Healers glitch, RAW? 3.5 Miniatures class

[Magma Armor0]

Sarcasm aside, I think I found a sentence in the Miniatures Handbook that makes the Healer more powerful than intended:

Healers get their happy unicorn companions at level 8. At level 12, they can swap out their My Little Pony celestial unicorn for an alternative companion, as below:


A healer of sufficiently high level can select her celestial companion
from the following list. Apply the indicated adjustment to the
healer’s level for purposes of determining the companion’s characteristics
and special abilities. For example, if a 14th-level healer takes
a gynosphinx as a companion, the gynosphinx’s special abilities are
determined as if the healer were 10th level instead of 14th (due to
the –4 adjustment). These companions are symbols of healing in
various cultures.

12th Level or Higher (Level –4)
Lammasu
Gynosphinx
Water naga
16th Level or Higher (Level –8)
Androsphinx
Couatl

Pretty straightforward, right? at 12th level, you can pretend to be 8th level and get a Lammasu to run around with you.

Except...what's stopping you from just taking the Couatl? Obviously, RAI, you're not supposed to be able to, but the only thing the rules have to say concerning your selection options is:

(If this adjustment would reduce the healer’s effective level to 0 or lower, she can’t have that creature as a companion.)
At 12th level, 12-8 (for the Couatl) is 4, which is more than 0. So, RAW, can I take a Couatl at 12th level?

[eggynack]

It doesn't work. When you take the couatl, you're a 4th level healer with respect to the companion, except a 4th level healer doesn't get a companion. Also, it says 16th or higher right there. That's a rule, which you would be breaking by skipping up to couatl.

[KillianHawkeye]

Yeah, sorry, but I gotta agree with eggynack.

[prufock]

At 12th level, 12-8 (for the Couatl) is 4, which is more than 0. So, RAW, can I take a Couatl at 12th level?


A healer of sufficiently high level can select her celestial companion
from the following list.(...)

16th Level or Higher (Level –8)
Androsphinx
Couatl

It's right there.

[Magma Armor0]

If their effective level for animal companion purposes is less than 8, they no longer qualify for the animal companion feature, so have nothing to swap out.
Actually, it only says to use the modifier for determining the companion's special abilities (like share spells, evasion, etc.)
And the 16th level header doesn't say what it refers to. It might refer to minimum healer level, but it might also refer to the level of companion itself. The text doesn't say. The only thing it says is that a healer cannot select a companion if its modifier would drop her healer level to less than 0.

[Psyren]

Fourthing eggynack's reading, sorry.

[The Viscount]

It's probably a pasta error from druid.

[eggynack]

It's probably a pasta error from druid.
Not really. You can't even apply the progression table to this couatl. A companion with a healer level like that is just a non-object.

[bekeleven]

Suddenly everyone on the forums is complaining that WotC didn't define the word "the".

Is 5th making everyone antsy or something? I bought the starter recently, I still have to read most of it.