Animal Compainion feats

[Angelenigma]

Hi, so right now I am playing gestalt 3.5 D&D campaign and my DM reminded me that animal companions can get feats. He has it where we can buy feats for them as well as ourselves but I have no clue what to get mine. The character I am playing is a mounted character and the mount given to me by the class is counted as a Druids animal companion. I just got a new mount so my effective druid level would be 1 for it but I'd like to buy it some feats. It is a cave triceratops and I was looking at leadership feats but didn't know how useful they are or if I should go with something else to help my mount better. If you have any advise please feel free to post, this is my second mounted character and the first one was used in a one shot campaign so I dont have much experience with them.
Thank you to those willing to help!

[Angelenigma]

Anyone willing to help?

[DrBloodbathMC]

Improved Natural Attack, Weapon Focus (pick one), Martial Study, Martial Stance (I'd recommend "Leading the Charge" if you're a mounted person, then your mount will give bonuses to your allies and yourself when it charges.

[Calthropstu]

If your gm is willing to allow pf material, the teamwork feats would be pretty good to pick up as well.

[radthemad4]

Leadership feats are great (so great most games don't allow them :smalltongue: ), but I don't think your cohort can also be your animal companion unless your DM rules otherwise. Wild Cohort (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) is a feat that can give you a quasi animal companion if you want another one.

If your character takes the Natural Bond feat (Complete Adventurer), your effective Druid level for companion advancement goes up by 3 (won't go higher than your HD), making your companion stronger (and potentially giving it more feats). The one you already have that is. This won't work on Wild Cohort unless your DM rules otherwise.

Don't forget to buy barding for your companion.

Anyway, more info would be nice. What's your character's current level and build? What're the other party members like?

You might find the Mount Handbook (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=25.0) handy

[Malroth]

Open Least Chakra (feet), Shape Soulmeld (Airstep Sandals), Air Heritage, Flyby attack

[Erloas]

Well here are the animal companion feats.
https://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/animal-companion-feats/
Also says they can learn any if they get to int 3

[radthemad4]

Open Least Chakra (feet), Shape Soulmeld (Airstep Sandals), Air Heritage, Flyby attackHeh, Jump Good.

Not a feat, but try to cast or umd Cloud Wings (Spell Compendium) onto your animal companion for an additional 30 ft fly speed. Snowshoes adds another 10. If you can't cast spells or don't have umd, maybe a party member could do it.

[Calthropstu]

Well here are the animal companion feats.
https://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/animal-companion-feats/
Also says they can learn any if they get to int 3

It's 3.5, not PF, which was why I suggested asking about pulling in the teamwork feats from pf. I doubt he wants to restrict himself to those when 3.5 doesn't require it.

[Falontani]

Power attack, improved bull rush, improved natural attack gore, shock trooper, knockback, powerful charge.

Your mount charges netting you your attack and either stops or does an overrun. If you stop you want gore, if you overrun give it improved overrun. If you overrun then get yourself a trample attack that deals damage and then activate knockback. They get pushed away and you can charge again next round. Also it will be able to deal a pretty good amount of damage on its own during charge attacks. Finally look into celestial animal companion and vow of poverty...

[Zaq]

Improved Natural Attack, Weapon Focus (pick one), Martial Study, Martial Stance (I'd recommend "Leading the Charge" if you're a mounted person, then your mount will give bonuses to your allies and yourself when it charges.

If Martial Stance is on the table, I see your Leading the Charge and raise you Island of Blades. Automatic flanking is great on an animal companion anyway, and it’s even funnier on a mount.

[Angelenigma]

My character is an ambulance medic (pathfinder, though allowed due to DM approval) and psion, in our group we have a druid/zelot (again pathfinder), factotum/warder, wizard/factotum, psion/warder, and necromancer/dont know
Leadership feats are great (so great most games don't allow them :smalltongue: ), but I don't think your cohort can also be your animal companion unless your DM rules otherwise. Wild Cohort (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) is a feat that can give you a quasi animal companion if you want another one.

If your character takes the Natural Bond feat (Complete Adventurer), your effective Druid level for companion advancement goes up by 3 (won't go higher than your HD), making your companion stronger (and potentially giving it more feats). The one you already have that is. This won't work on Wild Cohort unless your DM rules otherwise.

Don't forget to buy barding for your companion.

Anyway, more info would be nice. What's your character's current level and build? What're the other party members like?

You might find the Mount Handbook (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=25.0) handy

[unseenmage]

There's a link in my sig or extended sig where I collected all the feats that any creature can take.

Hope it helps.

[Nifft]

If Martial Stance is on the table, I see your Leading the Charge and raise you Island of Blades. Automatic flanking is great on an animal companion anyway, and it’s even funnier on a mount.

Put it on some kind of magebred battle-cow.

"Ha ha! How do you like it when Steak flanks YOU!"

[Ramza00]

I am shocked no one mentioned improved unarmed strike to give your animal companion additional attacks based off its bab. Flavor these unarmed strikes as body slams and any type of body movement where the animal company makes contact with the enemy. This in turn opens other feats such as superior unarmed strike (increase the amount of damage your animal companion can do.)

Now if you have the ability to give your triceratops magic items a fanged ring is the IUS and the Improved Natural Attack IUS for the cost of the ring instead of taking a feat.

An optional house rule is similar to the glove of the balanced hand that if you already have IUS then you should get Superior Unarmed Strike as a virtual bonus feat when you wear the ring much like if you have the two weapon fighting feat, you get ITWF if you use the gloves of the balanced hand. (While a person without the feat wears the gloves they gain TWF but not ITWF.)