[Pathfinder] Intelligent Animal Companion

[Retech]

So my group is having a hard time believing that if I put my intelligence bonus onto my ape so that it has 3 intelligence, it can take any feat that it qualifies for and can use weapons/armor.

I've found some RAW that cirumstantially supports it (Animal-level instinct have intelligence of 1 and 2. Etc), but is there any RAW that explicitly supports it? I can't seem to find it, and I know that the playground is always well-versed in RAW.

[Cartigan]

This is the geniuses over at Paizos take on intelligent animals: http://paizo.com/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5lc1y

[Retech]

Well, in my backstory, Bobo (the ape) was my childhood friend, so that should work out fine.

[Coidzor]

Well, it's got hands and can walk upright even if it lacks opposable thumbs. Though since it's a modified gorilla, I believe it does have opposable thumbs.

You should check out the bit on Wikipedia (https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Thumb), as I think the generic ape is more terrestrial than a chimp...

Worst comes to worst, if you're allowed 3.5 material, Lords of Madness has the mouthpick weapon property which confers proficiency in exchange for taking up a bite attack.

At least they're not taking the stance that giving it sapient intelligence makes it a magical beast and thus it can't be your animal companion. Of course, I could understand not allowing bonus points to attributes being assigned to int for animals.

But it's really kind of odd, since most people don't seem to have a problem with druids wildshaping into an ape and still being able to wield weapons...

[Moriato]

I'm not sure if this was changed in PF, but in 3.5 an animal with 3 or more INT is no longer an animal:


•Intelligence score of 1 or 2 (no creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher can be an animal).


Note that this also means that they're no longer effected by spells and such that specifically target animals, and can't be an animal companion.

[Arutema]

I'm not sure if this was changed in PF, but in 3.5 an animal with 3 or more INT is no longer an animal

Sadly, it was. in PF animals always begin with 1 or 2 Int. But they get ability score increases every 4 HD so Druids started getting Int 3 animal companions at 4th level and giving them player feats.

[Moriato]

Sadly, it was. in PF animals always begin with 1 or 2 Int. But they get ability score increases every 4 HD so Druids started getting Int 3 animal companions at 4th level and giving them player feats.

Actually I was just looking at the pathfinder SRD, and it still has that line under the animal type. To me that says that you cannot raise an animal's intelligence above 2, or they cease to be an animal. Unless the SRD is incorrect.

[Mojo_Rat]

you can raise an animal companions int to 3 still, he just does not simply start spouting poetry and reading the art of war.

essentially the problem was anomsl companions are supposed to be a subset of the Druid not a who,e character I'n their own right. from what I understand the ambiguous rules resulted I'n Druids with 0 handle animal and treating giro as like they were people ( which rpwise is fine but nit the issue)

sp they clarified things there is benefits to the 3 int they still have to follow tricks but can probably be allowed more leeway. I for one agree with the cllarification.

[Coidzor]

I'm not sure if this was changed in PF, but in 3.5 an animal with 3 or more INT is no longer an animal:

Note that this also means that they're no longer effected by spells and such that specifically target animals, and can't be an animal companion.

Because an infinite feedback loop of them becoming and ceasing to be magical beasts and animals is just so fun. :smallamused:

It's one of those corner cases where DM adjudication is necessary in both 3.5 and Pathfinder because the rules as written are not enough to go by... Mostly because the writers wanted to pass on the headache of dealing with it to the players rather than deal with it themselves.