Non druid/ranger animal companion

[ima donkey]

I recently started playing a ranger and I really like the animal companion but I dont like anything else about the ranger. I was curious if it was possible to get a good animal companion without being a ranger or druid.

My current character is a ranger4 beastmaster1 and i have a good animal companion. I was wondering what the best way to go about this for either a barbarian or a fighter would be. I am not interested in playing a druid (even though they are really good). Basically to simplify what I am saying, are there any good feats to get an animal companion? What classes or PrC should I take and at what levels? What are some good animal companions?

[Shades of Gray]

The feat, wild cohort (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a), lets you get an animal companion.

[Scarlet-Devil]

There's an alternate class feature from Unearthed Arcana that lets sorcerers swap their familiar for an animal companion. Maybe wizards too.

Edit: This just in, wizards can indeed take the simple variant for an animal companion. You could also be a battle sorcerer with an animal companion.

[ima donkey]

The feat, wild cohort (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a), lets you get an animal companion.

Would this stack with beastmaster?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Would this stack with beastmaster?

It depends on your DM. While your character level for your Wild Cohort's benefits given on the table won't stack with your effective Druid level for an animal companion's benefits given on that table, there's nothing explicitly prohibiting you from acquiring a single creature which benefits from both sets of benefits. However, some DMs may disagree with this. From Wild Cohort:

"Special: Druids and rangers who take the wild cohort feat gain an animal cohort in addition to their animal companion. Although the two abilities are similar, they follow different sets of rules and must be tracked separately."

You gain a separate animal cohort in addition to your animal companion initially, but it doesn't prohibit you from dismissing both and recruiting one creature that benefits from both sets of benefits. The last sentence is pointing out that your levels don't stack when referring to the tables for what benefits are granted, i.e. a Barbarian 6/ Beastmaster 1 with Natural Bond counts as a Druid 7 for the benefits of Animal Companion, and as a 7th level character for the benefits of Wild Cohort, rather than as being 14th level in either one. Your levels for each are tracked separately, despite the abilities being so similar. You are not required to have two separate creatures other than when you initially gain both. Some will say that his is not the case, and that it has to be two separate creatures, and if your DM agrees with this then you won't be able to combine them.

[ima donkey]

It depends on your DM. While your character level for your Wild Cohort's benefits given on the table won't stack with your effective Druid level for an animal companion's benefits given on that table, there's nothing explicitly prohibiting you from acquiring a single creature which benefits from both sets of benefits. However, some DMs may disagree with this. From Wild Cohort:

"Special: Druids and rangers who take the wild cohort feat gain an animal cohort in addition to their animal companion. Although the two abilities are similar, they follow different sets of rules and must be tracked separately."

You gain a separate animal cohort in addition to your animal companion initially, but it doesn't prohibit you from dismissing both and recruiting one creature that benefits from both sets of benefits. The last sentence is pointing out that your levels don't stack when referring to the tables for what benefits are granted, i.e. a Barbarian 6/ Beastmaster 1 with Natural Bond counts as a Druid 7 for the benefits of Animal Companion, and as a 7th level character for the benefits of Wild Cohort, rather than as being 14th level in either one. Your levels for each are tracked separately, despite the abilities being so similar. You are not required to have two separate creatures other than when you initially gain both. Some will say that his is not the case, and that it has to be two separate creatures, and if your DM agrees with this then you won't be able to combine them.

We don't have a designated DM we kind of switch around every once in a while but we are all friends and are willing to tweak the rules a bit at times so I don't think it will be a problem.

[ima donkey]

I was also curious if there are any feats that are good to have your animal companion take? I will be using a dire wolf.

[QuickLyRaiNbow]

What about the Ranger do you dislike? There are enough ACFs available to let you change around just about whatever you want, and fluff is of course mutable.

[ima donkey]

What about the Ranger do you dislike? There are enough ACFs available to let you change around just about whatever you want, and fluff is of course mutable.

The main reason I do not like the ranger is because you have to pick either two weapon fighting or archery and I like to use two handed weapons. I also don't really care much about the spells or tracking feats because the animal companion can do that just fine.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

The main reason I do not like the ranger is because you have to pick either two weapon fighting or archery and I like to use two handed weapons. I also don't really care much about the spells or tracking feats because the animal companion can do that just fine.

Dragon magazine issue 326 gives five alternate combat styles, if you don't want to use TWF or archery. Strong-Arm gives Power Attack at 2, Improved Sunder at 6, and Great Cleave at 11. The Mounted-Combat style gives Ride-By Attack at 2, Spirited Charge at 6, and Trample at 11, if you want to use the companion as a mount.

[ima donkey]

Dragon magazine issue 326 gives five alternate combat styles, if you don't want to use TWF or archery. Strong-Arm gives Power Attack at 2, Improved Sunder at 6, and Great Cleave at 11. The Mounted-Combat style gives Ride-By Attack at 2, Spirited Charge at 6, and Trample at 11, if you want to use the companion as a mount.

I think I like the strong arm option but wouldn't fighter still be better because you can customize your feats more and get them sooner and get more of them? The only real reason I'm interested in ranger really is the animal companion and wild cohort can give me that for another class.

[eggs]

Rhino's Rush shared with a Dire Tiger companion is hilarious.

[Diovid]

The main reason I do not like the ranger is because you have to pick either two weapon fighting or archery and I like to use two handed weapons. I also don't really care much about the spells or tracking feats because the animal companion can do that just fine.
There are a couple of variants which get rid of those. The alternative combat styles have been mentioned. Champion of the Wild is a nice alternative to spellcasting. You can find most if not all non-dragon magazine alternative class features here: http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?PHPSESSID=4vdkuf83ubu42rg86vbedh20g5&topic=7908.

If you really want an animal companion as a non-ranger, you can do something like fighter or barbarian 4 / beastmaster 1 and take the natural bond feat. Then continue in prestige classes which advance the animal companion (such as Animal Lord). You'll lose some effective druid levels compared to a ranger though.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I think I like the strong arm option but wouldn't fighter still be better because you can customize your feats more and get them sooner and get more of them? The only real reason I'm interested in ranger really is the animal companion and wild cohort can give me that for another class.

A Fighter may get extra feats, but a Ranger gets utility to do more than just fight, or often gets tricks to make him even better than the Fighter. A Ranger is far more self-sufficient, and far more versatile while just as good at combat as a Fighter in most cases.

For example, stick the spell Rhino's Rush in all your 1st level slots, and get a bunch of 1st level Pearls of Power. Now you've got that many double-damage charge attacks, and after an encounter you can use the pearls to recover all of them and use them again the next fight. You've got tons of skills, so there's a lot more for you to do when not in combat while the Fighter is just standing around waiting to roll initiative. You can use Wands of any Ranger spells, so get a Wand Chamber on your weapon and put a Wand of Rhino's Rush in there, and use your spell slots for a bit more of a variety of tricks. You can use a Wand of Cure Light Wounds to heal up between encounters. Get a Lesser Rod of Extend and pick up Practiced Spellcaster and use Longstrider and Endure Elements every day, cast Camouflage and hide from anything, throw an (Extended) Enrage Animal on your companion, etc. Once you get 2nd level spells there's things like (Extended) Swift Haste, Barkskin, and Briar Web.

There's a reason Fighters are Tier 5, while Rangers are Tier 4 (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=1002.0). The Tier 3-4 classes are the sweet spot of fun and balanced play, whereas Tier 5-6 classes are often boring when not in an encounter that's specifically suited to their strengths.

[ima donkey]

Champion of the wild is interesting and almost makes me want to play a ranger but wild cohort is actually better than the rangers animal companion. If there was an alternate class feature that made the rangers animal companion as good as a druids that would be worth it to me. I don't know why the rangers animal companion is weaker anyway considering druids are better in every way.

[eggs]

But the Ranger has full BA - the Druid needs to have something to help it catch up! :smalltongue:

[ima donkey]

A Fighter may get extra feats, but a Ranger gets utility to do more than just fight, or often gets tricks to make him even better than the Fighter. A Ranger is far more self-sufficient, and far more versatile while just as good at combat as a Fighter in most cases.

For example, stick the spell Rhino's Rush in all your 1st level slots, and get a bunch of 1st level Pearls of Power. Now you've got that many double-damage charge attacks, and after an encounter you can use the pearls to recover all of them and use them again the next fight. You've got tons of skills, so there's a lot more for you to do when not in combat while the Fighter is just standing around waiting to roll initiative. You can use Wands of any Ranger spells, so get a Wand Chamber on your weapon and put a Wand of Rhino's Rush in there, and use your spell slots for a bit more of a variety of tricks. You can use a Wand of Cure Light Wounds to heal up between encounters. Get a Lesser Rod of Extend and pick up Practiced Spellcaster and use Longstrider and Endure Elements every day, cast Camouflage and hide from anything, throw an (Extended) Enrage Animal on your companion, etc. Once you get 2nd level spells there's things like (Extended) Swift Haste, Barkskin, and Briar Web.

There's a reason Fighters are Tier 5, while Rangers are Tier 4 (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=1002.0). The Tier 3-4 classes are the sweet spot of fun and balanced play, whereas Tier 5-6 classes are often boring when not in an encounter that's specifically suited to their strengths.

I think you just convinced me to keep playing a ranger. I remember now why I split from fighter, because outside of combat they are useless and that's not much fun. Even though with my current character I cant role play much any way (I don't speak common).

[Amoren]

Invest two skill points to learn Language: Charades. :D

Then watch their jaw drop as they realized you spent skill points learning to do that rather than learning common. Make sure you also have ranks in perform (troll dance).

[ima donkey]

Invest two skill points to learn Language: Charades. :D

Then watch their jaw drop as they realized you spent skill points learning to do that rather than learning common. Make sure you also have ranks in perform (troll dance).

I didn't know you could do that. My current character is a gnoll with a 10 int and you only get gnoll as your starting language. But I almost like the idea of doing something I'm not supposed to and blaming it on not understanding ( I am CN and all).

[Dusk Eclipse]

The main reason I do not like the ranger is because you have to pick either two weapon fighting or archery and I like to use two handed weapons. I also don't really care much about the spells or tracking feats because the animal companion can do that just fine.

For the record, even if you get the feats, nothing forces you to us them, you could select the archery path; and just go yohr merry way wielding a greatsword, knowing that if you need it you are more competent with a bow than other martial characters not built for ranges combat.

Though of course, Biff is right mentioning the alternate combat styles.