GAME RULE INFORMATION
Animal Companion Basics: Use the base statistics for a creature of the companion’s kind, but make the following changes.
Class Level: The character’s druid level is her class level for the purposes of her animal companion. The druid’s class levels will stack with levels of any other classes that are entitled to or grant an animal companion for the purpose of determining the animal companion’s abilities, modifiers, trick, special abilities and the alternative lists available to the character (see below).
Bonus HD: Extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal. Remember that extra Hit Dice improve the animal companion’s base attack and base save bonuses. An animal companion’s base attack bonus is the same as that of a druid of a level equal to the animal’s HD. An animal companion has good Fortitude and Reflex saves (treat it as a character whose level equals the animal’s HD). An animal companion gains additional skill points and feats for bonus HD as normal for advancing a monster’s Hit Dice.
*A Druid's animal companion does not advance in size as normal. Instead, the animal companion advances in size as per the chart below with a maximum potential size allotted. When an animal companion advances in this way it still gains all the bonuses and penalties associated with its new size on top of its bonuses as an animal companion. A druid may choose not to advance his animal companion's physical size but will not receive all the benefits and penalties associated with this increase in size.
Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the animal companion’s existing natural armor bonus.
Str/Dex Adj.: Add this value to the animal companion’s Strength and Dexterity scores.
Bonus Tricks: The value given in this column is the total number of “bonus” tricks that the animal knows in addition to any that the druid might choose to teach it (see the Handle Animal skill). These bonus tricks don’t require any training time or Handle Animal checks, and they don’t count against the normal limit of tricks known by the animal. The druid selects these bonus tricks, and once selected, they can’t be changed.
Link (Ex): A druid can handle her animal companion as a free action, or push it as a move action, even if she doesn’t have any ranks in the Handle Animal skill. The druid gains a +4 circumstance bonus on all wild empathy checks and Handle Animal checks made regarding the directing or instructing of an animal companion.
Share Spells (Ex): At the druid’s option, she may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) she casts upon herself also affect her animal companion. The animal companion must be within 5 feet of her at the time of casting to receive the benefit. If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the animal companion if the companion moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the animal again, even if it returns to the druid before the duration expires. Additionally, the druid may cast a spell with a target of “You” on her animal companion (as a touch range spell) instead of on herself. A druid and her animal companion can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the companion’s type (animal).
Evasion (Ex): If an animal companion is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw.
Devotion (Ex): An animal companion gains a +4 morale bonus on Will saves against enchantment spells and effects.
Multiattack: An animal companion gains Multiattack as a bonus feat if it has three or more natural attacks and does not already have that feat. If it does not have the requisite three or more natural attacks, the animal companion instead gains a second attack with its primary natural weapon, albeit at a –5 penalty.
Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, an animal companion takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and only half damage if the saving throw fails.
Class Level: The character’s druid level is her class level for the purposes of her animal companion. The druid’s class levels will stack with levels of any other classes that are entitled to or grant an animal companion for the purpose of determining the animal companion’s abilities, modifiers, trick, special abilities and the alternative lists available to the character (see below).
Bonus HD: Extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal. Remember that extra Hit Dice improve the animal companion’s base attack and base save bonuses. An animal companion’s base attack bonus is the same as that of a druid of a level equal to the animal’s HD. An animal companion has good Fortitude and Reflex saves (treat it as a character whose level equals the animal’s HD). An animal companion gains additional skill points and feats for bonus HD as normal for advancing a monster’s Hit Dice.
*A Druid's animal companion does not advance in size as normal. Instead, the animal companion advances in size as per the chart below with a maximum potential size allotted. When an animal companion advances in this way it still gains all the bonuses and penalties associated with its new size on top of its bonuses as an animal companion. A druid may choose not to advance his animal companion's physical size but will not receive all the benefits and penalties associated with this increase in size.
Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the animal companion’s existing natural armor bonus.
Str/Dex Adj.: Add this value to the animal companion’s Strength and Dexterity scores.
Bonus Tricks: The value given in this column is the total number of “bonus” tricks that the animal knows in addition to any that the druid might choose to teach it (see the Handle Animal skill). These bonus tricks don’t require any training time or Handle Animal checks, and they don’t count against the normal limit of tricks known by the animal. The druid selects these bonus tricks, and once selected, they can’t be changed.
Link (Ex): A druid can handle her animal companion as a free action, or push it as a move action, even if she doesn’t have any ranks in the Handle Animal skill. The druid gains a +4 circumstance bonus on all wild empathy checks and Handle Animal checks made regarding the directing or instructing of an animal companion.
Share Spells (Ex): At the druid’s option, she may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) she casts upon herself also affect her animal companion. The animal companion must be within 5 feet of her at the time of casting to receive the benefit. If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the animal companion if the companion moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the animal again, even if it returns to the druid before the duration expires. Additionally, the druid may cast a spell with a target of “You” on her animal companion (as a touch range spell) instead of on herself. A druid and her animal companion can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the companion’s type (animal).
Evasion (Ex): If an animal companion is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw.
Devotion (Ex): An animal companion gains a +4 morale bonus on Will saves against enchantment spells and effects.
Multiattack: An animal companion gains Multiattack as a bonus feat if it has three or more natural attacks and does not already have that feat. If it does not have the requisite three or more natural attacks, the animal companion instead gains a second attack with its primary natural weapon, albeit at a –5 penalty.
Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, an animal companion takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and only half damage if the saving throw fails.
Animal Companion | |||||||||
Level | Bonus HD | BAB | Str/Dex Bonus | Nat. AC Bonus | Fort. Save | Ref. Save | Will Save | Special | Tricks |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +2 | +2 | +0 | Link, Share Spells | +1 |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +2 | +2 | +0 | +1 | |
3 | +2 | +2 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +3 | +1 | Evasion | +2 |
4 | +2 | +2 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +3 | +1 | +2 | |
5 | +2 | +2 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +3 | +1 | +2 | |
6 | +4 | +3 | +2 | +4 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Devotion | +3 |
7 | +4 | +3 | +2 | +4 | +4 | +4 | +1 | +1 to any ability score | +3 |
8 | +4 | +3 | +2 | +4 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Monstrous Feat | +3 |
9 | +6 | +5 | +3 | +6 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Multiattack | +4 |
10 | +6 | +5 | +3 | +6 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Monstrous feat | +4 |
11 | +6 | +5 | +3 | +6 | +5 | +5 | +2 | 1st Size Increase (Medium) | +4 |
12 | +8 | +6 | +4 | +8 | +6 | +6 | +3 | +5 | |
13 | +8 | +6 | +4 | +8 | +6 | +6 | +3 | +1 to any ability score | +5 |
14 | +8 | +6 | +4 | +8 | +6 | +6 | +3 | +5 | |
15 | +10 | +7 | +5 | +10 | +7 | +7 | +3 | Improved Evasion | +6 |
16 | +10 | +7 | +5 | +10 | +7 | +7 | +3 | 2nd Size Increase (Large) | +6 |
17 | +10 | +7 | +5 | +10 | +7 | +7 | +3 | +6 | |
18 | +12 | +8 | +6 | +12 | +8 | +8 | +4 | +1 to any ability score | +7 |
19 | +12 | +8 | +6 | +12 | +8 | +8 | +4 | Monstrous Feat | +7 |
20 | +12 | +8 | +6 | +12 | +8 | +8 | +4 | +7 | |