Exalted Companion Feat interacting with other enhancements

[schreier]

The exalted companion feat allows you to select from a list, or to apply the celestial template to another animal (listed in the player's handbook).

If you are able to select another type (for example - savage empathy/monstrous animal companion from dragon 326) - could I apply the celestial template to one of those creatures?

I am trying to go the route of Arcane Heirophant, and really want a pseudodragon - that's the only way I could figure out how to get it. And I'm curious if the template could be applied, and if it helps at all.

I know it can be applied to a dragon ( http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/celestialCreature.htm) - just curious if the feat can apply the template
Thanks
schreier

[MisterKaws]

Completely dependent on you DM.

[Urpriest]

Completely dependent on you DM.

Suppose he was a DM asking whether to allow this for a player, then. Same question. "Ask your DM" just passes the buck, someone still needs to be able to answer the question.

To actually answer: the feat explicitly says Celestial Animal. If you could apply the Celestial template to any choice of companion, you could also apply it to the new choices of companions you get from the feat (so you could have a Celestial Giant Eagle, etc.), and the feat probably wasn't designed to combo with itself in that way.

[schreier]

Thanks to both of you ... I definitely see your point UrPriest.

The footnote says:
"Apply the celestial creature template to a potential animal companion listed in the Player’s Handbook" which sounds like it is restricted to that list.

The Monstrous Companion feat says:
"The following lists serve the same purpose as those presented in the Alternative Animal Companions section of The Druid's Animal Companion sidebar on page 36 of the Player's Handbook"

That table in turn says:
"ALTERNATIVE ANIMAL COMPANIONS
As explained in the text on page 35, a druid of sufficiently high level can select her animal companion from one of the following lists, applying the indicated adjustment to the druid’s level (in parentheses) for purposes of determining the companion’s characteristics and special abilities."

Then ... on page 35:
"A druid of 4th level or higher may select from alternative lists of animals (see the sidebar)."

You could argue then that the list of possible monstrous companions can serve as the alternative animal companion list, which can serve as the list of animal companions.

I can basically see it either way - I do think that UrPriest is right - since the table in BoED does not say this list serves as the list in the Player's Handbook - it's clear that you can not apply the template to those creatures. The Monstrous Companion seems 50/50 - although I think I'd be inclined to allow - so will ask the DM if I can (it's not that powerful - I am just looking to take Harper Paragon class, and trying to decide if level 4 is worth it)

Thank you both
schreier

[Jowgen]

Looking at it from an argument-building perspective, I'd say things are pretty stacked against you. It specifies magical beast both in the fluff description and the text. In the table, it says celestial animal. All of these are pretty damning to the notion that you can take a Celestial Non-animal.

The one thing you do have going for yourself from a rule-lawyering perspective is that in the clarification for celestial animal, it states "Apply the celestial creature template to a potential animal companion listed in the Player's Handbook". If your DM chooses to prioritize this line over the others, and if you can convincingly argue that your alternate companion source is actually a specific addition to that PHB animal companion table, you should be able to apply celestial creature to that "animal".

Really though, all this does is give you a way to pitch the idea and your DM an excuse to accept it as RAW-legal. It does come down on whether, deep down, your DM feels like letting you have the nice thing.

Edit: Ninja'd by OP? :smalleek:

[schreier]

Heh ... great minds think alike?