# Animal Companion Questions



## Rineran Foxfire (Aug 1, 2011)

So I'm playing a Ranger and just hit level 4 and after looking at the animal companion page in the Core Book I'm a little confused by a few things.

1. Does the Ranger and his animal share a telepathic link in terms of communication? I'm leaning towards an Eagle pet and I wanted to know if my pet can tell me what he sees while he's flying around.

2. When looking at combat with a companion that flies can he make fly by attacks or does he have to fly down and hover around an enemy to attack it?

3.  What is the benefit of choosing the Bird companion? They do very little dmg, have very little armor and hit points and get crappy lvl 4 adjustment bonuses. The only reason I really want an Eagle is because it fits the characters backstory perfectly.


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## GlassEye (Aug 1, 2011)

1. There is no telepathic link between the companion and the ranger.  However, a ranger with the Beastmaster archetype gains an empathic link much like a wizard & familiar at 6th level.  This also allows the ranger to see through his companion's eyes.

2.  A flying companion can't do a fly-by-attack nor hover.  They do start with one feat and even though those feats aren't on the 'Animal Feats' list (probably because they are in the Bestiary and not in the Core Rulebook) you might be able to convince your DM to take them.

3.  Story.  I'm sure there's more but my boss is kicking me out of the office.


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## SteelDraco (Aug 1, 2011)

1. The basic ranger's animal companion is mostly a well-trained animal, not supernaturally attuned. You get bonuses to Handle Animal and wild empathy checks with it, but that's all. If you want to go that route, look at the Beastmaster archetype. The Speak with Animals spell is handy for this, too - some scrolls of this are useful and pretty cheap. 

2. A bird qualifies for Flyby Attack, and has a good speed. Hovering is fairly easy with the Fly skill. You can do either one, pretty much. Flyby Attack will keep the bird alive, which is nice. 

3. The damage is low, but it's very mobile and can start with Flyby Attack. If you're a Beastmaster or have easy access to Speak with Animals it can scout for you. Just don't expect it to be a big combatant for you - that will honestly get most ranger animal companions killed quickly.


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## Rineran Foxfire (Aug 2, 2011)

So Ranger animal companions are simply for non combat use then?


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## StreamOfTheSky (Aug 2, 2011)

With the Boon Companion feat, they're as good as Druid companions.  Still not great combatants, but at least it costs nothing to replace them...? 

I do recommend upgrading your bird to a Roc once you hit effective druid level 7, though.  Rocs start out bad, but the level boost is good for them.  And the text specifically says a ranger can pick one as a companion.

Also, don't do Beastmaster archetype, it is a HUGE trap.


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## DumbPaladin (Aug 2, 2011)

StreamOfTheSky said:


> Also, don't do Beastmaster archetype, it is a HUGE trap.





I keep seeing this "trap" description applied to various character choices. 

Is it code for "not a choice that works with min/maxing and munchkin builds"? 
A way to describe options that are really only good for roleplaying purposes?
Or just something people call things they don't personally like?

Will the choice somehow "trap" the player in an inescapable pit of non-fun from which there is no hope of enjoying Pathfinder?


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## StreamOfTheSky (Aug 2, 2011)

It's a trap because you lose stuff for basically nothing.  And it fails at what it's supposed to be about...animals... if you actually use their unique ability to have a whole bunch of weak lil' cannon fodder instead of one strong companion.  Unless your idea of a "ranger at one with the animals" is someone who takes half the game to catch up with the druid for animal companion (which actually becomes INCREDIBLY annoying if you have a strict, no-retraining DM considering Boon Companion could've been had much sooner) and spends every night burying his new friends and honoring their sacrifice against [insert area attack that's nothing to the PCs but death in a can for creatures with only average hp and much fewer HD].

So yes, it's a trap.  I don't call nearly as much stuff "trap options" as others on the internet do.  But Beastmaster Ranger is pretty much the textbook definition of "really bad idea for your character."


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## Patryn of Elvenshae (Aug 2, 2011)

DumbPaladin said:


> I keep seeing this "trap" description applied to various character choices.
> 
> Is it code for "not a choice that works with min/maxing and munchkin builds"?
> A way to describe options that are really only good for roleplaying purposes?
> Or just something people call things they don't personally like?




No, it's "code" for "Things which, at first blush, look like they work well, but really don't."

Consider someone who wants to be a light, mobile combatant.  You might think that dual-wielding and Spring Attack would work well for this type of character.  The problem is that dual-wielding and Spring Attacking are mutually exclusive, and trying to go for both will make your character much less effective than you might want him to be.


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## StreamOfTheSky (Aug 2, 2011)

Patryn of Elvenshae said:


> No, it's "code" for "Things which, at first blush, look like they work well, but really don't."
> 
> Consider someone who wants to be a light, mobile combatant.  You might think that dual-wielding and Spring Attack would work well for this type of character.  The problem is that dual-wielding and Spring Attacking are mutually exclusive, and trying to go for both will make your character much less effective than you might want him to be.




An even better explanation.


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## Theo R Cwithin (Aug 2, 2011)

Patryn of Elvenshae said:


> No, it's "code" for "Things which, at first blush, look like they work well, but really don't."



I'm going to fork this off into a new thread, if you all wouldn't mind talking about it more in depth?  I'm really curious to hear a discussion on this.


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## jefgorbach (Aug 3, 2011)

You're idea is sound, however Druid/Ranger animal companions are a minor improvement over the routine birds of prey available to everyone. While exceptionally loyal, the modest boost to the druid/ranger's Handle Animal skill isn't a poor substitute for the sor/wiz Familiar you seem to want. 

Consider dipping into sor/wiz for a true familiar for the telepathic link/etc; and consider taking the BigLittle Familiar feat if Mongoose supplements are allowed to increase your familiar's size one level. (ie medium hawk to large eagle).


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## Rineran Foxfire (Aug 3, 2011)

jefgorbach said:


> You're idea is sound, however Druid/Ranger animal companions are a minor improvement over the routine birds of prey available to everyone. While exceptionally loyal, the modest boost to the druid/ranger's Handle Animal skill isn't a poor substitute for the sor/wiz Familiar you seem to want.
> 
> Consider dipping into sor/wiz for a true familiar for the telepathic link/etc; and consider taking the BigLittle Familiar feat if Mongoose supplements are allowed to increase your familiar's size one level. (ie medium hawk to large eagle).




I mean this isnt really a huge deal, the animal companion isnt a very important thing to this character, i just dont have a high wisdom to make the other hunter's bond option relevant. I was just wondering if birds were really worth it as a companion or should I go DoG or Cat


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## StreamOfTheSky (Aug 3, 2011)

The bird really isn't bad at all.  Flight is great to have, and it actually has three primary natural attacks, which is actually very good.  The base damage is actually superior to the small cat's (though small cat has trip, better str, and much better dex).  The 4th level increase is teh suck, though, I would trade it out for something else at that point or at the very least by effective druid level 7, when all the animals have gotten their upgrade.

The Wolf starts off kinda bad, but with the level 7 changes it becomes a viable choice for a Spring Attack type attacker, and does well with Power Attack as well.

I still think I like Roc the best of all the Core Rule Book + Bestiary I options, though.  And it's actually pretty dang good from the start, just sorta fragile with Con 9.  Three good nat attacks and +5 nat armor aren't bad at all combined w/ flight, though.
[sblock]Rocs taken as animal companions by druids or rangers are typically newly hatched birds—a baby roc is the size of a person and ready for flight and hunting within minutes of hatching. Unfortunately for druids seeking animal companions of legendary size, an animal companion roc is limited to Large size—still large enough for a Medium druid or ranger to use the flying beast as a mount.

Starting Statistics: Size Medium; AC +5 natural armor; Speed 20 ft., fly 80 ft.; Attack 2 talons (1d4), bite (1d6); Ability Scores Str 12, Dex 19, Con 9, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 11; Special Qualities low-light vision.

7th-Level Advancement: Size Large; AC +3 natural armor; Attack 2 talons (1d6 plus grab), bite (1d8); Ability Scores Str +8, Dex –2, Con +4.[/sblock]

I'm not sure if it applies w/ PF's grapple changes, but one fun thing to do in 3E with flight and Grab was to take the victim on a merry little ride up into the skies and...let falling damage do its thing.


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## Rineran Foxfire (Aug 3, 2011)

I know the 4th level advancement sucks, what do you mean by trade it out for somethinng else?


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## StreamOfTheSky (Aug 3, 2011)

You can release your animal from service and bind to a new one with a 24 hour ritual (same one you'd use to replace a dead companion).  You're not stuck with the same animal till it dies if you decide you'd rather have a different pet.

From Druid:

"If a druid releases her companion from service, she may gain a new one by performing a ceremony requiring 24 uninterrupted hours of prayer in the environment where the new companion typically lives. This ceremony can also replace an animal companion that has perished."


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## Dingo333 (Aug 3, 2011)

Bird can make a good scout, but the wizard's familiar is always gonna be better at it

You are also almost always gonna be better off with the leadership feat for a combat buddy. Get a fighter, he is 2 levels below you(assuming no big penalties to leadership score), get a companion, he is 3 levels lower, and minus 2 BaB

If you want a cool mount; Roc(flight), Dire Bat(flight), Elephant(classic mount for overkill), Megalocerous(a mega elk), Arsinoitherium(a rhino) and Glyptodon(the original concept for a tank, +5 nat armor) are my recommendations


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## StreamOfTheSky (Aug 3, 2011)

The problem is some DMs might be strict on what animals a ranger can choose, since the core book only listed a very limited (and weak) set.  IMO, anything that came out since then should be fair game, but others disagree (notably, PF Society, in a shining example of epic fail, decreed for their games that Ranger will ALWAYS be limited just to the original list, no matter how many new animal options come out).

If you want a good companion, you should take the Boon Companion feat so it doesn't fall behind, though.

I think an animal companion can do fine, he doesn't need a familiar.  Roc is solid for the bird that the OP says fits thematically.  T-Rex at level 7 has the same str as a mastodon, improved grab, and double str bonus on his bite damage.  The one I'm liking the most now is Giant Mantis, though.  It's a vermin companion (introduced in Ultimate Magic as a new type of companion option).  As such, its mindless (no Int score).  Having an animal and scout that can't be mind controlled is sweet, though the downside is no skill ranks or feats and very few tricks (1 + bonus tricks).  But the mantis has some very nice qualities.  A land, fly, AND climb speed, darkvision, full attack on a surprise round (it gets +4 perception/stealth and another +8 stealth in forests), grab on both claws, free pincer secondary attack on anything grappled, the ability to attack once at +4 to hit and double normal reach (which is 10 ft for it!) as a full round action...  Seems like a really good scout and combat pet to me, and I always liked the praying mantis anyway.  Also, the monster entry fluff for it is freaking badass, makes me wish it had int so I could give it an intimidate chain of feats.


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## Rineran Foxfire (Aug 3, 2011)

Now wait a minute, how can your animal companion by a scout if you cant commune with it? How can my Eagle scout for me if I can't see what it sees or talk to it and ask it what it sees?


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## Theo R Cwithin (Aug 3, 2011)

Rineran Foxfire said:


> Now wait a minute, how can your animal companion by a scout if you cant commune with it? How can my Eagle scout for me if I can't see what it sees or talk to it and ask it what it sees?



The *seek* trick lets an animal do some very limited scouting (ie, "Me (no) see something moving!").  A really generous DM might expand that to include a _little_ more info (eg, "bigger/smaller than me!" or "flying/no flying!" or "dangerous/no dangerous!").  Too much of that starts to stray into the *speak with animals* spell, which is really the surest way to go.

As for actually seeing what the animal sees, afaik, that would require a special class feature or spell; or else item carried by the creature.  I know there's an arcane spell that works for familiars ("share senses", APG), but I'm not sure there's a similar divine spell for animal companions.


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## jefgorbach (Aug 4, 2011)

Rineran Foxfire said:


> Now wait a minute, how can your animal companion by a scout if you cant commune with it? How can my Eagle scout for me if I can't see what it sees or talk to it and ask it what it sees?




Chances are google can imply what a bird can actually be trained todo, however I presume at the least it could drop a carried item before circling above the target once found ... thereby informing you it a) found the target and b) where that target currently is.


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## Lostella Briarheart (Dec 17, 2022)

Rineran Foxfire said:


> So I'm playing a Ranger and just hit level 4 and after looking at the animal companion page in the Core Book I'm a little confused by a few things.
> 
> 1. Does the Ranger and his animal share a telepathic link in terms of communication? I'm leaning towards an Eagle pet and I wanted to know if my pet can tell me what he sees while he's flying around.
> 
> ...



See I am giving my beast master ranger a flying squirrel for her first companion. It’s simply because she needed someone to talk to, not to fight alongside. I wanna do a hedgehog but it wasn’t in the list.


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## Lostella Briarheart (Dec 17, 2022)

I decided to give my beastmaster a flying squirrel as her first companion. Mainly for story purposes. She wanted a companion not someone to fight along side her. And he still can be helpful. Also, flying squirrels are cute. I really wanted a hedgehog but it wasn’t in the list.


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