BM Ranger: increasing companion stats?

[Oramac]

Pretty much what the title says. Is there a way, without homebrew, to increase the stats of your beast companion?

[quinron]

I've never thought about this before, but as far as I know there's no rule that says you can't put magic items on your companion - if you can have armor, etc. adjusted for your sorcerer wings, you should be able to adjust them for your pets. I'm now very entertained by the idea of a wolf wearing a belt of giant's strength.

[gfishfunk]

By the logic of the poster before me: magic items, also magic spells.

I think anything else needs to be homebrew.

[Oramac]

Hmm. I was thinking more along the lines of an ASI for companions.

But the magic item thing is also a great idea!

[Tanarii]

Don't forget barding. It's an effective way to up AC.

[TundraBuccaneer]

the awaken spell makes it intelligent druids and bard get this spell. The DM could rule that it now can remember when to attack what target also the fact that it now can speak and understand a language means that commands can be more complex. although the DM also might rule that your pet no longer has the spiritual bond you once had.
it also make it that your pet now is able to use magical item that have a vocal activation or need intelligence to be used.

[Fighting_Ferret]

The awaken spell usually removes the animal affected from under a PCs control and turns them into an NPC instead.

[gfishfunk]

Reading the spell, it looks like Awaken would have the potential to remove the animal companion from the PC to an NPC depending on treatment during the first 60 days of awakening.

I would allow it as a DM. I think it goes beyond RAW because RAW does not state what happens with specificity.

[TundraBuccaneer]

It doesn't really state any thing about former bond emotional or spiritual to be broken. Then again the DM might rule that the charm affect removes the magical bond with your pet, or it is to intelligent to become a ranger pet even if there is no such restriction RAW. But that would be a DM rule not by the rules.

If I understand the spell correct it would:
* changes the beast intelligence to 10
* it charms the beast for 30 days to be the ally of the caster , until it is hurt by the caster or its companions.
* and after the 30 days the beast decides if it stays or leaves depending on how it was treated.
so to me if the druid is your ally or if you get a scroll of awaken or something similar your beast would still be your ally even if it is charmed. And after 30day it is still you magically bonded pet only as smart as the average person and capable of speech.

So it all really depends on how strong the magical bond is the the ranger and its beast have.

[Oramac]

Good info on Awaken, but a little tangential.

More specifically, if I have a Panther companion (or any other), is there a way to increase its strength from 14 to 16? Or its Dex/Con/Wis/whatever?