Community

As with the Essassin, I like some of the concept and mechanics of the previewed Druid, but not that it presents an option incompatible with the normal Druid.  In addition, having the animal companion tied to a build that uses weapons is... nothing like the Druid class I've come to know and love.

So, because of that, here's my attempt at converting / creating the animal companion concept into something that actually meshes with the existing 4th edition Druid.

---------------------------------------------------------

New Class Features

The Animal Companion class feature is available to any druid who wishes to gain a quasi-mystical animal companion.  To select this class feature, you must give up the Balance of Nature and Wild Shape class features.

Animal Companion

    Animal Companion: You gain an animal companion, chosen from one of these categories: bear, boar, cat, lizard, raptor, serpent, spider or wolf*.  Your animal companion is considered an ally of you and your allies.  It can be affected by powers in the same way as any other creature can be.
    You can communicate telepathically with your animal companion as long as it is within 20 squares of you.  You do not need line of sight or line of effect to do so.  Your animal companion has only animal intelligence, so it cannot communicate or understand complex topics.
    Your companion fights at your command, sharing your actions.  You spend the required action and your beast companion completes it.  For example, the companion's animal attack requires a standard action, so you can spend a standard action to order your companion to use that attack.  An exception to this is move actions - when you spend a move action, both you and your companion can each take a move action.  The actions taken by each of you need not be the same.
    Your animal companion's level is equal to yours, and its hit points, defenses, and attacks are determined by your level, as noted in its stat block.
    Your animal companion shares your healing surge total.  Whenever an effect requires your animal companion to spend a healing surge, the surge is deducted from your total.  Whenever you use your second wind, your animal companion also regains hit points equal to your healing surge value.  At the end of a short rest, your animal companion regains all its hit points.
    If you die or your animal companion drops to 0 hit points, it disappears.  You can summon your animal companion by either of the following means:

• Minor Action: You take a minor action and lose a healing surge.  Your companion appears in the nearest unoccupied space, with hit points equal to your healing surge value.

• Short or Extended Rest: You lose a healing surge at the end of the rest.  Your companion appears in the nearest unoccupied space, with full hit points.

    Nature's Companion: You can know powers with the beast form keyword, and can use them through your animal companion.  When using a power with the beast form keyword you may make the attack through your animal companion. Use your attack roll, and damage for the power. But The animal companion is the origin of the attack, and any affects of the power that would normally apply to you as the one using the power apply to the animal companion instead.

Animal Companion Stat Blocks Show

Sidebar - Animal Companion Types and You*
    These categories do not describe specific animals, but rather groups of similarly themed creatures in the D&D world.  You decide the creature's relevant details - its species, physical details, and so forth - making sure they are appropriate for its category and the campaign.
    For example, if your character hails from a swampy region, your lizard companion might be a crocodile.  The lizard companion of a character from a different region might be a giant monitor lizard or a drake.  An animal companion's species doesn't affect its game statistics, which are based on its category and level.

---------------------------------------------------------

* The list of companion types, and the text in the sidebar (but not the title) are taken from the Beastmaster Ranger in Martial Power.

---------------------------------------------------------

I like the formatting for the Druid's companion's better than the Ranger's - I may simply use these as the basis of the Ranger's companion as well, and try my hand at revising all of that mess.

Generally though, I really like this approach - this allows me to use existing powers for my animal companion Druid.

The only real "oops" at the moment is that all of the animal attack attacks add Constitution to damage, leaning them heavily toward Guardian druids.  I think if I wanted to put more work into this, I might make a Primal Aspect option called Primal Sentinel, and split the con-bonus-to-damage aspect out into that.  Though dropping the con-to-AC feature may be a bit harsh for such a build.  Or maybe I can just modify all of the attacks to be:
    Hit: 1dX + your Wisdom modifier + your Constitution or your Dexterity modifier damage.

I kind of prefer that approach.


Anywho: Thoughts, comments, feedback?

Oct 19, 2010 -- 8:07PM, greatfrito wrote:

Casual is fine - I actually appreciate getting just "casual" feedback on homebrew stuff as much as detailed mechanics (except in those cases where I feel like I'm really pushing the mechanics to the limit - like the Soulknife theme, where I sought out CharOp feedback).

I think one of the issues with the new design direction is there are elements like reusing and integrating with what you have that gets over-looked in the era of the locked down sub-class. Having the animal companion able to perform beast keyword moves is an example. My idea of allowing the ranger a class feature to enable use of a versatile weapon as though it were a dual weapon might be another (Aragorn didnt use two weapons just Arundil).  Having feats and paragon paths which allow "off brand" hybrids to work better is another.

I would like to take some homebrew like 4.0 style versions of what comes out in essentials and give it I dont know higher status ... put up Wiki pages and similar things so it doesnt fade in to the background of the forum.

I think I need to clarify the wording a bit.

The intent is:

• The companion uses its own attack bonus for its Animal Attack - but that's about it.
• The companion Druid can use Beast Form powers, but they originate from the companion, and they treat the companion as the user (so most instances of "you" in the powers effects).  The Druid is the actual attacker though - the powers work as listed in PH2/PP (Druid's Wis attack vs. NAD; Druid's Wis for damage).
  • As an example: Steve the Druid has a Wolf companion.  He fights a Goblin.
  • Steve can spend a standard action to give his Wolf a standard action.  He spends a standard action to have the Wolf make an animal attack against a Goblin - the Wolf uses the power in its stat-block (so attack = Level+5 vs. AC) .
  • Steve can instead use a standard action to use one of his own Beast Form powers through the Wolf.  He uses his darting bite encounter attack through the Wolf as a standard action - the Druid makes the attack roll, but the Wolf is subject to the powers effects as if it is the user (so attack = 1/2 Level+Implement+Wisdom+Misc vs. Reflex, but if one of the attacks hits, the "you" that can shift as a result of the power is the Wolf, not the Druid himself).

Oct 29, 2010 -- 12:46AM, rampant wrote:

What if you put it like this?

"When using a power with the beast keyword you may make the attack through your animal companion. Use your attack roll, and damage for the power. But The animal companion is the origin of the attack, and any affects of the power that would normally apply to you as the one using the power apply to the animal companion instead."

I think at some level that does keep it quite simple...