First time building an Animal Companion

[inexorabletruth]

I'm a lvl 6 Ranger in a campaign that just got started, and I suddenly realize that I don't just run around with an eagle, but that she gets nice things for being my companion. I've never had to roll stats for an animal before, so I'm not sure if I'm doing this right.

Question 1: Animal Level
PHB says my eagle is half my level. Is that when he starts being built, or always? At level six, half my level is three. But at level 4, half my level is 2, and with progression, that's:

Lvl 4 Ranger = Lvl 2 Eagle
Lvl 5 Ranger = Lvl 3 Eagle
Lvl 6 Ranger = Lvl 4 Eagle

So which is it? Is he always half my level, or does he just start at half my level? Because that makes a huge difference with HP, which brings me to question 2.

Question 2: HP
Eagle's get a CON bonus to HP. So, when I roll HP, do I count that with each additional HD?

Lvl 1 Eagle = 1d8+1
Lvl 2 Eagle = 1d8+1
Lvl 3 Eagle = 3d8+3 or +1?
Lvl 4 Eagle = 3d8+3 or +1?

Question 3: Bonuses
When the time comes, do I add the HD to the HD I currently get, or does the HD become the new bonus I get? (Are they stackable?)

Lvl 6 Eagle = 1d8 + 2d8 + 4d8 (7d8)
or
Lvl 6 Eagle = 1d8 + 4d8 (5d8)

Same question with Natural Armor and STR/DEX bonuses.

Question 4: Size Increase
My Eagle becomes medium sized as soon as I get her, because she starts at lvl 2, right? :smallconfused: That's weird. Does she ever become large? Because that would be a problem. I'm playing a small character (Halfling), and I had planned on being able to ride her. Does she have to get bigger, or is that optional? I'd really rather be able to ride her than be carried by her. :smallredface:

Question 5: Ability Scores and Class Levels
At lvl 4, I get to add an Ability Score point, right? If I add it to INT, my eagle becomes intelligent enough to take class levels. Is that correct? If so, do those class levels stack with all the other bennies of the animal companion or do they replace them? And which class levels are associated class levels? The rules for that in MM1 seem kind of vague. Eagles are all DEX and WIS, with crap INT and CHA. What does that mean it's associated class levels are?

[Ceaon]

PHB says my eagle is half my level. Is that when he starts being built, or always? At level six, half my level is three. But at level 4, half my level is 2, and with progression, that's:

Lvl 4 Ranger = Lvl 2 Eagle
Lvl 5 Ranger = Lvl 3 Eagle
Lvl 6 Ranger = Lvl 4 Eagle

So which is it? Is he always half my level, or does he just start at half my level? Because that makes a huge difference with HP, which brings me to question 2.

This is where you are mistaken. Your eagle is not half your level, your effective druid level is half your ranger level.

Your eagle does not improve except for the bonuses in the Animal Companion tabel here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/druid.htm). You add an eagle contsitution modifier to its HP total once per Hit Die, as you would with any character.

A level 6 ranger (effective druid level 3)'s eagle would thus get +2 HD (so increase HP, BAB and saves accordingly), get +2 natural armor and +1 strength and dexterity. It also gains Link, Share spells and Evasion.

Your eagle will not improved until effective druid level 6, or ranger level 12. It will never be a powerhouse.

[Aeryr]

Most of the questions can be answered by: "Your animal companion doesn't have a level"

Answer: 1

It gains bonus HD (d8) as appears in the druid entry. Those are given depending on the effective druid level of the character (in case of a ranger its druid effective level is half it's ranger level). So a fourth level ranger would have the same animal companion as a druid at second level. A ranger at level six has an effective druid level of 3. A ranger at level 20 has an effective druid level of 10. With your effective druid level you check the animal companion table and determine the animal companion bonuses.

Answer: 2

You add CON when determining HP from the bonus HD.

Answer: 3

Bonuses are not stackable, it's the bonus that you get. Except for abilities you get those of your effective druid level and those of a lower effective druid level.

Answer: 4

Bonus HD don't make the animal companion increase by size, nor are they capped by advancement.

Answer: 5

No, your animal companion doesn't gain levels it gains bonus HD.

Ps. I hope that helps :smallsmile:

[inexorabletruth]

Ok. So, as a level 6 Ranger, I get the kind of animal companion that a level 3 Druid gets. Which is:

3rd–5th +2 +2 +1 2 Evasion

I can deal with that, but I'm still confused about the HP. The eagle starts with 1d8+1 to determine her HP. Adding +2 to the 3 HD she gets when my effective Druid Level is 3, she gets 5 d8s, right? Does she add her CON modifier to each d8, or just to the first one?

So, when I roll stats, do I roll this way?
HD 3+2 (Effective Level 3): 5d8+3 (CON +1x3)

Or this way?
HD 3+2 (Effective Level 3): 5d8+1 (CON +1 only once)

[Aeryr]

Wait... where are you getting the 5d8?

An effective druid level of 3 gives:

+2 Bonus HD, +2 to natural armor, +1 STR, +1 DEX, 2 bonus tricks and link, share spells and evasion.

Since the eagle has 1 HD it gets 3 HD (1+2=3). For a total of 3D8 + 3*CON modifier

Where are you getting two more HD?

[Ceaon]

An animal companion's "level" or HD does not scale directly with yours. The Bonus HD increases are the only increases in HD an animal companion gets.


So, when I roll stats, do I roll this way?
HD 3+2 (Effective Level 3): 5d8+3 (CON +1x3)

This one. This is also how normal PC's HP are calculated.

So, as of now, your eagle has 3d8+3 HP. At ranger level 12 (effective druid level 6), your animal companion will gain another HD increase of 2, increasing his total HP to 5d8+5. At ranger level 18 (effective druid level 9), your eagle will gain a last HD increase of 2, and its total HP will be 7d8+7.

This is very low, yes, and resultingly, a ranger's animal companion won't be much help in a fight.

[inexorabletruth]

Oh! Ok. I get it now. Thanks, everybody!

[Azoth]

Can always pay the gold and invest the time to train it to give it the warbeast template at a low effective druid level so it slides in on the cheap for a bit of extra survivability out of it. On a Ranger animal companion it is not game breaking...now throwing it on a Druid's Fleshraker...dodge the DMG!

[Yoven]

is there anywhere a written source of training an animal for the warbeats template? I'm training my rinding dog for war so it can trip, we agreed to let beeing trained for war beeing the trickset every riding dog normally gets by PHB HandleANimals...

but how can i get my pet this nasty extra HD the warbeast template gives?

[Aeryr]

I am AFB but if I remember correctly it took my riding horse two months (of going into battle/training) to get the war beast template (it might had been a house rule, can't remember sorry)

[Roguenewb]

Yeah, animal companions tend to only be good at low levels, and even then, only if you're a druid. You can spec in them with feats like Natural Bond, but...its just not gonna make all that much difference.

[danzibr]

Whoaaaaaaaa can you apply war beast template to animal companions? That seems way good.

[Urpriest]

Whoaaaaaaaa can you apply war beast template to animal companions? That seems way good.

Only if you willfully misread the rules. The Warbeast template gives rules for training a warbeast, but if you remember that this was 3.0 you can easily see they are rules for training a preexisting warbeast, not training an animal so that it becomes a warbeast.

For the OP, you need to read my Monster Handbook, link in sig.