Need Help wth a PF Gestalt Build

[HereBeMonsters]

Ok so my Girlfriend wants to play a Half-Elf Druid//Ranger but we are a little lost.

Do the Animal Companions stack or what? Does she get two or does it progress at a total of HD or whatever?

She is gonna Wildshape but she likes the idea of using her bow as well.

So what should we do for this build because I have never done a Druid before.

[grarrrg]

Well, given that it's Gestalt there are no official rules on it. So you/your DM would have to decide.

But if one of your classes has a 'restricted choice' list, there is precedent (http://paizo.com/paizo/faq/v5748nruor1fn#v5748eaic9qqn) for allowing multiple Companions.

[HereBeMonsters]

Well I am the DM right now.

I was wondering if it unbalanced her much, with two companions, they would be the exact same and so forth so at level 10 she would have two level ten companions right?

[Mygicmeen]

Well I am the DM right now.

I was wondering if it unbalanced her much, with two companions, they would be the exact same and so forth so at level 10 she would have two level ten companions right?

No.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/gestaltCharacters.htm

Class features that two classes share (such as uncanny dodge) accrue at the rate of the faster class.

So you would get the progression of an animal companion at the rate of a druid. If you are playing pathfinder, your ranger and your druid have different options to avoid this. Though in all honesty, it would probably better for her to go druid fighter. You end up with more feats and such...

[HereBeMonsters]

She likes the idea of the bow though and the Ranger fits her idea better.

I ask because of "If a character receives an animal companion from more than one source, her effective druid levels stack for the purposes of determining the statistics and abilities of the companion."
So her Ranger level stacks for her Druid Companion

But ranger companion says "This ability functions like the druid animal companion ability (which is part of the Nature Bond class feature), except that the ranger's effective druid level is equal to his ranger level –3."

[Mygicmeen]

They are both the same ability though "Animal Companion"...And she can keep the idea of a ranger. She gets the nature stuff from her druid side. A ranger is just a mix of a druid/fighter.

A druid/fighter gesalt wont share spells, or have special abilities they already get. You get the best of both worlds. Plus a full hd animal companion. A fighter shoots bows just as well if not better than a ranger. Ranger will do more damage to some targets, but over all the fighter will do more, more often.

Plus a fighter would let her get heavy armor prof for free, allowing her to wear a "full plate" iron-wood suit.(Which in game can look however you want id say, or have it glamoured at worst. Or when she has enough money, would allow her to wear a dragon skin fullplate set. With the fighter bonuses to armor check pen and max dex, a fighter almost certainly beats a ranger in every area here. Also, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I do not think druids suffer from spell check fail percentages in armor such as this?

If she is dead set on the ranger idea though, have her take the animal companion from the druid class and the share your favored enemies bonus from ranger at level 4.

[HereBeMonsters]

Druids are Divine Casters so do not suffer Arcane Spell Failure ever.

Also we have a Cleric//Paladin and working on a Magus//Fighter already in the party. So Fighter would be to much of the same thing. Her idea is being the ranged fighter and yes Ranger can specialize in a few targets but she hits those better and can work with animals better which is kinda her thing as she is Half Elf.. and we know they are all hippies lol.

[Mygicmeen]

I dont think she can work any better with animal with ranger on top of druid with just druid. How about inquisitor? I think she would than be a better tracker than a ranger, do bonus dmg v more types?

I mean, thematically, a inquisitor that worships a nature deity is really not that much different than a ranger who worships that same deity. She can have her cake and eat it too, is all im saying! Its, d&d. Or a fighter who likes camping you know? I just feel like with so many shared abilities, like animal companion, wild empathy, and most spells? I dunno. But yeah, they have two different abilities, so i recommend the ac from druid and grant favored enemy bonuses to allies from ranger.

[HereBeMonsters]

Druid gets to pick between Domain or Companion, Ranger chooses to grant Favored Enemy Bonus to all alleys within 30 feet for a number of rounds equal to her Wis.. though it has no times per day listing or a Companion.

But for now lets say she does the Companion from Druid and shares her Favored Enemy bonuses (At level 10 she has it for two targets)

So how should she build this thing?

[grarrrg]

Well I am the DM right now.

I was wondering if it unbalanced her much, with two companions, they would be the exact same and so forth so at level 10 she would have two level ten companions right?

As long as you are OK dealing with 1 player have 2 Companions, then it should be fine.
And technically the one would be "level -3" because Rangers don't get 'full' progression companions (although there is an archetype or two that DO get full).


No.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/gestaltCharacters.htm

Class features that two classes share (such as uncanny dodge) accrue at the rate of the faster class.

See the FAQ entry I posted above. There is a fully Non-gestalt way to have 2 companions, so I don't see why it wouldn't work WITH Gestalt.

Basically, if one of your classes has restricted choices, and the other class has a different list of options (or no restrictions), then you can have 2 companions. If both classes have the same list, then you only get 1.

Quick example: a Bear Shaman (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/druid/archetypes/paizo---druid-archetypes/bear-shaman) Druid can only ever have a Bear as a companion.
A Falconer (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/ranger/archetypes/paizo---ranger-archetypes/falconer) Ranger can only ever have a Bird companion.
These _cannot_ stack, and so you get 2 companions.