Talya
2011-02-08, 12:25 PM
I'm playing a Ranger/Barbarian/Fist of the Forest in a lower-magic campaign (magic exists, it's just not common, magic items are very rare.) Thanks to the dearth of equipment, i figured taking Vow of Poverty wouldn't hurt, and I've been right so far (in a campaign without easy access to items, VOP is possibly overpowered, even.) My DM also ruled that Wild Cohort qualified as an animal companion for any feat that enhanced animal companion, so with all my vast numbers of exalted bonus feats, I was considering taking Wild Cohort/Exalted Companion and grabbing a giant eagle for a friend/flying mount(which are confirmed to exist in this world.)
While I was looking at this option, I noticed that Giant Eagles have a level adjustment when using them as Leadership-cohorts. (A rather attractive +2 level adjustment, far better than the -6 rating they have as an animal companion.) With the additional factor that at 9 hit dice, a giant eagle cohort becomes huge sized (with all the increases to strength/con/natural armor that come with the size increase), and the ability to take class levels, it seems leadership is a much better choice, even if that leaves me scraping the bottom of the barrel for my free exalted feats. Of course, natural bond could improve the wild cohort option significantly, but that's at a cost of a precious extra feat, even if it would keep the animal companion ahead of the cohort for total hit dice until very high levels (which we'll probably never reach.)
Is there anything i'm missing, here? And would I need to advance the giant eagle as magical beast for 5 levels to get the size increase, or do class hit dice count?
While I was looking at this option, I noticed that Giant Eagles have a level adjustment when using them as Leadership-cohorts. (A rather attractive +2 level adjustment, far better than the -6 rating they have as an animal companion.) With the additional factor that at 9 hit dice, a giant eagle cohort becomes huge sized (with all the increases to strength/con/natural armor that come with the size increase), and the ability to take class levels, it seems leadership is a much better choice, even if that leaves me scraping the bottom of the barrel for my free exalted feats. Of course, natural bond could improve the wild cohort option significantly, but that's at a cost of a precious extra feat, even if it would keep the animal companion ahead of the cohort for total hit dice until very high levels (which we'll probably never reach.)
Is there anything i'm missing, here? And would I need to advance the giant eagle as magical beast for 5 levels to get the size increase, or do class hit dice count?