Question about Natural Bond.

[Max Caysey]

I was trying to figure out if this feat does anything fo druids...

It effectively raises your druid level by 3, but not above character level. Which mean for a druid, that it in ineffective for druids right?

Or does it infact meant that if I chose a later animal which a druid get at level 4, it could reduce the (-3) HD thing of that animal to actually be the same HD as the druid?

[eggynack]

It means the latter. The penalty to druid level for alternative companions directly reduces your effective druid level for the purposes of animal companions.

[Max Caysey]

It means the latter. The penalty to druid level for alternative companions directly reduces your effective druid level for the purposes of animal companions.

Thank you... Thats good to know. For a second there it seemed useless.

[Surpriser]

It also helps if you are a ranger (or some other class that gets slowed companion progression) or multiclass away from druid.

[Coidzor]

Thank you... Thats good to know. For a second there it seemed useless.

Well, it can cover a bit of dipping into other classes. Say, give a Druid 15/Warshaper 5 or Druid 15/Nature's Warrior 5 an Animal Companion with the last tier of druid benefits pre-epic instead of the second to last.

There aren't very many PrCs worth going into for a Druid, though, but there are one or two ones that don't progress Animal Companion which may appeal to certain build directions.

It'd also be potentially worth it for Beastmasters if their secondary and tertiary companions could benefit from Natural Bond.