Animal Companion at first level

[Condé]

Hello everyone,

Have seen a lot of handbook, went through lot of classes and ACF and stuff... But I still wonder, because you never know, is there any other class that can have an animal companion at first level beside these:
- Druid (obviously)
- ACF Bard (Trading what makes you a bard to get a AC like a druid)
- ACF Wizard/Sorcerer (Trade your familiar for an AC, like a Ranger)
- Wild Cohort (Feat. Not great since it doesn't specify how to recover your ac if it dies)

And that is only from the top of my head... I might be forgetting something, not sure.

It seems only casters have this option.

Anything else?

[Inevitability]

A giant (Huge or bigger, I think) spellcaster can summon certain familiars much bigger than the norm, which is kind of like having an animal companion. Rules for it appear in the DMG, I believe.

[Crake]

Rangers don't get their AC until level 4, so a sorc/wizard trading out their familiar for an AC would also not get one until level 4, since it's "as ranger"

[Anthrowhale]

Rangers don't get their AC until level 4, so a sorc/wizard trading out their familiar for an AC would also not get one until level 4, since it's "as ranger"

I don't think it says (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#sorcererWizard) "as ranger"?

[Thurbane]

Shaman (OA p.22): note this is the 3.0 version of how animal companion worked, but IMHO the conversion to 3.5 should mean it works the same as Druid.

[Crake]

I don't think it says (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#sorcererWizard) "as ranger"?

Shrug, I was just going by the OP's listing, which says as ranger.

[Condé]

Shrug, I was just going by the OP's listing, which says as ranger.


I don't think it says (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#sorcererWizard) "as ranger"?


Rangers don't get their AC until level 4, so a sorc/wizard trading out their familiar for an AC would also not get one until level 4, since it's "as ranger"

My Bad. It says as a druid BUT progress as a ranger.
Gain: Animal companion (as druid; treat sorcerer or wizard as a druid of half his class level).

[Chronos]

Of course, anyone, of any class, can simply buy/steal/tame a normal, mundane animal. A horse, say, might be tough within WBL, but a pack mule is easily affordable. As you level up and get richer, buy better animals, up to eventually a war elephant or something.

[Inevitability]

Urban druid if you count that as a separate class from druid. Mostly notable for letting you get (arbitrary?) animated objects as companion.

[Particle_Man]

There was a third party book that let you play an animal that gained a human companion, but alas the name escapes me.

[ShurikVch]

Shaman (OA p.22): note this is the 3.0 version of how animal companion worked, but IMHO the conversion to 3.5 should mean it works the same as Druid.
Then how about Water Shugenja?

[Thurbane]

Then how about Water Shugenja?

Well, the relevant difference there - in my opinion - is that while both have access to Animal Friendship as 1st level spells, Shaman has Animal Companion as a listed class feature, while Shugenja does not.

As always, some DM adjudication is required when updating 3.0 material. It's a shame this wasn't touched on in the Dragon Magazine 3.5 update for OA. They updated a small handful of things for Shaman, but nothing about AC.