Ape Animal Companion Question

[Beelzebub1111]

When a druid with an ape companion gets the feats from bonus HD, can it take proficiency feats?

For example: Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Spiked Chain) or Light Armor Profiency?

What about Martial Study?

What about Firearms?

[Yora]

By Raw, yes. I'm not aware of any rule that makes proficiency feats depending on mental stats or creature type.
In d20 modern, you could train a gorilla to fly a fighter jet.

[jpreem]

You mean when the ape gets bonus feats from the hd - not the druid.
Well I would say yes he will - there shouln't be minimum INT requirement to taking feats i guess ( you just have to have a score other than - no score).
Like everything else it should be a DM-s decision - on its own it can get silly sometimes - but an ape trained with a weapon. It would fly by me.

As for martial study - BEWARE.
Kung-fu monkeys

[Ernir]

Sure, why not?

"Remember the limits of its intelligence" is something that tends to come up a lot when animals are mentioned in D&D rules text, but teaching an ape how to hit something with a club doesn't exactly sound implausible...

[hamishspence]

The limits of its manual dexterity might play a part.

Holding a weapon- swinging it accurately- being able to make the most of weight and balance, might not be a problem.

Pulling a bowstring however, might be a shade harder for the ape hand.

Or taking ranks in Forgery, for that matter- writing uses the "precision grip" which ape hands aren't really built for.

[Antonok]

Oh dear gods. I just had an image of a giant octopus with multiweapon fighting wielding gargantuan weapons...

[Yora]

But remember: Ape shall never kill ape!