Intelligent animal companion ... D&D 3.5e

[Evy]

Im starting a d&d 3.5e and one of my players is playing a druid and she wants an intelligent animal companion like theres intelligent items. So my question here is, is there a way or something that would be like the intelligent items for animal comanions. Basically an intelligent animal companion?

[Vizzerdrix]

Giving an animal an int higher than 2 turns it into a magical beast. Meaning it is no longer an animal and cant be a companion. However, the watch spider is already a magical beast and is allowed to be an animal companion. It gets to break that silly rule. If that is a bit too squicky of a buddy pet, I think tressyms are also allowed as animal companions, but Im not 100% on that

[Deophaun]

There's the urban companion (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a) ACF that basically replaces the animal companion with a familiar, and if you're nice you can allow improved familiar to work with it. And familiars are intelligent.

Otherwise, no. An animal companion must be an animal, and animals that gain an intelligence of three or greater cease to be animals and become magical beasts (so, even with urban companion, the druid won't be able to cast animal-specific spells on the familiar).

[Kelb_Panthera]

If they're the goody two shoes type, there's the exalted companion feat in BoED. They get a good aligned magical beast for their animal companion.

[Vizzerdrix]

I wonder if a half daelkyr could pull this off by putting a symbiot on their animal companion?

[Inevitability]

I wonder if a half daelkyr could pull this off by putting a symbiot on their animal companion?

I don't think there are any intelligence-boosting symbionts. I suppose you could put the Hand and Eye of Vecna on it, which would be similar at least in flavor.

[Vizzerdrix]

Not to boost it, to be a host for your sibling/parasite.

[Eldariel]

Well, Arcane Hierophant [Races of the Wild] gets a familiarized version of animal companion (basically, your animal companion gets a familiar's Intelligence and Special Abilities - most relevant being Improved Evasion, Empathic Link & Deliver Touch Spell). If you use some way to qualify losing only minimum levels in Druid (off the top of my head, Focused Specialist Wizard with Precocious Apprentice can qualify with a single level of Wizard; Sorcerer with the Dragonsblood Pool and Sanctum Spell as well), it can be pretty decent as you still get to keep animal companion, Wildshape and Druid casting (all the good stuff).

[ShurikVch]

Monstrous Animal Companion - feat from Dragon #326 - allow to take such companions as Fiendish Raven, Worg, Pegasus, Hell Hound, or Behir (and there are way way more)

[hamishspence]

Giving an animal an int higher than 2 turns it into a magical beast. Meaning it is no longer an animal and cant be a companion.

As written, I'm pretty sure that the Fox's Cunning spell allows you to temporarily increase an animal's Int without changing its type.

Or strapping on a Headband of Intellect could work.

The general rule that no creature of Int 3 or higher can be an animal, may apply more to preventing DMs from increasing the Int of an existing animal through Hit Dice Advancement - not to spell boosts.

And Pathfinder even allows conventional Int increase without type change:

Blog entry on increasing Animal Int (http://paizo.com/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5lc1y)

the Int 2 maximum (described in Pathfinder the same way as in 3.5):

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/rules-for-monsters/creature-types#TOC-Animal

only applying to initial creation.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

As written, I'm pretty sure that the Fox's Cunning spell allows you to temporarily increase an animal's Int without changing its type.

Or strapping on a Headband of Intellect could work.This was going to be my suggestion. Note that any character can understand Common, according to RAW, and speaking it is as easy as applying a pearl of speech, from the MIC.

[hamishspence]

Not every animal has a tongue to place the pearl on for absorption (fish, for example, generally don't, nor do certain Animal Invertebrates - though octopus or squid are sometimes described as having them) - but that's a pretty good way around inability to speak, yes.

It's kind of hilarious that Paizo picked dolphins as their "wrong anatomy for speaking Common" example - given all the news articles about whales mimicking speech.

[Inevitability]

Not every animal has a tongue to place the pearl on for absorption (fish, for example, generally don't, nor do certain Animal Invertebrates - though octopus or squid are sometimes described as having them) - but that's a pretty good way around inability to speak, yes.

One should be able to Polymorph these animals in a tongue-having form, give them a Pearl of Speech, and end the Polymorph, though.

[khadgar567]

One should be able to Polymorph these animals in a tongue-having form, give them a Pearl of Speech, and end the Polymorph, though.
I think it's bit cheesy for my taste

[MaxiDuRaritry]

I think it's bit cheesy for my tasteConsidering the pearl is a face-slot item, it should work with any animal with a face -- so, most of them. You don't even need to polymorph them.

Though talking without a tongue might be an issue...

[RedMage125]

Giving an animal an int higher than 2 turns it into a magical beast. Meaning it is no longer an animal and cant be a companion. However, the watch spider is already a magical beast and is allowed to be an animal companion. It gets to break that silly rule. If that is a bit too squicky of a buddy pet, I think tressyms are also allowed as animal companions, but Im not 100% on that
Can you provide a source for that rules quote? I don't recall that being a thing.


Well, Arcane Hierophant [Races of the Wild] gets a familiarized version of animal companion (basically, your animal companion gets a familiar's Intelligence and Special Abilities - most relevant being Improved Evasion, Empathic Link & Deliver Touch Spell). If you use some way to qualify losing only minimum levels in Druid (off the top of my head, Focused Specialist Wizard with Precocious Apprentice can qualify with a single level of Wizard; Sorcerer with the Dragonsblood Pool and Sanctum Spell as well), it can be pretty decent as you still get to keep animal companion, Wildshape and Druid casting (all the good stuff).
Or you could just go Druid3/Wizard3/Arcane Heirophant.
Take Natural Bond.
Take Pracitced Spellcaster twice.
And pick up Companion Spellbond.

I'm running Age of Worms right now, got one of these as a party member. Has a gorilla whom
he has named Grodd :rollseyes:. At this point, the ape has an INT of 7. And he commissioned a custom magic item for a constant Speak With Animals effect, so it can now talk.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Can you provide a source for that rules quote? I don't recall that being a thingIn the SRD, under the animal type (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#animal):


Traits
An animal possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).

Intelligence score of 1 or 2 (no creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher can be an animal).
Low-light vision.
Alignment: Always neutral.
Treasure: None.
Proficient with its natural weapons only. A noncombative herbivore uses its natural weapons as a secondary attack. Such attacks are made with a -5 penalty on the creature’s attack rolls, and the animal receives only ½ its Strength modifier as a damage adjustment.
Proficient with no armor unless trained for war.
Animals eat, sleep, and breathe.

[hamishspence]

I liked the Pathfinder FAQ blog quotes description of that only applying to initial creation. Lassie could be an Int 3 advanced dog rather than a magical beast, under than system.

[eggynack]

In the SRD, under the animal type (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#animal):
That still doesn't make them a magical beast. In reality, the biggest things that cause people to think that animals with intelligence added become magical beasts are the awaken spell, which simultaneously adds intelligence and does this type switch, and the magical beast entry, which says, "magical beasts are similar to animals but can have Intelligence scores higher than 2." While animals with over two intelligence are definitely impossible, it's not clear what happens when you try to give them that intelligence. Maybe they become typeless, whatever that means, or maybe the points just can't be added without a type switch as part of the process, which would make sense, or maybe they do indeed switch to magical beast automatically, though I don't know what would cause that. If anything in the text anywhere has unambiguously indicated what happens, I am not aware of it.