levels lower than your character level. For example, once you reach 7th level, you can choose an animal cohort off the list of animal companions available to a 4th-level druid. Special: Druids and rangers who take the wild cohort feat gain an animal cohort in addition to their animal companion. Although the two abilities are similar, they follow different sets of rules and must be tracked separately. You can only ever have one wild cohort at any given time. Like a druid's animal companion, your wild cohort improves as you gain experience. Although the animal cohort improves significantly compared to others of its kind, its abilities do not rival those of a druid's animal companion. Character Level Bonus HD Natural Armor Adj. Str/Dex Bonus Bonus Tricks Special 1st-2nd +0 +0 +0 0 3rd-5th +1 +1 +0 1 Evasion 6th-8th +3 +3 +1 2 9th-11th +5 +5 +2 3 12th-14th +7 +7 +3 4 Devotion 15th-17th +9 +9 +4 5 18th-20th +11 +11 +5 6 Improved evasion Animal Companion Basics: Use the base statistics for a creature of the companion's kind, as given in the Monster Manual, but make the following changes. Class Level: The character's class levels and racial Hit Dice. Bonus HD: Extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal. Remember that extra Hit Dice improve the animal cohort's base attack and base save bonuses. An animal cohort's base attack bonus is the same as that of a cleric or rogue of a level equal to the animal's HD. An animal cohort has good Fortitude and Reflex saves (treat it as a character whose level equals the animal's HD). An animal cohort gains additional skill points and feats for bonus HD as normal for advancing a monster's Hit Dice (see the Monster Manual). The number listed is the current total of extra HD over and above the base creature's total. For example, a creature that normally has 1 HD but that is a wild cohort for a 6th-level character gains an additional 3 HD for a total of 4 HD. Natural Armor: The number noted here is an improvement to the animal cohort's existing natural armor bonus. For example, a creature that normally has a natural armor bonus of +2 but that is a wild cohort for a 6th-level character gains an additional +3 bonus for a total natural armor bonus of +5. Str/Dex Bonus: Add this value to the base creature's Strength and Dexterity scores. For example, a creature that normally has a Strength score of 10 but that is a wild cohort for a 15th-level character gains an additional +4 for a total Strength score of 14. Bonus Tricks: The value given in this column is the total number of "bonus" tricks that the animal knows in addition to any that the character might choose to teach it (see the Handle Animal skill, Player's Handbook page 74). These bonus tricks don't require any training time or Handle Animal checks, and they don't count against the normal limit of tricks known by the animal. The character selects these bonus tricks, and once selected, they can't be changed. For example, a wild cohort that belongs to an 11th-level character has a total of 3 bonus tricks. Evasion (Ex): If an animal cohort is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw. Devotion (Ex): An animal cohort's devotion to its master is so complete that it gains a +4 morale bonus on Will saves against enchantment spells and effects. Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, an animal cohort takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and only half damage if the saving throw fails.
Karui_Kage 05-28-07, 08:44 PM	Awesome! That works perfect for her. Thanks so much!