Effective Druid Level and Advancing Animal Companion

[mjb141]

Thanks in advance for any help!

So I'm having difficult finding my effective druid level and advancing my animal companion. I am playing a ranger 7/beastmaster 2 in standard 3.5 rules. I also have the natural bond feat. As I understand it, my effective druid level would then be 9: (7/2(ranger)) = 3 + (3*2(beastmaster)) = 6 + 3(natural bond but this can't be advanced beyond overall level) = 9. Is that correct?

Now, my animal companion is pretty integral to my character, and my DMs given me a bit of leeway here, but I'd like to at least calculate his stats as close to RAW as possible. My companion is a battle sheep, and we've used the boar template from MM for the base. Also, he has been trained and has the warbeast template. If I'm reading everything correct, my companion has +7 hit dice (6 from druid level and 1 from warbeast template). Based on that and using the boar template, how would I calculate his stats? I'm still a bit confused about adding HD to animals.

Finally, let's suppose we ignore the natural bond limitation and can advance to class 12. That's +8 HD +1 for warbeast. How would that be calculated?

Thanks!

[ATHATH]

What's eggynack's summoning ritual, again?

[mjb141]

What's eggynack's summoning ritual, again?

Sorry, I'm not quite sure what you're asking here.

[Jowgen]

Sorry, I'm not quite sure what you're asking here.

Eggynack is the resident druid expert, having authored what is widely considered the comprehensive guide to druids. Legend has it that he can be summoned to a thread by speaking certain magic words. I don't recall them either, as the only such ritual I commonly employ pertains to the Lawful Evil overlord that is Red Fel.

[eggynack]

So I'm having difficult finding my effective druid level and advancing my animal companion. I am playing a ranger 7/beastmaster 2 in standard 3.5 rules. I also have the natural bond feat. As I understand it, my effective druid level would then be 9: (7/2(ranger)) = 3 + (3*2(beastmaster)) = 6 + 3(natural bond but this can't be advanced beyond overall level) = 9. Is that correct?
I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that beastmaster offers a +6 from two levels. It's just your normal animal companion level, including a +1 for each level of beastmaster, with a fancy +3 on top for the first level. So that part would be 3+5, for a total of 8. Beastmaster kinda sucks after you pass first level. Not great at first level either, actually, but might be better for a ranger. Anyway, your effective druid level would indeed top out at 9 from natural bond either way.


Now, my animal companion is pretty integral to my character, and my DMs given me a bit of leeway here, but I'd like to at least calculate his stats as close to RAW as possible. My companion is a battle sheep, and we've used the boar template from MM for the base.
This is where it gets kinda interesting. Assuming boar template just means, y'know, boar, that companion features a penalty to effective druid level of -3. So, you start at 8 from ranger+beastmaster, drop to 5 from that penalty, and then it increases to 8 again from natural bond. Natural bond factors in that penalty when considering whether your effective druid level is less than or equal to your actual level.


Also, he has been trained and has the warbeast template. If I'm reading everything correct, my companion has +7 hit dice (6 from druid level and 1 from warbeast template).
So, rather than +7 HD, you'd be in the 8th level druid bracket, meaning a total of +5 HD. Assuming I'm correct about what boar template means. I have no idea what a boar template is if not just the boar creature, and I have even less idea what a battle sheep is.


Based on that and using the boar template, how would I calculate his stats? I'm still a bit confused about adding HD to animals.
It's pretty straightforward. I think you generally assume that NPC's roll average style, and that assumption is baked into the monsters themselves, so you add +4.5+con mod to HP for each HD. You're getting five of those, so 22.5+15=37.5, let's call it 38 cause this is an even HD, getting you to 63 total. That's the straightforward part. The boar also gets a feat for reaching 6 HD, two stat points for passing two multiples of four, and all the other stat bonuses attendant to druid progression and the warbeast template. So, add on +2 strength and dexterity, +4 natural armor bonus to AC, three bonus tricks, and those special abilities from the druid stuff, and all those warbeast things from the warbeast template. Most complicated of those is the con bonus, because that means your con mod gets a +2. So, multiply that by the boar's new HD to determine how much to add on, which is 16, which means 79 HP. Make sure to account for the aforementioned stat changes from HD (which I suppose are determined by the animal itself, which in turn means you and/or the DM), and you is done.


Finally, let's suppose we ignore the natural bond limitation and can advance to class 12. That's +8 HD +1 for warbeast. How would that be calculated?
Same stuff, except now you're passing two more feat thresholds and one stat threshold.


What's eggynack's summoning ritual, again?
Usually just read any 3.5 thread with anything related to druids in the title. Responses vary more in frequency.

[mjb141]

Wow thank you so much for the reply! And I apologize for the terminology - yes boar = boar creature.

So if I'm understanding this all correctly, the new stats would be this:

Str 22 (15 base + 2 druid level + 3 warbeast + 2 I added from stat increase), Dex 12 (10 base +2 druid level), Con 20 (17 base + 3 warbeast), Int 2 (2 base), Wis 15 (13 base + 2 warbeast), Cha 4 (4 base).

So BAB would be (3 base + 5HD) * .75 = 6
AC = (10 + 6 natural + 4 druid bonus+ 1 Dex) = 21
Full Attack = (6 BAB + 6 Str) = +12 melee (1d8+8)

I'm assuming "bonus" HD add to the bore's base of 3. That seems to be what pg 36 of the PHB says.

Do I get an extra attack with a BAB of +6?

Again, I appreciate all the help!

[eggynack]

So if I'm understanding this all correctly, the new stats would be this:

Str 22 (15 base + 2 druid level + 3 warbeast + 2 I added from stat increase), Dex 12 (10 base +2 druid level), Con 20 (17 base + 3 warbeast), Int 2 (2 base), Wis 15 (13 base + 2 warbeast), Cha 4 (4 base).

So BAB would be (3 base + 5HD) * .75 = 6
AC = (10 + 6 natural + 4 druid bonus+ 1 Dex) = 21
Full Attack = (6 BAB + 6 Str) = +12 melee (1d8+8)
Looks mostly correct. Pretty sure you get x1.5 strength mod on the attack though, and the strength mod is a +6, so it'd be 1d8+9.


I'm assuming "bonus" HD add to the bore's base of 3. That seems to be what pg 36 of the PHB says.
Yep. 8 HD total.


Do I get an extra attack with a BAB of +6?
Nah, natural weapons don't get iteratives (there's probably some variety of exception to this somewhere, but I can't recall it if it exists). They operate on the whole primary/secondary paradigm.

[mjb141]

Awesome! Again, I appreciate the help!

[Fouredged Sword]

Technically your battle sheep still has +6/+1 bab. You cannot make that +1 attack with natural weapons, but if he as a bite attack you can equip him with a mouthpick weapon and let him wield something silly like a fullblade or spiked chain or dire flail something. A mouthpick weapon grants proficiency automatically so you can ignore exotic weapon problems.

If he lacks a bite attack you can give him one with a fang mask. Bitchen metal mask with a 7 foot sword gripped in in the metal maw. So metal he is shorn for steel wool.

He can still make all his other natural weapon attacks as secondary attacks.