tortoise animal companion

[HunterColt22]

Hey all, thinking of the best possible version of a tortoise to get for a lvl 9 ranger. I realize this is not optimal but it is a fun character idea I had for a dwarf ranger to have a tortoise as his animal companion and the one to carry his extra ale around with him. As such because of the level and him being a ranger, dire I believe would be out of the question sadly... Unless there is some odd trick to getting one I haven't seen yet. Any ideas people?

[Pokonic]

I now see a dwarf using his totoise as a moving platform to reach humans hight-wise so he can aim for there faces.

[Urpriest]

Might be fun, but like you say you can't get a Dire Tortoise, and there aren't really any stats out there for a non-dire Tortoise. The closest I can find is a Snapping Turtle, which doesn't work so well on land.

You'll probably need to refluff another creature to make do. What sort of traits do you want your Tortoise to have?

[HunterColt22]

Probably the biggest thing is ac obviously, it's not going to move fast it being a tortoise with a giant shell, so probably a form of natural armor along with a high constitution. Dex is obviously going to take a hit in the end. Personally I would want it to be at least large also, considering I do want this thing to carry a dwarf, particularly if he gets a wee bit too drunk to walk home afterwards. The other interesting aspect I noted of the Dire version is the burrow speed, that would be fun but at a smaller ratio, say at about ten or so rather than twenty. Otherwise I want it to be an unexpected flanker in some form that can goad an enemy but doesn't need to worry about it being hit due to high natural armor from the shell and a high constitution. Basically a giant wall, that if need be I can say, "Hulk, smash."

[Urpriest]

Well Ranger 9 means you can get an animal companion available to a 4th level Druid. There aren't a lot of Large animal companions available that early. Perhaps you could use Bison stats?

[xWolfLordx]

You can take Natural Bond and raise your effective druid level to 7. That's high enough to take something large or huge size.

[HunterColt22]

You can take Natural Bond and raise your effective druid level to 7. That's high enough to take something large or huge size.

I thought that feat worked after you chose the companion animal to improve its stats, not during the process of choosing it to thus give you access to a better beast.

[xWolfLordx]

I thought that feat worked after you chose the companion animal to improve its stats, not during the process of choosing it to thus give you access to a better beast.

Yeah you're right, I only half remembered the feat and thought it could help. Sadly I was mistaken on the wording.

[Autopsibiofeeder]

You can take Natural Bond and raise your effective druid level to 7. That's high enough to take something large or huge size.

This, Natural Bond, and see if you can squeeze in a level of Beast Master (complete adventurer, I think). Depending on how your DM handles it of course, I believe you can get a Dire tortoise with 2nd level druid benefits at level 9 (Ranger 8 / Beast Master 1: -9 [Dire tortoise], +4 [8 ranger], +1 [beast master level], +3 [natural bond], +3 [beast master special]). If you insist on carrying on as ranger to 20, you can end up with a Dire tortoise with 7th level druid benefits (Ranger 19 / Beast Master 1: -9 [Dire tortoise], +9 [19 ranger], +1 [beast master level], +3 [natural bond], +3 [beast master special]).

[HunterColt22]

Nah this is for a character concept I am going with and sadly I have everything else planned out well, I just want a giant or large turtle type animal of some type to finish it out. Again though Natural bond clearly states it is for boosting the animal you have already, not one you are going to choose. :l Otherwise I could easily pull shenanigans like I see with that build there.

[Autopsibiofeeder]

Nah this is for a character concept I am going with and sadly I have everything else planned out well, I just want a giant or large turtle type animal of some type to finish it out. Again though Natural bond clearly states it is for boosting the animal you have already, not one you are going to choose. :l Otherwise I could easily pull shenanigans like I see with that build there.

If you are set on ranger 9 then it is not possible anyway, indeed. And on the Natural Bond thing, just check with your DM. He wouldn't be the only one if he'd allow for the more liberal interpretation I offered. I do not intend to start a big discussion on that, but I, for example, tend to allow it (especially for rangers).

[HunterColt22]

I knew that when I started looking, personally I was just wondering if there were any variants on the tortoise as an animal in D&D 3.5 books or any third party or drag mags and such that people had heard of. :l Worth a shot but I am going to talk with my dm on it anyway, I think he will like the concept. Again this is for kicks, but a Monk1/Ranger9/Drunken Master10. Odd and no where near optimized at all, but funny and cool to play as a dwarf I think.

[VGLordR2]

You could always try to get a reptilian animal companion into a suit of kappa shell armor (I think it's from Oriental Adventures). That would be funny to see.

[Quietus]

I'd go with the Crocodile type companions, and then just try and find a way to raise their AC some.

[HunterColt22]

I'd go with the Crocodile type companions, and then just try and find a way to raise their AC some.


Probably the best bet honestly... Just what the party has always wanted, a drunken master dwarf with his companion crocodile that bites anyone that gets near his master's giant tankard of ale. To top it off, my dwarf can drunk fly too. Oh fire blooded dwarfs how you make me laugh at the silly concept I came up with. Drunk fly by fire breath.

[Answerer]

It's kind of sad to do it on a Ranger, but Wild Cohort (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) produces a better AC than does the Ranger's default version.

Really, you should ask your DM if you can't have an AC as a Druid of your level would – Rangers are really horribly weak to begin with, and at least that will make the AC a real feature. At the levels you get it, the poor creature will just be getting itself killed if you use it for combat.

[Quietus]

Probably the best bet honestly... Just what the party has always wanted, a drunken master dwarf with his companion crocodile that bites anyone that gets near his master's giant tankard of ale. To top it off, my dwarf can drunk fly too. Oh fire blooded dwarfs how you make me laugh at the silly concept I came up with. Drunk fly by fire breath.

Well, I meant "Take the crocodile's stats, call it a turtle". Be better if you could use the stats for a nice big high-AC dinosaur of some sort, ankylosaurus as an example, but that's not going to happen on a Ranger/Drunken Master chassis.

[HunterColt22]

Hmm. I could the wild cohort feat and take out improved flight, and then take the ACF for the animal companion that makes it more like a familiar instead... Hmm good idea.