Does Natural Bond work for Urban Companion (ACF)?

[incog64]

Natural Bond and Urban Companion are defined below. Thoughts on whether Natural Bond works with the Urban Companion (ACF)?

Natural Bond: ( Complete Adventurer, p. 111)

[General]: Your bond with your animal companion is exceptionally strong.

Prerequisite: Animal companion

Benefit
Add three to your effective druid level for the purpose of determining the bonus Hit Dice, extra tricks, special abilities, and other bonuses that your animal companion receives (see page 36 of the Player's Handbook). This bonus can never make your effective druid level exceed your character level.

If a character has multiple animal companions, the bonus granted by this feat applies to one of them.


Urban Companion ACF (Cityscape Web Enh)

Replaces: If you select this class feature, you do not gain an animal companion.

Benefit: The character gains the companionship of a smaller but far more intelligent creature than she
otherwise would have. This is identical to the sorcerer's ability to summon a familiar (PH 52), including all
benefits granted and gained by the familiar, except as noted below. Her functional level for determining the
abilities of the companion is equal to her druid level or one-half her ranger level.

[loky1109]

Short answer: no.

[incog64]

Short answer: no.

Thanks. What is the long answer?

[Gruftzwerg]

Thanks. What is the long answer?

(dunno if this counts as long..^^)

1) By using the ACF you never actually have an Animal Companion and thus don't qualify for the feat at all.

2) Even if you somehow still get the feat, it would be dead weight. Since the prerequisite ain't meet it becomes inactive.

3) And even if you should get the feat by some means that lets you ignore the requirements, it still wouldn't work because you have no legal target to apply the buff to.

The feat doesn't work without an Animal Companion. Unless you get the familiar to count back as animal companion somehow, it won't work. And the sole option here would be Arcane Hierophant which dismisses your familiar to give you animal companion that also counts and progresses as familiar. But I somehow have a guts feeling that this ain't the solution for your situation ..^^

[incog64]

(dunno if this counts as long..^^)

1) By using the ACF you never actually have an Animal Companion and thus don't qualify for the feat at all.

2) Even if you somehow still get the feat, it would be dead weight. Since the prerequisite ain't meet it becomes inactive.

3) And even if you should get the feat by some means that lets you ignore the requirements, it still wouldn't work because you have no legal target to apply the buff to.

The feat doesn't work without an Animal Companion. Unless you get the familiar to count back as animal companion somehow, it won't work. And the sole option here would be Arcane Hierophant which dismisses your familiar to give you animal companion that also counts and progresses as familiar. But I somehow have a guts feeling that this ain't the solution for your situation ..^^

Fair enuff. Thanks.