Quick questions about druids animal companion

[Dugong]

Hi everyone,

When an animal companion gains bonus HD, do they gain any ability point increases? By which I mean a lvl 4 character can increase a stat by 1 (say, con), does this apply to monsters when they go up 4 HD?

Also can you use handle animal while wildshaped? ie wildshape into a bear and tell your wolf animal companion to attack someone? Will your animal companion recognise you if you wildshaped out of sight?

Finally, is there anything about animal companions I should know? ie common mistakes/misconceptions etc, I've read the druids handbook but there's not much about animal companions.

[Yuki Akuma]

1) When an animal companion gains Hit Dice they gain Hit Dice. Which means they gain everything anyone else would gain for gaining Hit Dice. Skills, feats, ability score increases, etc.

2) Yes, you can use Handle Animal in a different form. As long as you can communicate commands (which is fairly easy). Your animal companion should always recognise you.

[Khedrac]

Actually Animal Companions do NOT gain ability score increases from their bonus hit dice. The Str/Dex adjustments listed for advancing an animal companion are instead of the bonus ability points for hit dice.

Sorry if this is over-emphasized, but when the first responder gets it wrong...

[Yuki Akuma]

Actually Animal Companions do NOT gain ability score increases from their bonus hit dice. The Str/Dex adjustments listed for advancing an animal companion are instead of the bonus ability points for hit dice.

Sorry if this is over-emphasized, but when the first responder gets it wrong...

Please show me where the rules actually say this.

[Shar9]

The Player's Handbook indicates that the Animal Companion is superior to a typical specimen of its kind and that the benefits listed are added to the creature in association to the Druids level. I am unable to see where "It is superior to a normal animal of its kind and has special powers, as described below." (Player's Handbook, p. 36) indicates that the normal HD progression of the creature has been negated.

What reasoning do you provide for the normal progression to be precluded? Is there some errata I am not aware of?

[Gwendol]

There is some support to gaining ability score adjustments at level 4, 8, etc.


An animal companion gains additional skill points and feats for bonus HD as normal for advancing a monster’s Hit Dice.

So, gains are made as normal. Furthermore:


Feat Acquisition and Ability Score Increases
A monster’s total Hit Dice, not its ECL, govern its acquisition of feats and ability score increases.

So, yes, the AC gains an ability score point every for HD gained, in addition to the other strength increases. Note that many monsters increase in size when advancing HD, which also gives ability score bonuses/penalties in addition to the ones from total HD.

[The Trickster]

Here is a webpage from the "Rules of the Game" web article;

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20070206a

Here is the part about HD increases;


The animal companion gains extra Hit Dice as noted in the table on page 36 of the Player's Handbook. The companion gains the full benefit from increased Hit Dice, including increased base attack, base saves, skill points, and feats. The animal companion, however, does not increase in size (any more than you do when adding Hit Dice for your class levels).

This is a bit confusing because, while it does say full benefits from an HD increase, it does not list stat increases with the other benefits, nor does it excluded it (like with the size increase).

Here is another part;


Strength and Dexterity increases.
Add the value shown on the table to the companion's Strength and Dexterity scores. For example, a standard wolf has a Strength score of 13 and a Dexterity score of 15. A wolf animal companion with a 5th-level master has a Strength score of 14 and a Dexterity score of 16.

As with natural armor, this is an outright increase to Strength and Dexterity, not a bonus.

A 5th level Druid gives his pet a +1 STR/DEX bonus, and 2 bonus HD. This would mean that, if the druid pet did get bonus stat points every four levels, why was this not mentioned? Where did the point go?

Also, later in the article, when talking about Multi-attacking;


For example, a wolf animal companion with a 9th-level master has 8 Hit Dice (2 racial Hit Dice and 6 bonus Hit Dice), a base attack bonus of +6, and a Strength score of 16 (base 13 increased by 3).

Again, where did the two stat points go? Do we assume that they went into another stat? Or does this mean that the STR/DEX increases were meant to be a replacement for the stat increases? You can just assume that the writer "put the points" in another stat (INT maybe, for a wolf that understands languages? That would be kinda nifty :smallsmile:). I would think the writer would at least mention the stat increase if it did exist.

I think it is completely up to the DM, and you can make an argument for either side. Personally? I think no stat increase. Druids and their pets are plenty powerful as is, so it is not like they need extra things going their way.

Just my 2 copper. And remember, everything I say is probably wrong. Take it for what you will. :smallcool: