Revamp Animal Companion for Rangers/Druids

[One_With_Nature]

Only been trialing this for a little bit, but a few suggestions:

- Have some kind of method of indicating what is required to train a certain companion, at the moment you can either train them or you can't. If you want to train a particularly powerful animal companion there's no telling if you need 8 level or 12. That way it gives you something to aim towards- or make it about animal empathy rather then levels.
- Implement something similar to the fighters dog perk - maybe have a companion start off at a weaker variant and get stronger the longer it stays at your side/survives. This could also get around the above factor of poor balance of level/stronger creatures.
- Provide some manner of link between the ranger/druid and their companion, its suppose to be a close bond with your companion so a good way to represent this could be some manner of bonus while the companion is out and by the rangers/druids side. This again could be like a token that grows over time and rewards for having a long standing companion. Also this would hopefully promote more companion RP which I think would be quite cool.
- Give negative effects to animal companions when they are in unfamiliar terrain, such as planar realms or a woodland creature in the city.
- Change it so that there are more serious effects when a companion dies, this doesn't have to be an XP loss, but maybe you suffer in other ways such as -will for a few days, -listen/search/spot to represent the loss.

[PinballSorcerer]

I think a persistent stat penalty that lasts a serious amount of real life time for their death is actually a very interesting ome, if viable without a lot of work?  If imagine it might be tough to make it persist across resets though.

[Cruzel]

These are cool ideas.

I've never liked the XP loss, and I think non-dispellable stat penalties are a much better idea. XP is mostly just Oocly painful, since you never really lose a level from them dying, but you can go "negative" (iirc) with your XP and basically just not earn any from quests until you earn back the familiar/companion XP loss. Keeping in mind these things also scale up quest encounters pretty significantly!

A stat loss is a tangible, mechanical benefit that can be more easily RP'd than just being emotionally distraught over your bonded thing dying.


I also really like the idea of the companion getting stronger over time, similar to houndmaster doggos. These things can be hard to keep alive, and having them gain small, permanent boosts over time would certainly reward a character who's trying to invest in their bonded thing.

[Yamo B. There]

I will say that I've always found it weird that as a character grows in power and XP becomes harder and harder to come by, the cost of systems that drain XP stay fixed. I played a Cleric in EFU:R at a time when the Withering had afflicted a few PCs, and it seemed odd that at level 9 I was far less suitable for patching them up than some level 5 who could make the XP cost back just by breathing. I feel the same way about training pets. 500 XP to get something at level 6 is a trifle; taming the same beast at 8 for the same cost is a much larger setback for a task that should be "easier", with the same reward now being something that is even less suitable for the character's current activities and more likely to die if taken anywhere near it.

Just about any casting class at the same level can fart out summons comparable to or better than an animal companion, for freezies, forever.  If I'm gonna sink XP into this little guy, RP with him, knit little clothes for him, take him on walks, drag him around to dungeons to osmose XP (even if that's not how it works), and feed him the finest soups from the Cooking system, it'd be nice if he didn't stay a wet piece of tissue paper forever. I don't know if it was a bug (since I de-leveled out of having the feat shortly after), but I've seen my current animal companion spawn in as a "Blooded" variety of his normal form, and boy howdy, did he actually seem competent and capable of going into a dungeon without immediately crumpling, to the point of me seriously debating if memorizing Magic Fang might be worthwhile. I hope his hulked out form comes back when I get up in levels again.

[Hollow_Mage]

Hey friendhavers. I just got to level 6 with my ranger and I'm psyched to try it out. I -never- go nature!

Couple thoughts just to weigh in:

• I would prefer a permanent/semi-permanent companion to a disposable one for RP reasons.


• XP is currently taken when the animal is tamed. Other options: from Training, from Death, from Respawn.


• Paying XP for a one-life companion may balance mechanically, but it's discouraging to morale and enthusiasm.


• Ways to improve Companions/Familiars besides Augment/Awaken would be welcomed and appreciated, even as a point at the bottom of a long to-do list.


• If one-life animal companions are the way to go in the DM Team's opinion, I'd love to at least be able to release a Companion and recoup the XP cost, instead of eating it every time I find a new buddy.

[Anonymous Lemur]

I think there should be no experience points cost to animal companions for druids. However for ranger which is a full bab class with spells, bonus ab vs types and perks I don't think it needs to be changed.

[Yamo B. There]

Rangers don't really have spells...

[Hollow_Mage]

Ranger already has to wait until level 6 to get what Druids start with. Ain't no reason to gimp the worst Full BAB class further.</t>

[Grouch]

I don't like animal companions.
I also don't like mage familiars.

It has always been jarring to me that you have an invisible animal by your side at all times and it can just as easily disappear when I am trying to kill it.
Mechanically they tend to not be great and the exp hit is huge for taming especially at higher levels (8/9) if you could recoup exp by releasing you could use your companion as an exp bank.. Pass.

I do think that the Dog Master Fighter perk's dog could be an interesting mechanic to add to Druid/Ranger companions since they are effectively the same thing and instead of giving it levels and a full upgrade, an adjustment of str/dex/con depending on how long it has been alive and how long it has been summoned in its life would be interesting.

Tier 0 - No bonuses
Tier 1 - +2 con physical 5% DI
Tier 2 - +2 str dex con physical 5% DI (Total stat adjustment)

Of course the amount of time having been summoned would have to be quite long and some may be offended by your jungle cat prowling Ticker Square and kill it for you if you just sit in town with it out all day.


Off topic but, Rangers are extremely good when played like a ranger rather than a fighter or a barbarian they are a full BAB class with an amazing kit.

They can use traps
They have the best stealth
The only full BAB with spot
They have ground control spells
Favored enemy is very strong, they can exceed normal BAB classes in AB against their favored enemies (Human? the main rings are infested with human bandits and human nobles, I feel it is a more logical pick than most)
If you want, you can dual wield and get all the feats for free in light armor
Can use divine wands

I personally believe Rangers are better than Paladins if you know your mechanics and can play to the classes strengths and weaknesses.

[bobofwestoregonusa]

The one life xp cost companion is the reason you literally never were them used.