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Animal Companions
Upon taking the Nature's Companion Talent, you form a close bond with an animal, plant, or vermin companion. Unlike normal animals of its kind, an Animal Companion may have its abilities increased by spending Experience, albeit at a discounted rate from that of a player character.
When you first gain an Animal Companion, it possesses the following:
- Prowess 1
- HD 1 (Along with your choice of two good saves, and two bad saves)
- Skill ranks x2
- One Talent of your choice
- The Link Talent
- The Share Spells Talent
- One Path (no Talents included)
Unless otherwise stated, the cost to increase the Animal Companion's Prowess, HD, Skills, or to purchase Talents for it is equal to the normal cost divided by 2, rounding down (minimum 1 EXP).
You may not invest more than one third of your total Experience, rounded down, into a Companion (for example if you have 450 total EXP, you may only invest up to 150).
Companion Choices
By default, you may choose an Animal, Plant, or Vermin as a companion. If you select the Beast Speaker Talent, you may instead select a magical beast.
Companion Talents & Tricks
Below is a collection of Talents uniquely available for Companions. You may also purchase any Universal Talents for an Animal Companion, if they meet the prerequisites. Check with your GM prior to purchasing any Talents for your companion outside of this page.
You may teach your Companion one bonus Trick for every 5 HD or Prowess you purchase for it (maximum of 8 bonus tricks at HD 20 and BaB 20). 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. You select these bonus tricks, and once selected, they can’t be changed outside of Retraining. For more information on Tricks, see the Handle Animal page.
Magical Items
Companions may freely wear magical items, but they lack many of the slots that normal humanoids do. See the below table as a general guide, and consult with your GM if a particular item or slot is not clearly defined.
Table: Magic Item Slots for Animals
| Body Type | Available Slots | Grasp/Carry |
|---|---|---|
| Avian | Armor, belt, chest (saddle), eyes, head, headband, neck, ring, wrist | Yes |
| Biped (claws/paws) | Armor, belt, chest, eyes, head, headband, neck, ring, shoulders, wrist | Yes |
| Biped (hands) | All item slots | Yes |
| Piscine | Belt, chest (saddle), eyes | No |
| Quadruped (claws) | Armor, belt (saddle), chest, eyes, head, headband, neck, shoulders, wrist | No |
| Quadruped (hooves) | Armor, belt (saddle), chest, eyes, feet (horseshoes), head, headband, neck, shoulders | No |
| Quadruped (other) | Armor, belt (saddle), chest, eyes, head, headband, neck, shoulders, wrist | No |
| Quadruped (short legs) | Armor, eyes, head, headband, neck, shoulders | No |
| Serpentine | Belt, eyes, headband | No |
| Unusual (plant and vermin) | Belt, eyes | No |