# Animal Companion Rules
You have a devoted animal companion who fights alongside you like a member of your adventuring party.
If you have a single talent invested into Animal Companion, you are an Animal Companion initiate. If you invested two talents into Animal Companion, you are an Animal Companion adept.
These are the same rules as for the druid.
# Calling to Battle
When you roll initiative, you may choose whether you want your animal companion to take part in the battle. You may also call your animal companion during the battle with a quick action.
Animal Companion initiates may only call their animal companion once every other battle. The animal companion may not fight in two battles in a row—even between full heal-ups, adventures, or gaining new levels. Animal Companion adepts don’t have this limitation; their animal companion can fight in every battle if the adept so chooses.
# Recoveries
As an initiate, add a recovery to your total recoveries. As an adept, add two recoveries to your total recoveries. You can use a recovery on yourself or your animal companion.
# Actions
Your animal companion acts on your initiative turn, either immediately before or after you, depending on the animal type.
Your animal companion moves gets a move action and a standard action, but not a quick action.
If you have powers that care about the “first time you attack an enemy,” an attack by your animal companion counts as your attack.
# Animal Harm
Your animal companion can be healed like an ally. If it gets healed without you being healed, it uses one of your recoveries. When you use a recovery while next to your animal companion (including being engaged with the same enemy), your animal companion is also healed using a free recovery.
Instead of dying like a monster or NPC at 0 hp, your animal companion follows PC rules for falling unconscious at 0 hp and dying after four failed death saves or when its negative hit points equal half its normal hit points. If your animal companion dies, it’s gone for the battle, though you can call it (or another one) to fight in the next battle (as an adept) or the in the battle after that (as an initiate). That animal companion will be one level lower than an animal companion would normally be, i.e. two levels below you. At the start of the next battle, bump the animal companion up to its proper level, i.e. one below you.
# Stats & Levels
Each animal companion has roughly the same base stats as listed below.
Your animal companion is always one level lower than you. As a 1st level ranger, you’ll have a level 0 animal companion. Once you gain a level, your animal companion rises to 1st level.
On top of the base stats, each type of animal has a zoologically appropriate power or advantage.
# Companion Bonuses
Each type of animal companion is a little different.
# Animated Plant
Acts: After druid / ranger
Advantage: With a successful easy difficulty skill check (using your ability scores and backgrounds), your companion can disguise itself as a mundane plant. It is also vulnerable to fire.
# Adventurer Feat
On a natural even hit with a melee attack, your companion gives enemies disadvantage on checks to disengage from it until the end of your next turn.
# Bear (also Giant Badger, Wolverine)
Acts: After druid / ranger
Advantage: The bear gains temporary hit points equal to its level each time it hits with an attack.
# Champion Feat
The temporary hit points increase to double its level.
# Boar (also Spiky Lizard)
Acts: Before druid / ranger
Advantage: The boar gains a +1 attack bonus when it moves before its attack during the same turn.
# Eagle (also Falcon, Hawk, Owl, Vulture)
Acts: Before druid / ranger
Advantage: It flies! Its melee damage die is dropped by one size (d6 at level 0).
# Faerie Spirit
Acts: Before druid / ranger
Advantage: Once per battle, your companion can teleport to a nearby location it can see as a move action.
# Giant Toad
Acts: After druid / ranger
Advantage: Your companion can use its tongue to make melee attacks against nearby enemies it is not engaged with. The attack deals normal damage, and on a natural even hit, the target is forced to pop free and engage the toad.
# Hellcat (also Hellhound)
Acts: Before druid / ranger
Advantage: On a natural attack roll of 18+, your companion does 1d6 per level extra fire damage to the target.
# Panther (also Lion, Tiger)
Acts: Before druid / ranger
Advantage: The panther’s crit range expands by 2 against enemies with lower initiative.
# Shadow Beast
Acts: Before druid / ranger
Advantage: The companion gains resist necrotic 12+, and a +2 bonus to skill checks to hide in dimly lit areas.
# Shocker Lizard
Acts: Before druid / ranger
Advantage: The first time your companion hits an enemy in a battle, it deals 1d10 extra lightning damage, 2d10 at champion tier, and 4d10 at epic tier.
# Skeletal Animal
Acts: After druid / ranger
Advantage: Your companion gains resist weapons 12+, but it is also vulnerable to radiant damage.
# Champion Feat
Increase the resistance to 16+.
# Small Rock Elemental
Acts: After druid / ranger
Advantage: Reduce all damage your animal companion takes by half your level (round up).
# Adventurer Feat
Increase the damage reduction to equal to your level.
# Snake (also Giant Spider, Poison Toad)
Acts: After druid / ranger
Advantage: The snake also deals ongoing poison damage equal to twice your level on a natural attack roll of 18+.
# Champion Feat
The ongoing damage is three times your level instead.
# Epic Feat
The ongoing damage is four times your level instead.
# Unicorn
Acts: After druid / ranger
Advantage: Once per battle, the unicorn can let an adjacent ally use a recovery to heal as a quick action.
# Wolf (also Big Dog, Coyote, Hyena, Jackal)
Acts: After druid / ranger
Advantage: The wolf gains a +1 attack bonus against enemies its master attacked the same turn, or against enemies engaged with its master.
# Baseline Stats
Use the following stats as the baseline for your animal companion. Remember that your companion stays a level lower than you. Generally your companion’s Physical Defense should be higher than its Mental Defense, but you could flip that if you have a good explanation.
| Level | Attack | Damage | AC | PD (or MD) | MD (or PD) | HP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | +5 vs. AC | d8 | 16 | 14 | 10 | 20 (10) |
| 1 | +6 vs. AC | d10 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 27 (13) |
| 2 | +7 vs. AC | 2d6 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 36 (18) |
| 3 | +9 vs. AC | 3d6 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 45 (22) |
| 4 | +10 vs. AC | 4d6 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 54 (27) |
| 5 | +11 vs. AC | 5d6 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 72 (36) |
| 6 | +13 vs. AC | 6d6 | 23 | 21 | 17 | 90 (45) |
| 7 | +14 vs. AC | 7d6 | 25 | 23 | 19 | 108 (54) |
| 8 | +15 vs. AC | 8d6 | 26 | 24 | 20 | 144 (72) |
| 9 | +17 vs. AC | 9d6 | 27 | 25 | 21 | 180 (90) |
| 10 | +18 vs. AC | 10d6 | 28 | 26 | 22 | 216 (108) |
# Animal Companion Feats
Animal companion feats are designed so that they do not build on each other. Unlike other feats, you don’t have to take animal companion feats progressively, one after the other as long as you qualify for the correct tier.
# Adventurer Feat
Once per full recovery, your animal companion can attack twice in a round with a standard action.
# Adventurer Feat
Once per battle, your animal companion can turn a disengage success by an enemy it is engaged with into a failure.
# Adventurer Feat
Once per full recovery, reroll one of your animal companion’s missed attack rolls.
# Adventurer Feat
Your animal companion adds the escalation die to its attacks.
# Champion Feat
Once per full recovery, your animal companion can force an enemy to reroll an attack that hit it.
# Champion Feat
Your Lethal Hunter talent also applies to your animal companion.
# Champion Feat
Increase your animal companion’s Physical Defense and Mental Defense by +1.
# Epic Feat
Increase your animal companion’s damage die by one size (for example, from d6s to d8s, or d8s to d10s).
# Epic Feat
Increase your animal companion’s AC by +1.
# Animal Companion Spells
As an Animal Companion adept, you gain a number of spells to help your animal companion—or another’s—fight better. You don’t have to choose the spells you know ahead of time. You can cast any spell of your level or lower, limited only by the number of full recovery spells you get. Once you cast a particular full recovery spell, no matter its level, you can’t cast it again until you take your next full heal-up.
Animal Companion spells are not available to Animal Companion initiates.
| Level | Hybrid Level | Full Recovery Spells | Spells are Cast At |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1, 2 | 1 | 1st level |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 1st level |
| 3 | 4 | 2 | 3rd level |
| 4 | 5 | 2 | 3rd level |
| 5 | 6 | 3 | 5th level |
| 6 | 7 | 3 | 5th level |
| 7 | 8 | 3 | 7th level |
| 8 | 9 | 4 | 7th level |
| 9 | 10 | 4 | 9th level |
| 10 | - | 4 | 9th level |
# 1st Level Spells
# Borrow Senses
Close-quarters spell
Full Recovery
Target: One animal companion you touch
Effect: Until the end of the scene, you can use the companion’s senses as if they were your own, as long as it stays within about a mile distance. You can still use your own senses while doing so.
| Higher Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| 7th | You perceive the presence of the supernatural, such as lingering magic, invisible creatures or gateways to other planes. |
# Pack Link
Ranged spell
Quick Action to cast
Full Recovery
Target: One nearby animal companion
Effect: Until the end of the battle, when the target attacks an enemy that is engaged with you, increase the target’s melee attack damage dice for that attack by one size, up to a maximum of d12.
| Higher Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| 5th | The target’s basic melee attacks now deal half damage on a natural even miss. |
| 7th | The target’s basic melee attacks now deal half damage on any miss. |
# Vitality
Ranged spell
Quick Action to cast
Full Recovery
Target: One nearby animal companion
Effect: The target heals using a free recovery.
| Higher Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| 3rd | In addition, the target heals hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier at the start of each of its turns until the end of the battle or until it drops to 0 hit points. |
| 5th | The healing the target gains at the start of its turn is now double your Wisdom modifier. |
| 7th | The healing the target gains at the start of its turn is now triple your Wisdom modifier. |
| 9th | The first time this battle that the target drops to 0 hit points, you can roll a normal save. If you succeed, the target heals using one of your recoveries. |
# 3rd Level Spells
# Magic Fang
Ranged spell
Quick Action to cast
Full Recovery
Target: One nearby animal companion
Effect: If the target already adds the escalation die to its attacks, it gains a +2 attack bonus until the end of the battle. If not, it now adds the escalation die to its attacks until the end of the battle.
| Higher Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| 5th | The target’s crit range expands by 2. |
| 9th | The target’s crit range expands by a total of 4. |
# Thicker Leather
Close-quarters spell
Full Recovery
Quick Action
Target: One nearby animal companion
Effect: Until the end of the battle, your animal companion gains a +2 bonus to AC.
| Higher Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| 5th | It also gains the bonus to PD. |
| 7th | Convert critical hits against the target into normal hits. |
# 5th Level Spells
# Armor of Shell & Spirits
Ranged spell
Quick Action to cast
Full Recovery
Special: You must spend a recovery to cast this spell.
Target: One nearby animal companion
Effect: Until the end of the battle, the target gains resist damage 12+ against attacks that target AC.
| Higher Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| 7th | Resistance now includes attacks that target PD. |
| 9th | Resistance increases to resist damage 14+. |
# Protective Pounce
Ranged spell
Full Recovery
Interrupt Action
Trigger: An enemy targets you with a melee attack
Target: One nearby animal companion
Effect: Your companion pops free, engages the attacker and makes a melee attack against them. If the companion’s attack hits, your attacker has disadvantage on their attack roll.
# 7th Level Spells
# Blood is Strong
Ranged spell
Quick Action to cast
Full Recovery
Target: One nearby animal companion
Effect: Until the end of the battle, when the target hits with a melee attack, you heal hit points equal to 1d10 + your Wisdom modifier.
| Higher Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| 9th | You now heal hit points equal to 2d10 + double your Wisdom modifier. |
# Call Companion
Close-quarters spell
Full Recovery
Quick Action
Target: Your current animal companion, regardless of where it is
Effect: Your companion appears at your side.
# 9th Level Spells
# Blink
Ranged spell
Full Recovery
Quick Action
Target: A nearby animal companion
Effect: Until the end of the battle, your animal companion can teleport to a nearby location once per round as a free action. If it teleports when it is attacked, it rolls a save. On a success, the attack has no effect.
# Spirit Guardian
Ranged spell
Free Action to cast
Full Recovery
Special Trigger: You drop to 0 hp or below while your animal companion is nearby and still above 0 hp.
Effect: Your spirit trades places with the spirit of your animal companion. You now occupy the body of your animal companion, using its current hit points, defenses, and attacks (and the effects of any spells cast upon it earlier).
You can’t cast spells or use your normal humanoid powers and class features while in your companion’s body. You can either keep fighting as your animal companion or you can roll a normal save as a quick action once during each of your turns; if you succeed, your body and your animal companion’s body swap places while your spirits return to their proper bodies. You keep the hit points of the animal companion before you rolled the save, but can heal using a recovery when the swap is complete, if you wish. Returning to your own partially-healed body thanks to the successful save ends the spell’s effect.
While your animal companion is in your body, it can roll death saves and be healed. If it becomes conscious it can attack using its basic melee attacks, but it doesn’t have access to any of your spells or powers. Any failed death saves remain with the spirit that failed them, not the body.