What magic items would you give a hawk animal companion?

[ericp65]

If your druid, ranger, or otherwise outdoorsy character has a hawk as an animal companion, what, if anything, in the way of magical gear would you use to outfit it? Specifically, I'm thinking of a celestial dire hawk, but this could be for just about any avian creature. I was thinking some good items would be a ring of adamantine touch, ring of vengeance, retributive amulet, and vambraces of evil's warding, but something tells me there are other and/or better choices for this. I understand that any such gear would need to be extremely light in weight, and sized appropriately (the vambraces automatically adjust for wearer's size). What can be done here?

Edit: Sorry, I should have specified 3.5e for this, and that all published and WotC Web material is welcome.

[Shloogorgh]

Necklace of Natural Attacks from Savage Species

add weapon enhancements/special abilities just like you would to a magic weapon on your hawk's talons

[CyberThread]

that ring of vengeance seems wasted, I would personally put a ring of blinking on the bird, with some talon items from races of the wild that are used by that flying race, and just use smaller sizes for your own bird.


For the foot space, you know how birds carry messages and stuff around I think whatever a birds ankle would be, make that into some sort of bag of holding, and train the bird to fly over a target, having the bag some sort of word command that dumps the contents in the bag, and do bombing runs with flask of acid or the various other items that go boom ( or just heavy things)

[ericp65]

Looks like great useful stuff, all right :) Something too improve AC would also be grand, and I'll have to look up about weapons that might be fitted to the creature's talons (or just rely on magic weapon or greater magic weapon). Maybe some protection from energy/magic...OK, now I'm getting carried away *L*

Also considering something to enlarge the bird, but that might not be necessary, as it's more for use as a scout than as a combatant.

What sources should I turn to besides Savage Species, MiC, RotW, and DMG? My library is extensive.

[Deophaun]

Ring of Invisibility + Bag of Tricks/Folding Boat/Daern's Instant Fortress

Edit: It would, of course, need a pearl of speech for appropriate command words

[Coidzor]

Looks like great useful stuff, all right :) Something too improve AC would also be grand, and I'll have to look up about weapons that might be fitted to the creature's talons (or just rely on magic weapon or greater magic weapon). Maybe some protection from energy/magic...OK, now I'm getting carried away *L*

Also considering something to enlarge the bird, but that might not be necessary, as it's more for use as a scout than as a combatant.

What sources should I turn to besides Savage Species, MiC, RotW, and DMG? My library is extensive.

Does it get a bite attack? If so, Mouthpick Weapon property from Lords of Madness if you want to give it a weapon.

[ericp65]

Does it get a bite attack? If so, Mouthpick Weapon property from Lords of Madness if you want to give it a weapon.

Bite attack and claw attack, and a smite evil, as well as Sanctify Natural Attack. I was wondering if there was something I could do with its bite attack, so thanks for that!

[Rubik]

I don't think you could get any more apropos than to enchant its feathers as Qaal's feather token (tree)s. It pulls a feather, flies above an enemy, and lets go with a shriek.

The phrase "bird bombs" never hit the mark so hard.

[CyberThread]

Maybe a tree that drops birds?

Can we have a trent with a half fey template?

[Rubik]

Maybe a tree that drops birds?

Can we have a trent with a half fey template?A half-fey named Trent? Sure.

[ericp65]

I don't think you could get any more apropos than to enchant its feathers as Qaal's feather token (tree)s. It pulls a feather, flies above an enemy, and lets go with a shriek.

The phrase "bird bombs" ever hit the mark so hard.

I thought about that item, but the description says it's usable only once.

[Rubik]

I thought about that item, but the description says it's usable only once.The feathers will grow back. Just re-magic them.

[ericp65]

The feathers will grow back. Just re-magic them.

Oh, as in enchant the bird's own feathers, eh? Brilliant!

[lt_murgen]

The best item I ever gave was one that worked with DM fiat. It was a Ring of Shrink Item. The bird would land on a boulder, and the ring would shrink it. He was then trained to fly really really high and then dive at a target. When he released the rock, it turned back into a boulder as soon as it hit a hard surface (e.g. the target).

[Bronk]

You could give your hawk a pair of 'beast claws' from savage species, of the appropriate size, making the hawk's claws strike as a +2 weapon that deals +1d6 damage per claw on top of normal damage. As magic +1 gauntlets, they can also be given weapon enchantments... or perhaps be crafted from interesting materials.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

If you have Exalted Companion for a Celestial version of the creature, you give it Sacred Vow and Vow of Poverty and keep all the items for yourself.

Edit: And get a Dire Eagle from Races of Stone instead of a Dire Hawk, it's only 'level -3' as a companion. (The text in RoS trumps the the table found in PH2 per primary source rules.)

[ericp65]

If you have Exalted Companion for a Celestial version of the creature, you give it Sacred Vow and Vow of Poverty and keep all the items for yourself.

Edit: And get a Dire Eagle from Races of Stone instead of a Dire Hawk, it's only 'level -3' as a companion. (The text in RoS trumps the the table found in PH2 per primary source rules.)

Yes, the celestial dire hawk is an exalted companion, in this case. Unless a character can have more than one animal companion simultaneously, I'll stick with this one until it perishes. The character has an affinity for hawks, anyway.

[ericp65]

The best item I ever gave was one that worked with DM fiat. It was a Ring of Shrink Item. The bird would land on a boulder, and the ring would shrink it. He was then trained to fly really really high and then dive at a target. When he released the rock, it turned back into a boulder as soon as it hit a hard surface (e.g. the target).

I'll see if the effect can be worked into one of the rings...


You could give your hawk a pair of 'beast claws' from savage species, of the appropriate size, making the hawk's claws strike as a +2 weapon that deals +1d6 damage per claw on top of normal damage. As magic +1 gauntlets, they can also be given weapon enchantments... or perhaps be crafted from interesting materials.

The beast claw damage doesn't replace the mundane claw damage, then? Yes, lots of nice things can add onto those beast claws :smallsmile: