New to druids

[Blue1005]

I am starting a new campaign using only core books, but I did get to use a fleshraker. Being that I am new to this idk how to figure out the companion. The druid will be level 6. Please help me figure out the way to build this awesome helper.

[eggynack]

Well, you basically just have the one feat to work with. Maybe pick up ability focus (poison) (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsterFeats.htm#abilityFocus). Should work relatively well. Pop some armor on the companion, and pick out some combat oriented tricks, and you have yourself a solid animal companion.

[Blue1005]

But still not sure how to figure out bab or saves or any stats. Basically no real clue. I searched online already but none explained how to get and adjust them.

[fishyfishyfishy]

But still not sure how to figure out bab or saves or any stats. Basically no real clue. I searched online already but none explained how to get and adjust them.

That is detailed here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/druid.htm#theDruidsAnimalCompanion). EDIT: Also here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#animalType).

Relevant text below


Bonus HD

Extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal. Remember that extra Hit Dice improve the animal companion’s base attack and base save bonuses. An animal companion’s base attack bonus is the same as that of a druid of a level equal to the animal’s HD. An animal companion has good Fortitude and Reflex saves (treat it as a character whose level equals the animal’s HD). An animal companion gains additional skill points and feats for bonus HD as normal for advancing a monster’s Hit Dice.

All of the information on Druid Animal Companions can be found in the PHB and the Monster Manual. Or on the SRD which I linked above.

[Blue1005]

So bab +2, 6d8 hp, 13 skill points, +2 armor, +1 dex and str,?

What about saves? I can read those and have multiple times, just doesn't seem logical to me

[Chronos]

OK, to start with, Fleshraker says that you can get one as an animal companion at a -3 adjustment to your druid level. So that means that since you're 6th level, it gets the benefits of the companion of a 3rd-level druid. Referring to the druid class (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/druid.htm#theDruidsAnimalCompanion), that means +2 HD, +2 natural armor, +1 strength and dex, 2 bonus tricks, link, share spells, and evasion.

OK, let's take that one step at a time. Fleshrakers start off at 4 HD, so that means that yours is going to have 6 HD. It's an animal (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#animalType), so its HD are d8, its BAB is 3/4 of its HD, it has good Fort and Ref saves, and it has 2+Int skill points per level (which will always be 1, since animals have low Int). It gains a feat at 6 HD, but doesn't yet gain an ability score improvement.

Its Con is 15, so it'll have 2d8+4 (average 13) more HP than a normal fleshraker. At 6 HD, it'll have a BAB of 4, improved over the normal 3. Its base saves will be Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +2, improved over +4/+4/+1. It'll gain two skill points, which you can spend on Hide and/or Jump (the two skills mentioned in its description), or you could spend cross-class on any other skill (probably not worth it). The DC of its poison is also based on HD, so that'll go up by 1.

OK, that's the benefits from the added hit dice. Moving on, its +6 natural armor will turn into +8. Its Str and Dex will be 18 and 20, instead of the normal 17 and 19, so the modifiers for those will both increase by 1. An ordinary fleshraker has Int 2, and so could be trained to learn 6 tricks, but yours can learn 8 (see Handle Animal (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/handleAnimal.htm) for details).

On the overall statistics, it'll gain +2 to all attacks (+1 from BAB and +1 from increased Str), +1 to damage on each of its attacks (from Str), +3 to AC (+2 natural and +1 from increased Dex), +1 to its Fort and Will saves and +2 to Ref (+1 base, +1 from increased Dex), and its Hide and Jump skills will both go up by 1 in addition to whatever you do with the ranks.

The only choices you have to make are those two skill points and the feat. The skill points don't matter much, but are probably better in Jump than in Hide, since it doesn't have Move Silently to go with it, and you don't have either. For the feat, eggynack's suggestion of Ability Focus (Poison) is probably best, or you could maybe go with Multiattack (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsterFeats.htm#multiattack).

[eggynack]

So bab +2, 6d8 hp, 13 skill points, +2 armor, +1 dex and str,?

What about saves? I can read those and have multiple times, just doesn't seem logical to me
Not quite. In terms of HD, the animal companion is a lot like the druid, so, just as the druid's BAB goes up by one point from level 4 to 6, so too does the fleshraker's BAB go up by one from 4 HD to 6 HD, increasing to a total of +4. Similarly, in terms of saves, the fleshraker is just as the druid except with good reflex instead of will. The specifics are a bit irrelevant in this case though, because you just increase every save by one from 4 to 6. Finally, you get two skill points, so probably just slot those into jump or hide.

[Blue1005]

Ok. So
Saving is 7,10,4 adjusted.
Ac 23
Hide 13, jump 27
Bab 4
Claw attack is +8 to attack, and 1d6 plus 4 to damage.
Does a claw only crit on 20? X2?

Bite attack is +2, and damage is 1d6 + 2. Same for tail .
What are crit for them?

Poison dc will be 14 still?
Did I miss anything or mess up?

I think that is right. I have always shied away from level adjustments because the confuse the crop out of me so missed out on lots of fun stuff.

[Eldariel]

The only choices you have to make are those two skill points and the feat. The skill points don't matter much, but are probably better in Jump than in Hide, since it doesn't have Move Silently to go with it, and you don't have either. For the feat, eggynack's suggestion of Ability Focus (Poison) is probably best, or you could maybe go with Multiattack (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsterFeats.htm#multiattack).

I'll also recommend Multiattack. Fleshrakers have 4 attacks two of which are secondary; getting +3 on half its attacks increases its chances of ripping things to shreds substantially. It also has the Rake, which it actually gets to use most of the time due to Leaping Pounce - Rake should probably benefit, though the listed values are weird. So that's almost 3 attacks that benefit of Multiattack (probably). Rake should probably be +1 to hit/1d6+1 damage. It's possible that the thing used to have 18-19 Strength at some point in development, and they forgot to adjust the Rake-values. Ability Focus: Poison is more than fine too, though.

Also note, as a Druid you'll want Greater Magic Fang (a level 3 spell) cast on it affecting all its weapons. This makes them magical so it can deal with incorporeal enemies, things with DR/Magic and what-not and gives it +1 to 4-5 attacks for both, to hit and damage. Overall a massive benefit.

[eggynack]

Fleshrakers have 4 attacks two of which are secondary.
They ostensibly have four, but the tail and the bite can't be used against the same enemy in the same round, which means that you're stuck with three attacks unless the fleshraker is close to two or more enemies. Plausible with size increasers, but a bit trickier at medium. It cuts down on the utility quite a bit. Also notable is the fact that the bite lacks poison, reducing its utility relative to the other attacks.

[Blue1005]

Edited previous post with what I think are right numbers, do they look right?

[eggynack]

Your numbers seem mostly accurate, though I think you need to up your to-hit on the bite/tail by one. The crits are in fact at 20/x2 unless listed otherwise, and it is not listed otherwise.

[Urpriest]

In general, playing a Druid requires a very detailed knowledge of how to read monster statblocks. See the guide linked in my sig for help on doing so.

[Chronos]

Fleshrakers can't use their bite and tail against the same opponent, but on the other hand, they'll usually be able to use their rake (which also should benefit from multiattack), so it's still effectively four attacks.

And the poison DC will be 15, not 14, due to the increased HD. The save DC for a monster's abilities is 10 + 1/2 HD + relevant ability modifier, and the relevant ability modifier for poison is Con.

[Blue1005]

So a full attack would be claw plus 8, claw plus 3, bite -2?

And damage +4,+2,+1 respectively?

[eggynack]

So a full attack would be claw plus 8, claw plus 3, bite -2?

And damage +4,+2,+1 respectively?
I'm not really sure how you came to that conclusion. The two claws are primary, which means they work off of the same modifiers, and the other attacks are secondary, which means that they all work off of a second set of modifiers. The claws are both at +8, and deal 1d6+4, and the bite and tail are both at +3, and deal 1d6+2.

[Blackhawk748]

So a full attack would be claw plus 8, claw plus 3, bite -2?

And damage +4,+2,+1 respectively?

No, natural attacks only take -5 once, or -2 with multi attack, so it would be +4/+2/+2. This is why natural attacks are awesome.

[ZamielVanWeber]

No, natural attacks only take -5 once, or -2 with multi attack, so it would be +4/+2/+2. This is why natural attacks are awesome.

A eggy said claws are primary together, so +8/+8/+3 after modifiers.

[Blackhawk748]

A eggy said claws are primary together, so +8/+8/+3 after modifiers.

Whoops, i was reading the damages :smalltongue: