A new template and idea for Druid animal companion. [3.5 D&D, PEACH]

[Fortuna]

Faithful Friend

Some people form a bond with an animal. Such animals become close friends, sometimes closer than others of their race. For some animals, this bond defines their habits, their lives, and their abilities: these are Faithful Friends indeed.

Game Rule Information

Faithful Friend is an acquired template which may be added to any Animal (hereafter referred to as the "base creature") with an intelligence of 2 which forms a strong bond with another creature 1 to 4 size categories larger than itself (hereafter referred to as the "owner") with an intelligence of 3 or more. This template may be acquired only once.

Size and Type: A faithful friend's type changes according to the table below. The faithful friend gains any of the owner's subtypes which it is eligible for.

Hit Dice: The faithful friend's hit dice size also change according to the table.
{table=head]Owner's Type|Faithful Friend's Type|Faithful Friend's HD

Aberration|Aberration|d6

Animal|As base creature|As base creature

Construct|Construct|d8

Dragon|Dragon|d10

Elemental|Elemental|d6

Fey|Fey|d4

Giant|As base creature|As base creature

Humanoid|As base creature|As base creature

Magical Beast|Magical Beast|d8

Monstrous Humanoid|As base creature|As base creature

Ooze|Aberration|d8

Outsider|Outsider|d6

Plant|Plant|d6

Undead|Undead|d10

Vermin|Vermin|As base creature[/table]

Special Qualities: A faithful friend gains the following special qualities.

Avenge (Ex): When a faithful friend learns of its owner's death, it enters a barbarian rage for 2d4 rounds, during which it attempts to kill its owner's killers. It may use its Follow ability to teleport to any location for this duration.

Hear Cries (Su): A faithful friend is always aware of when its master cries out verbally for aid.

Follow (Sp): 3 times per day, a faithful friend may use greater teleport to its owner's location. It must arrive within 200 feet and line of sight of its owner, and may not use this ability if it fulfills either of those criteria.

He Can't Be Dead (Su): Once in a faithful friend's life, its owner may, as a full-round action, restore life to its body. This restores all ability scores, as well as hit points, to at least one.

Challenge Rating: by the nature of this template, it is impossible to determine a universal challenge rating modifier. In general, this template will not increase challenge rating by more than 2-3 levels.

Alter the following text in the Druid class:

Animal Companion: A druid may start the game having cast animal friendship on an animal. At level 4, if that animal is still alive, it gains the Faithful Friend template, with the druid as its owner. If a druid's animal companion dies, they may acquire a new one by means of animal friendship, but it will not gain the Faithful Friend template until the druid has had it befriended for at least one level and achieved a level of (4+number of animal companions lost).

[Fortuna]

OK, what have I done? 59 views and no replies? What is up with that?

[Debihuman]

How does bonding with a creature make you the owner of said creature?

Debby

[Latronis]

someone has to be master

[Fortuna]

I couldn't think of a better term: I am open to suggestions.

[Debihuman]

The problem is that you have a base creature and the creature it bonds with and then the template it acquires.

You should limit the base creature to Animals since that is in the description of the Template: "Some people form a bond with an animal. Such animals become close friends, sometimes closer than others of their race. For some animals, this bond defines their habits, their lives, and their abilities: these are Faithful Friends indeed." Otherwise, your premise is wrong. Furthermore, you should state that a Familiar cannot become a Faithful Friend.

I really don't see an Animal bonding with an a Construct (except a Construct with the Living subtype), an Elemental, Ooze or Undead.

He Can't Be Dead (Su): Once in a faithful friend's life, its owner may, as a full-round action, restore life to its body. This restores all ability scores, as well as hit points, to at least one.

What is to stop someone from killing his faithful friend after this and then acquiring another one? That means the owner can benefit an infinite number of times from the "He Can't Be Dead" ability of his faithful friends.

This could be abused in game easily. For example, a druid breeding rabbits gains one as Faithful Friend. Rabbits don't live long so the druid doesn't even have to kill it before gaining another. However, if he didn't want to wait to acquire another FF by making sure his little animal friend went into stew-pot.
Not nice I'll admit, but there's no alignment restriction on the owner.

The only requirement for the owner is to have an Intelligence higher than 3. Oozes are mindless and do not qualify.

Debby

[Fortuna]

That limitation is now put in. A Familiar can't be a Faithful Friend anyway: it has at least Int 6, and this template requires Int 2 (not Int 2 or more).

I can see it in special circumstances (Celestial Gelatinous Cube or similar instances of template-stacking), and Undead is not too much of a stretch, given the number of intelligent undead out there.

I'm afraid that I don't understand your last question.

[Debihuman]

I edited my last post so it may make a little more sense now.

Debby