[PF] Animal Companion Help

[Mers15]

I'm starting a Pathfinder campaign at level 9 soon, and I'm going with a Sylvan bloodline sorcerer. I picked up Boon Companion, so my animal companion should be at the level of a 9th level druid. The problem is, I don't know what to pick. I'm fairly squishy (64hp), and I was looking for something to hide behind, so I'm leaning towards a Giant Snapping Turtle, because of the ridiculous natural armor. Is that a good choice? How should I build it?

[CigarPete]

As a 9th level sorcerer, you may not have lots of HP, but you are not 'squishy' you have access to fourth level spells, shortly will have 5ths, so invisibility, mirror image, mage armor, shield and plenty of other spells will cover you enough so that you can't be killed easily or quickly. Take max perception so you are harder to surprise and choose an animal companion who will be most effective in combat. Wolf is nice for the free trip attempt on a successful hit, tiger for pounce and rend. You can also buff your pet with your self-only spells, including mirror image, so his AC becomes less important, but his attacks do not.

Just as a side note, make sure you take ranks in UMD so you can use a wand of Magic Fang or Greater Magic Fang, otherwise your pet will spend all his time raging at minimal DR.

[Mers15]

Yeah that makes sense. I like the rhino too, because Powerful Charge is pretty nice. I'll probably go with the tiger or the rhino. I might go with the turtle just for flavor though, and to avoid treading too much on any melee-oriented toes in the party- has anyone played a turtle companion before? How would I build it? I don't think going for a grab/grapple style would be very effective, but maybe there's a way to make it good?

Yeah I have a decent UMD and I just added a wand with some of my leftover starting cash- thanks

[CigarPete]

The Roc is pretty cool as well, since you are starting at 9th, you can just be flying on his back full time, raining death from above and swooping in for the occasional melee.

Honestly, with the turtle, I would just build him as a front-line fighter type. probably boost Wis/Con with your stat bumps since they are his odd stats and waddle in and go to town on the caster(s) with your grab. Just be aware that with your medium BAB and 16 Str at 9th, you are not going to succeed on many of those grapple checks - CMB will be 9, 10 with Magic Fang. Haste or expeditious retreat is going to be essential in the first round if you want him to be able to get anywhere with that 20ft move (15ft with medium armor barding). I wonder what a breastplate for a turtle would look like?


I have a sylvan blooded sorcerer for PFS, using a wolf. Combine that with Grease, they fall down and he keeps them down with trip attempts on OOC whenever they try to get up.