How much control of the animal companion's build does a player have?

[Squark]

So, I've been thinking ahead in case the local gaming group starts a 3.5 campaign. To me, Druid seems like the logical choice. I have a fairly good grasp of the system, so I can handle the extra bookkeeping, and ensure I have options in case a sewage valve breaks above an industrial strength fan. However, one thing I was unsure of was, well, how much control of the animal companion's build does the player have. Now, it's reasonably obvious the player doesn't get to roll stats for the animal companion. I mean, the stock animal companion has 10's and 11's for base stats. If the player gets to assign rolls, you could get... well, a monster. But what about skills and feats? A lot of animals have taken feats like Alertness or endurance, which aren't ideal choices by any means. Would you say it's acceptable for a druid to be able to choose the feats their animal companion has, or are they stuck with the stock feats (obviously, the druid gets to pick feats if the animal gets more from their extra HD, but I'm under the impression it's best to trade up if you can instead)?

[Knaight]

It's not specified in the rules; check with your DM. That said, this sort of thing is way up on my "Things I don't want to bother with that I'm more than willing to have players handle" list, and I suspect this is the predominant opinion.

[SPoilaaja]

You don't roll stats for the animal, you get the stock stats. When you obtain your animal companion, it is the basic variety of it's kind. However, PHB2 has retraining rules, so you can retrain skill points and feats. Just remember you can't retrain bonus feats or skill bonuses. And lastly, even if you couldn't choose what feats the animal would get at levelup, you could retrain the feat to something more of your liking.

[BWR]

The companion is part of your class, so you get to build it by default. Of course, some DMs might step in and say they want to do it all, but really that's no different than saying they want to build your character for you.

[nedz]

By RAW you are supposed to use the Handle Animal (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/handleAnimal.htm) rules.

You do get some free bonus tricks depending upon your level and you can spend some time training it some more tricks, how long this takes depends upon your skill.

Ed:
Handbook (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=1300)

[Chronos]

You start off with the default for that animal, including default ability scores, feats, and skill assignments. As it gains HD, it'll gain further feats, skill points, and ability score increases, and you can choose those. In practice, I would advise restricting yourself to feats which are found on published animals (Power Attack, Cleave, Improved Natural Attack, Improved Multiattack, and Ability Focus are all decent choices), but that's not actually a rule, and you can in principle cheese them out pretty far. But honestly, a druid doesn't really need any help in that department, and some of the really good feat options are likely to get the DMG thrown at you.

[Phelix-Mu]

tl/dr: Find sweetspot between DM does it for you, and you giving the companion WRT and Shocktrooper.

[Curmudgeon]

... (obviously, the druid gets to pick feats if the animal gets more from their extra HD ...
The Druid gets to call a companion. They can also release the companion from service.

That's it: the full extent of what the Druid gets to pick.
EVERYONE IN THE WORLD

It’s your job to portray everyone in the world who isn’t a player character. As specified on page 103 of Dungeon Master's Guide, the rest is obviously up to the DM.

[Kudaku]

Being the animal companion's master, trainer, and constant companion I think it's only fair that you help shape the animal and nurture the talents and characteristics you find desirable. At the very least I think a druid/ranger should have some say in what feats the creature takes as the druid levels up.

That said, as far as I know there's no firm ruling on this other than the (incredibly broad) text Curmudgeon quoted.

Note that in Pathfinder the druid chooses feats for his animal companion, including the level 1 feat. I don't think that's an unreasonable ruling for 3.5.

[lunar2]

when you get the animal companion, it is completely typical for its kind. that would include feats and skills.


that said, you have psychic reformation, dark chaos shuffle, retraining rules, and even rebuilding rules if you want to change its ability scores. so yeah, put some in game effort into it, and you can have your animal companion be whatever you want.

or be a halfling paladin 5/beastmaster 1/halfling outrider 10/legacy champion (or faith scion) 4 with leadership and devoted tracker, and have a goliath barbarian/warhulk cohort as your special mount/animal companion. call yourself master blaster, and run around saying "who runs barter town?"

[nedz]

The Druid gets to call a companion. They can also release the companion from service.

That's it: the full extent of what the Druid gets to pick.

Not quite.

The Druid also gets to pick one or more Bonus Tricks (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/druid.htm#theDruidsAnimalCompanion), plus any further Tricks which they choose to teach their pet.

Handling the animal is covered by the Handle Animal (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/handleAnimal.htm) skill rules. Getting an animal to perform a trick which it knows, e.g. Attack, is a DC 10 Handle Animal check and a Free action for a Druid or Ranger.

[ericgrau]

RAW (and RAI/etc.) I believe Curmudgeon is right. Practically speaking it could go either way and you shouldn't complain if you don't get control. I could see the DM putting it in the player's hands if he doesn't want to bother and it could work out better for both the player and DM. And he could then step in if the player selects something that the animal couldn't reasonably learn.

[nedz]

You choose the Attack bonus trick
You make the skill check (DC 10, shouldn't be hard)
The Animal attacks

Now quite how it attacks is up to the DM.