[3.5] Gear for a Dog

[Thurbane]

So, what gear would you recommend for a Riding Dog Animal Companion?

It's the companion of a level 9 ranger with the Natural Bond feat. It's only current gear is a Collar of Healing.

The player is very attached to the dog, and not wanting to swap it out for a different companion, so any tips on optimising it would be welcomed. I already let her customise it's feats, and assign it the non-elite array for stats.

Cheers - T

[Efrate]

Is it a mount for a small ranger or not? Gear for mounts differs from a combatants gear. An intelligence item for complex instructions is nice. Mouthpick weapons depending on your cheese tolerance are another. Trip isn't going to be huge at that level so strength items aren't huge. Collar of umbral metamorphosis for the dark creature template for a scout. Helm of telepathy with an intelligence item to communicate. Soveign glue some of the horseshoes that give flight to it's feat.

[Thurbane]

Is it a mount for a small ranger or not? Gear for mounts differs from a combatants gear. An intelligence item for complex instructions is nice. Mouthpick weapons depending on your cheese tolerance are another. Trip isn't going to be huge at that level so strength items aren't huge. Collar of umbral metamorphosis for the dark creature template for a scout. Helm of telepathy with an intelligence item to communicate. Soveign glue some of the horseshoes that give flight to it's feat.

Good point - no, not used as a mount (Ranger is Human).

[PhantasyPen]

Magic Armor will become a must if nothing else, the helm of intellect/telepathy would be a good call as well.

[Efrate]

Banner of protection from evil from either HoB or mini handbook, I always forget, more or less free party wide mind blank. Magic barding and a crystal that supports your companions combat style. Custom item of animal growth. Permanent magic fang, or the natural weapons item from savage species. Monk's belt if it has IUS, any ToB item that grants maneuvers, white raven tactics and IHS if you can swing prereqs. Anything you would have on a melee bruiser generally.

[Thurbane]

Good suggestions, keep 'em coming!

Out of interest, what body slots does a dog get?

[DrMotives]

We had an awakened wolf PC in one 3.0 game, it had a gold tooth that allowed it's bite to be enchanted as weapon without the normal mouthpick weapon or amulet of mighty fists.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

How about a phylactery of change (from the A&EG) so his dog can change into a dire wolf 1/day? The change is permanent until released. Maybe get a few of them for multiple uses per day? A banner of protection from evil, from Heroes of Battle, to prevent caster types from charming/dominating/possessing him? That would boost the whole party, since the range is something like 30'. A necklace of natural weapons (not natural attacks -- the one from Savage Species) with the wrathful healing property (Enemies and Allies), and a few extra sources of damage and attacks (speeeeed! also Combat Reflexes and Cleave) to boost the healing?

[flappeercraft]

Good suggestions, keep 'em coming!

Out of interest, what body slots does a dog get?

I believe there was a section for that on MIC, can't check right now, AFB. IIRC it was by the end of the book.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by flappeercraft
I believe there was a section for that on MIC, can't check right now, AFB. IIRC it was by the end of the book.

Not that I'm seeing. The last printed page has a magic item sheet arranged by body slots, but this is for a humanoid character.

Otherwise, the word "dog" shows up a few times, but I'm not seeing anything about specific body slots for nonhumanoids.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

You could add the spellblade property (dispel + greater dispel) to the above necklace of natural weapons and buy a casting of polymorph any object (or a scroll that the party wizard could use), to turn the dog into something more survivable. It's technically still a dog, just under a magical effect, so it would remain the ranger's animal companion. Perhaps it could become a cave troll or a dragon or something. More Int means it can follow more complex instructions, and higher ability scores and much better stats overall means it'll be much more likely to survive.

Is there a way to grant an animal the anthropomorphic template, from MMII?

[Crake]

a +1 barding mithril chain shirt has 0ACP (so no proficiency required) costs a measly 2200gp and grants 5AC, collar of natural attacks +1 for bite is also def worth just to bypass DR/magic and 50% vs incorporeal, for, I believe, 1400gp?

Regarding bodyslots, magic item compendium says that as a default rule, all creatures have all 12 body slots, so a dog can wear a belt, has a body and torso slot, both hands and feet (forelegs = hands), rings can go on it's individual toes (hell hound was used as an example), bracers, shoulders, face, head, and neck. The rule is on page 219 under the size and shape heading.

I'm assuming that collar functions like a belt of healing, so you can just move it over to the waist slot, it doesn't need to take up the neck slot.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

If you get the necklace of natural weapons, you can add other abilities onto it for a +50% surcharge. For instance, if you want to add the phylactery of change to it for 1/day polymorph goodness, just look at which is the most expensive. It's the base. Then add the least expensive for an additional +50% cost. You could probably add a few phylacteries' worth for additional charges, if you want to.

Then feel free to add some chronocharms, from the MIC, for cheap, and a weapon crystal, also from the MIC. Feel free to stack multiple weapon crystal abilities onto a single weapon crystal, the same as above.

[ayvango]

Take the Exalted Companion feat. Now the dog become intelligent and could make his choice to follow oath of poverty. He couldn't use any magic items, but get some nice enhancements for free.