What feats for a Dire Wolf animal cpmpanion?

[Stephen_E]

My 5th lev halfling Druid PC has a "young Dire Wolf" (Wolf stats) Chocolate (Death by Chocolate) which will become a full Dire Wolf next lev when I take a level in Beastmaster, which with my Natural Bond feat will give my AC advancement as a 6th lev Druid.

So I'm looking at 10HD, 6HD Dire Wolf, +4HD AC advancement.
The campaign may well go all the way to 20th level.
The rest of the party consists of a 2WF Dwarf Fighter, Rogue/Swashbuckler/Wizard (Don't ask), Monk/Sorceror/Enlightened Fist.
Chocolate basically acts as the 2nd Frontline Fighter.

What feats/feats chains do people think would be worth taking?

I've looked at Dodge/Mobility/Elusive Target, but without access to Improved Trip it seems a bit weak.

I also looked at Improved Bull Rush/Power Attack/Shock Trooper, but this depends on how the DM rules on large creatures bullrushing a line of M creatures. Also the Power attack is weak with a single natural weapon, and again the free trips are weak without improved trip.

Kiai Shout and Greater Kiai Shout are interesting but I'm not sure I'll be able to get hold of an item to increase his Charisma by +4 to meet the Charisma 13 prereq.

Improved Natural Weapon is fine for a 2.5 hp increase to damage (1d8 - 2d6) but then that leaves me looking for more indivdual feats, rather than feat chains.

Edit: I'm limited to core and Complete books.

Thanks
Stephen

[Ikkitosen]

Can he take improved grapple despite not having imp unarmed strike? (seems silly if not)

Might be useful for sicking him on wizards and such, since he's big/strong but with poor AC.

[Stephen_E]

Can he take improved grapple despite not having imp unarmed strike? (seems silly if not)

Might be useful for sicking him on wizards and such, since he's big/strong but with poor AC.

I'll ask, but according to the rules, no, you can't take improved Grapple without Improved Unarmed Strike.

I guess I could take Improved Unarmed Strike, which would give me multiple attacks, but at 9th lev he gets a 2nd attack at -5 already. So unarmed Strike would mean unarmed attacks at -0,-5 and Bite attacks at -5,-10, and given that the Bite attacks are the big attacks it doesn't really seem worth it.

Stephen

[kpenguin]

Why do you need improved trip, again? Don't dire wolves get a free trip attempt with every successful bite and a good bonus from their high strength and size?

[Ikkitosen]

Why do you need improved trip, again? Don't dire wolves get a free trip attempt with every successful bite and a good bonus from their high strength and size?

For the free attack and +4 to trip I presume.

If you can (reasonably I think) get Imp Grapple houseruled I'd go with that.

[Stephen_E]

Why do you need improved trip, again? Don't dire wolves get a free trip attempt with every successful bite and a good bonus from their high strength and size?

Technically I don't "need" Improved Trip, but without it gaining additional free trip attacks are much weaker. With Improved Trip after tripping someone you get to make an additional melee attack against your target.

Of course the additional +4 to the Trip attempt is also useful. We are talking an opposed d20 roll here, so a +12 against a Str 10 M creature is less than certain.

Regardless at Int 2 Improved Trip isn't legal. Only Special Mounts and Companion Familiars get access to it. So I only noted the lack of availability makes other feat combos weaker.

Stephen

[kpenguin]

Mmmm... I just had an idea. It doesn't say that you can't trip a prone opponent, so if you had Improved Trip along with a wolf's special attack, you could have an infinite loop of attacks as long as you succeeded on the opposed roll.

[Zincorium]

Mmmm... I just had an idea. It doesn't say that you can't trip a prone opponent, so if you had Improved Trip along with a wolf's special attack, you could have an infinite loop of attacks as long as you succeeded on the opposed roll.

True, but it's in the same realm as healing yourself up to 0 by drowning. AKA wizards has officially advised against it in the FAQ and your DM would have to be legally retarded to let you use it like that.

[Stephen_E]

Mmmm... I just had an idea. It doesn't say that you can't trip a prone opponent, so if you had Improved Trip along with a wolf's special attack, you could have an infinite loop of attacks as long as you succeeded on the opposed roll.

A Trip attack makes you go prone. If you're already prone you can't go prone, therefore you can't be the target of a trip attack.
The FAQ specifically says you can't be tripped while prone.

Stephen

[kpenguin]

Improved Trip plus a wolf's Trip ability would still be useful. You really don't need however.

How about Improved Toughness? It's like having an extra +2 to your Con for the purposes of HP.

Armor Proficiencies might be good if you want to give your wolf some barding. Druids can't wear metal armor, but their animal companions can.

[lord_khaine]

how come you are even picking feats for your animal companion, doesnt dire wolfs have a set of standart feats?

[Stephen_E]

How about Improved Toughness? It's like having an extra +2 to your Con for the purposes of HP.

Armor Proficiencies might be good if you want to give your wolf some barding. Druids can't wear metal armor, but their animal companions can.

I thought about Improved Toughness, but he's already going to have more hps than anyone else, and the party healer (my PC) is mounted on him, so it seems a bit overkill.

The Armour would've been worth it, but my DM allowed me to take them as tricks, so I've trained him to wear Light Barding, which I'm having made for him currently.

Stephen

[kpenguin]

how come you are even picking feats for your animal companion, doesnt dire wolfs have a set of standart feats?

Unless they're racial bonus feats, an individual creature might not have the same feats as others of its kind.

[Stephen_E]

how come you are even picking feats for your animal companion, doesnt dire wolfs have a set of standart feats?

I'm not picking his standard feats. I'm picking the feats he gets from his bonus HD he gets for my effective Druid level.

Thus when my effective Druid level (Druid levels+other class levels that stack+class abilities+feats-alternative companion penalties) is 6 he'll get 4 bonus HD which is another feat.
At 9 effective Druid levels he'll get a 2nd feat of choice.

Stephen

PS. I'd love it if my DM allowed me to choose his basic feats, but I don't see it happening. Waaaay to juicy. Drop Run and Alertness for combat feats.

[Koji]

Bonus HD don't grant feats.

[kpenguin]

Bonus HD don't grant feats.

Uh, yeah, they do.


Bonus HD

Extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal. Remember that extra Hit Dice improve the animal companion’s base attack and base save bonuses. An animal companion’s base attack bonus is the same as that of a druid of a level equal to the animal’s HD. An animal companion has good Fortitude and Reflex saves (treat it as a character whose level equals the animal’s HD). An animal companion gains additional skill points and feats for bonus HD as normal for advancing a monster’s Hit Dice.

[Stephen_E]

Bonus HD don't grant feats.

I've bolded the relevant area.

-----------from SRD
Bonus HD

Extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal. Remember that extra Hit Dice improve the animal companion’s base attack and base save bonuses. An animal companion’s base attack bonus is the same as that of a druid of a level equal to the animal’s HD. An animal companion has good Fortitude and Reflex saves (treat it as a character whose level equals the animal’s HD). An animal companion gains additional skill points and feats for bonus HD as normal for advancing a monster’s Hit Dice.
----------------

Stephen

Damn, simul-ninjad.

[kpenguin]

How about feats that capitalize on AoAs? You get one if you trip someone and they try to stand up.

[Stephen_E]

How about feats that capitalize on AoAs? You get one if you trip someone and they try to stand up.

Hmm, not a bad idea. I'd been thinking that Combat Reflexes weren't worth it because without reach it's so hard to get AoOs. Completely missing the fact that I set up AoOs by tripping.

Admittedly my DM does have a habit of having his prone NPCs just attack from the ground. If you think about it you realise it's often the better option.
(Sometime DMs metagame worse than players)

Stephen

[Benejeseret]

I have a very similar situation and I am thinking of poweratt/impr.sunder/combat brute

Thus, the wolf can attempt a sunder against any light shields etc, and with power attack, druid buffs, etc has a good chance of Sundering Cleave through the shield to also damage the enemy...which he gets to try to trip.

A prone (-4ac) and shieldless (-Nac) target is a target looking for a beatdown.

Further feats if any either impr.natural attack to increase sunder chances or impr. bullrush to charge with Advancing Blows (combat brute) to help powerattack-impr.sunder next round with sundering cleave damage and trip attack.

[Yakk]

IUS
Deflect Arrows
Snatch Arrows

.. what, wolves don't have hands?

[Starbuck_II]

Weapon focus (bite) will increase hit.

Complete Champion:
Ooh, take Air or Protection devotion: Luck bonus to AC to the wolf (air) or the party (protection).
Only once/day for 1 minute though. Unless take it again for another use/day.

Since few things give Luck bonus it will stack.

[Stephen_E]

I have a very similar situation and I am thinking of poweratt/impr.sunder/combat brute

Thus, the wolf can attempt a sunder against any light shields etc, and with power attack, druid buffs, etc has a good chance of Sundering Cleave through the shield to also damage the enemy...which he gets to try to trip.

A prone (-4ac) and shieldless (-Nac) target is a target looking for a beatdown.

Further feats if any either impr.natural attack to increase sunder chances or impr. bullrush to charge with Advancing Blows (combat brute) to help powerattack-impr.sunder next round with sundering cleave damage and trip attack.

If I can convince my DM to allow me to cap my Dire Wolfs teeth with Adamatium I may well go this route. Without the Adamantium I simply don't think it would suceed in working often enough.

I'll try him in an hour.

Stephen