Animal Companions

[Sion Ti'ren]

Firstly, the Jungle Leopard Animal companion seems to be disadvantaged in comparion to the others. Currently its like a gimped panther wirthout sneak attacks
 
Low AC, low HP, Low damage out put and low AB.
(and it gets power attack, which makes its damage out put comparable to other companions, but lowers its ab into the negatives.)
 
It also has low skill points that do not seem to increase as it levels up. (started with 8 hide/ms, hasn't gotten any higher since level 1)
 
Secondly, all animal compainions apear to have had there HP heavilly reduced, which wouldn't be such a big deal if it wasn't for the xp loss when they die.
 
As it is, familiars have better HP than animal companions. (infact a level 4 raven familiar has the same HP as the jungle leopard companion, better ab, better AC better skill points and while it has lower damage out put, it can cast spells and has on-hit lower CON) The snake familiar on the same level will have over doubble an animal companion's hp.
 
so, my suggestions in a single sentance...
Improve the jungle leopard companion so its a viable choice in compitition with other animal companions, and increase the HP of all companions a bit so they are less pathetic.
 
(rats can beat up my level 4 jungle leopard)

[Listen in Silence]

Scale the rat familiar to be of leopard size, and the leopard companion to be of rat size!

[MoonlitNight]

I was about to make a post concerniing the balance of companions. I know i would be pwn awesome if i took one of the far stronger ones, however...My Druid bonds with a Badger. The badger is utmostly not useful and i fear it so much that it will die, i hardly have it around to rp with. This ofcourse does not make me turn to the Catlings, who are three times as good/strong. But i was also wondering if the badger could perhaps be slightly less likely to die if something even LOOKED his way.

[Gippy]

Animal companions need a second look, just as wildshapes got, and all should become useful. More chat commands could stand to be implemented to activate special attacks from familliars/companions - ie rage, powerattack.

[Oskar Maxon]

Familiars also need a second look if they've not been changed, seeing how absurd their hp etc can get for something that I've believe have been said is mainly a tool for rp, and not a tank. This suggestion was shot down for whatever reason last time, though.

[Drakill Tannan]

I agree, i ask, beg for this suggestion to get implemented.

I had said so in one of the first posts i made, at low levels the druid relies on the animal companion to do damage. Animal companions, however seems to, mostly, suck: The panther deals terribly low damage and is fragile as a level 1 summon. The Leopard hits once every 20 rounds fro 10 damage, the bear has virtually no AC.. etc. I'd love to make a duid, but everytime i try to i end up crying in frustration, an improvememnt of animal companions would make them much  more powerfull untill they get the new and awsome wildshapes.

And you know.. if you think i have made some mistake in my post disregard it, it's part of my "druid frustration" rant. Focus on what is not mistaken.

[ScottyB]

I guess I can perform the arduous task of making the fixed creatures usable, if another DM will handle updating them, or pressing one of you into service.

If the dozen or so files (per creature!) aren't given to me before June 7th, though, you're S.O.L.

[Egon the Monkey]

Agreeeing with what Oskar said here, mostly. IMO, they want wizard-level HP. Ahmed's Chicken for example has spells which would be useful to use in combat occasionally if I knew it wouldn't get 1-shot killed by a stray arrow. On the other hand some familiars are tougher then their masters. 4 HP a level for familiars seems about right IMO, the Chicken's got too little and the Rat has way, way too much.

[FleetingHeart]

Send em my way Scotty. Just let me know what you want done

Although, I have to disagree with the OP concerning Jungle panther.... It's damage is insane. At level 6 with Bulls and Magic Fang...I saw this thing rarely missing and it's crits were in the range of 40 damage. Even it's health is ok. It's not meant to tank quests. It's not really meant to get hit at all. And with the new stealth commands that is easy to accomplish, just put it in stealth before you tell it to attack something. No AoO then as it charges in. And if something does turn to attack it, have it run off.

Where it lacks is in stealth. Much like the black panther, actually. And I'm sure most of the other companions. Wolves, rats, stone lizards, hawks, and badgers all ought to have stealth that is equivalent to the druids wildshapes with the druids buffs (since druids can't buff Companions easily, short of making potions and feeding them to the companion).

[ScottyB]

I don't have the original toolsettable files, nor do I know what the acceptable changes would be, if any. I'll just process them when that's all done, unless my time becomes preoccupied and I disappear again (June 10th for sure, so get the files to me by the 7th!)

[Sion Ti'ren]

Send em my way Scotty. Just let me know what you want done
 
Although, I have to disagree with the OP concerning Jungle panther.... It's damage is insane. At level 6 with Bulls and Magic Fang...I saw this thing rarely missing and it's crits were in the range of 40 damage. Even it's health is ok. It's not meant to tank quests. It's not really meant to get hit at all. And with the new stealth commands that is easy to accomplish, just put it in stealth before you tell it to attack something. No AoO then as it charges in. And if something does turn to attack it, have it run off.
 
Where it lacks is in stealth. Much like the black panther, actually. And I'm sure most of the other companions. Wolves, rats, stone lizards, hawks, and badgers all ought to have stealth that is equivalent to the druids wildshapes with the druids buffs (since druids can't buff Companions easily, short of making potions and feeding them to the companion).

Ok... going to have to show my point here...
 
This is Tabitha, my animal companion.
[hide="Huge screenshot"][/hide]
 
3-8 damage, 13 AC, 28 HP, 5 ab.
 
tho she constantly has power attack on so thats 0 ab and 8-13 damage... decent damage with Power attack, but unlikely to hit. and given the 28 hp and 13 AC, she will die before she gets that hit in.
 
 
 
this is a summon monster 2 spell.
 
[hide="Huge screenshot"][/hide]
 
the level 3 summoned unit is better than my animal companion... In a fight Tabitha wouldn't stand a chance against it.
 
now, given tabitha's ab progression, at level 6, she will have... 1ab... thats a 50% miss rate against someone with 10ac... and a 2/10 chance at hitting the low level summon, the low level summon (half Tabitha's level) has a 6/10 chance of hitting Tabitha. Outch.
 
oh, and just for kicks, this is what Tabitha is like when I export my character and go on the single player campaign.
 
[hide="Huge screenshot"][/hide]

[The Beggar]

I really disagree with the move make animal comps more powerful, and here is why:

Really, you are taking a cleric class with d8 HD, great Will saves, access to some of the better buffing spells for questing as well as some incredible PvP spells, and adding a summon at will equal HD animal tank you can buff with said spells.

Druids and clerics are already overpowered for a low magic setting. We nerf wizard familiars until they are of no use outside RP, yet continually revamp clerical summons, animal companions, and add in hosts of overpowered new domains.

Are you serious?

[Howlando]

For a solid month I asked for volunteers to do the very tedious yet simple work to prepare these files. I even offered dm loot to anyone who would help.

It ended up being a rush job done by yours truly. If someone wants to take the time to do it properly I'm all for it.

[Sion Ti'ren]

Really, you are taking a cleric class with d8 HD, great Will saves, access to some of the better buffing spells for questing as well as some incredible PvP spells, and adding a summon at will equal HD animal tank you can buff with said spells.

Clerics get d8 HD too and just as good will saves. Clerics also get fullplate armour and spontanious healing, turn undead and domain powers etc.
 
Druids can't wear metal, have restrictions to weapons, no turn undead, no domain powers, not as good casting as a mage or a cleric (they have nice spells but in perspective mages/clerics get more and better spells).
 
 

Druids and clerics are already overpowered for a low magic setting. We nerf wizard familiars until they are of no use outside RP, yet continually revamp clerical summons, animal companions, and add in hosts of overpowered new domains.

Most of your protest seems to be against Clerics to be honest, and the fact wizards don't get damage reduction regenerating mephits anymore.
 
As I said, I'm not asking for an uber unstopable animal companion, but they have been sevierly weakened from default so they are weaker than a mages "no use" familiars, infact they are weaker than low leveled summoned units.
 
I'm not sure why you are comparing Clerics to druids as druids have been nerfed from default yet clercs have been imporoved. oh, and those "cleical summons" they are actually "wizard summons" you select your wizards summoning theme on creation.
 
Again, by no means am I saying Druids are weak, but the animal companions should be useable, as they are suposed to be.
 
P.S. Sorry about the big screenshots, didn't know you could hide them like that :p

[Drakill Tannan]

*Bump*

For a solid month I asked for volunteers to do the very tedious yet simple work to prepare these files. I even offered dm loot to anyone who would help.

It ended up being a rush job done by yours truly. If someone wants to take the time to do it properly I'm all for it.

Howland, is this something a Player (not only a DM) do? if so i'd like to help.

PS: Clerics are overpowered, they are in the unmodified NWN and in any PW i've played. Clerics are overpowered, always it's something you have to live with.

Druids not so much. I still have dificult thinking how druids are usable in EFU:A All druid i've seen in combat seem to have dificulties questing, and while not useless, barbarians, fighters and.. everything else seems to be more powerfull.