I wanna big bear!! Enlarging animal companions

[Iceheart2112]

So I've been on a Disney hero character kick lately (due to overdose of movies) so I was looking to build a 'Merida and Mom' Hunter. Unfortunately the Bear companion from the druid only gets up to Medium size (where as a wolf or big cat can get up to large). Is there a way to make it large (barring of course Animal Growth, which can't be made permanent)? An item perhaps?

[Arutema]

Are you flexible on class, or set on druid?

A wildblooded sylvan sorcerer gets an animal companion in place of bloodline abilities. That'd give you the sorc spell list, which has enlarge person, and share spells, which lets you target your companion with it regardless of type. You could then permanency it.

[Crazysaneman]

Am I reading this wrong? Under alternative animal companions for druid: at 4th level druids can take black bear (medium). However at 7th level they can take brown bear (large). That would mean you can take a large brown bear as a companion 2 levels before you get animal growth. Also you can get a large polar bear and large dire bear at later levels as well :smallbiggrin:
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/druid.htm#alternativeAnimalCompanions

[Psyren]

I think he wants Hunter, judging by the captialization after 'Merida and Mom.'

@OP: You want the Primal Companion (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/advancedClassGuide/classOptions/hunter.html#primal-companion-hunter-archetype) archetype. This will get your bear 4 evolution points at level 8, enough to buy you a size increase evo for its by-then-Medium-size.


Am I reading this wrong? Under alternative animal companions for druid: at 4th level druids can take black bear (medium). However at 7th level they can take brown bear (large). That would mean you can take a large brown bear as a companion 2 levels before you get animal growth. Also you can get a large polar bear and large dire bear at later levels as well :smallbiggrin:
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/druid.htm#alternativeAnimalCompanions

You missed the Pathfinder tag on the thread. In PF, bear companions start Small and grow to Medium.

[Iceheart2112]

Yup. Hunter is what I'd like to stay with. The primal hunter is nice but is there no way for an always large bear? I figured it would be around 7-8 level so that archetype would do, just kind of a let down

[Serafina]

I don't know of a way to make a medium-sized animal companion Large, but you can turn any animal companion huge with a single-level dip into the Mammoth Rider (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/other-paizo/i-m/mammoth-rider) PrC.
No feat prerequisites, just BAB and some skills (as well as an animal companion), but you'll need GM-permission to apply it to a bear.

[Cyrocloud]

Cast Enlarge person on your self, use the Share Spell ability of Animal companions to apply it to your bear. Then pay a wizard to cast permanency. Getting Enlarge Person from a class that grants animal companion might be tricky depending on the DM. Playing a Divine Hunter with the Growth Domain or Sacred Huntsmaster Inquisitor should result in no argument. Getting a scroll from a Cleric, Sorcerer, Inquisitor, or Oracle that has a animal companion from class features would also probably work, but may be hard to track down. There is also the Mammoth Rider Prestige class (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/other-paizo/i-m/mammoth-rider) too, but that goes straight to Huge.

[Molosse]

Beast Rider Cavalier stipulates that, at level 7, if your Mount would be medium it then becomes Large, then at level 10 jump into Mammoth Rider for an upgrade to Huge. I have no clue if Luring Cavalier combines with Beast Rider but if so you're all sorted for the concept.

[Malacandra]

Cast Enlarge person on your self, use the Share Spell ability of Animal companions to apply it to your bear. Then pay a wizard to cast permanency. Getting Enlarge Person from a class that grants animal companion might be tricky depending on the DM. Playing a Divine Hunter with the Growth Domain or Sacred Huntsmaster Inquisitor should result in no argument. Getting a scroll from a Cleric, Sorcerer, Inquisitor, or Oracle that has a animal companion from class features would also probably work, but may be hard to track down. There is also the Mammoth Rider Prestige class (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/other-paizo/i-m/mammoth-rider) too, but that goes straight to Huge.

Or (as mentioned upthread) dip even one level in Sorcerer (Sylvan) which is a class that grants Animal Companion and hence makes Enlarge Person available for use on your Companion. Also, obligingly, the level(s) in Sorcerer stack with your Druid levels for Companion advancement. In Pathfinder you need a separate casting to affect your animal, but that's easy enough to arrange, and then your hired Permanency-monkey follows up once you've cast the spell.