Belkar has no animal companion !

[Doglord]

If belkar is level 12 ranger (barbarian 1), like we think he is, then he should have an animal companion!

Why dosent he?

(Maybe its invisible like Vs familiar?)

[Moechi_Vill]

He hates animals.

[Doglord]

I dont think the players handbook gives you a choice...

unless he killed it then didnt summon a new one...

[Moechi_Vill]

He killed it.

[Wulfmaster]

It was a Muskrat, but they got two close, so Belkar "banished" it...:belkar:

[Yzorth]

Wow. Someone is cynical. -_-

[Timberwolf]

Somehow I had Belkar down as a Dire Ferret kind of fella. Is there even such a thing as a Dire Ferret ?

[chibibar]

I think Belkar forgotten it.... like sometimes he forgot that he can track ;)

[Dicemaster]

He ate it.
Tasted great with ketchup.:belkar:

[Doglord]

Maybe he chose something big, so it can help him kill things, then it ate him and he had to cut himself out?

[ThorFluff]

I suppose he doesn't have the wisom or the intelligence to:
1: realise it's a companion and thusly killed it for fun
2: Realise that he can summon a new one.

[Neo]

I think the real question isn't 'does Belkar wan't an animal companion?' but 'Would you want to be the companion to a psychopathic halfling that would eat you to save rations?'

[Old Book]

Belkar would never eat his Animal Companion.

He doesn't have access to a good kitchen, and Halflings have very specific dietary requirements. ;)

[the_tick_rules]

Somehow I had Belkar down as a Dire Ferret kind of fella. Is there even such a thing as a Dire Ferret ?

coset thing i've seen is dire weasel. but there should be a dire ferret. that would be cool. as for animal companion i dunno, maybe it's in the origon book out recently. or maybe since the rangers animal companion's dn't really have great killing potential he never got one.

[Mewtarthio]

Well, he doesn't seem to know very much about Rangers. He has no ranks in Track and a WIS score below 10 (no Ranger spells). He probably has never heard of this "animal companion" thing before and only took the class for the Two-Weapon Fighting and the fact that people will foolishly hire him as a tracker without checking his credentials. Alternatively, another theory I've seen holds that he actually does have an animal companion, but it's a small one, and he keeps failing his Spot checks to notice it.

[mikeejimbo]

Question: Did rangers get companions in 3.0?

[Renegade Paladin]

Question: Did rangers get companions in 3.0?
Via the animal friendship spell, yes. So Belkar, not being able to cast the spell, would not have had any. (You could have multiple companions then, but they were normal animals.)

[mikeejimbo]

And weren't they originally 3.0? Maybe that's why he doesn't have one.

[Felinoid]

And weren't they originally 3.0? Maybe that's why he doesn't have one.

Yes, that's why he didn't have one before. But in the first strip they retroactively gain 3.5e abilities. So it's conceivable that he could have gained an animal companion. But as I understand it (from the exact same debate in a previous thread), in 3.5 it requires praying for 24 hours in your specialized setting to get one. And that is so NOT Belkar.

[Neo]

Maybe one day he'll find his specialized setting and find a companion :D

[Sothicus]

He killed it for 25 exp.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Maybe he chose something big, so it can help him kill things, then it ate him and he had to cut himself out?
Shouldn't have been a problem. Any time you cut yourself out of a creature's belly, the ever-nebulous "muscular action" seals the wound, and the creature is O.K. :elan:

[mikeejimbo]

I was just thinking how there were a few things left from 3.0, like the Fly spell Dzz'tri had.

[CGM3]

My first thought, upon seeing this thread, was "Hey, maybe Belkar's not really a ranger, maybe he's a fighter trying to pass as a ranger!" It would explain why he has no ranks in Survival (and few, if any, in Spot or Listen) -- heck, he might not even have the Track feat -- and his two-weapon fighting skills could come from the fighter's bonus feats... and, of course, he couldn't have an animal companion.

But then I remembered the big fight with the Linear Guild in the Great Chamber of Never Updated Monsters (#58), when Vaarsuvius cast Owl's Wisdom on Belkar so the halfling could use some Cure Serious Wounds scrolls to heal Elan. So unless Belkar is actually a cleric or a druid -- or a paladin :smalleek: -- he must be a ranger. (Or maybe a fighter with a homebrewed feat that lets him use magic items as a divine spellcaster... nah, not something Belkar would take.)

So why doesn't he have an animal companion? Well, you have to bond with the animal to make it your companion, establish a mutual partnership... and I suspect Roy will become Elan's apprentice in bardistry before Belkar will even try to do that! :smallbiggrin:

[Kronicko Chronicles]

Belkar would never eat his Animal Companion.

He doesn't have access to a good kitchen, and Halflings have very specific dietary requirements. ;)

What happened to the kitchen that :vaarsuvius: destroyed while finding the use of a doily?

[Tharj TreeSmiter]

Maybe the animal would take all the glory and simply reinforce his infiriority complex.

[mikeejimbo]

Maybe if you pretend to be something long enough, everyone else thinks you can do it enough that you can.

[Mewtarthio]

Maybe if you pretend to be something long enough, everyone else thinks you can do it enough that you can.

So, what, Belkar is only pretending to be a Ranger, but he's so good at it that he's tricked himself? I know his WIS is low enough that he'd fall for such a transparent Bluff, but you'd still have the issue of the animal companion: If everyone thinks you should have one, by that logic, he should have one.

[mikeejimbo]

If everyone thinks you should have one, by that logic, he should have one.

True enough, unless the above things also apply. (Such as he doesn't want one, or he killed it)

[WoDHells]

He had a rat, he killed for XP in strip #124 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0124.html)

[mikeejimbo]

He had a rat, he killed for XP in strip #124 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0124.html)

But that wasn't his animal companion. For one thing, Elan says "You can't just go around hurting the rats." And another, don't animal companions have a similar level to their "masters"?

[Moechi_Vill]

He had a rat, he killed for XP in strip #124 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0124.html)

Let's ask Rich if that was his animal companion..

[Nightmarenny]

My first thought, upon seeing this thread, was "Hey, maybe Belkar's not really a ranger, maybe he's a fighter trying to pass as a ranger!" It would explain why he has no ranks in Survival (and few, if any, in Spot or Listen) -- heck, he might not even have the Track feat -- and his two-weapon fighting skills could come from the fighter's bonus feats... and, of course, he couldn't have an animal companion.

But then I remembered the big fight with the Linear Guild in the Great Chamber of Never Updated Monsters (#58), when Vaarsuvius cast Owl's Wisdom on Belkar so the halfling could use some Cure Serious Wounds scrolls to heal Elan. So unless Belkar is actually a cleric or a druid -- or a paladin :smalleek: -- he must be a ranger. (Or maybe a fighter with a homebrewed feat that lets him use magic items as a divine spellcaster... nah, not something Belkar would take.)

So why doesn't he have an animal companion? Well, you have to bond with the animal to make it your companion, establish a mutual partnership... and I suspect Roy will become Elan's apprentice in bardistry before Belkar will even try to do that! :smallbiggrin:Whats whith this swarm of people that doubts weather anyone is the class they say they are? Seriously.

[Selgeron]

I'd say that since he didnt have one in 3.0 and would need to 'resummon' in 3.5 is a good enough reason not to have one.

[Moechi_Vill]

It's worthwhile being cynical with Belkar; very rewarding.
I don't think we have any real reason to doubt his word though, people are hardwired to tell the truth, and I expect this would go for demi-humans as well.
He doesn't seem to be the kind of person to lie about that.

IS there any evidence for him not being a cleric or druid?

[Hydrogelic]

What about the Riding dog ?

[Devils_Advocate]

Yes, that's why he didn't have one before. But in the first strip they retroactively gain 3.5e abilities. So it's conceivable that he could have gained an animal companion. But as I understand it (from the exact same debate in a previous thread), in 3.5 it requires praying for 24 hours in your specialized setting to get one.
Well, that's how you replace an animal companion, so one assumes that that's how you get your first one as well, although I don't think that's ever made explicit.

On the other hand, you normally get chain shirts from a store, not from them *POP*ing into existance. So in that context, it's kind of odd that an animal companion for Belkar didn't appear in strip #1. Hmmm.


And that is so NOT Belkar.He could just fast forward (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0155.html) through that bit. (On the other hand, would he remember that he can?)

I seem to recall reading that the Giant had Plans for Belkar's animal companion, but that was a while ago. Maybe he decided not to use the idea, or maybe it's yet to come...

[Moechi_Vill]

No.. Belkar would only pray for bloodshed in his life. No animal companion and if he did pray for one he killed it later for fun and xp profit and maybe some hide and guts.

If thE Giant has plans...? If Belkar got something useful like a Dire Wolf he'd stand by it.

[_sl0t_]

It doesn't say anywhere that rat was different from any ordinary rat, especially an animal companion.
I agree with previous posts, I think he got levels in ranger for the wrong reasons and never got to use more than 15% of the class potential. Especifically the part that includes thinking and meditating.

[krossbow]

Which is why he cross classed into barbarian; and what a great barbarian he makes!
________
Magic Flight Launch Box (http://vaporizers.net/portable-vaporizers)

[Lemmingboy]

He probably killed it.

[WoDHells]

But that wasn't his animal companion. For one thing, Elan says "You can't just go around hurting the rats." And another, don't animal companions have a similar level to their "masters"?

I was only joking..
:(

But of course, the lack of smilies in the post gives the impression of my talking seriously.. For that, I apologise.
On a side note, you shouldn't take anything I say very seriously..
:D

[innk]

I bet that he just forgot he could have one.. maybe on the future some oots member gonna ask him like "Hey belkar, whats your animal companion?" then he gonna say "My what?" =)

[ishi]

I'd bet he doesn't have one, but if it becomes a plot/joke necessity, he might retroactively get one, like V's raven.

[Wrecan]

Given the utter contempt (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0208.html) Belkar holds for creatures that "mooch a few new Hit Dice" off their masters, I don't see Belkar wanting one of his own.

[Mewtarthio]

Given the utter contempt (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0208.html) Belkar holds for creatures that "mooch a few new Hit Dice" off their masters, I don't see Belkar wanting one of his own.

Hit Dice mooching or no, I just can't see Belkar voluntarily giving up the opportunity to own a Giant Crocodile or a Huge Viper loyal only to him (which, unless I'm mistaken, he'll qualify for in about two more levels). It's also possible that he's willingly forgoing the lower-level companions ("Camels? Badgers? Dire Weasels? I don't have time for this!") to get the better ones later on, thinking that losing a companion is like losing a familiar (we've already confirmed that the only thing he knows about his class is the Two-Weapon Fighting tricks).

[Shhalahr Windrider]

What happened to the kitchen that :vaarsuvius: destroyed while finding the use of a doily?
It got destroyed, of course. :smallbiggrin:

[Faoga]

He is going to kill Miko and some way forcing Windstriker to be his AC. Treating it bad as revenge.

[Serpentine]

You know, if V's theory about Belkar's proto-mind is correct, do we really want to consider what would happen if he had a companion?

[Shhalahr Windrider]

That's a very good point.

Very scary, too.

[Deuce]

I'm sticking with my earlier thory (from an old thread on this) that he does have an Animal Companion, but that it has a good Hide skill level. Given Belkar's lousy Spot check, he's just never seen it. For that matter, only Haley really has any chance of seeing it, considering how the rest of the Order does on Spots. As to why his Companion hides all the time, well, can you blame it? :smalleek:

[Wrecan]

That's true. His animal companion may be wherever V's raven goes when people aren't thinking about it. It would be funny if, at comic 500, Durkon innocently asks Belkar... "Where be yer animal friend", to which Belkar says, "Oh, him?" and then an elephant falls on the party.

[Cifer]

Well... in 3.0, you needed a spell to get a companion and we all know about Belkar and spells. In 3.5, you need to meditate. So I'd say what has happened is that during their conversion, the DM thought that since his class has formerly already been able to get an AC, he wouldn't get one for free.

[Silverain]

I think for Belkar's style, an animal companion would be more of a liability than a help.

[Grod_The_Giant]

I think he probably never knew he could get one. Someone will eventually mention this, he will find out he can get a dire wolf or lion o something like that. Remember his enthusiasm for a 'riding dog' in strip 140?


(here's the adress, 'cause I don't know the code these boards use.)
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0140.html

[TheOtherMC]

Ok screw this im going to settle this once and for all:

Once upon a time there was this handy little offical core book called the Player Handbook II. Now this magical tome held a few intersting subjects. One such subject was "Alternate Class Features" for the core classes. It ranged from spontaneous domain casting for clerics (At the cost of spontaneous healing/inflict/.) Now the ranger's handy little alternate feature was the ability at the cost of giving up your animal companion at whatever level you get it (4th or 6th i think) in order to make it that whenever you strike an enemy in meele or with ranged weapons, they become flanked automatically. Now you can't tell me a psychotic, 4ft, screeming midget with a few feet of steel in each hand leaping at your head wouldnt flank you....or at least make you forget about watching out for the rogue next to you, cause, you know youd probably be busy yelling "NO! NO! NOT THE LIVER!!."

GOD! Ive been wanting to say that since this thread started. I actually joined up on the forum for the sole purpose of finally putting this myth to rest :P

-James

[TheOtherMC]

I beleive in the industry they call that an "OH SNAP!"

[Morty]

Except that it makes no sense, since Giant didn't put any non-SRD stuff in OOTS except for one spell, so any class variants from PHBII are outright off.

[TheOtherMC]

Darn! ALMOST!!

Yeah.......but I was hoping noone would pick up on that. I think belkar probably just ate it :smallamused:

[Skippy the Dire]

What has happened is that Belkar was looking for skill points out of the 3.5 upgrade, and completely overloooked the animal companion he could get without a spell. And he likely has no ranks in handle animal.

Somewhere out there is a very angry Dire Wolverine looking for the one demi-human who understands it. Its name is Mangle. And it will drop through the roof of Belkar's prison cell at the perfect time.

[arkwei]

What has happened is that Belkar was looking for skill points out of the 3.5 upgrade, and completely overloooked the animal companion he could get without a spell. And he likely has no ranks in handle animal.

That's right... In Dungeon Crawin' Fools, a bonus strip did say Belkar doesn't have any points in Handle Animal.

[Erathia]

What has happened is that Belkar was looking for skill points out of the 3.5 upgrade, and completely overloooked the animal companion he could get without a spell. And he likely has no ranks in handle animal.

As seen in "No Cure for the Paladin Blues"

Perhaps he just has an AQUATIC animal familiar, and since they have yet to have any sea adventures Belkar's animal companion has yet to make an appearance

[Sisqui]

Maybe Belkar can get Mr. Scruffy as an animal companion. Then Mr. Scruffy can try to kill Blackwing while Belkar tries to kill V.......:smallbiggrin:

[Doglord]

Maybe Belkar can get Mr. Scruffy as an animal companion. Then Mr. Scruffy can try to kill Blackwing while Belkar tries to kill V.......:smallbiggrin:

That is an excellent idea!

[happyturtle]

Oh yes! I think Mr Scruffy is the only living creature that Belkar feels affectionate towards (as opposed to the lust/hate model of Belkarism). After all, there was one scene where he dangled yarn for it, which would advance him absolutely nothing towards booty or bloodshed.

[gnownek]

But Belkar has been revealed to either hate or lust everything. So he can't have an animal companion because he would hate it and drive it away or turn the comic somewhat adult in nature.

[Morty]

I think it's preety obvious that V's theory about Belkar's protomind isn't in fact worth a damn.

[the_tick_rules]

or because an animal companion is not a major direct combat aid belkar doesn't care.

[StudlyDuck]

I think it's preety obvious that V's theory about Belkar's protomind isn't in fact worth a damn.
Ah, but you see, that's why they're called theories. It hasn't necessarily proven to be useless. With a few revisions it may become viable again.

[SpartacusThe2nd]

im not sure this rat is Belkar's animal companion.
but im sure he is too stupid or lazy to summon one.