Help Maxamizing Effective Druid Level for Animal Companion

[samduke]

Okay lets get some of these out of the way
do not worry about the character max level
1st just about any 1st party book or drag mag is open
2nd current class levels are set and can not change, animal companion can not change

okay what I have so far is Class "X" 4 + Druid 13 + Beastmaster 3 (EDL 13+5) Natural Bond feat (EDL 18+3) Totem Druid (Dragon Magazine 335) count as your Druid level +2 (EDL 21+2)

<Companion Desired EDL -6> (EDL 23-6)

so I have EDL 17 what I am looking for is EDL 20 total when all is said and done.

is there any other "Thing" to boost that EDL to 20?

[YellowJohn]

Hey Sam

I'm afraid I have to start by pointing out that your maths is off by one. From Complete Adventurer:



Use the beastmaster’s
class level + 3 to determine the animal companion’s
special abilities.
If a beastmaster already has an animal companion from
another class, her beastmaster class levels stack with
class levels from all other classes that grant an animal
companion. For example, a 5th-level druid/2nd-level
beastmaster would be treated as a 10th-level druid
for the purpose of improving the statistics of her
animal companion

So Beastmaster 3 gives you 6 levels of Animal Companion & your running total is 18.
Can we do better? I'm afraid it very much depends on what class X is.
Dragon Magazine 325 p.62 has the feat Theurgic Bond. If you have a class that grants a familiar and a class that grants an animal companion, you may stack them for one (but not both).
Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that's the only feat or item you've missed.

Definitely run this by your DM. Although a strictly RAW reading of the Animal Companion rules seems to support the Druid Level Adjustment for a better than normal companion being just another adjustment, it came as a surprise to me that it was a viable reading and they might not take kindly to having this sprung on them :smallsmile:

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Three levels in illithid savant. Consume the brain of an ice assassin of a level 30 druid. Gain its animal companion ability.

Done.

[Doctor Despair]

Three levels in illithid savant. Consume the brain of an ice assassin of a level 30 druid. Gain its animal companion ability.

Done.

Is a brain a component for a spell? And is it of negligible cost? It could be in a spell component pouch...

[Quertus]

IIRC, BoVD had costs for *some* body parts… and, yes, they were used as spell components.

[Morty_Jhones]

Three levels in illithid savant. Consume the brain of an ice assassin of a level 30 druid. Gain its animal companion ability.

Done.


theres on minor problem here, Ice assassin spell makes a simulacrum out of ICE, there is no 'Brain' to consume just a block of magic ICE.

Also by the simulacrum rulles any affect that destroies or kill the simulacrum emedatly returns it to its narteral state. In this cas a masive block of ICE, que one masive icecream headake for the illithid.

and finalay as by Ice assassin itsself

If the ice assassin is reduced to 0 hit points by any damage except for fire damage, it explodes into a burst of icy shrapnel in a 20-foot radius that causes 1d6 points of cold damage for every two caster levels you possess; a successful Reflex saving throw halves the damage.

and eating a brain definatly reduces the target to 0 HP.

and since this is a level 9 spell, well your damage has way outstriped any wizard HD, and also to be able to cast this your going to need to be stupidly high level.

[PrismCat21]

okay what I have so far is Class "X" 4 + Druid 13 + Beastmaster 3 (EDL 13+5) Natural Bond feat (EDL 18+3) Totem Druid (Dragon Magazine 335) count as your Druid level +2 (EDL 21+2)

<Companion Desired EDL -6> (EDL 23-6)

so I have EDL 17 what I am looking for is EDL 20 total when all is said and done.

is there any other "Thing" to boost that EDL to 20?

I'm a little confused on the Effective Druid Level you want. Is it 23? 20? or 17?
Regardless, you'll already at Effective Druid Level 25 for your Totem Animal.
Totem Druid + Beastmaster + Natural Bond = 15+6+3 = 25

[MaxiDuRaritry]

theres on minor problem here, Ice assassin spell makes a simulacrum out of ICE, there is no 'Brain' to consume just a block of magic ICE.

Also by the simulacrum rulles any affect that destroies or kill the simulacrum emedatly returns it to its narteral state. In this cas a masive block of ICE, que one masive icecream headake for the illithid.

and finalay as by Ice assassin itsself

If the ice assassin is reduced to 0 hit points by any damage except for fire damage, it explodes into a burst of icy shrapnel in a 20-foot radius that causes 1d6 points of cold damage for every two caster levels you possess; a successful Reflex saving throw halves the damage.

and eating a brain definatly reduces the target to 0 HP.

and since this is a level 9 spell, well your damage has way outstriped any wizard HD, and also to be able to cast this your going to need to be stupidly high level.Could you please spellcheck before posting?

[sleepyphoenixx]

so I have EDL 17 what I am looking for is EDL 20 total when all is said and done.

is there any other "Thing" to boost that EDL to 20?

There's actually no difference between EDL 18 and EDL 20 since animal companions only improve every three druid levels.

Aside from Natural Bond the only feat i know off that raises ac level is Theurgic Bond which adds at least +11-13 EDL if you take it as an Arcane Hierophant, but that option is out if you can't change your classes.

If you're only concerned about strengthening your AC though you could also take a level of Ranger Knight (Dr317) which grants you a special mount and take the feats Devoted Tracker (to combine it with your AC) and Holy Mount (Dr325) which adds your divine caster level to your SM progression.

[Doctor Despair]

Someone else can weigh in here, but would taking a greater bloodline help to raise a character's effective druid level for the purposes of selecting an animal companion or determining its abilities?

Edit:

Include the character's bloodline level when calculating any character ability based on his class levels (such as caster level for spellcasting characters, or save DCs for characters with special abilities whose DCs are based on class level). The character doesn't gain any abilities, spells known, or spells per day from the addition of his bloodline levels, though—only the calculations of his level-based abilities are affected.

If a character has levels in two or more classes in addition to his bloodline levels, each class gains the benefit of adding the bloodline levels when calculating abilities.

For example, a 2nd-level sorcerer with a major bloodline takes a bloodline level when earns enough XP to advance in level. He is treated as a 3rd-level spellcaster for the purpose of spell durations, caster level checks, and so forth. But he doesn't gain a 3rd-level sorcerer's spells per day or spells known.

Similarly, the stunning attacks of a 3rd-level monk with one bloodline level have a save DC equal to 12 (10 + one-half class level) plus her Wisdom modifier, since the bloodline level is treated as if it were a monk class level when calculating the save DC. A 3rd-level monk/3rd-level sorcerer with two bloodline levels would be treated as a 5th-level spellcaster and a 5th-level monk for determining level-based abilities.

So would that mean a level 4 druid with a greater bloodline is counted as a level 7 druid (and therefore eligible to select a tiger as an animal companion)?

If bloodlines do raise the effective druid level, then combining PrCs that stack with druid to determine animal companion level should synergize with them, right? Take Beastmaster for example...



Level
Class
Effective Druid Level


1
Druid
1


1
"Bloodline Level"
2


1
"Bloodline Level"
3


1
"Bloodline Level"
4


2
Druid
5


3
Beastmaster
12 (+1 for Beastmaster, +3 from class ability, +3 from Bloodlines)

[Darg]

Bloodlines would work. And you could add one level of other classes to stack on the benefit. The only issue is that unless you are an epic character you can't benefit from 18+ druid level by RAW. So generally one would try to stack on bonuses such as special mount or familiar benefits.

[samduke]

answers
Class "X" 4 can not count towards Druid, Ranger or AC so it does not matter

Druid 13 Effective Druid Level 13

Totem Druid (Dragon Magazine 335) Effective Druid Level +2

Beastmaster 3 Effective Druid Level +6
Treat the beastmaster as a druid whose level is equal to the beastmaster’s class level + 3
yes my math was off by 1

Natural Bond feat Effective Druid Level +3

<Companion Desired Effective Druid Level -6

so I have EDL 18 yes I said looking for 20 as this character is headed into epic levels I already have epic stuff for the Effective Druid Level but I must be at EDL 20 before the gm will allow EDL specifically into epic levels.

Unfortunately the Theurge Feats or Bloodlines Levels are not allowed, as for the illithid savant and brain sucking -Race is not mind flayer so out of the question

SO any other good ways of finding +2 EDL ?

[Darg]

The only other thing I can think of is taking 1-3 levels ranger (incase you want a 3rd companion) and taking levels in Halfling Outrider, but you are probably not a halfling.

[ExLibrisMortis]

You can give up your Trackless Step, Wild Shape, and Woodland Stride to get +2. Focused Animal ACF, Dragon #347, page 91. If your DM allows Totem Shape to count as Wild Shape for the purpose of that ability (I rule it that way), that stacks with everything you have.

[samduke]

You can give up your Trackless Step, Wild Shape, and Woodland Stride to get +2. Focused Animal ACF, Dragon #347, page 91. If your DM allows Totem Shape to count as Wild Shape for the purpose of that ability (I rule it that way), that stacks with everything you have.

That seems to work as totem shape does shape like wild shape

thanks