Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 ketiara Apr 02, 2012 17:02:43	Im confused as to how the animal companion advances in lvl/feat and ability points... does the wolf advance in hd as it would normally if you were to upgrade it in hd? so it would get a feat at lvl 3 an ability point at lvl 4 and another feat in lvl 6 etc... AND additionally it will get the bonuses as it says in the players handbook? or is it only getting the boost as its written in the players handbook for the animal companion? Do you guys understand what I mean? Some of the guides ive read confuses me on this point, so hope you can help me out.
#2 Slagger_the_Chuul Apr 02, 2012 19:19:18	Im confused as to how the animal companion advances in lvl/feat and ability points... does the wolf advance in hd as it would normally if you were to upgrade it in hd? It's not exactly the same as the way creatures in the Monster Manual advance; that's for creatures who are naturally bigger and stronger than normal (like an extra-large dire lion who leads his pride). The druid's animal companion gains exactly the benefits described in the druid entry, no more, no less.  Along with the improved natural armour, special abilities, and Str/Dex boosts, it gains extra Hit Dice (complete with HD features like improved hit points, BAB, base saves, skills, and feats).  It doesn't ever increase in size the way advanced monsters sometimes do, nor is it limited by the Hit Die totals given for advanced creatures.  Although it is not directly answered one way or another, the druid entry does not note the animal as gaining extra ability points, and I would assume that the Str/Dex bonus subsumes them (it's a DM call). For example, a 14th-level druid's wolf companion is still Medium, but has 10 HD, +12 natural armour, 17 Str, 19 Dex, knows 5 tricks, and has all the granted special abilities except improved evasion.
#3 ketiara Apr 10, 2012 1:24:45	Thanks alot for the answer.