Animal Companion v. Wild Cohort

[danzibr]

So I'm looking at the information for Animal Companion (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/druid.htm#animalCompanion) and Wild Cohort (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a).

It looks to me like they get to choose from exactly the same list at level 1. Say a Druid and a Fighter with Wild Cohort both take a camel. At level 20 the difference between their creatures (other than feat choice and such) is the Fighter's camel has one less HD, natural armor, Str, Dex, bonus trick, doesn't have Link, Devotion or Multiattack.

However, if they both choose to get something like a dire badger (-3 on the Druid list of alternate AC's), ultimately the Fighter's dire badger will have (among other things) only 7 bonus HD and nat arm, +3 to Str, Dex while the Druid's dire badger will have 10 bonus HD and nat arm, +5 to Str, Dex.

In other words, the Wild Cohort feat penalizes a player more for taking an alternate animal. Am I reading this right?

[NeoSeraphi]

You are correct, sir, but if I'm reading it right, you only take the -3 penalty when determining the type of animal, not its abilities. So even though you would have to wait 3 extra levels to get the dire badger, once you do get it, your effective druid level is still 4 for it.

[danzibr]

You are correct, sir, but if I'm reading it right, you only take the -3 penalty when determining the type of animal, not its abilities. So even though you would have to wait 3 extra levels to get the dire badger, once you do get it, your effective druid level is still 4 for it.

Yeah... I see what you mean. It doesn't give any examples either way. I'd rule it as just one less bonus HD and whatnot than the Druid's.

Also, I love your Cavalier homebrew.