The Druid's Animal Companion
A druid’s animal companion is different from a normal animal of its kind in many ways. A druid’s animal companion is superior to a normal animal of its kind and has special powers, as described below.
| Level | HD | NaturalArmor Adj. | Str/Dex Adj. | Tricks | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st–2nd | +0 | +0 | +0 | 1 | Link, Share Spells |
| 3rd–5th | +2 | +2 | +1 | 2 | Evasion |
| 6th–8th | +4 | +4 | +2 | 3 | Devotion |
| 9th–11th | +6 | +6 | +3 | 4 | Multiattack |
| 12th–14th | +8 | +8 | +4 | 5 | |
| 15th–17th | +10 | +10 | +5 | 6 | Improved Evasion |
| 18th–20th | +12 | +12 | +6 | 7 |
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. The druid’s class levels stack with levels of any other classes that are entitled to an animal companion for the purpose of determining the companion’s abilities and the alternative lists available to the character.
Bonus HD: Extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Consitution 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.
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 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.
Alternative Animal Companions:
A druid of sufficiently high level can select her animal companion from one of the following lists, applying the indicated adjustment to the druid’s level (in parentheses) for purposes of determining the companion’s characteristics and special abilities.
4th Level or Higher (Level –3)
Ape (animal)
Bear, black (animal)
Bison (animal)
Boar (animal)
Cheetah (animal)
Crocodile (animal)1
Dire badger
Dire bat
Dire weasel
Leopard (animal)
Lizard, monitor (animal)
Shark, Large1 (animal)
Snake, constrictor (animal)
Snake, Large viper (animal)
Wolverine (animal)
7th Level or Higher (Level –6)
Bear, brown (animal)
Dire wolverine
Crocodile, giant (animal)
Deinonychus (dinosaur)
Dire ape
Dire boar
Dire wolf
Elasmosaurus (dinosaur)1
Lion (animal)
Rhinoceros (animal)
Snake, Huge viper (animal)
Tiger (animal)
10th Level or Higher (Level –9)
Bear, polar (animal)
Dire lion
Megaraptor (dinosaur)
Shark, Huge (animal)1
Snake, giant constrictor (animal)
Whale, orca (animal)1
13th Level or Higher (Level –12)
Dire bear
Elephant (animal)
Octopus, giant (animal)1
16th Level or Higher (Level –15)
Dire shark1
Dire tiger
Squid, giant (animal)1
Triceratops (dinosaur)
Tyrannosaurus (dinosaur)
1. Available only in an aquatic environment.
Animal Companions in Eberron
Druid and ranger characters may choose one of the new animals detailed in Chapter 11: Monsters as an animal companion. A character’s choice of companion is constrained by his region of origin: He must choose a companion that occurs naturally in this region, as indicated in the following list. (“Aquatic” is defined as a region for this purpose; animals mentioned in that portion of the list are available only to a character who lives in an aquatic environment.)
Many animal companions do not become available until a druid’s level (or effective druid level, in the case of a ranger) is 4th or higher. When determining the special powers of such a companion, use the level adjustments given in Alternative Animal Companions on page 36 of the Player’s Handbook: –3 for companions that become available at 4th level or higher, –6 for those that become available at 7th level or higher, and so forth.
A druid or ranger may never acquire a magebred animal as a companion. Most druids and rangers are ambivalent toward such creatures, while some consider magebred animals to be corruptions of nature.
Animal Companions by Region
Adar or Riedra:
1st—badger, camel, dire rat, dog, eagle, hawk, owl, snake (Small or Medium viper);
4th—ape, black bear, boar, cheetah, dire badger, dire weasel, monitor lizard, snake (constrictor or Large viper);
7th—dire ape, dire boar, lion, rhinoceros, snake (Huge viper), tiger;
10th—dire lion, snake (giant constrictor);
13th—dire bear;
16th—dire tiger.
Aerenal:
1st—baboon, dire rat, dog, eagle, hawk, owl, snake (Small or Medium viper);
4th—ape, crocodile, leopard, monitor lizard, snake (constrictor or Large viper);
7th—giant crocodile, dire ape, snake (Huge viper), tiger;
10th—snake (giant constrictor);
13th—elephant;
16th—dire tiger.
Aquatic:
1st—porpoise, Medium shark, squid;
4th— Large shark;
7th—elasmosaurus (dinosaur);
10th—giant octopus, Huge shark, orca whale;
16th—dire shark, giant squid.
Argonnessen or Seren:
1st—camel, dire rat, eagle, hawk, owl, snake (Small or Medium viper);
4th—ape, cheetah, dire weasel, leopard, monitor lizard, snake (constrictor or Large viper);
7th—dire ape, lion, rhinoceros, snake (Huge viper), tiger;
10th—snake (giant constrictor);
13th—elephant;
16th—dire tiger.
Aundair, Cyre, Eldeen Reaches, or Thrane:
1st— badger, dire rat, dog, eagle, hawk, horse (light or heavy), owl, wolf;
4th—black bear, bison, boar, dire badger, dire weasel, horrid rat;
7th—brown bear, dire boar, dire wolf, horrid badger, horrid weasel, tiger;
13th—dire bear;
16th—dire tiger, horrid bear.
Breland, Darguun, or Zilargo:
1st—badger, dire rat, dog, riding dog, eagle, hawk, horse (light or heavy), owl, snake (Small or Medium viper);
4th—ape, black bear, crocodile, dire badger, horrid rat, monitor lizard, snake (constrictor or Large viper);
7th—giant crocodile, dire ape, snake (Huge viper), Magebred Ghost Tiger
10th—horrid ape, horrid bear, snake (giant constrictor);
13th—dire bear.
Demon Wastes:
1st—dire rat, eagle (vulture), owl, snake (Small or Medium viper), wolf;
4th—black bear, boar, dire bat, dire weasel, horrid rat, snake (constrictor or Large viper), wolverine;
7th—brown bear, dire boar, dire wolf, dire wolverine, horrid bat, horrid weasel, snake (Huge viper), tiger;
10th—snake (giant constrictor);
13th—dire bear;
16th—dire tiger, horrid bear.
Droaam or Shadow Marches:
1st—badger, dire rat, eagle, hawk, owl, snake (Small or Medium viper);
4th— black bear, crocodile, dire badger, dire weasel, horrid rat, monitor lizard, snake (constrictor or Large viper);
7th—giant crocodile, horrid badger, snake (Huge viper);
10th—snake (giant constrictor);
13th—dire bear.
Karrnath or Mror Holds:
1st—badger, dire rat, dog, eagle, hawk, horse (light or heavy), owl, wolf;
4th—black bear, boar, dire badger, dire weasel, wolverine;
7th—brown bear, dire boar, dire wolf, dire wolverine, tiger;
13th—dire bear;
16th—dire tiger.
Khyber (the underworld):
1st—badger, dire rat, snake (Small or Medium viper);
4th—dire badger, dire bat, dire weasel, snake (constrictor or Large viper);
7th—snake (Huge viper);
10th—snake (giant constrictor);
13th—dire bear.
Lhazaar Principalities or Frostfell:
1st—dire rat, dog, eagle, hawk, owl, wolf;
4th—dire weasel, wolverine;
7th—brown bear, dire wolf, dire wolverine, tiger;
10th— polar bear;
13th—dire bear;
16th—dire tiger.
Q’barra:
1st—badger, dire rat, dog, eagle, hawk, horse (light or heavy), owl, snake (Small or Medium viper), wolf;
4th—boar, dire badger, dire weasel, monitor lizard, snake (constrictor or Large viper);
7th—dire boar, dire wolf, snake (Huge viper);
10th—snake (giant constrictor).
Talenta Plains:
1st—badger, eagle, fastieth (dinosaur), hawk, owl, snake (Small or Medium viper);
4th—claw foot (dinosaur), dire badger, snake (Large viper);
7th—snake (Huge viper);
10th—snake (giant constrictor).
Valenar:
1st—badger, eagle, hawk, horse (light, heavy, or Valenar riding), owl, snake (Small or Medium viper);
4th—boar, crocodile, dire badger, snake (constrictor or Large viper);
7th—giant crocodile, dire boar, snake (Huge viper); 10th—snake (giant constrictor).
Xen’drik:
1st—dire rat, eagle, hawk, owl, snake (Small or Medium viper);
4th—ape, crocodile, dire bat, leopard, monitor lizard, snake (constrictor or Large viper);
7th— giant crocodile, dire ape, snake (Huge viper), tiger;
10th— snake (giant constrictor);
13th—elephant;
16th—dire tiger, swordtooth titan/tyrannosaurus (dinosaur), threehorn/ triceratops (dinosaur).
Source: Eberron Campaign Setting, Player's Handbook
