Animal Companion Question

[arkol]

The perfect animal companion depends obviously on many things. Your character, the kind of campaign, your own tates, etc...

But generally speaking, is it better you get a low level animal (say a dog...) and add the druid bonus over it, or get a better animal (dire tiger maybe?) without many bonus?

Tell me what you think, and while you're at it specify your favourite animal to make a companion.

[Fax Celestis]

I like playing Tiny rangers with Small birds and using them as mounts.

[arkol]

As much fun as that may be, it don't apply to the usual races used in most adventures....

But any thoughts on the main question? What is better? better base animal with less druid bonus, or worse base animal with more druid bonus? Or is it completly a casy by case thing which cannot be evaluated in a generalistic view?

[Fax Celestis]

Honestly, the bigger ones tend to be better as they have better abilities to go with those higher base HD. Anything with pounce is usually a good choice (lion, tiger, fleshraker).

[Lizardfolk Lich]

I've always found it best to get the high HD companions, and then if it's not strong enough increase it's HD by 1 with the Druidic Ritual in Masters of The Wild

[tyckspoon]

From a strictly mathematical perspective, which is better is going to depend on what animals you're comparing. There are large differences even among the standard companions at first level- if you start with a wolf and apply all the level-up bonuses, you're going to get a better fighter than if you started with a badger.

In general, I think if you're wanting a combat partner, you should trade up your animal. Try comparing the Wolf (level 1 Companion) to the Dire Wolf (level 7; -6 adjustment.) Those six levels for the Wolf would give it:

4 bonus HD. Just enough to make it equal the Dire Wolf.
+4 Natural Armor: Advantage to the Wolf here; the Dire Wolf doesn't get this, and its normal AC is no better than the Wolf's.
+2 Str, Dex: Wolf's scores are 15, 17. Dire Wolf is 25, 15. Massive advantage to the Dire Wolf.
3 bonus tricks: This may or may not be important to you, depending on things like how many spell slots you're willing to spend casting Speak with Animals.
Special features Evasion and Devotion: Ok, losing these kind of hurts. Evasion is handy, and Devotion helps protect against somebody dominating your weak-minded animal and making it eat your Fighter.

In return, trading up the animal typically gives you a much better base creature- Refer to the base Strength scores of the Wolf and the Dire Wolf- and it's the only way you'll get size increases, since the bonus HD specifically do not count towards advancing size. In the particular case of the Wolf and Dire Wolf, that's important; you probably chose the Wolf for its Trip ability, and the Large, stronger Dire Wolf is much better at that.

[arkol]

The size thing may be an issue but depends on your animal. Most large animal keep teh 5ft reach so they are not gettign extra ttacks (aoo's) from it. Plus the size only matters if you're using special attacks like the mentioned trip and grapples. Then again many animals have either one or the other....

However like you said going with an higher level animal means you lose devotion and evasion, which essencially keep your companiosn alive from spells. And spells ARE deadly in DnD. So yeah the dire wolf deals more damage and whatknot but as soon as someone trows something that needs a will save your guy is probably toast.....

EDIT: also you forgot something. The wolf by gaining HD not only gains feats but increases ability scores every 4HD. Since it starts with 3, and by level druid 7 has another 4 he has 1 ability increase, and another at lvl9. Not much true, but putting in into con for exemple might help get close to the dire version.

[Fax Celestis]

The size thing may be an issue but depends on your animal. Most large animal keep teh 5ft reach so they are not gettign extra ttacks (aoo's) from it. Plus the size only matters if you're using special attacks like the mentioned trip and grapples. Then again many animals have either one or the other....

However like you said going with an higher level animal means you lose devotion and evasion, which essencially keep your companiosn alive from spells. And spells ARE deadly in DnD. So yeah the dire wolf deals more damage and whatknot but as soon as someone trows something that needs a will save your guy is probably toast.....

The spells that are lethal are not the ones that deal damage. Evasion? Not so hot.

[arkol]

True... but mind affecting ones.....

[tyckspoon]

The size thing may be an issue but depends on your animal. Most large animal keep teh 5ft reach so they are not gettign extra ttacks (aoo's) from it. Plus the size only matters if you're using special attacks like the mentioned trip and grapples. Then again many animals have either one or the other....

Pick a Dire Ape instead, if you need the reach. They're even more or less humanoid, so you can hang magic items on it pretty easily.. and see if you can convince your DM to let you use tricks to teach it to use a weapon, although its normal attacks+rend routine is pretty good as-is.

EDIT: also you forgot something. The wolf by gaining HD not only gains feats but increases ability scores every 4HD. Since it starts with 3, and by level druid 7 has another 4 he has 1 ability increase, and another at lvl9. Not much true, but putting in into con for exemple might help get close to the dire version.

The feats are handy, but you still wind up with exactly the same number as the Dire Wolf has. Getting to select the Wolf's feats would be the more useful approach if your DM won't let you reselect the Dire Wolf's set, but that's mostly because the default feats for monsters really truly suck. The Dire Wolf (or even the base Wolf..) would benefit from Power Attack more than Weapon Focus (Bite) or Alertness. An ability score increase would put the Wolf's HP at exactly the same as the Dire Wolf's.

Edit: I picked the Wolf/Dire Wolf for comparison because they are so similar. There's really nothing on the first level list that can compare with a Deinonychus or a Tiger.

[Orzel]

I typically go for a mid ranged animal with some druid levels. Most of the -6 and -9 animals "rock".

[Leon]

Small - Large animals with the "War Beast" Template

[dyslexicfaser]

I personally go in for giant badgers as my animal companions. Nothing says 'awesome druid pal' like 500 pounds of snarling fury.

They're not exactly optimal, though.

Actually, I find that dinosaurs (fleshraker, etc.) edge out most animals of their companion group. And you really can't go wrong with desmodu bats, which have some excellent AC and double as flying mounts for the smaller druids.

[RTGoodman]

I think the Fleshraker dinosaur (Monster Manual III) is generally considered one of the better animal companions (at low levels especially). It gets a bunch of natural attacks (most of which have poison), rake, leaping pounce (which is like pounce, but the opponent ends up tripped and grappled if it doesn't beat the dino's Trip/Grapple attempts), as well as pretty decent stats.

Also, you might want to check this out - Druid's Handbook. The animal companion section is further down the page.

[Frosty]

I wodner if there's a way I can get a Plant companion instead of an Animal companion. I'd love to get a Tendriculos as a companion.

[dyslexicfaser]

Well, there's a FR feat that lets you summon super-buff plant versions of regular animals... but nothing for companions, as far as I know.

[arkol]

You mean Greenbound? It's so stupid I doubt most DMs will accept it. At least those with any concern for balance...

[Idea Man]

Has anyone ever taken bison?

[Leon]

Has anyone ever taken bison?

Ive thought about it, but thats all

im more partial to Boars/Dire Boars