Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Lord_Kyrion Aug 13, 2014 0:35:32	One of my favorite classes in D&D is the ranger, and one reason I love it is the animal companion. The archetype of a warrior fighting side by side with a trusted beast is appealing to me. Back in the playtest I argued hard on these forums to turn people's opinions toward how great animal companions are, and I'm glad to see that they have been included in the Player's Handbook in the form of the beast master ranger (for only rangers, not druids? They should be able to get the same feature, maybe a future druid circle will accomodate). For those who haven't seen the PHB, the animal companion feature is pretty simple: you can choose any creature of beast type, size medium or lower, with a challenge rating 1/4 or lower. The creature's hit points are dependent on your level, and it uses your proficiency bonus to attacks, AC, damage, and proficient saves and skills. It gets a move action each turn, and you can forego one of your attacks to command it to attack, dash, disengage, dodge, or help.   Thus, I thought it right to start a thread discussing all the possible choices in the Basic monsters released yesterday. I hope this not to become a thread about the merits or deficits of the archetype, but rather the merits and deficits of the animals as companion choices, all story and realism based reasoning aside.   I have compiled a list of every creature in the Basic rules that qualifies as a ranger animal companion. Many of them are CR 0 creatures that deal 1 damage with their attack, but every possible choice is included for the sake of being nonbiased. Maybe you've always wanted your own stirge, maybe a goat friend fits your character perfectly, who am I to judge?   Baboon Badger Bat Blood Hawk Boar Cat Crab Deer Eagle Elk Flying Snake Frog Giant Badger Giant Centipede Giant Crab Giant Frog Giant Fire Beetle Giant Poisonous Snake Giant Rat Giant Weasel Goat Hawk Hyena Jackal Lizard Mastiff Mule Octopus Owl Panther Poisonous Snake Pony Pteranodon Quipper Rat Raven Scorpion Sea Horse Spider Stirge Vulture Weasel Wolf   Obviously the Mastiff and the Panther, which are given as examples and designed to be companions (so you can make that drow ranger with a panther companion and two scimitars using only the Player's Handbook). Those two are fine choices. There's the wolf, an iconic ally of the nature dwelling warrior, and a reliable ally at that with its good damage and chance to trip.   What about something a bit more exotic?   A venomous creature would be appealing, especially if a creature's poison save DC is based on its proficiency bonus (I think it is, but not sure). The giant centipede can paralyze a foe for one hour if its poison damage reduces it to 0 HP.  The giant poisonous snake has a pretty potent venom and an 18 Dex.   The real hidden gem is the tiny flying snake. 1 base damage, sure, decent poison damage, but the poison allows no save, meaning every successful hit is really 3d4+1+Prof. It too comes with 18 Dex, so its chance to hit is great. Combine that with its 60 ft fly speed, and the flyby trait (does not provoke attacks of opportunity). The snake can circle 30 feet above its target, swoop down and strike for automatic poison damage, then retreat to its safe altitude every turn. In addition to its fly speed, it also sports a good swim speed, should the need arise.   But poison isn't the whole of the beast training game. A giant frog could be an excellent companion, with its automatic grapple with every hit. Once the frog has grappled a creature, the ranger can then stop giving up attacks for the beast, and unleash his full attack against a restrained target. It can also swallow whole any small creature (look out, gnomes who wander into my swamp). The frog also wins points for versatility as it could be used equally well on land or underwater.   Finally, what may be my top choice of all, the pteranodon. It may lose out to the flying snake in armor class, attack bonus, and the presence of venom, but on the other hand it is a gods-damned pteranodon. A small size ranger could theoretically have a flying mount. A medium ranger still has a pteranodon.   And my vote for the worst possible animal companion, it would have to be the seahorse. With a strength of 1 and no available attack actions, it is in my opinion ill suited for combat.   What odd creature would you choose? Can you train your sea horse to best my pteranodon in gladiatorial combat?
#2 silentdante Aug 13, 2014 1:07:39	I CHOOSE YOU PIKACHU!!!! oh wait... wrong game (had to be done)     where is the giant spider? the 1/4 CR one, i would go with that one great companion and also when we go to camp, i would have it spin a web around the camp, only a couple strand big, because they can sense when anything goes by or touches the web, and alert whoever is on watch to sneaky camp raiders. haha also i just like spiders. i also thought the frog was funny because of the whole swallow thing, perhaps the frog likes to swallow people sometimes as a joke (and can control not poisoning them) a gnome ranger with a giant frog he rides around swallowing people, classic hilarity!   i do enjoy all the expanded monsters in the new DM basic rules though.
#3 Luis_Carlos Aug 13, 2014 5:26:31	I could bet we will see a D&D about "collectable monster pets" (like digimon or pokemon).   I suggest all creatures could be a "monster pet" (wizard´s familiar, paladin´s mount, ranger´s companion) the stats about it should be in the same page.. If the elephant can be used to carry load, the stats about load should be in the same page, not to wait until Oriental Adventures.   We also need stats about food. how much meat does it need, or could it give if it is hunted? a barbarian half-orc could kill a bear like a test of courage and "eating its meat" to get its power.    The "pets" have been very popular in the children cartoon. Anytime have you seen the Hanna-Barbera cartoon "Jana of the Jungle"?
#4 smartboyathome Aug 13, 2014 6:03:08	The one creature that is unfortunately usually forgotten is the fox. A clever, sneaky, curious ceature, it would go great with a tracking ranger that had a bit of stealth. To me, a fox is a very flavorful petrather than one of power. Oh well, there's always the old copy of Dragon which has a fox in it.
#5 ChrisCarlson Aug 13, 2014 6:49:35	I'm wondering how awesome it would be to have a Swarm of Bats! Or rats... Or ravens...   All three swarm entries are CR 1/4 and beasts. I'm AFB, so I can't check legality of that. But it would be cool, no?
#6 AlHazred Aug 13, 2014 6:50:09	I like the balance of the creatures available. Usually, by supplement five or six, there are several creatures that trump the rest because they have good values in several key areas -- you know it's happened when every Beast Master ranger you see at a convention has the one of two or three companions (Dire Bear, I'm looking at you).   Which leads to the question of setting-specific animal companions. What does the Forgotten Realms offer? I know Eberron has some great companions (I want to see some sort of velociraptors for halfling rangers), including construct companions.
#7 ChrisCarlson Aug 13, 2014 6:52:35	Also, I wonder if a small PC (halfling or gnome) can ride a medium-sized beast companion. Especially a flying one! I've got a particularly appropriate halfling ranger that could totally use a pteranadon mount!
#8 souldoubt Aug 13, 2014 9:48:40	You forgot the axe beak.  It's a CR 1/4 Large flightless bird, basically a terror bird like gastornis.   And you could ride it, like a chocobo!   Edit: Damn, forgot the medium or smaller restriction!  SO CLOSE.
#9 Lord_Kyrion Aug 13, 2014 11:15:28	There are a lot of great animals cut off by the medium size restriction. You can't even have a horse!   I would likely do away with that restriction. CR 1/4 large creatures aren't that much more powerful than a lot of the medium 1/4 creatures. You'd just have to deal with the impracticality of its size, but again, that's just the size of a horse.
#10 Daganev Aug 14, 2014 2:25:31	Can you use the giant and swarm variants as your ranger companion?
#11 thespaceinvader Aug 14, 2014 3:13:16	What fun it will be to use your animal companion against monsters with immunity to non-magical weapons...
#12 autolycus Aug 14, 2014 3:25:25	thespaceinvader wrote:
#13 Xeviat-DM Aug 14, 2014 3:49:47	Ranger's can't learn "Magic Fang", or whatever the equivalent spell would be now? If not, or if it doesn't exist, I could see putting it in for Druids (helpful for circle of moon druids) and Rangers (helpful for Beast Masters).
(Reply to #11) LordVonDerp	thespaceinvader wrote:
#15 Luis_Carlos Aug 14, 2014 8:05:02	Do remember nPCs can have got monster companions too, and let´s not forget the future modules about skirmishes and mass battles where monsters can be "allies" of the players.