Pathfinder, helping another player

[Vyanie]

My dm has asked if I can help a new player at our table with their character. Talking with them they would like an animal companion type where they can fight side by side. They will be playing a half-orc (player preferance). Sadly I have an aversion to Hunter (powered down druid or bad Bab no style ranger in my view) so it's hard for me to recommend the class as anything more than a dip. We are currently lvl 8 in a kingdom builder campaign where we are in wilderness a lot. Group so far consists of UNrogue, archery fighter, bard that loves to buff the group, a full tank sword and board fighter, and a bloodrager with reach weapon. I had wanted to show the player at least 3 decent options but it's hard because I know my dislike of Hunter is probably doing them a disservice. The best I could come up with was a 3 hunter/5 ranger for access to solid melee and teamwork feats. Could I get some ideas from people better versed than me on this? All pazio books are available as well as path of war feats.

[Jiece18]

How new is the player and is the player set on the Hunter class?

If you want to make 3 different options. You could make one pure Ranger, one pure Druid, and the Hunter/Ranger combo. Explain the differences and see which one he would like the most.

[Coventry]

My dm has asked if I can help a new player at our table with their character. Talking with them they would like an animal companion type where they can fight side by side. They will be playing a half-orc (player preferance). Sadly I have an aversion to Hunter (powered down druid or bad Bab no style ranger in my view) so it's hard for me to recommend the class as anything more than a dip. We are currently lvl 8 in a kingdom builder campaign where we are in wilderness a lot. Group so far consists of UNrogue, archery fighter, bard that loves to buff the group, a full tank sword and board fighter, and a bloodrager with reach weapon. I had wanted to show the player at least 3 decent options but it's hard because I know my dislike of Hunter is probably doing them a disservice. The best I could come up with was a 3 hunter/5 ranger for access to solid melee and teamwork feats. Could I get some ideas from people better versed than me on this? All pazio books are available as well as path of war feats.

Here is a sample build of a pure 8th level half-orc hunter to consider:

Cazador
Half-orc hunter 8 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 26, Ultimate Wilderness 187)
N Medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +13
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Defense
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AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 19 (+7 armor, +1 deflection, +1 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 67 (8d8+24)
Fort +11, Ref +10, Will +7
Defensive Abilities sacred tattoo[APG]
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee +1 keen falchion +13/+6 (2d4+16/15-20) or
. . gauntlet (from armor) +10/+5 (1d3+10) or
. . unarmed strike +10/+5 (1d3+10 nonlethal)
Ranged orc hornbow +7/+2 (2d6+6/×3)
Hunter Spells Known (CL 8th; concentration +10)
. . 3rd (2/day)—hag's seasoning, greater magic fang, strong jaw[APG] (DC 15), summon nature's ally III
. . 2nd (5/day)—barkskin, bear's endurance, cat's grace, lesser restoration, summon nature's ally II
. . 1st (5/day)—cure light wounds, delay poison, entangle (DC 13), keep watch, lead blades[APG], summon nature's ally I
. . 0 (at will)—create water, detect magic, know direction, mending, purify food and drink (DC 12), stabilize
--------------------
Statistics
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Str 22, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 10
Base Atk +6; CMB +10; CMD 24
Feats Combat Expertise, Escape Route[UC], Furious Focus[APG], Lookout[APG], Outflank[APG], Pack Flanking[ACG], Power Attack
Traits fate's favored, reactionary
Skills Acrobatics +5 (+1 to jump), Escape Artist -2, Handle Animal +11, Heal +9, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +5, Knowledge (geography) +5, Knowledge (nature) +5, Perception +13, Ride +1, Sense Motive +3, Spellcraft +5, Stealth +8, Survival +9, Swim +6; Racial Modifiers +2 Intimidate
Languages Common, Draconic, Orc
SQ animal companion (leopard (bodyguard) named Cairo), animal focus (8 minutes/day, double), bonus trick (1), hunter tactics, improved empathic link, nature training, orc blood, shared vigilance, swift tracker, track +4, wild empathy +8, woodland stride
Other Gear +1 chainmail, +1 keen falchion, arrows (20), orc hornbow (+6 Str), amulet of natural armor +1, belt of giant strength +2, cloak of resistance +1, handy haversack, ring of protection +1, 3,594 gp
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Special Abilities
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Animal Companion (animal companion (leopard (bodyguard) named Cairo)) (Ex) If no current companion, summon nature's ally spells last 1 min/level but only 1 at a time.
Animal Companion Link (Ex) Handle or push Animal Companion faster, +4 to checks vs. them.
Bonus Trick (Ex) Animal companion gains an extra trick.
Combat Expertise +/-2 Bonus to AC in exchange for an equal penalty to attack.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Escape Route You do not provoke attacks of opportunity when moving through spaces adjacent to allies
Furious Focus If you are wielding a weapon in two hands, ignore the penalty for your first attack of each turn.
Hunter Tactics (Ex) Animal companion also gains the bonus teamwork feats, but doesn't need to meet pre-reqs.
Improved Empathic Link (1 mile) (Su) As the familiar ability, but as a swift action can see through companion's eyes (but not own).
Lookout Not surprised if adj ally with same feat isn't surprised. Extra actions if both are aware.
Nature Training (Ex) Hunter levels count as druid/ranger levels for feats, traits, and options to improve animal companions.
Orc Blood Half-orcs count as both humans and orcs for any effect related to race.
Outflank Increase flank bonus by +2 if flanking ally has same feat. If you crit, ally gets an AoO.
Pack Flanking If you and comp are adj or share square and threat same target, you're considered flanking.
Power Attack -2/+4 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.
Sacred Tattoo +1 to all saves.
Second Animal Focus (8 minutes/day) (Su) As a swift action, gain bonuses from emulated animal(s). If no companion, +1 slots.
Shared Vigilance (Ex) Gain Alterness feat when adjacent to animal companion.
Swift Tracker (Ex) Tracking penalties when moving at normal speed or faster are reduced.
Track +4 Add the listed bonus to Survival checks made to track.
Wild Empathy +8 (Ex) Improve the attitude of an animal, as if using Diplomacy.
Woodland Stride (Ex) Move through undergrowth at normal speed.


Cazador is built using the elite 25 point buy. He has 3594 gold left to spend on gear, out of the standard wealth by level for an 8th level PC.

Power Attack and Furious Focus are both active in the above stat block for Cazador. Turning off Power Attack increases the Falchion's to hit to be +13/+8 (improves only the second attack, which was +6), but reduces damage dealt down to 2d4+10 from 2d4+16.


Cairo
Male leopard (bodyguard)
N Small animal
Init +10; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +11
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Defense
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AC 26, touch 21, flat-footed 16 (+10 Dex, +5 natural, +1 size)
hp 52 (7d8+14)
Fort +7, Ref +15, Will +3 (+4 morale bonus vs. enchantment effects)
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Offense
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Speed 50 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +14 (1d2+14 nonlethal) or
. . bite +14 (1d4+14), 2 claws +14 (1d2+14)
Special Attacks hunter tricks (4/day; bolster companion, heel, sic 'em, vengeance strike)
--------------------
Statistics
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Str 14, Dex 30, Con 15, Int 4, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +5; CMB +12; CMD 26 (30 vs. trip)
Feats Agile Maneuvers, Combat Reflexes, Escape Route[UC], Lookout[APG], Outflank[APG], Pack Flanking[ACG], Piranha Strike, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +19 (+27 to jump), Linguistics -2, Perception +11, Stealth +14 (+18 in undergrowth); Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth in undergrowth
Languages Common, Orc
SQ animal focus, devotion, shared vigilance, tenacious guardian, woodland stride
Other Gear agile amulet of mighty fists, headband of vast intelligence +2
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Special Abilities
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Agile Maneuvers Use DEX instead of STR for CMB
Combat Reflexes (11 AoO/round) Can make extra attacks of opportunity/rd, and even when flat-footed.
Devotion +4 (Ex) +4 morale bonus on Will saves vs. enchantment effects.
Escape Route You do not provoke attacks of opportunity when moving through spaces adjacent to allies
Hunter Tricks
Lookout Not surprised if adj ally with same feat isn't surprised. Extra actions if both are aware.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.
Outflank Increase flank bonus by +2 if flanking ally has same feat. If you crit, ally gets an AoO.
Pack Flanking If you and comp are adj or share square and threat same target, you're considered flanking.
Piranha Strike -2/+4 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage with light weapons.
Scent (Ex) Detect opponents within 15+ ft. by sense of smell.
Second Animal Focus (Su) As a swift action, gain bonuses from emulated animal(s).
Shared Vigilance (Ex) Gain Alterness feat when adjancent to master.
Tenacious Guardian (Ex) Remain conscious as long as you are adjacent to your master.
Tiger +4 (Su) When assuming this aspect, gain listed enhancement bonus to Dex.
Trip (Ex) You can make a trip attempt on a successful attack.
Woodland Stride (Ex) Move through undergrowth at normal speed.


Piranha Strike is enabled in Cairo's stat block, above. Turning that off will increase all attacks to be +16, at a cost of 4 points of damage. The other buffs (Strong Jaw, Cat's Grace, Barkskin) are not enabled, in those numbers, but should not be forgotten for boss fights.

The perception bonuses from Alertness is not included in either set of numbers, but the two should nearly always be close enough that they will apply.


Cazador and Cairo are intended to fight side-by-side. The teamwork feats "Pack Flanking" and "Outflank" mean that both of them get a +4 bonus to hit on all attacks when they are both fighting the same opponent. Outflank also allows either one to get an extra attack whenever the other one lands a critical hit. On average, Cazador will threaten a critical hit every other round of combat, while Cairo will see one every 7-8 rounds of combat. Finally, they both have "Lookout", so if one of them can act in the surprise round, both of them can.

Stacking the Teamwork feats like this is where the Hunter outshines the Druid.

Cairo remains size small because both to hit and damage are based on dexterity. Going up to Medium increases the damage die, but costs more in the static damage bonus that the Amulet of Mighty Fists (Agile) loses due to the reduction in Dexterity.

I think that the number one weakness is a lack of flight on either of them. The number two weakness is ranged combat - Cazador can contribute, but Cairo cannot. After that, the third weakness is my lack of in game experience playering of the Hunter class; others can probably optimize them far better than I.

Other "Buddy" classes include the Druid (Animal Companion), Spiritualist (Phantom) and Summoner (Eidolon). In some configurations, War Priests at level 10 or higher can summon an outsider battle companion. The Cavalier and Paladin also score a companion that can fight.


I built these using Hero Lab:

Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at http://www.wolflair.com
Pathfinder® and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Inc.®, and are used under license.

[Vyanie]

How new is the player and is the player set on the Hunter class?

If you want to make 3 different options. You could make one pure Ranger, one pure Druid, and the Hunter/Ranger combo. Explain the differences and see which one he would like the most.

new player to our campaign but fairly versed with pathfinder, they normally play casters like wiz or alch (summoners are not allowed). Im only presenting options and they are going to tweak it from there, this is to help speed up the process as they will only be able to work on a character for about an hour before we start the game. Im not sure how to make a companion class good honestly, that's the biggest reason I'm here. While they are not dead set on the hunter class they don't really want to play a full druid, they thought a couple of the teamwork feats would be decent but since I see the hunter as a powered down druid it is difficult for me to even suggest it as I wouldn't know how to build it.

[Andor13]

If PoW feats are allowed, maybe the GM would permit an PoW archetype? There is the Ambush Hunter Ranger (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/ranger/archetypes/dreamscarred-press-ranger-archetypes/ambush-hunter-ranger-archetype) option, if so.

[Vyanie]

thank you coventry that was exactly what i was looking for, just trying to come up with 2 more options for him before the game

[Coventry]

Continuing the thread, here is an example build of a pure 8th level half-orc summoner.


Vokor
Male half-orc summoner 8 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 54)
N Medium humanoid (human, orc)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 120 ft.; Perception +12
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Defense
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AC 19, touch 13, flat-footed 17 (+5 armor, +1 deflection, +2 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 59 (8d8+16)
Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +9
Defensive Abilities sacred tattoo[APG], shield ally
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee +1 greataxe +9/+4 (1d12+4/×3) or
. . unarmed strike +8/+3 (1d3+2 nonlethal)
Ranged +1 light crossbow +9 (1d8+1/19-20)
Special Attacks maker's call 1/day, transposition
Summoner Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th; concentration +11)
. . 6/day—summon monster IV
Summoner Spells Known (CL 8th; concentration +11)
. . 3rd (3/day)—black tentacles, heroism, greater magic fang
. . 2nd (5/day)—alter self, barkskin, lesser evolution surge[APG] (DC 15), glitterdust (DC 16), haste, summon eidolon[APG]
. . 1st (5/day)—enlarge person (DC 14), grease, mage armor, reduce person (DC 14), lesser rejuvenate eidolon[APG]
. . 0 (at will)—detect magic, light, mage hand, mending, message, open/close (DC 13)
--------------------
Statistics
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Str 14, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 10, Cha 16
Base Atk +6; CMB +8; CMD 21
Feats Augment Summoning, Eidolon Mount[UW], Expanded Arcana[APG], Spell Focus (conjuration)
Traits fate's favored, seeker
Skills Handle Animal +13, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7, Knowledge (nature) +7, Knowledge (planes) +14, Knowledge (religion) +7, Linguistics +10, Perception +12, Ride +5, Use Magic Device +14
Languages Abyssal, Auran, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Giant, Ignan, Orc, Terran
SQ bond senses (8 rounds/day), eidolon (named Aliado), life link, orc blood
Other Gear +1 chain shirt, +1 greataxe, +1 light crossbow, crossbow bolts (20), amulet of natural armor +1, cloak of resistance +1, handy haversack, ring of protection +1, ring of sustenance, 11,193 gp
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Special Abilities
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Augment Summoning Summoned creatures have +4 to Strength and Constitution.
Bond Senses (8 rounds/day) (Su) As a standard action, you can share Eidolon's senses while on same plane.
Darkvision (120 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Eidolon Can summon a powerful aspect of an outsider.
Eidolon Mount Your eidolon is capable of serving as a combat-trained mount.
Life Link (Su) Damage that dismisses Eidolon can be taken by you. It weakens if not in 100 ft.
Maker's Call/Transposition (1/day) (Su) Eidolon teleports to an adjacent square or you switch places, as dimension door.
Orc Blood Half-orcs count as both humans and orcs for any effect related to race.
Sacred Tattoo +1 to all saves.
Shield Ally (Ex) +2 AC and save when within eidolon's reach.
Spell Focus (Conjuration) Spells from one school of magic have +1 to their save DC.
Summon Monster IV (6/day) (Sp) Standard action summon lasts minutes, but only 1 active at a time and can't use with eidolon.
Transposition (Su) Use maker's call to swap locations with eidolon.


Vokor is built using the elite 25 point buy. He has 11193 gold left to spend on gear, out of the standard wealth by level for an 8th level PC.

Vokor does not have access to Power Attack, so that is not factored into his offense. What he does have is the Augment Summoning chain, which improves the strength and constitution of any monsters summoned using his six uses of Summon Monster IV each day. That is less useful as it sounds, because that ability cannot be easily used while the Eidolon is out and about. But it is useful because a lot of the power of the summoner class is in the flexibility granted the summon monster spell like ability. The Summon Monster IV list has the Hound Archon, Lion and Elementals. It also allowing pulling 1-3 creatures from the Summon Monster III list (Dretch for stinking clouds, Leopards for combat, Lantern Archons for ranged laser beams), and so on. Using summons as scouts is great, but you should expect to be caught with your pants down eidolon unsummoned at some point. The second level Summon Eidolon spell helps fix that problem.

The choice of Abyssal as an initial language I to allow him to give explicit commands to a summoned dretch. The same logic is the reason for investing in Linguistics to pick up Celestial, Ignan, Auran and Terran. That means the summoner can give explicit orders to every one of the planar summons I just mentioned ... except for water elementals. I do recommend picking up Aquan at some future level increase to fill in that gap.

There is a technique which allows a summoner to temporarily have both the SLA summons and the Eidolon in play. First, use the SLA to summon, then cast the second level Summon Eidolon spell. Doing that uses up a lot of resources, but when you need it, the option is available.



Aliado CR –
Biped
N Large outsider
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +9
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Defense
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AC 24, touch 10, flat-footed 23 (+1 Dex, +14 natural, -1 size)
hp 65 (6d10+32)
Fort +9, Ref +3, Will +5 (+4 morale bonus vs. enchantment effects)
Defensive Abilities evasion
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (average)
Melee bite +12 (1d8+13), bite +12 (1d8+13) or
. . +1 greatsword +13/+8 (3d6+20/19-20) or
. . +1 greatsword +13/+8 (3d6+20/19-20), bite +7 (1d8+8)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
--------------------
Statistics
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Str 29, Dex 13, Con 18, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 11
Base Atk +6; CMB +14; CMD 27
Feats Furious Focus[APG], Martial Weapon Proficiency (greatsword), Power Attack
Skills Fly +8, Perception +9, Sense Motive +9, Stealth +6
Languages Common
SQ devotion
Other Gear +1 greatsword, belt of giant strength +2
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Special Abilities
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Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Devotion +4 (Ex) +4 morale bonus on Will saves vs. enchantment effects.
Eidolon Mount Eidolon is capable of serving as a combat-trained mount.
Evasion (Ex) No damage on successful reflex save.
Fly (30 feet, Average) You can fly!
Furious Focus If you are wielding a weapon in two hands, ignore the penalty for your first attack of each turn.
Power Attack -2/+4 You can subtract from your attack roll to add to your damage.


This is a biped mauler build, size Large. That size can be troublesome when the eidolon does not fit in the corridor, but Vokor has both Enlarge Person and Reduce Person on his spell list; he can use either one on Aliado to resize the eidolon as desired.


Unlike Cazidor and Cairo, Vokor and Aliado have no teamwork feats, so neither the +4 to hit nor the triggered attacks of opportunity from Outflank will occur. However, these two have strong abilities that the others do not.

First, Aliado has 10' natural reach with that greatsword. Second, Vokor's buff spells include Haste, which helps every melee combatant in the party. Third, Aliado can fly. Vokor and Aliado are easier to take out of a fight, though - as anything which incapacitates Vokor causes Aliado to disappear back home.

But the strongest thing is that Vokor has the Eidolon Mount feat, which give him the option of changing Aliado to a flying quadruped shape capable of carrying Vokor. Just don't get knocked out while in the saddle, as that would cause Aliado to disappear; Vokor is in for a big fall and possible death as a result. Aliado would have to fall back to bite/claw/claw in quadruped form (no arms to wield the sword!), so he would really prefer to drop Vokor off on the ground just before or once combat begins.


I probably will not build a druid or ranger pairing, I've run out of time for the weekend.


I also built these using hero lab.

Hero Lab and the Hero Lab logo are Registered Trademarks of LWD Technology, Inc. Free download at http://www.wolflair.com
Pathfinder® and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Inc.®, and are used under license.

[Geddy2112]

Here is a druid oracle build that could be a lot of fun.

Half-Orc Oracle 8, Lunar Mystery, Lich curse
Ability scores(20pt buy,+2 racial in strength 4th and 8th level increases in charisma) 20/7/16/8/7/20
Racial: Shaman's enhancement, darkvision 60, sacred tattoo, orc and common language, 30ft speed.
Traits: Fate's favored, reactionary
BAB 6/1, saves 9/11/8 Initiative 12, HP 63(avg 4.5), AC 21/23(+4 CHA, +4/+6 Armor, +1 natural +2 deflection)
Attacks: Melee- +1 Morningstar +12/+7 1d8+6(9 two handed), Spiked Gauntlet+11/+6, 1d4+5 Ranged-Sling+4/-1, 1d4+4
Skills: Acrobatics 4(3 ranks), Perception 9(8 ranks), Knowledge History/Nature/Planes/Religion 3(1 rank each, FCB) Ride 4(6 ranks) Spellcraft 10(6 ranks) Survival 2(1 rank)
Feats: Scion of War(1), Extra revelation(3), Power attack(5) Improved Initiative (7)
Revelations: Primal Companion, Tiger (1). Prophetic Armor (extra rev 3) Moonlit Script(3) Touch of the Moon (7)

Equipment: Mithral Chain Shirt, Handy haversack, Bell, 10 candles, 10 chalk,charcoal,fishhook,flint&steel,2 oil, Traveler's Any Tool, Ioun Torch, Spell Component Pouch, Compass, Cracked Dusty Rose Prism, Wand of CLW, Ring of Sustenance, +2 Headband of Charisma, +2 belt of Strength, Amulet of Natural Armor +1, Ring of Protection +1, spring load wrist sheath, sleeves of many garments, Cloak of resistance +2, waterskin, 2773gp.

spells per day 8/7/6/4
Spells:
0-Create Water, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Guidance, Light, Mending, Purify Food/Drink, Read Magic
1-Ant Haul, Cure Light Wounds, Deadeye's Lore,Divine Favor,Endure Elements,Fumbletongue(mystery), Inflict Light Wounds(bonus), Protection from Evil
2-Calm Emotions, Cloud of Seasickness(FCB 6), Control Undead(curse),Defending Bone, Dust of Twilight(mystery), Inflict Moderate Wounds(bonus), Hold Person(FCB 7) Silence
3-Dispel magic, Inflict Serious Wounds(bonus), Magic Vestment, Rage(mystery) Stone Shape(FCB 8)
4-Enchantment Foil,Inflict Critical Wounds(Bonus), Moonstruck(mystery)


Tiger(Big cat) Large creature
Ability Scores(+1 int at level 4,+2 STR shaman's enhancement) 25/17/15/3/15/10
Racial:LLV, scent, Rake(1d6), grab, pounce, 40ft speed, knows common
Attacks: Bite+12 (1d8+10) 2 Claws+12 (1d8+7)
HP 49(4.5 avg) AC 19/21(6 natural, -1 size,+4 armor,+2 enhancement magic vestment)
7 hd, 5 BAB 7/8/4 saves
Link, share spells, evasion, devotion(+4 enchant sv) Combat training, track, hunt, break out
Skills: Linguistics -3(1 rank) Perception 8(3 ranks), Stealth 9(3 ranks)
Feats: Improved Natural attack(Claws),Power Attack, Stable Gallop, Tenacious Hunter
Equipment:Mithral chain shirt barding, saddlebags, exotic military saddle, training harness

This build has a lot of options. With a lot of spells per day, you can buff both yourself and your tiger virtually all day(16 hours is the average day with 8 hours downtime, but you can hit 24hrs easily enough with a 3rd cast of hour/level spells). Daily buff magic vestment, enchantment foil, and defending bone on you and the cat. Cast endure elements, ant haul and deadeye's lore as needed. Remember to commune every day to gain valuable insight into situations. You have CLW on your list to dump cures into the party, saving your wand charges as your party could likely use some extra healing power

In combat, divine favor is a good buff for you or the cat, and rage can buff most of your party. Your sling is for emergency ranged attacks, and your gauntlet lets you always count as armed just in case you need to throw a right hook. The morningstar is a backup weapon, but your real melee shines with bad touch inflict spells, which both heal you and can confuse enemies in addition to damage. If needed, you have a lot of support and BFC spells like cloud of seasickness, dust of twilight, hold person, silence and calm emotions. So opening round you are likely going to buff the cat/party and rush in with the pounce, but you can likewise drop off the cat and cast a buff/BFC spell, and send it in alone. 2nd and 3rd rounds you have melee or support options as needed. You should be able to cast on your cat no problem, even when it pounces as you have a +13 to concentration checks, and a +4 from your mount from stable gallop, so even with a DC15+spell for violent motion, you auto pass for 3rd level spells and need a 2 for your 4th level spells. Your cat knows common meaning you don't need most of handle animal's uses, and you have a +9 as is so even if you need to push your wounded cat you should be fine.

[Eldonauran]

There is the option of the Nature Fang Druid. It replaces wildshape and some misc other druid abilities with Slayer Talents and Studied Target. It makes it a more martial combat focused version of a druid, though retains full spellcasting (and gets a DC boost against it's studied target). You still retain the option for a Nature Bond, which includes a Domain or Animal Companion (or both with a certain domain + boon companion). Shapeshifting is still an option via the other blank-form spells, though with much shorter duration (min/level) in stead of hour/level).

Oh, and did I mention that Slayer Talents allow for Ranger Combat Style?

If I were building one, I'd probably pick up the Crocodile domain to a Protector familiar (HP battery) and scaling sneak attack, and spend three feats (Nature Soul, Animal Ally, Boon Companion) in order to get a Companion.