Awakened dog friend (not "animal companion")

[redking]

What classes might be appropriate for an awakened dog?

Has anyone done this or have any cool builds for friendly doggos?

[MaxiDuRaritry]

What classes might be appropriate for an awakened dog?

Has anyone done this or have any cool builds for friendly doggos?What are the dog's stats like, and how many times was awaken Empowered, in addition to being Maximized? What level range are you thinking of, and what sources are allowed?

If it has a high Int score, psion is fantastic, since it's a form of spellcasting that doesn't require any kind of components, including somatic ones, and it is, in its own way, just as useful as spellcasting. I'd suggest going either shaper or telepath. Shaper is so insanely versatile that there is literally no situation in which it is not at least marginally useful, especially with the Linked Power feat to bypass long manifesting times. Telepath, on the other paw, is more indirect, since you often can't directly affect opponents; instead, you go out and hunt down pawns to fight for you.

If the dog's Int score is less than its Wis, perhaps ardent focusing on shaper powers would be better. Or if the dog has high physical stats in addition to a decent Wis, perhaps psychic warrior, although I'd be loath to force a puppy dog to fight in direct physical combat.

If Cha is the highest (and only then by a significant amount), wilder, although that comes in at a distant last, and only then if heavy amounts of ACFs are abused. (Wilder isn't a particularly good class, even if it's still better than most non-casting classes.)

You may consider some dips into totemist and initiating classes to get some at-will stuff to supplement power usage. The totemist's phase cloak, when bound to the shoulders slot, is a fantastic use of resources, augmenting defense, mobility, utility, and even offensive capability, both in and out of battle, and it can be bound as soon as you learn the psionic open chakra power, with enough ML boosts and cost reducers. And healing, teleporting, and hardness-ignoring maneuvers come in handy at the drop of a cat.

[Thurbane]

How about levels in Black Dog, Bloodhound or Halruaan Magehound :smalltongue:

[AnonJr]

My first impulse is to second the various Psionic classes. It does away with a bunch of the odd issues that might ensue.

Recommendations might be better if we knew what sort of role you were trying to fill. Might be interesting to see some sort of Awakened Dog Crusader or Barbarian. :smalltongue:

I wonder if you did a Druid or Ranger with the Wild Shape variant, he could wild shape into an elf or a dwarf or some sort of humanoid for easier interactions outside combat.

[Thurbane]

On a more serious note than my last post: Fangshields Druid sub levels can be useful for acquiring hands.

Swordsage is a solid choice for a melee type with natural weapons.

[SangoProduction]

Depends on the type of dog. (Note: All of the following are Spheres build concepts.)
A modern police K9 would probably be something like a Conscript with a focus on the Wrestling sphere. With potential Brute and Berserker sphere thrown in. Maybe Open Hand to aid in taking the perp to the ground. But I think that's handled with Wrestling.

A lap dog / yapper probably would be something like a Commander. Lots of very annoying shouting that doesn't actually do a whole lot. Maybe Visionary General archetype for Divination sphere, so that it can yap at stuff no one else can see.

And of course a True Pupper would take Eliciter, and go hard on the Mind sphere. Maybe splash some War sphere as well for some subtle as frack magical assistance in battle.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Depends on the type of dog. (Note: All of the following are Spheres build concepts.)
A modern police K9 would probably be something like a Conscript with a focus on the Wrestling sphere. With potential Brute and Berserker sphere thrown in. Maybe Open Hand to aid in taking the perp to the ground. But I think that's handled with Wrestling.

A lap dog / yapper probably would be something like a Commander. Lots of very annoying shouting that doesn't actually do a whole lot. Maybe Visionary General archetype for Divination sphere, so that it can yap at stuff no one else can see.

And of course a True Pupper would take Eliciter, and go hard on the Mind sphere. Maybe splash some War sphere as well for some subtle as frack magical assistance in battle.Well, he could bark and bite stuff, or he could break reality with his mind.

Decisions, decisions...

[Particle_Man]

Maybe a class with an aura? Some sort of automatic “man’s best friend” effect?

It also makes me want to develop a feat for the dog:

Wicked Revenge:

Choose one friend of the dog. If anyone kills the dog then the friend immediately gets favoured enemy bonuses as if a ranger of his character level against whoever killed the dog, whoever works for whoever killed the dog, and whoever tries in any way to prevent the friend from finding and killing whoever killed the dog. This will last until the killer of the dog is found and killed or until the friend spends 24 consecutive hours not pursuing the killer of the dog. If the person is already a ranger then these bonuses overlap (do not stack) with regular ranger bonuses but the character gets permanent haste until the killer of the dog is found and killed or until the friend spends 24 hours not pursuing the killer of the dog.

[AnonJr]

Maybe a class with an aura? Some sort of automatic “man’s best friend” effect?

Heh... kinda like the idea of a dog taking Dragon Shaman, suddenly letting loose with a breath weapon. :smallamused:

Or maybe just a warlock letting loose some Eldrich Blasts?

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Or maybe just a warlock letting loose some Eldritch Blasts?Not sure how a dog is going to use somatic components, if I'm being honest.

[Gruftzwerg]

May base class suggestions would be either Dragonfire Adapt or Urban Druid. Both can get access to form changing abilities to turn into humanoids (DFA @ lvl6 at-will; UD @ lvl 5 urban shape X/day) . Imho both fitting options, be it from a mechanical aspect or from a fluff point of view.

As DFA you can pretend be some infernal hellhound. Get access to flying all day and have fun with your breath weapon.

As UD you could pretend to be a street dog and get several (city related) fitting abilities. Get a (riding) dog as animal companion (of the same dog race) to confuse your enemies.

[El Dorado]

The Barking Bard. Verbal component: bark. Somatic: tail wag. Take Eschew materials feat (or ignore spells with material components; bard spell list is pretty robust). Inspire courage could be a howl. And who doesn't want a cure wounds delivered by a puppers?

[Telonius]

For the theme, Paladin works. He's a very good boy. If Knight didn't have quite so many features that were Mounted Combat-specific, that would work too (for the lawful/loyalty angle). Knight's Challenge would be a bark or a growl.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Monk/ardent with Tashalatora and be Ammy (https://okami.fandom.com/wiki/Amaterasu).

[SangoProduction]

Also a Meldshaper class like the Totemist would probably work.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Also a Meldshaper class like the Totemist would probably work.I honestly don't know why anyone would go for anything above a 1-2 level dip in those classes. You can get practically all of their stuff via feats and/or spells, so why bother wasting levels if you don't have to?

[lylsyly]

Straight Druid with Natural Spell

[AnonJr]

Not sure how a dog is going to use somatic components, if I'm being honest.

Have you never seen a truly expressive dog's ears and tail? :smallsmile:

Seriously though, I always forget that part since it's frustratingly not listed under the entry for Eldrich Blast.

[Ramza00]

One interesting idea if you want to do out of the box is to use Pathfinder’s psychic components. Instead of Verbal Components the Good Boy Doggy has to be in the right emotional state to cast a spell, he can not be afraid or enraged or any extreme emotional state to cast the spell. Likewise instead of hand movements as Somatic components the dog has to provide Thought components where the dog visualizes in its own mind’s eye what the dog wants the spell to do and thus concentration checks for the spell are 10 higher, or the dog uses a move action to help focus his concentration.

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/alternative-rule-systems/occult-adventures/psychic-magic/

You can then use a Psychic Magic class, or just be a Wizard or Druid which swap Verbal for Emotion and Somatic for Thought. I feel this makes a whole lot of sense for awakened non anthromorphic animals.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

One interesting idea if you want to do out of the box is to use Pathfinder’s psychic components. Instead of Verbal Components the Good Boy Doggy has to be in the right emotional state to cast a spell, he can not be afraid or enraged or any extreme emotional state to cast the spell. Wait, so you either can't cast in a fight or you have to be some kind of sociopathic psycho? That's...really, really dumb.

[Ramza00]

Not all spells have those thought and emotion components, you have to pay attention to the stat block.

Furthermore there are feats and Metamagic rods to bypass those components just like still and silent spell.

Lastly it is intense emotion so things like fear spell, confusion, rage spell mess you up. You can be afraid as roleplaying but hit by panicked status effect messes up your magic that require an emotion component. This is because to produce magic with emotion component your brain is providing an intense emotional feeling a desire to make the magic happen. Like a dog may think I am a good boy, I am a good boy when doing a trick, and then the magic spell is cast, and if the dog is feeling a 2nd emotion at the same time it messes up your spellcasting.

This is a trade off which is similar but different to a spellcasters casting a spell with somatic aka movement components next to an enemy spellcasters and they take an attack of opportunity against you. Likewise a silence spell, or being a prisoner who is gagged shuts down traditional spellcasting with verbal components. Furthermore psychic magic has no arcane spell failure.

In sum it is a different set of trade offs. It forces the player and the dm not to be in habit thinking and find new ways to challenge the player / npc.


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You are not a psychopath put another way you are a human or doggy who does not move their hands or speak words to cast magic. Instead you are a hyper excitable person who just thinks it via visualisation and emotion generating inside of you to create the effect, but this hyper excitable person may get to excited (like an anxiety disorder) and they do not have the nerves to cast certain types of spells when the threshold occurs and they are past the limit. They need to calm themselves down to feel the required type of emotion to cast a spell such as joy, anger, frustration, generosity and charity, etc.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

But those status effects largely make it impossible to cast spells anyway, meaning the components are pointless. I mean, "These components make it so you can't cast spells when you are under effects that prevent you from casting spells" isn't exactly any more of a restriction than they'd be anyway.

Plus, calm emotions negates them anyway.

Honestly, it all sounds just...dumb.

Just use psionics. So much better.

[Ramza00]

Just use psionics. So much better.

You are not the Original Poster

I was providing the OP options and I am not going to get in a back and forth with you. I love and adore psionics. But I was providing the OP options since that was the purpose of the thread and psionics has been mentioned several times already by you and other people. Thus I brought up psychic magic components for it was additive to this thread. Moving on now.

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With psychic magic components. Other ways to get around emotion status effects are Calm Emotions (2nd level spell), Placebo Effect (2nd level psychic spell) and Surmount Affliction (the almost identical 2nd level divine spell).

It would be homebrew but Whispercast (a 3.5 spell) if adapted would be a 2nd level thoughtcast. Together any of those spells would allow you to bypass strong emotions so you can provide another emotion to any spell requiring an emotion component.

Furthermore Intellect Fortress 1 would be an immediate action 4th level spell to fix the problem if you want to use a swift action instead of a standard.