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Haakon
2007-11-28, 04:02 PM
Can they only take animals, or are magical beasts allowed?

Ryshan Ynrith
2007-11-28, 04:06 PM
Animal Companion (Ex)

A druid may begin play with an animal companion selected from the following list: badger, camel, dire rat, dog, riding dog, eagle, hawk, horse (light or heavy), owl, pony, snake (Small or Medium viper), or wolf. If the campaign takes place wholly or partly in an aquatic environment, the following creatures are also available: porpoise, Medium shark, and squid. This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the druid on her adventures as appropriate for its kind.

All the animals on the alternate list are, in fact, also animals. So no, not without a PrC.

Haakon
2007-11-28, 04:07 PM
I read that, but still wanted to check.

Thanks.

Leon
2007-11-28, 04:24 PM
All the animals on the alternate list are, in fact, also animals. So no, not without a PrC.

Or the Relevent Eberron feat for Factional Druids

GimliFett
2007-11-28, 04:31 PM
Or the Relevent Eberron feat for Factional Druids

Mmmmm. Children of Winter... Giant wasp animal companion... Mmmm...
:drool:
:smallbiggrin:

EDIT: Also from Eberron, if you follow the Beast Totem feats, you can get one of a few specific non-animal or vermin companions, depending on your totem. It's a neat idea, if not handled all that well in execution (I'm not sure they're all balanced against each other).

Sstoopidtallkid
2007-11-28, 05:28 PM
Mmmmm. Children of Winter... Giant wasp animal companion... Mmmm...
:drool:
:smallbiggrin:

EDIT: Also from Eberron, if you follow the Beast Totem feats, you can get one of a few specific non-animal or vermin companions, depending on your totem. It's a neat idea, if not handled all that well in execution (I'm not sure they're all balanced against each other).
It's animal companions. It doesn't matter if they are balanced against each other, as long as they render the fighter superfluous.

Frosty
2007-11-28, 05:45 PM
I'd say that at level 4, the Fleshraker's ability to own nearly everything in its path is damned near magical.

TheLogman
2007-11-28, 06:12 PM
There's an Exalted feat (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Exalted_Companion,all)that allows you to make your animal companion a MAgical Beast as long as it is of the good persuasion. Doesn't even require any other things than being able to have an animal companion, and a high enough level for higher level stuff.

Stephen_E
2007-11-28, 07:33 PM
It's animal companions. It doesn't matter if they are balanced against each other, as long as they render the fighter superfluous.

Sadly this is about 90% true.

It's a pity that the best class Wizards produced for 3.5 was ruined by giving it ALL the goodies ratehr than making the players choose which goodies they wanted.

Thematically/creatively/mechcanically Druids oozes interesting stuff.

The stated Magical Beasts are Cockatrice, Displacer Beast, Krenshar, Basilisk, Digester, Unicorn, Winter Wolf, Chimera, Gorgon, Yrthak.

I suspect you could take others using these as a guideline for level adj.
It takes two feats + the ability to have an animal companion.

If you're not playing Ebberon and your DM (or you if you're the DM) has doubts about balance, you could try offering to give up Wildshaping in return for get access to Magical Beasts, possibly without paying the feats. Given the power of Wildshaping this is a pretty big bribe to the DM. Offered carefully the DM may even allow you to keep the wildshape "charges/day" to power Wildshape feats, but not be able to actually Wildshape. Wildshape feats are interesting but far from overpowered (unlike Divine/Divine Metamagic feats).

Stephen

Haakon
2007-11-28, 07:59 PM
Thanks TheLogman. Actually the creature in question (Giant Eagle) is on that list, so now I have a source for pc to reference if they want to take that creature as their animal companion.