Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 tos_shai_hulud Jan 07, 2009 20:36:54	The SRD says that when choosing an animal companion, use the base statistics for that animal. Are there any rules for altered statistics due to raising an animal yourself? For instance, my 5th level druid has maximum ranks in handle animal. He can make the Handle Animal DCs for rearing a wild animal. If he then chooses that animal (let's say a Fleshraker Dinosaur) to be his animal companion, would it still be restricted to the base stats? What sorts of character options can animals be raised with? Can animals be raised with flaws such that they have bonus feats? For instance, I don't train the fleshraker to be terribly reactive, so he has a -6 to Initiative checks, but the additional training I did give him grants him a bonus feat? Would optimizations that change the base creature all be house rules? Or is there a source that suggests this might be possible? What about changing a creature's stats? For instance, could you look at a creature's stats, determine the bonuses, and then recreate it assuming that it is created via a 15 point point buy (enough points to get the 10, 10, 10, 11, 11, 11 that all creatures seem to have)? Or would that, too, be a house rule?
#2 jameswilliamogle Jan 07, 2009 21:03:14	Flaws are DM dependent; depends on them. Some make sense, but giving the companion the -6 initiative when it goes on your initiative... well, good luck. You can raise just about anything. Some stuff is in Arms and Equipment guide under the mount section. You can add the Warbeast template w/ a Handle Animal check and time (see MM2). Its quite good. The companion gets better stats as you level up. Look in the MM about increasing HD for animals. Its quite good, actually. You can get magic items and barding for your pet too. The creatures usually end up starting w/ the base stats as the listed animal; anything else is a house rule. However, an animal you train doesn't have to be your animal companion; now he's just a pet, and you get another Animal Companion in addition. Check the Handle Animal Guide.