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| Alice Amastacia the Smiling Fury; an elf with the soul of a halfling | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 21 2009, 08:39 PM (622 Views) | |
| Phil the Soul Eater | Nov 22 2009, 02:47 AM Post #16 |
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Death Sladd
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This alternate class feature is from Complete Champion. It could be useful because you don't have to worry about what to do with a wild animal when you go into cities. It could also be amusing to have your character communicating with someone no one else can see. There is also an alt class feature in Races of the Wild that gives you an elven hound in place of your normal companion at 4th level. Spiritual Guide You are befriended by a spiritual guide that speaks to you and aids you as long as you remain in the wilderness. Level: 4th. Replaces: This benefit replaces the animal companion class feature. Benefit: You gain a spiritual guide. As long as you remain in natural surroundings (including underground caverns), this guide is a constant companion. Once you enter any civilized area larger than a hamlet, however, your spiritual guide leaves your side, returning only when you return to the wilds. Although it cannot protect you from harm, your spiritual guide can warn you of impending danger. As long as your spiritual guide is with you, you gain a divine bonus equal to one-quarter your ranger level (rounded down) on Handle Animal, Knowledge (nature), Listen, Search, Spot, and Survival checks. In addition, you can use commune with nature, as the spell, once per day (caster level equals your ranger level). You can also prepare and cast this spell normally from your ranger spell list. |
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| Zerka Badu | Nov 22 2009, 06:35 PM Post #17 |
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Death Sladd
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That is pretty good actually... |
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| cptahubb | Nov 24 2009, 03:38 PM Post #18 |
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A good bonus to a bunch of good skills, listen spot and search most notably. And by fourth level, the animal companion is in mortal danger every combat anyway. It may have a positive effect in combat, but the ranger is going to kill a lot of wolves... Still, seems unlikely Tamara will give up the critter. |
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| Phil the Soul Eater | Nov 25 2009, 07:38 AM Post #19 |
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Death Sladd
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There is also a Forgotten Realms specific substitution level in Champions of Valor for Rangers of the Shooting Star, an organization of rangers that serve Mystra the goddess of magic. Bonus Spells (Su): At 4th level, a Shooting Star gains a bonus 1st-level ranger spell slot as if from a high Wisdom score. At 8th level she gains a bonus 2nd-level ranger spell slot, at 11th level she gains a bonus 3rd-level ranger spell slot, and at 14th level she gains a bonus 4th-level ranger spell slot. This benefit replaces the animal companion class feature gained by a standard ranger at 4th level. This could be interesting from a roll playing perspective since your character and Bob's would have a lot more common interests and goals. Or you could go in the complete opposite direction and look around for ways to really buff up your animals and go all Beastmaster. |
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| cptahubb | Nov 25 2009, 06:23 PM Post #20 |
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Then Alice, Bob, and Lindrom would all have a common thread. Add in Saubon since I will also be an arcane caster. The Shooting Star thing looks really good. As Phil pointed out, you could go the other route. I would love to see someone go into Beastmaster. Prestige class in Complete Adventurer, or Divine, I don't remeber which one. Always thought it would be cool. And Lindrom will be able to cast Animal Growth, one of favorite spells. 5th level Druid spell. doubles size, boost to STR, attacks are magic, and DR 10/ magic. Multiple animals. Dire Wolf becomes Huge. Or if you only have a leopard, it becomes the size of a horse... scary. fast and scary. big, fast and scary. |
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| Cupcakexcore | Dec 1 2009, 08:07 PM Post #21 |
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Bullete
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Those are some pretty amazing options, but sadly Adam is right that it would be hard for me to give up a critter I may have to look into beastmaster. Could be a lot of fun ^^ elven hound sounds fun...I have no idea what animal companion I want yet. Spiritual Guide looks pretty good to *looks confused*
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| Phil the Soul Eater | Dec 2 2009, 09:22 AM Post #22 |
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Death Sladd
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I was just looking at Beastmaster in the Complete Adventurer and it's a pretty awesome prestige class. Even a single level in it would give your companion a huge boost. |
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| Zerka Badu | Dec 2 2009, 10:14 AM Post #23 |
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Death Sladd
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please talk to me before you make any serious decisions regarding animal companions. There will be lots of traveling in my game as well as periods on boats, and extended periods in potential hostile environments. |
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| Zerka Badu | Dec 4 2009, 08:05 PM Post #24 |
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Death Sladd
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I didn't initially realize how the animal thing worked. If that is a route you want to take that is no problem. I said some of the animals are likely to die - but I don't want you to think that I will be specifically trying to do that. Again, its just something that you should consider. The fact that you are not bound to any particular animal makes it pretty attractive, considering you may have the opportunity to work with a wide variety of animals in different terrains... |
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| cptahubb | Dec 7 2009, 05:59 PM Post #25 |
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Animal companions are really fun sometimes. Since we have a bunch of people, you can concentrate on tech and/or flavor. Sometimes, if there are only a few players, the animal companion gets put in the front line just to fill out the ranks. With six of us, the animal companion can do other animaly things. Dogs have a great sense of smell, rats can infiltrate pretty much anything, canaries can tell us when there is gas leak in dungeon... Beastmaster is cool. That being said, and having played summoners and shapechangers that required a lot of paperwork, having a bunch of animal companions will take some effort to keep track of as you level up. Keep that in mind. |
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| Toast | Dec 7 2009, 06:11 PM Post #26 |
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Morkoth
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Yeah, I remember how much paperwork you had to do with your last druid. "Let's see, I just overran them last round so they are prone, then I make a full attack this round and savage/savage/eat face/rake. No, wait, I forgot, I'm hasted, so I savage/savage/eat face/eat face/rake/defecate in skull." I think that's how it went anyways... |
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| cptahubb | Dec 9 2009, 03:36 PM Post #27 |
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Don't forget the bloody-fanged, gore-spattering roar post-savage. I was more referring to my shapeshifter druid that spawned such memorable characters as King Octopus, and King Ironmaw. There was a lot to keep track of. Admittedly, the animal companion will be less complex, but since you can call another one at any time, there will be a lot of turnaround mid-game. I'm not saying she can't do it, I was just trying to give my fellow player the heads-up. |
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| Phil the Soul Eater | Mar 26 2010, 01:07 AM Post #28 |
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Death Sladd
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So Tamara the elven hound (also called a cooshee) feature I was telling you about is an alternate class feature in Races of the Wild which Toast does not have but Adam might. Basically it lets you choose an elven hound as a normal animal companion even though it is a magical beast. You can advance it like a regular animal companion in every respect. The one drawback is for that level you only get a d6 class hit die instead of a d8. This alternate class feature is supposed to be taken at fourth level of ranger but Nick might let you apply it retroactively. The stats for the elven hound art in the back of Races of the Wild as well. |
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| Cupcakexcore | Mar 30 2010, 08:48 PM Post #29 |
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Bullete
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OOOOOoooooooOOOOOhhhhhhHHHhhhhhh That could be amazing
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| Toast | Mar 30 2010, 11:31 PM Post #30 |
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Morkoth
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Elven Hound Medium Magical Beast Hit Dice: 2d10+2 (13 hp) Initiative: +3 Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares) Armor Class: 17 (+3 Dex, +4 natural), touch 13, flatfooted 14 Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+5 Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d8+4) Full Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d8+4) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: — Special Qualities: Immune to sleep, low-light vision, resist enchantment, scent, sprint Saves: Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +1 Abilities: Str 17, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 8 Skills: Balance +7, Hide +7, Jump +15, Listen +5, Spot +5, Survival +2*, Swim +6 Feats: Improved Natural Attack (bite), TrackB Environment: Temperate forests Organization: Solitary or pack (5–12) Challenge Rating: 1 Treasure: None Alignment: Always neutral Advancement: 3–6 HD (Medium) Level Adjustment: — This odd-looking dog seems almost as big as a pony. It has a thick, greenish coat with large brown spots. It has exceedingly large feet with very long claws for a dog. The elven hound (called the cooshee in Elven) is a massive dog. It is most commonly found in the company of wood elves, who use it for both hunting and guard duties. Occasionally, high elves or gray elves will keep kennels of these dogs. An elven hound weighs more than 200 pounds and often stands as much as 2 feet high at the shoulder. Its huge paws house strong claws, which are curved to provide better traction in the soft loam of the forest lands. Its tail generally arcs over its back, but it hangs between the creature’s legs when the hound is being scolded. Its ears point straight up, giving the creature an attentive, intelligent look. Cooshees are long-lived creatures, commonly reaching 100 years of age. Combat An elven hound is a very effective fighting machine. It has a bone-crushing bite, capable of dropping an orc warrior. Elves say one elven hound is worth five orcs; that’s an exaggeration, to be sure, but an elven hound is a ferocious combatant nevertheless, especially when attacking prey distracted by a hail of elven arrows. Resist Enchantment (Ex): Like their elf masters, elven hounds have a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells or effects. Sprint (Ex): Although an elven hound can go head to head with many creatures, its strength lies in the chase. Once per hour, an elven hound can move five times its normal speed (250 feet) when it makes a charge. Skills: Elven hounds have a +4 racial bonus on Balance, Hide, Jump, and Swim checks, and a +2 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks. *Elven hounds have a +4 racial bonus on Survival checks when tracking by scent. |
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7:44 AM Jul 11
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I may have to look into beastmaster. Could be a lot of fun ^^ elven hound sounds fun...I have no idea what animal companion I want yet. Spiritual Guide looks pretty good to *looks confused*
7:44 AM Jul 11