Animal Companion

[Almagesto]

A while ago someone asked (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?365873-Pathfinder-Animal-Companion-help&highlight=bear+companion+druid)about animal companions. I understand now that the companion bear is in no way related to the bear found in the bestiary. Furthermore, I realized that polar bears and black bears have been completely scrapped off the Bestiary and are now only found (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/animals/bear)in the PFSRD. That being said, I still have some questions regarding animal companion advancement.

As a DM, I try to make animal companions a very personal thing for every PCs. My druid player is going to find his animal companion in a cave during the start of our next campaign. However, there's no way that bear will suffice the expectations of my overpowered players in the long run. Therefore:


Can I advance that bear past medium size RAW?
Is there any way my druid player can take a grizzly or a dire bear as a companion? Maybe the small bear they found was a grizzly cub?
Does my player need some sort of improved animal companion feat?
Does that feat even exist? Maybe with a penalty like in 3.5 (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Druid%27s_Animal_Companion) where you could just choose your animal companion from the MM and it got bonuses as your Druid level minus some adjustments.



Thanks guys :)

[Iwasforger03]

IF you as the DM wish it to be so, then yes, all of those options are on the table. Maybe it just has the Giant Template, or the Advanced Template. Maybe you could give it a few extra buffs on the side, for the animal companion.

Don't forget though, companions can use magic items too. That's another option to make it stronger.

[RedMage125]

I think the flavor of the cub thing works out well. but I'd make it "young" not cub, since it doesn't take that long to reach 4th level, at which point the bear goes from Small to Medium.

You can still call it a "grizzly", but emphasize that it's still growing. My suggestion to you, is that at a level you deem appropriate power-wise (perhaps 11th or 12th) allow the druid's animal companion to become Large. It does add some significant power to it, however, as creatures have size bonuses to certain abilities (as well as size penalties to hit and AC).

[Urpriest]

I'd probably just use an animal companion that's capable of going to Large instead, and refluffing it as a bear.

[Almagesto]

Don't forget though, companions can use magic items too. That's another option to make it stronger.

Thanks, I totally forgot about that fact. I'll also add some minor buffs


I think the flavor of the cub thing works out well. but I'd make it "young" not cub, since it doesn't take that long to reach 4th level, at which point the bear goes from Small to Medium.

You can still call it a "grizzly", but emphasize that it's still growing. My suggestion to you, is that at a level you deem appropriate power-wise (perhaps 11th or 12th) allow the druid's animal companion to become Large. It does add some significant power to it, however, as creatures have size bonuses to certain abilities (as well as size penalties to hit and AC).

Great, this solves most of my problems. I was thinking changing it to large around level 10 - probably using the grizzly bear from the bestiary with the young template. And then make it a "full" grizzly around level 15 or so. Do you think that's right power-wise?

[Ssalarn]

Thanks, I totally forgot about that fact. I'll also add some minor buffs



Great, this solves most of my problems. I was thinking changing it to large around level 10 - probably using the grizzly bear from the bestiary with the young template. And then make it a "full" grizzly around level 15 or so. Do you think that's right power-wise?

The Beast Rider cavalier archetype has specific rules for taking a creature whose Bestiary size is large and using it as an animal companion, and specifically uses a bear as the example. Their rule is that at 7th level you add the following changes:
Size Large; Ability Scores STR +2, DEX -2, CON +2. Increase the damage of each of the [animal companion]'s natural attacks by one die size.

I'd just add that in and make no other changes. You'd have a cub at 1st, an adolescent at 4th, and a full grown grizzly at 7th. From there, the animal's normal boosts to natural armor, STR/DEX, etc. will actually propel it beyond the power of a true dire bear naturally as the druid's level increases, and the druid himself will have lots of spells to make it even bigger and meaner as appropriate.

[deuxhero]

I'd say Spinosaurus is the most fitting stats block to call a bear (2 claws and a bite, medium and eventually large size, more strength than dexterity) though I don't think the swim speed fits (bears aren't bad swimmers at all, but it's hardly natural enough for them to have a swim speed, especially that good of one). As you're the GM, I'd say scent is a fair trade for the swim speed.