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Flying Elephant
2007-10-05, 01:47 PM
What class abilities would it be fair to switch out for a ranger with the Animal Companion of a druid? Perhaps Favored Enemy or Weapon Style?

Fax Celestis
2007-10-05, 01:53 PM
I'd say drop one Favored Enemy and you should be good, really.

Flying Elephant
2007-10-05, 01:55 PM
The first one, so you gain your first Favored Enemy at level 5 at +1?

Fax Celestis
2007-10-05, 01:56 PM
The first one, so you gain your first Favored Enemy at level 5 at +1?

Yeah, that's what I meant.

JackMage666
2007-10-05, 02:15 PM
Eh, I'd just make it a First Level feat. Then you get animal companion at 1st level instead of 3rd, at the same options as a druid. I always hated the Ranger's animal companion situation anyway.

Person_Man
2007-10-05, 02:21 PM
Natural Bond feat gives you +2 +3 to your Druid level for determining Animal Companion abilities.

I'd also be fine with dropping Favored Enemy at first level to gain animal companion at first level.

EDIT: dyslexicfaser is correct. Natural Bond gives you +3.

dyslexicfaser
2007-10-05, 02:24 PM
Doesn't Improved Animal Companion give you +3?

MeklorIlavator
2007-10-05, 02:25 PM
Would it be okay to just make the ranger's EDL for the companion be -4, instead of the current 1/2? Or might that be too powerful without taking something away?

Starsinger
2007-10-05, 02:51 PM
Wouldn't it be alright to give them full animal companion progression, since my God... if Druids somehow deserve it with all their other goodies, what could it hurt giving it to the Ranger?

Fax Celestis
2007-10-05, 02:53 PM
Wouldn't it be alright to give them full animal companion progression, since my God... if Druids somehow deserve it with all their other goodies, what could it hurt giving it to the Ranger?

Seriously. No problems there.

Draz74
2007-10-05, 03:19 PM
Wouldn't it be alright to give them full animal companion progression, since my God... if Druids somehow deserve it with all their other goodies, what could it hurt giving it to the Ranger?

Or, at the worst, give them a companion as if they were a Druid of level (Ranger Level -3). With a feat they can take at first level to boost them up to full effective Druid level (and get the companion right away).

Fhaolan
2007-10-05, 04:40 PM
I've always thought that the Ranger & Druid Animal Companion abilities should be switched anyway. The Druid getting the down-sized version, and the Ranger getting the full version.

Spiryt
2007-10-05, 05:08 PM
Well, I always thought that Animal Companion should be thrown away.

I wonder what you think about PH II variant? Worth it?

And what would ou say about aditional Favoured enemy instead Animal Companion?

Like that :

1 lev +2 vs Humans
2 lev
3 lev + 4 vs Humans +2 vs Monstrous Humanoid
5 lev + 6 vs Humans + 2 vs others
10 lev ... so on, as normal

Favoured enemy isn't particullary practical, from what I see and hear, si it should be OK.

Thinker
2007-10-05, 05:13 PM
Well, I always thought that Animal Companion should be thrown away.

I wonder what you think about PH II variant? Worth it?

And what would ou say about aditional Favoured enemy instead Animal Companion?

Like that :

1 lev +2 vs Humans
2 lev
3 lev + 4 vs Humans +2 vs Monstrous Humanoid
5 lev + 6 vs Humans + 2 vs others
10 lev ... so on, as normal

Favoured enemy isn't particullary practical, from what I see and hear, si it should be OK.
It is when you can get favored enemy (evil) :smallwink:

Nu
2007-10-05, 05:16 PM
Favored Enemy is just a bad ability, even if you buff it up a lot. An Animal Companion is actually useful if it's just like a druids.

I actually ran a ranger with an animal companion that I got at the 1st level that progressed just like a druid's, and it was very good. I don't think it was overpowered, druids are still extremely powerful even without a companion, compared to a ranger, which is lackluster in comparison...a ranger who loses NOTHING and gets an animal companion at the 1st level with full progression should be balanced.

Spiryt
2007-10-05, 05:20 PM
Well, I'm talking mostly about roleplaying, fluff, or whatchya want to call it. I like favored enemy ability, even if it's not very useful. And I hate animal companion.


It is when you can get favored enemy (evil)
Well, with favored enemy (good) on 5th and (neutral) on 10th it indeed could be good. :smallwink:

Draz74
2007-10-05, 05:20 PM
Favoured enemy isn't particullary practical, from what I see and hear, si it should be OK.

Depends highly on the campaign. Campaigns with recurring thematic foes can make it very useful. (For example, in OotS, if Belkar had Favored Enemy: Undead and Goblinoids, he'd had gotten plenty of benefit from it. Fortunately, he might actually have the goblinoid half of it. Maybe.)

Spiryt
2007-10-05, 05:22 PM
I will keep saying that Belkar has favored enemy (bipedals), and that's it. Not sure about other favored enemies.

Fax Celestis
2007-10-05, 05:23 PM
I will keep saying that Belkar has favored enemy (bipedals), and that's it. Not sure about other favored enemies.

Nah. Favored Enemy (Everyone But Me).

serow
2007-10-05, 10:22 PM
Wouldn't it be alright to give them full animal companion progression, since my God... if Druids somehow deserve it with all their other goodies, what could it hurt giving it to the Ranger?That's what I do in my games.

Gralamin
2007-10-05, 10:52 PM
That's what I do in my games.

As do I, there are no problems from my play experiences, and I doubt that any amount of number crunching could make a Ranger with one broken.

Hawriel
2007-10-06, 02:32 AM
Id just give it a -5 at most to the companion level. Kinda split the difference between the Duid and the ranger companion as is. That way you can still have a critter like a horse or bear. It will not be over powered, well at full level it wont be eather but I tend to think conservative when changing somthing. here is somtning to consider. On another thread about the ranger I pointed out to some one that a paladen's mount can controle all critters of its kind but a ranger's or druid's cant.