Questions tagged [animal-companions]
For questions about animal companions - obtaining them, controlling them, their abilities, and their interactions with other rules or mechanics.
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Does the Animal Companion from the Beastmaster Ranger subclass get additional Hit Dice as the ranger gains levels?
We're using the Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition players handbook only. The Ranger's Companion section (PHB p. 93) seems, for the most part, to be pretty clear. The part about hit points states:
It's ...
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Expandable and free Animal/Familiar/Special Mount
I think everyone hate when an animal companion, mount, or familiar dies. But what is even worse is the time you have to wait to get them back if it happens.
Here is a list of every creature you can ...
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Can a Shadow Mastiff be a pet?
In our last session my players stormed the lair of a priestess praying to her dark entity, who had summoned three shadow mastiffs for her protection.
The Blood Huntress decided she really wants to ...
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Magic items/spells to talk to and/or disguise my displacer beast kitten
I am playing a Wood Elf Gloom Stalker Ranger, multi-classed with Rogue Assassin. They found an orphan displacer beast kitten and has taken to training the kitten how to hunt and hopes to keep her as ...
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Can a pet (or friendly wild animal) throw a pebble with the Magic Stone cantrip cast on it?
Example scenario: A Forest Gnome Druid with the Urchin background equips their pet mouse with Magic Stones and asks it to throw them at enemies.
The description of the Magic Stone spell says (EEPC, p. ...
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How does Frightful Aspect work for a creature that is already large?
I'm a druid and I have the Improved Spell Sharing feat, which allows me to share spells that have "you" as the target. I'm considering using the Frightful Aspect spell on myself, which if I ...
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How is the Precision edge shared?
A few ranger feats share the hunter's edge benefits, namely Animal Companion and Warden's Boon (and the feats that require it):
Ranger: When you Hunt Prey, your animal companion gains the action's ...
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Can Animal Companions benefit from potions?
Most Animal Companions can drink, so drinking a Potion of Leaping should not be a problem. But can they benefit from it?
There is no rule I could find about this, the only thing somewhat relevant is ...
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Does Natural Bond feat reduce the level adjustment of an animal companion?
Natural Bond feat from Complete adventurer p 111 states:
Add three to your effective druid level for the purpose of determining the bonus Hit Dice, extra tricks, special abilities, and other bonuses ...
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How quickly can a Plant Companion of a Druid manifest new abilities through Natural Selection?
The Natural Selection of the Plant Companion ACF reads, in part:
Each new ability has a delay in levels between when you select it and when your plant companion gains it. You may select a new ability ...
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Plant Companion questions
I am playing a 4th level Druid, 3rd level Wizard (1D/1W/1W/1W/1D/1D/1D/1AH) combination going into Arcane Hierophant at 8th level through to 17th level. I chose the plant companion from Dragon ...
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Best methods for Handling the Dragonmark of Handling?
Mark of Handling
The Mark of Handling gives its bearer a primal connection to beasts and the natural world, granting the power to calm and coax. This extends beyond purely natural animals; the mark ...
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How can my Beastmaster ranger use its animal companion as a mount?
My player's Beastmaster ranger has a panther companion that he would like to turn into a riding mount. Is there a way to permanently enlarge the panther to horse-size?
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Is this companion ability unbalanced?
I have created a bit of a homebrew companion for a Ranger (Beastmaster) PC, using the PHB companion rules. It's a raccoon, based on the Badger stats (with some minor tweaks; like a climb speed instead ...
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Can I animate water with Shape Water to follow (and contain) an aquatic creature?
For example: I have primal companion "Beast of the Sea" that has only 5ft. speed on land, but 60ft. swim speed. The second effect of "Shape Water" says:
You cause the water to ...
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Beastmaster. Timing of the fight. Command, attack action of the beast and bonus action
I am generally wondering if the beastmaster can use his bonus action before his companion attacks but after the action command is given. (PHB p93)
Why do I want to know this?
There is the feat "...
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Can animal companion use grapple in Pathfinder 2e?
Rules of grapple state:
Requirements You have at least one free hand or have your target grappled or restrained. Your target isn't more than one size larger than you.
Obviously, animals don't have ...
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Can I introduce a monster or race as a pet?
I was reading a homebrew Sandy Petersen's Cthulhu Mythos for 5e and in this issue he adds a breed called Dreamlands Cat, but this breed looks more like a pet than a player.
Deeper in this same ...
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Can I lead my mount/animal companion on foot during combat?
If my mount/animal companion has reins attached to them which I am holding, and I am on foot, how do I move and bring my mount with me?
I can imagine it involves one or more of the following:
...
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How much food should a polar bear eat? [closed]
I am running an Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden game with my table, and the players may manage to convince a polar bear or two of joining them. And where I could run with them using the bears in ...
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Artificer Steel Defender Homebrew
I DM for a player who is playing a level 4 Battle Smith Artificer. The player on numerous occasions has asked for extra enhancements to there class such as "macgyuver a holy hand grenade".
...
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Can a charmed Beast Master ranger's Primal Companion attack the charmer?
If a Beast Master ranger has a Primal Companion, and the ranger is charmed, can the charmed ranger instruct their Primal Companion to attack the charmer?
I ask this because the Primal Companion ...
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First time Pathfinder GM and I want to make an animal companion one shot [closed]
This is an odd question, but I figured y'all could help me. I have been playing Pathfinder and DnD for years, but I have never created my own one shot. I am creating a high-level one shot for my ...
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How does the confused condition affect a creature with the minion trait?
Creatures with the minion trait (like animal companions or familiars) get 2 actions when their master uses an action to order them to act.
The confused condition causes the creature to attack wildly.
...
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What actions can animal companions take?
The Pathfinder 2e rules are quite clear about how a character can issue orders to a normal animal, and what that animal can do.
The Command an Animal (Core Rulebook pg. 249) Nature skill action states,...
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Tasha's Beastmaster & communicating
I've been looking over the recent changes to the Ranger's Beastmaster in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, and I'm trying to figure out the best way for the beast to communicate with the ranger. The ...
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Is this homebrew Circle of the Companion subclass for Druid balanced?
Preamble
I've always felt that having an animal companion was a vital element of the class identity of Druids, which the Druid in 5th Edition lacks entirely. It was for this very reason that until ...
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How do I obtain an animal companion? [duplicate]
coming originally from 3rd edition DnD and recently started 5e, I'm a little bit confused about the use of animal companions in 5e.
Is there any possibility to obtain an animal companion outside the ...
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How to let a steed make magical attacks?
This question is especially about a steed summoned by Paladin's Find Steed or Find Greater Steed spells, with the assumption that a DM shouldn't make their normal attacks magical. So it should apply ...
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When I cast Simulacrum to make a copy of a creature with a feature like Rangers Companion, do I get a free animal companion to go with it?
The Simulacrum spell contains an interesting clause.
It appears to be the same as the original, but it has half the creature's hit point maximum and is formed without any Equipment. Otherwise, the ...
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What is the highest number of pets I can have?
What is the maximum number of pets a character can have, within the rules?
I would like to figure out the greatest number of minions specific to a character (animal companions, familiars, raised ...
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How can another character make an animal handling check to make a homunculus a companions for other party members?
I plan to give the party an opportunity to find a homonculus in a defeated necromancer lair and possibly make it their animal companion if they wish to.
The druid characters could probably make the ...
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Can we get my gestalt E6 character’s dire wolf animal companion/special mount her 21st HD?
In a previous question, I asked about making my strange gestalt E6 character’s mount tougher. I have followed that advice, and as my character is now (among other things) a gestalt of
Harmonium ...
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If I select Improved Natural Attack (Claws), does that apply to Rake attacks too?
Claws and Rakes are listed as separate attacks, but Rake's are extra attacks by the creature's claws.
If I selected Improved Natural Attack for my Lion Animal Companion, do my Rake attacks also ...
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Do pouncing animal companions get STR modifier bonuses to Rake attacks?
I have a level 11 druid with a lion animal companion. He gets Pounce, Grab, and Multiattack. If I pounce and get five attacks (bite, 2 claws, 2 rakes), do I apply my STR mod to the rake damage?
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How to order Ranger's beast to attack with TCoE?
In the PHB there is the Ranger subclass "Beast Master" which gives the opportunity to have a beast companion, which obey all orders from the Ranger. The beast attacks only if the ranger ...
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Can an animal cast spells via a Ring of Spell Storing? [duplicate]
Based on this question, (answered here), I have a follow up question:
Can a normal animal cast spells via a Ring of Spell Storing?
It seems that any animal, if properly trained, can attune to the Ring....
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How are tamed animals treated in terms of abilities?
In a campaign I am playing in the DM allows the taming of wild animals, but you have to devote time and resources to training them to follow commands after the initial taming.
Would these animals, ...
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Is there a way to repeatedly make yourself incapacitated, while it's not your turn?
A lot of player 'Companions' (like the Beast and Drake (UA) companion for the Ranger, or the Homunculus Servant or Steel Defender for the artificer) can act more freely if you are incapacitated.
Is ...
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Does the damage increase for savage/nimble animal companions include the increased strength?
If an animal companion advances to a e.g. a savage companion (through a feat, most of the time), its stats increase:
[...] increase its Strength modifier by 2 and its Dexterity, Constitution, and ...
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What is the upkeep cost of a mount, animal companion, or familiar?
The section on animals in the Equipment chapter (Core 294) gives prices for renting or purchasing an animal. However, we haven't been able to find any rules for cost of animal feed or other upkeep.
...
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Would these adjustments to the ranger archetype Beast Master to help the animal companion be more useful make it too powerful?
I recently playtested a Beast Master ranger from level 1 to level 20 (I was playtesting a new homebrew archetype, which was my primary reason for doing so; the Beast Master ranger was just one of the ...
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Can an urban druid use their companion creature as a divine focus?
Urban druids can have a manufactured object like a gear or a horseshoe as a divine focus, and their companion creature can be a small animated object. Is there anything stopping them from having an ...
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Is this homebrew Snapping Turtle balanced as an animal companion for the UA Revised Ranger (Beast Conclave)?
The player of the ranger in my group asked me the other day if I could make her a snapping turtle for an animal companion (she is using the UA Revised Ranger, Beast Conclave). After looking in the ...
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Which type of horse does a character get as an animal companion?
I'm currently playing a dwarfen cavalier.
According to the rules, he can chose a horse or a camel as a Mount.
But there are at least two types of horses: a light and a heavy one.
Since he is a ...
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How did the role of animal companions change between different editions of D&D, and which classes had access to them?
In D&D 3.5, druids had animal companions. In D&D 5e, only the Beast Master ranger subclass seems to get one. This made me wonder about the history of this feature in general.
Which classes ...
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As a DM I gave our dwarf cleric a bear cub as a companion, what can I do? [closed]
So I'm with 2 PCs, playing D&D essentials kit. Most of the time we follow the plot, add some extra things there and here and of course doing some improve. I try to stick to some of the rules but ...
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Would this Owlbear Cub be balanced as a Beast Master Ranger's Companion?
The players in my campaign just hit third level and the Ranger is planning on taking the Beast Master path. She wanted a baby Owlbear as her companion, but of course there are 2 hurdles. There aren't ...
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Will a mature animal companion with Haste get 2 actions when not commanded?
I tried to do this in a game, but the GM said I couldn’t and became irate when I asked why. He gave me an explanation that I didn’t think made sense. But instead of saying after the game we’ll ...
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How does level advancement in the Beast Master Ranger effect the stats of a UA Class Feature Variant, Ranger Companion Option; Beast of the Air/Earth?
It is unclear to me how to reconcile the UA enhanced Class Feature Variant; Ranger Companion Option with the Beast Master Ranger’s Companion feature rules (PHB p.93).
Specifically, in the case of a ...
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