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bradu
Sergeant
456 Posts
    
Portland, OR
 | | 07/02/2006 8:08 PM |
| | My party has a druid with a wolf companion. When we're in battle, does he just use the wolf however he pleases? (ie, will the wolf maneuver around to get a flanking bonus, or use some other top notch strategy?) Or does the Druid need to make a check (handle animal, perhaps) to try to convince the wolf to do whatever it is (attack, probably)? I'm just a little confused, the way we played was basically as if the wolf were a seperate PC. But I wonder if we did it wrong. | |
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Zenako
Commander
3472 Posts
| | 07/02/2006 10:53 PM |
| Assuming at this point the wolf is still normal and not advanced in any particular way other than being the Druids companion. As a normal wolf, it would have the normal sense of pack tactics and flanking and helping its allies. At low levels the animals can often be as effective as low level PC's. Assume that the druid has spent a lot of time using Speak with Animals spells to gain higher levels of communication with the wolf.
The Druid can work with the wolf to develop a number of tactics. In our group the DM had the Druid's (Shaman actually) companion (also a wolf) always move on the Druids INIT since it was so closely attuned to the druid, kind of like a guide dog would be. THis allowed the wolf to help with flanking attacks, with filling spaces so enemy monsters could not team up on PCs, and things like that. However, being an animal, it did not go after undead, nor did the Druid expect it to. | |
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Wayne
Underboss
1371 Posts
| | 07/03/2006 12:31 AM |
| If an animal knows a trick -- attack, defend, flank, whatever -- it will perform that trick on command (a move action) with a Handle Animal check at DC 10 (+2 if the animal is wounded). If the animal is required to do something it doesn't know how to do, the DC is 25 (again at +2 if the animal is injured), and it takes a full round action.
A druid or ranger (presumably any character with an animal companion, although "druid or ranger" is specified) issuing the command to his or her animal companion gets a +4 on the check and drops the time required to handle or push an animal to a free action or move action respectively.
All of this information is in the Handle Animal skill description and the druid's Animal Companion class ability description. You can find the rules online here: http://www.d20srd.org/
An animal companion will not automatically attack enemies or defend the druid or ranger ... if it would do so, the description in the druid class would say so, and there would be little need for tricks like "attack" and "defend."
It's important for a druid or ranger to select tricks that fit the role the animal companion will play. Since animal companions get extra tricks, and since druids and rangers get a bonus to Handle Animal with them, there should be little problem making them useful within the rules. | |
Jeff "Wayne Laredo" Wilder | Email | Have/Want List | Trade Policies | Are You an Ethical Trader?
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