Druids of the flock

[BiblioRook]

I was wondering if it was at all possible for instead of getting a progressively bigger animal companion if a Druid would instead be able to get multiple little companions. Or even better (at a higher end of things) eventually maybe even a swarm.

Like say, whenever your companion would normally go up hit-die you instead get that many more critters.

This just seems like it would make sense to me, giving off a more 'friend of the forest' vibe being surrounded by a bunch of squirrels or birds. I'm not at all trying to claim it would be at all efficient, but it just sounds potentially alot of fun.

[Zaq]

I remember being told that Druids worked like this in 3.0, but I've never verified that, since I don't have a 3.0 PHB.

That said, have you considered the Beastmaster PrC in CAdv? Much, much weaker than a Druid (almost any PrC is), but it's one of the few ways I know of to get multiple pets from one class feature.

If you want to get really weird, Peregrine Runner (Races of Stone) gives you a peregrine AC that doesn't replace ("stacks with," if you will) an existing AC. I'm pretty sure that Beast Heart Adept's (Dungeonscape) Monstrous Companion is similar, but I may be mistaken about that. And of course, there's always Wild Cohort.

. . . Then you take Share Soulmeld and Shape Soulmeld: Soulspark Familiar.

[RaginChangeling]

Beast Heart Adept will get you three Magical beasts/Abberations but does not stack with or advance Druid Animal Companion. But if you want an Owlbear or talking Giant Eagle its pretty cool.

You could probably work out a build that got you a bunch of relatively weak companions through Beastmaster/Beast Heart Adept and Wild Cohort, but it would be mechanically wonky. Actually...

Druid 5/Beast Heart Adept 8/Beastmaster 6 with Natural Bond will get you 3 animal companions with your highest at Druid level 18, Two magical beast/abberations and if you take Wild Cohort you can get another animal companion. If you can get into Beastmaster at level 5 you could shuffle the build a bit and manage to get Beast Heart Adept 10, Beast Master 5 which nets you an extra monstrous companion.

So max would be like 4 animal companions, 3 monstrous companions.

[BiblioRook]

Stuff like Beast Heart Adept and Beastmaster don't really help that much as they just grant additional animal companions, or in other words just more of the same. Thing is with what I was going for I was hoping for a small menagerie of otherwise normal animals (at least in appearance, I wouldn't object to improved stats as, hey, I'm already putting myself at a disadvantage), other then some of the first level animal companions they tend to get into things that probably would, umm, draw attention.

Hmm, looking over other things, urban druid kinda half works for what I was going for, but over all Vermin Lord seems like a nice fit... if only I can find a way to re-tweak it to manage a swarm of birds (you can have bat swarms though so I shouldn't think that should be hard).
Still doesn't give me much to do with the lower levels before I can get into it though, and I typically only get to play in low level games :smallfrown:
Still nice to know however.

[TheAzrael]

I think the easiest way to achive what you want is Initiate of Nature . Its a feat from PGtF if i am not mistaken.

[BiblioRook]

I think the easiest way to achive what you want is Initiate of Nature . Its a feat from PGtF if i am not mistaken.

That feat just seems to let you rebuke or command animals like a cleric with undead, not take them as companions :smallannoyed: