Druid companion level

[Flying Potato]

Hey there! We are starting to play a new dnd campaing and i picked up Druid.

After reading the Phb I came up to this and couldn't understand.

4th Level or Higher (Level -3)

What's up with the Level - 3? And another thing,can druid's animal companions level?

[WarKitty]

The companion gets level-based benefits based on your level. Level -3 means that it gets those benefits as if you were 3 levels below where you actually are.

[Gnaritas]

Hey there! We are starting to play a new dnd campaing and i picked up Druid.

After reading the Phb I came up to this and couldn't understand.

4th Level or Higher (Level -3)

What's up with the Level - 3? And another thing,can druid's animal companions level?

The 4th level indicates the minimum level of Druid you need to take one of these animal companions.

The Level -3 indicates that you need to remove 3 from your druid’s level for purposes of determining the companion’s characteristics and special abilities.

The Animal Companion does not level, it gains extra abilities according to the druid's (adjusted) level as seen in the table (such as Multiattack on druid level 9).

<edit> Example:
A druid 6 takes a Boar as an animal companion. He therefore needs to remove 3 levels from the 6 druid level's he has when he looks at the table.
So 6-3=3 and he gains Evasion, but not Devotion because his effective druid level for determining his abilities is 3, not 6.

[mikej]

4th Level or Higher (Level -3)

What's up with the Level - 3? And another thing,can druid's animal companions level?

You can choose an alternative companion from a stronger list.


SRD
A druid of sufficiently high level can select her animal companion from one of the following lists, applying the indicated adjustment to the druid’s level (in parentheses) for purposes of determining the companion’s characteristics and special abilities.

You take the " - 3 " to your Druid's level to determine the Special Abilities, Feats, Hit Dice increase, etc, of the newly selected Companion. For example, you select the Leopard from the 4th level AC list. You take the - 3 to your Druid's effective level to determine what it gains. So the Leopard would be treated as a 1st level equivalent Druid's Animal Companion.

Edit: Ninja'd twice

[Croverus]

Also that's if you pick an alternate companion. If, for example, you stick witha wold companion than you ignore that Level -3. But when you hit 4th level you can get a new companion from a list of more powerful animals. The special abilities they gain would be the same as if your druid level was 3 levels lower.

Edit: Ninjad

[Flying Potato]

Well doesnt he get extra 2 hd becouse i'm LvL 3?

And another thing,does their BaB increase?

[Lord Vampyre]

If your using the one of standard animal companions that are available at first level, then yes his HD increase as per the rules.

His BAB will increase with his HD. You will have to check the MM for the BAB progression for animals.

[WarKitty]

Well doesnt he get extra 2 hd becouse i'm LvL 3?

And another thing,does their BaB increase?

If you're using a standard animal companion, yes. If when you hit level 4 you choose an alternate companion, you lose those extra hd because he gains benefits as if you were only level 1.

[Flying Potato]

And just another question.

The Animal companion I take from the alternative list, is his HD as my level or?

[Aroka]

And just another question.

The Animal companion I take from the alternative list, is his HD as my level or?

Your animal companion has the animal's usual Hit Dice, plus the bonus Hit Dice indicated by the table; thus, if you are a 4th-level druid with a black bear (Level -3), the black bear gets no bonus Hit Dice (as if you were 1st-level).

[Flying Potato]

So then he has 1 hd? That's kinda crappy.

[Coplantor]

No no, he gets no BONUS HD, he still has the standard HD of the animal you choose, that information is in the monster manual.

[Aroka]

So then he has 1 hd? That's kinda crappy.

No.

All animal companions take the base stats of the standard versions of the animal from the Monster Manual, and apply the animal companion modifiers based on your level (minus the penalty).

A black bear (http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/resources/systems/pennpaper/dnd35/soveliorsage/monstersAnimal.html#black-bear) has 3 HD before any possible bonus HD for being an animal companion.

If you are a 4th-level druid and take a black bear as an animal companion, you count as a 1st-level druid for the bonuses; therefore, the black bear gets no bonus HD, and only had 3 HD (as any basic, un-advanced black bear).

If you are a 6th-level druid and take a black bear as an animal companion, it gets +2 HD for being an animal companion (as if you were a 3rd-level druid), and thus has 5 HD total.

Note, too, that animal companions do not grow in size when they acquire HD. Advanced animals pretty much represent bigger, larger, meaner breeds, not regular animals that have grown bigger.

[Flying Potato]

I thought that the animal gets the level when you also gain a lvl. So I thought that a lvl 4 druid would have a bear with 4 hd.

[Coplantor]

There's actually a table that states the ammount of extra HD your animal companion gets depending on your druid level.

[Flying Potato]

Yea,but it also says that the pet is the same level as the Char level, meaning that a lvl 4 druid would have a lvl 4 bear on his side. Wouldn't it?

[Coplantor]

Where?:smallconfused:

The part that says class levels on the table is about your class levels, not the animal since it has none.

[WarKitty]

Put it this way. Suppose you have a wolf companion. He starts with 2d8 hd, just like a normal wolf. Since you are 3rd level, he gets 2 bonus hit die, bringing him up to 4d8. He also gets the 3rd-level evasion benefit.

Now suppose you reach 4th level and decide to swap out for a black bear. The bear comes with 3d8 hit die as per the monster entry. You don't get any hit die over that, and you don't get evasion on him, because it's calculated as though you were 1st level.


An animal companion’s base attack bonus is the same as that of a druid of a level equal to the animal’s HD. An animal companion has good Fortitude and Reflex saves (treat it as a character whose level equals the animal’s HD).

I think that's the part you were referring to. That just means

(1) Since your bear has 3 hit die, he has the base attack bonus of a 3rd level druid, i.e. +2.

(2) Saves increase as you increase hit die. For the purpose of calculating Fortitude, Reflex, and Will, use the "good" progression that characters get to calculate the new fortitude and reflex saves. (I think the "poor" progression for will saves, anyone help me here?)

Animals don't really level in the same way as characters; your companion doesn't actually have any class levels, just racial hit die.

[Aroka]

I thought that the animal gets the level when you also gain a lvl. So I thought that a lvl 4 druid would have a bear with 4 hd.


Yea,but it also says that the pet is the same level as the Char level, meaning that a lvl 4 druid would have a lvl 4 bear on his side. Wouldn't it?

No.

What I posted already (and WarKitty gave more examples of) is correct, precise, and straightforward.

[Flying Potato]

Aha, I got it. Thank you all for the responses. Oh yea just last question.

Does the bonus hd from the table stack? At lvl 3 he gets 2 extra hd and on lvl 6 he gets xtra 4 hd,does it mean he gets 6 hd or 4? :O

[faceroll]

Aha, I got it. Thank you all for the responses. Oh yea just last question.

Does the bonus hd from the table stack? At lvl 3 he gets 2 extra hd and on lvl 6 he gets xtra 4 hd,does it mean he gets 6 hd or 4? :O

They don't stack.

[Coplantor]

The table shows the total bonus HD, they dont stack.

EDIT: Swordsage'd

[Flying Potato]

Thank you. So it's best to stick with one pet!

[Coplantor]

Well, some pets are better than others, even if they dont get as many bonus HD. And you can also consider the Cool factor, T-Rex are awesome. :smalltongue:

[Flying Potato]

Hehe,true that! Having dire bear could be awsome T_T

Edit: Oh yea,do i roll for their health or does it stay just like in MM?

[Milskidasith]

Hehe,true that! Having dire bear could be awsome T_T

Edit: Oh yea,do i roll for their health or does it stay just like in MM?

Generally, you just use the average based on how many HD it has; it's HP will almost always be 4.5* HD +con mod * HD

Total HD, not bonus HD.

[Flying Potato]

Generally, you just use the average based on how many HD it has; it's HP will almost always be 4.5* HD +con mod * HD

Total HD, not bonus HD.

They also get feats like a normal character?

Edit : Are Magical beast classifed as animals. Can a druid WS in them?

[Coplantor]

They gain all the benefits of extra HD, skills, feats and stats increases.

[Milskidasith]

They also get feats like a normal character?

Edit : Are Magical beast classifed as animals. Can a druid WS in them?

Yes, they get feats.

No, magical beasts are not considered animals. Animal is a type, just like undead, or dragon, or humanoid.

[Aroka]

Edit : Are Magical beast classifed as animals. Can a druid WS in them?

No, Animal is a type. Magical Beast is a different type.

[Eldariel]

No, Animal is a type. Magical Beast is a different type.

As an addendum, Magical Beast Wildshape is actually incredibly powerful since they contain completely insane combat forms like Remorhaz, Hydra and so on. Therefore, it's lucky that's not a part of Druid's arsenal. However, there's this little spell called Polymorph...