Questions tagged [animal-companions]
For questions about animal companions - obtaining them, controlling them, their abilities, and their interactions with other rules or mechanics.
254
questions
10
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1answer
203 views
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 ...
4
votes
2answers
77 views
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 ...
8
votes
1answer
225 views
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 ...
5
votes
1answer
107 views
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 ...
6
votes
0answers
139 views
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 ...
1
vote
0answers
216 views
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 ...
8
votes
2answers
395 views
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 ...
2
votes
1answer
146 views
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 ...
4
votes
1answer
176 views
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 ...
2
votes
1answer
133 views
When an animal companion does damage because of a support action, does it add its strength?
The support ability of an animal companion says that they will inflict d8 damage if their Ranger/Druid/friend successfully hits something that they can reach; is the animal companion's strength bonus ...
2
votes
2answers
486 views
Calculating HP for UA beast master animal companion
I am a very new DM in DnD 5e, and one of my players is a ranger. As I was browsing through posts here and there we decided to use the UA, as everyone is saying the RAW ranger is lackluster. She ...
11
votes
1answer
3k views
Is this Astral Rat a reasonable magic pet?
I'm looking to develop a magical pet for one of my wizard PCs, I'm the DM and this is my first time as such so I wanted to ensure I wasn't creating something which could cause chaos.
After watching ...
10
votes
1answer
524 views
Command action for strike summons/minion
Wonder if someone could help. I have created a pathfinder 2e Druid character with an animal companion (Bear) and a Summon Fey spell (Sprite).
Can the bear only attack my enemy when commanded?
From ...
6
votes
2answers
293 views
How many times does a Mature Animal Companion attack per encounter without orders?
The Mature Animal Companion feat for Rangers (CRB p173) is really ambigious:
If you have the Hunt Prey action, your animal companion assaults the prey even without your orders. During an encounter, ...
3
votes
1answer
313 views
Where can I find my Animal Companion's AC?
For familiars, it is quite easy to find that they have your AC.
How can I find the AC of my Animal Companion?
2
votes
2answers
114 views
Animal companion: roll additional HDs or not?
When a druid reaches level 3, his animal companion earns two hit dice. Do I have to roll them to give him more hp or is it only a number to use, for example, for spell effects? The manual also says ...
1
vote
2answers
112 views
Is it possible to fool an animal companion?
Is it possible to fool an animal companion impersonating its owner? For example, if a druid is fighting with his party and its animal companion - let's say a wolf - would its opponent be able to get ...
12
votes
1answer
840 views
Rules on “Pets on shoulder”
Are there specific rules that determine what happens if, let's say, my pet eagle lands on my shoulder in-combat?
Does it get an AC bonus?
Do I move slower?
Do we move together?
Or should I talk to ...
6
votes
1answer
175 views
Does the UA Beast Conclave revised ranger let you add your proficiency bonus to both the Boar companion's Tusk damage roll and its Charge damage roll?
I am just hoping to get some clarification on this one.
The UA Ranger Beast Conclave's Companion's Bond feature says:
In addition to the areas where it normally uses its proficiency bonus, an animal ...
6
votes
1answer
292 views
Can a Wild Shaped Druid Command an Animal Companion?
As a Druid, you can take both the Wild Order (gaining Wild Shape) and the Animal Order (gaining an Animal Companion) via Order Explorer (Druid Feat 2). To be most effective, you would likely wish to ...
4
votes
3answers
564 views
Does a Beast Master Ranger's animal companion gain more actions when its master becomes incapacitated?
This question comes from discussion in the comments to the question "Can my Beast Master ranger's baboon animal companion use her Wand of Magic Missiles?"
The description of the Beast Master ranger's ...
5
votes
2answers
448 views
Can my Beast Master ranger's baboon animal companion use her Wand of Magic Missiles?
I am playing a Beast Master ranger. My baboon animal companion* obeys commands as best as it can. Can it use a wand of magic missiles?
The baboon has hands, and the wand does not require attunement ...
13
votes
1answer
1k views
Is there a way to make a Beast Master ranger's animal companion able to read a language?
Let's say I am a Beast Master ranger and have a baboon animal companion. Is there a spell or magic item that would let it know how to read? Write?
18
votes
6answers
6k views
What to do as a player when ranger animal companion dies
I recently found myself in a situation where my PHB Beastmaster's animal companion was killed. There were no suitable beasts in the vicinity. As we were partway through a dungeon the party was ...
1
vote
1answer
260 views
Can an animal companion's support benefit be triggered by a cantrip?
Many of the support benefits contain the condition
"Until the start of your next turn, your Strikes that deal damage to a
creature that your companion threatens"
(pp. 215-216).
Strikes are ...
0
votes
2answers
390 views
Can a blood hawk animal companion be commanded to carry around their beast master? [duplicate]
Let's say a gnome Beast Master ranger chooses a Blood Hawk animal companion, is the companion able to follow the order to pick up and carry the PC?
I'm more looking at the possible issue of ...
23
votes
4answers
5k views
Can a Beast Master ranger choose a swarm as an animal companion?
The Beast Master ranger's Ranger's Companion feature says:
At 3rd level, you gain a beast companion that accompanies you on your adventures and is trained to fight alongside you. Choose a beast ...
37
votes
8answers
8k views
How can I help our ranger feel special about her beast companion?
I am not DM, just a player. In our party of newbies we have a (PHB) ranger who just recently got her beast companion (a panther if you're curious). The problem is our party also found a cat with ...
3
votes
1answer
252 views
Can an animal companion Stirge take an action while utilizing Drain Blood?
If a Stirge chosen as a Beast Master ranger's animal companion has had the dragon's Breath spell cast on it, can it use its action to spew magical energy (per dragon's breath) while blood draining?
6
votes
1answer
406 views
Can a Beast Master ranger have its beast chase down and attack enemies?
I have two related questions. I'm looking for RAW answers, as I play in Adventurers League.
Say you are outside:
Can a Beast Master Ranger command their pet to chase down enemies? Like having a ...
5
votes
1answer
430 views
Should my UA Ranger slaughter her Animal Companions when she is done with them?
I'm in the process of converting my PHB Ranger to a UA Ranger. In doing so I'm looking with particular interest at the differences this has on the Animal Companion.
The new features that have caught ...
3
votes
1answer
794 views
The Beast Master ranger adds their proficiency bonus to their animal companion's AC; is the result its new base AC?
As per the Ranger Companion feature, you can add your proficiency bonus to your companion's AC.
I would like to know how to interpret this in terms of AC calculation.
Could I interpret as though my ...
8
votes
1answer
364 views
Can my UA revised ranger's animal companion use Coordinated Attack if I am riding it?
If I'm riding my animal companion for my class (UA revised ranger), can my animal companion make an attack using the following ability?
Coordinated Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you and your animal ...
11
votes
1answer
828 views
What happens to a UA revised Beast Conclave ranger's Animal Companion's ASIs when it dies?
The Beast Conclave feature "Companion's Bond" from the UA revised ranger says this:
Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your companion’s abilities also improve. Your ...
12
votes
1answer
668 views
Do I include animal companions when calculating difficulty of an encounter?
I have a player who is playing a beast master ranger and I was wondering: do I calculate the level of the animal companion when making encounters?
5
votes
1answer
908 views
Do the rules for carrying capacity apply to animal companions?
Imagine a Ranger Beast Master with a Hawk animal companion.
A player wants their helpful hawk to carry gear for the party.
The hawk wears a specially made harness with a pack dangling from it for ...
7
votes
1answer
442 views
Does a mounted attacking Beast Master ranger cancel Charge/Pounce-like abilities?
Certain creatures have attacks like charge or pounce, which allows them to do something special after travelling a certain distance. For example, see the panther:
If the panther moves at least 20 ...
1
vote
2answers
621 views
How does Share Spells work with animal companions for continuous effects?
Right okay so here's a question I'm hoping someone can provide clarity to under the D&D 3.5 rule set. I've used the PHB, DMG and the 3.0 Rules of the Game Animals Part 4 to research an answer ...
1
vote
1answer
556 views
What happens when you roll a nat 20 on an Animal Handling check? [closed]
My Dragonborn Barbarian has animal handling as part of his skillset, which he used to tame a wolf collected from a goblin camp. Now this wolf has proven to be the unsung MVP of our recent encounters ...
-4
votes
1answer
383 views
Can my backstory give me animal companions?
If I make a good backstory for my character is it possible to get an animal companion or two due to my backstory if the game master accepts it? The animals I want are an owlbear and a chimaera. I want ...
6
votes
1answer
517 views
Can the Haste spell grant both a Beast Master ranger and their animal companion extra attacks?
Backstory: I’m currently working on a level 20 character build for a one shot I’m doing, I want to play a level 15 Beast Master Ranger/ level 5 Divine Soul Sorcerer. By doing such I’m giving Myself ...
3
votes
2answers
852 views
Can a Beast Master ranger change beast companions?
Can a Beast Master ranger change beasts? Let's say I have a hawk, but I see a nice panther. Can I simply perform the 8 hour bonding with the panther and say goodbye to my hawk? The manual describes ...
2
votes
1answer
237 views
What could you give to a Hawk animal companion to improve their battle effectiveness? [closed]
An idea I had was poisoning their talons, but one would have to keep dapping their talons in poison each encounter. Anything else you can think of?
For a Ranger with a Hawk/Falcon animal companion.
4
votes
1answer
204 views
Does the Stirge blood drain allow it to flank as well?
I am playing a Beast Master ranger with a stirge animal companion.
I know that once a stirge is attached to an enemy, it doesn't need to use its action or anything; Blood Drain's damage is passive/...
6
votes
1answer
2k views
Is a pteranodon too powerful as a beast companion for a beast master?
I’ve just started to play D&D with a few of my friends and we're unsure if a beast master having a pteranodon as their beast companion would be unbalanced.
I’m playing as a flying character (an ...
4
votes
0answers
121 views
If an animal companion wears barding without armor proficiency, do they incur the penalties? [duplicate]
Suppose a ranger puts barding on their animal companion to boost its AC. Does wearing the armor cause this creature to have disadvantage on its attacks, ability checks, and saving throws? Or does the ...
11
votes
4answers
3k views
How can I improve the survivability of the Beast Master's animal companion?
I am brand spanking new to D&D. I have picked a Beast Master Ranger as my first class and I'm having serious issues with the survivability of the animal companion.
I picked a Panther as my pet. I ...
7
votes
3answers
4k views
Do any of the books contain (magic) items for animal companions?
Context
An 11th level PC in a game that I DM is a ranger6/rogue3/warlock2. He noticed that his animal companion, a black panther, could use a little boost to her defenses, as she goes down frequently....
5
votes
2answers
738 views
What is the minimum amount of skill points per HD?
I've been playing D&D 5e for about 1,5 year now (as DM and PC), and sometimes play D&D 3.5e as a half-orc ranger (level 3 currently). I don't own any 3.5 books, and only use the online SRD.
...
3
votes
1answer
264 views
What happens if a druid uses Share Spells to share a spell that blocks extraordinary abilities with their companion?
Yesterday my druid used Share Spell to cast Primal Form (Spell Compendium, p. 161) on her brown bear companion for the nice earth form damage reduction.
But after re-reading the spell, we started to ...
