[Pathfinder] Ranger Hunter's Bond

[Diogham]

Yay! My first official post on here!

Anyway enough with the introductions.

It seems to me the Ranger's Hunter's Bond with Companions (not an animal companion) seems pretty gimped.

Any suggestions to make this more on par with the animal companion so it's more of a viable choice?

Half favored enemy bonus to a single target for x number of rounds doesn't sound like it compares very well to an extra party member with shared spells and feats.

Cheers

[JellyPooga]

It kinda depends on how your GM handles Animal Companions. If (to my mind, as he should) he treats them as animals who act like an animal instead of an extra party member, then an Animal Companion can be a temperamental ally in a pinch. Not to mention the implications of being escorted by a wolf (or whatever) through a city. An Animal Companion is not a Familiar; it's an animal and not even a pet at that. Yes it may be trained, yes it's your companion, but at the end of the day it is a wild thing, a child of gaia, feral and unpredictable. The Companion Bond is a safe bet by comparison.

If, on the other hand, your GM treats an Animal Companion as just an extra party member, then sure, the Companion Bond is kinda gimped by comparison.

[Diogham]

It kinda depends on how your GM handles Animal Companions. If (to my mind, as he should) he treats them as animals who act like an animal instead of an extra party member, then an Animal Companion can be a temperamental ally in a pinch. Not to mention the implications of being escorted by a wolf (or whatever) through a city. An Animal Companion is not a Familiar; it's an animal and not even a pet at that. Yes it may be trained, yes it's your companion, but at the end of the day it is a wild thing, a child of gaia, feral and unpredictable. The Companion Bond is a safe bet by comparison.

If, on the other hand, your GM treats an Animal Companion as just an extra party member, then sure, the Companion Bond is kinda gimped by comparison.

That's an excellent point - one which not many people bring up when discussing the class ability - but it seems a little too dependent upon the GM's opinion on it.

I'm just coming from Treantmonk's ranger guide where he says get the animal companion every time.

So I guess I have a question about the ability. Is the x number of rounds per day? or is it per encounter? sounds a little ambiguous.

[JellyPooga]

The ability is usable at will, as many times per day or encounter as you like, but each use lasts a number of rounds equal to your Wis modifier. The only limitation is that you have to spend a move action to activate it.

In a certain light, it can be seen as an almost permanent addition of half your favoured enemy bonus to all your companions every combat. If you've got a half decent Wisdom of say 14, you can activate it every third turn (and still shoot in that turn, remember) and it never goes down.

[Diogham]

The ability is usable at will, as many times per day or encounter as you like, but each use lasts a number of rounds equal to your Wis modifier. The only limitation is that you have to spend a move action to activate it.

In a certain light, it can be seen as an almost permanent addition of half your favoured enemy bonus to all your companions every combat. If you've got a half decent Wisdom of say 14, you can activate it every third turn (and still shoot in that turn, remember) and it never goes down.

That's not nearly half as bad as people make it out to be.

Though I would point out it does have the same limitations that favored enemy has - being very situational.

[JellyPooga]

It is situational, yes, but many of the Favoured Enemy categories are quite general. Humanoid (Human) is one that will very often come up in city-based games. Animal, Monstrous Humanoid, Outsider (Evil) and Undead are all very broad categories that are usually pretty common too. Don't forget that it also applies to Bluff, Sense Motive and Perception checks (as well as Survival and Knowledge), making Rangers pretty canny negotiators in human dominated societies.

Sure the Animal Companion is less situational, but as I mentioned, the AC does have it's own situational issues (such as being a wild animal in a civilised area).

[Diogham]

Sure the Animal Companion is less situational, but as I mentioned, the AC does have it's own situational issues (such as being a wild animal in a civilised area).

Not in Ptolus :P

[StreamOfTheSky]

I'd just make it full FE bonus. Or leave it at half but make it a constant benefit for anyone within however many feet of the ranger. It's already practically constant, it just occasionally screws the ranger out of full attacking.

[grarrrg]

Or leave it at half but make it a constant benefit for anyone within however many feet of the ranger. It's already practically constant, it just occasionally screws the ranger out of full attacking.

So basically, it would work exactly the same as Freebooter's Bane (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/ranger/archetypes/paizo---ranger-archetypes/freebooter) then.

[elonin]

I took the companion bond for a ranger and have never used it as I am playing a many shot version.

[NightbringerGGZ]

I think the animal companion is valued so highly specifically because many (if not most) GMs just let the player treat it like another party member. In that scenario it's extra attacks each round and a flanking buddy for a party member. Depending on the animal type you may also have additional out of combat utility.

I do think that bonding with the party is under valued though. Especially once you reach level 10 and gain the Instant Enemy spell. Spending a round to cast Instant Enemy and activate the Party Bond buff is a great boss-killing move.