Rules of the Game - Animals

When player characters seek ways to improve their capabilities, they can do worse than purchasing an animal or two. Animals can carry gear (or loot), act as mounts, and serve as scouts, guardians, trackers, or fighting allies. The right animal might do all of these things. Some characters, such as rangers and druids, come more or less pre-equipped with companion animals (though rangers must wait awhile before acquiring animal companions), but others must purchase, and perhaps train, their animals.

Unfortunately, animals usually complicate things when they enter play. What, exactly, can an animal do? How will it react when a nasty monster jumps out of the weeds? Just what kind of creature is an animal companion anyway, and what does it bring to your table? This series considers all these questions and more. Rules of the Game already examined mounts in detail, so we'll concentrate on companion animals here.



Animals are best treated as non-player characters that act according to their instincts unless someone successfully orders them to do something else. The rules give little guidance about how animals act when not commanded, and we'll deal with that issue in Part Three. For the moment, let's concentrate on what you must do to get an animal to do what you want.

From Player's Handbook pages 74-75: 

HANDLE ANIMAL (CHA; TRAINED ONLY)
Use this skill to drive a team of horses pulling a wagon over rough terrain, to teach a dog to guard, or to teach a tyrannosaurus to "speak" on your command.

Check: The DC depends on what you are trying to do.


[1] See the specific trick or purpose below.


Handle an Animal: This task involves commanding an animal to perform a task or trick that it knows. For instance, to command a trained attack dog to attack a foe requires a DC 10 Handle Animal check. If the animal is wounded or has taken any nonlethal damage or ability score damage, the DC increases by 2. If your check succeeds, the animal performs the task or trick on its next action.

"Push" an Animal: To push an animal means to get it to perform a task or trick that it doesn't know but is physically capable of performing. This category also covers making an animal perform a forced march or forcing it to hustle for more than 1 hour between sleep cycles (see Chapter 9: Adventuring). If the animal is wounded or has taken any nonlethal damage or ability score damage, the DC increases by 2. If your check succeeds, the animal performs the task or trick on its next action.

Train an Animal for a Purpose: Rather than teaching an animal individual tricks, you can simply train it for a general purpose. Essentially, an animal's purpose represents a preselected set of known tricks that fit into a common scheme, such as guarding or heavy labor. The animal must meet all the normal prerequisites for all tricks included in the training package. If the package includes more than three tricks, the animal must have an Intelligence score of 2.

An animal can be trained for only one general purpose, though if the creature is capable of learning additional tricks (above and beyond those included in its general purpose), it may do so. Training an animal for a purpose requires fewer checks than teaching individual tricks does, but no less time. At your DM's option, you may be able to train an animal for a purpose that isn't mentioned here.

Combat Riding (DC 20): An animal trained to bear a rider into combat knows the tricks attack, come, defend, down, guard, and heel. Training an animal for combat riding takes six weeks. You may also "upgrade" an animal trained for riding to one trained for combat riding by spending three weeks and making a successful DC 20 Handle Animal check. The new general purpose and tricks completely replace the animal's previous purpose and any tricks it once knew. Warhorses and riding dogs (see the Monster Manual) are already trained to bear riders into combat, and they don't require any additional training for this purpose.

Fighting (DC 20): An animal trained to engage in combat knows the tricks attack, down, and stay. Training an animal for fighting takes three weeks.

Guarding (DC 20): An animal trained to guard knows the tricks attack, defend, down, and guard. Training an animal for guarding takes four weeks.

Heavy Labor (DC 15): An animal trained for heavy labor knows the tricks come and work. Training an animal for heavy labor takes two weeks.

Hunting (DC 20): An animal trained for hunting knows the tricks attack, down, fetch, heel, seek, and track. Training an animal for hunting takes six weeks.

Performance (DC 15): An animal trained for performance knows the tricks come, fetch, heel, perform, and stay. Training an animal for performance takes five weeks.

Riding (DC 15): An animal trained to bear a rider knows the tricks come, heel, and stay. Training an animal for riding takes three weeks.

Rear a Wild Animal: To rear an animal means to raise a wild creature from infancy so that it becomes domesticated. A handler can rear as many as three creatures of the same kind at once. A successfully domesticated animal can be taught tricks at the same time it's being raised, or it can be taught as a domesticated animal later.

Action: Varies. Handling an animal is a move action, while pushing an animal is a full-round action. (A druid or ranger can handle her animal companion as a free action or push it as a move action.) For tasks with specific time frames noted above, you must spend half this time (at the rate of 3 hours per day per animal being handled) working toward completion of the task before you attempt the Handle Animal check. If the check fails, your attempt to teach, rear, or train the animal fails and you need not complete the teaching, rearing, or training time. If the check succeeds, you must invest the remainder of the time to complete the teaching, rearing, or training. If the time is interrupted or the task is not followed through to completion, the attempt to teach, rear, or train the animal automatically fails.

Try Again: Yes, except for rearing an animal.

Special: You can use this skill on a creature with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2 that is not an animal, but the DC of any such check increases by 5. Such creatures have the same limit on tricks known as animals do. The Monster Manual provides information on teaching or training other kinds of creatures as appropriate.

A druid or ranger gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Handle Animal checks involving her animal companion. In addition, a druid's or ranger's animal companion knows one or more bonus tricks, which don't count against the normal limit on tricks known and don't require any training time or Handle Animal checks to teach. If you have the Animal Affinity feat, you get a +2 bonus on Handle Animal checks.

Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Handle Animal, you get a +2 bonus on Ride checks and wild empathy checks.

Untrained: If you have no ranks in Handle Animal, you can use a Charisma check to handle and push domestic animals, but you can't teach, rear, or train animals. A druid or ranger with no ranks in Handle Animal can use a Charisma check to handle and push her animal companion, but she can't teach, rear, or train other non-domestic animals.


The rules given in the Handle Animal skill define what animals can do during encounters. You make Handle Animal checks to control a trained animal during an encounter -- untrained animals act independently unless you can use a spell or other ability to gain control over them. You can find the Handle Animal skill description on pages 74-75 in the Player's Handbook, but here's an overview, along with a few additional notes and comments:

• An animal usually does not obey commands or do anything useful for a character unless it has received training to perform one or more tricks.

The tricks an animal knows define what it can do on a character's behalf. You can attempt to get an animal to perform a trick it does not know.

By definition, an animal has an Intelligence score of 1 or 2. An animal can learn three tricks per point of Intelligence it has. Teaching an animal a trick takes at least one week of work and a Handle Animal check. A trainer can work with multiple animals, but the trainer must spend at least 3 hours a day working with each animal. For example, working with three animals requires 9 hours of work each day.

You can save some time by training an animal for general purpose instead of teaching it individual tricks. A general purpose is a set of tricks with a common theme. You teach the animal all the tricks in the set at once, but each trick counts against the total number of tricks the animal can learn. You can train an animal for only one general purpose; if a general purpose contains 4 or more tricks, the animal must have an Intelligence score of 2 to learn it.

The rules don't say so, but an animal you train must be fairly tame and must trust you. Wild or fearful animals do not learn anything unless you can calm them and develop a rapport with them.

See the Handle Animal skill description for more notes about training animals.

• An animal usually does not do anything during an encounter unless you give it a command by making a Handle Animal check.

Giving a command is move action for you if you order the animal to perform a trick it knows, and the check DC is 10. You can command an animal to perform a trick it does not know, provided that the animal is physically capable of performing the trick. Doing so is a full-round action, and the DC is 25 (the DC for "pushing" an animal). An animal could perform a trick in some situations and may not have the ability to do that trick in other situations. For example, no animal can fetch an item that weighs more that it can lift, but even if it fails to lift an item you command it to fetch, you could have it try to fetch something lighter.

The rules don't give any conditions or range limits for giving an animal a command. Common sense suggests that the animal must be able to see or hear you - so that it can respond to your gestures or voice. Under most conditions, 60 feet is a practical distance limit for commanding an animal, though you could extend that by using a whistle or something else audible at a greater distance.

• You can push an animal to do something it would not normally do.

As noted previously, you can push an animal to perform a trick it does not know. You also can push an animal to hustle or make a forced march, as noted in the Handle Animal skill description. The rules don't say so, but you also can push an animal to do other things, such as attacking foes it would not normally attack, swimming a rapids, or leaping a wide chasm.

• A trained animal acts on its handler's initiative number.

The rules don't specifically mention this, but the handler must act to command the animal, and that has to happen on the handler's turn. You may want to have a trained animal delay its action at least until the handler has a chance to act.

• You can rear a wild animal so that it becomes trainable.

If you find an infant animal, you can raise it to adulthood and domesticate it in the process. You can teach an animal tricks or general purposes while rearing it. See the Handle Animal skill description for details.

• If you have no ranks in Handle Animal, you can make a Charisma check to command or push an animal.

Untrained characters cannot rear or train animals.

Tricks 

Teach an Animal a Trick: You can teach an animal a specific trick with one week of work and a successful Handle Animal check against the indicated DC. An animal with an Intelligence score of 1 (such as a snake or a shark) can learn a maximum of three tricks, while an animal with an Intelligence score of 2 (such as a dog or a horse) can learn a maximum of six tricks. Possible tricks (and their associated DCs) include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following.

Attack (DC 20): The animal attacks apparent enemies. You may point to a particular creature that you wish the animal to attack, and it will comply if able. Normally, an animal will attack only humanoids, monstrous humanoids, giants, or other animals. Teaching an animal to attack all creatures (including such unnatural creatures as undead and aberrations) counts as two tricks.

Come (DC 15): The animal comes to you, even if it normally would not do so (following you onto a boat, for example).

Defend (DC 20): The animal defends you (or is ready to defend you if no threat is present), even without any command being given. Alternatively, you can command the animal to defend a specific other character.

Down (DC 15): The animal breaks off from combat or otherwise backs down. An animal that doesn't know this trick continues to fight until it must flee (due to injury, a fear effect, or the like) or its opponent is defeated.

Fetch (DC 15): The animal goes and gets something. If you do not point out a specific item, the animal fetches some random object.

Guard (DC 20): The animal stays in place and prevents others from approaching.

Heel (DC 15): The animal follows you closely, even to places where it normally wouldn't go.

Perform (DC 15): The animal performs a variety of simple tricks, such as sitting up, rolling over, roaring or barking, and so on.

Seek (DC 15): The animal moves into an area and looks around for anything that is obviously alive or animate.

Stay (DC 15): The animal stays in place, waiting for you to return. It does not challenge other creatures that come by, though it still defends itself if it needs to.

Track (DC 20): The animal tracks the scent presented to it. (This requires the animal to have the scent ability; see the Monster Manual for details.)

Work (DC 15): The animal pulls or pushes a medium or heavy load.


The Handle Animal skill description on pages 74 and 75 of the Player's Handbook includes a list of tricks. Here's a summary along with some additional commentary:

Attack: The animal attacks your foes on command. Animals can attack your foes when they don't know this trick, but usually only when attacked themselves or when they perform another combat oriented trick (such as defend).

Usually, you give the command to attack and point to a foe the animal can see or otherwise perceive. If your Handle Animal check succeeds, the animal attacks the designated foe to the best of its ability. The rules don't address this, but you may want to consider simply giving an attack order and allowing the animal to select a foe to attack. Most animals are discerning enough to tell your foes from your allies, especially once a battle starts. See the notes on the down trick for more notes on how animals act in a battle.

According to the rules, animals attack only humanoids, monstrous humanoids, giants, or other animals. Aberrations, constructs, dragons, fey, elementals, magical beasts, plants, oozes, outsiders, undead, and vermin make animals uneasy. You can train an animal to attack creatures of any kind, but doing so counts as two tricks. Remember that you can still "push" an animal not trained to attack any foe to attack a strange creature.

Please note that we're talking about animals attacking on command. An animal fights in its own defense when any kind of creature attacks it. You can also count on an animal that you've trained to defend to stand its ground in the face of nearly any foe. Likewise, be fairly liberal in deciding which creatures animals attack on command. A dog, for example, might well shy away from a Gargantuan monstrous spider, but it probably won't balk at attacking a Small or Tiny one. Likewise, magical beasts such as girallons and owlbears aren't strange enough to make attack animals balk.

Come: A successful check makes the animal move to a space adjacent to you, or it moves into your space if it is small enough to do so (see page 148 in the Player's Handbook ), even if it isn't inclined to do so.

The animal generally follows the shortest path to you, but it avoids any hazards (including hostile creatures) and impassible terrain along the way if it can. The DM might decide to increase the check difficulty if the animal's only path to you entails some risk (for example, if the animal must walk a narrow ledge and risk a fall if it fails a Balance check, or if it must jump from a dock into a wobbly boat).

You also can use this command to make an animal ignore some distraction, such as another animal, and come to you, but this command won't make the animal break off combat; see the notes on the "down" command.

Defend: You can give this command to make an animal defend you against a foe that is attacking you. You also can give this command when you face no foes at all; when you do so, this command makes the animal ready to defend you if you are attacked. You also can command the animal to defend another character that you specify.

The rules don't define exactly what the animal does when it receives this command, but it's pretty clear to me that the animal attacks any creature that tries to attack you (or some other character you've designated). I recommend that the animal also remains adjacent to you and moves to place itself between you and hostile creatures.

Once you give this command, the animal continues to defend you (or another character you've designated) until it receives a different command. In effect, the animal fights to defend you just as it fights to defend itself.

As suggested earlier, an animal defending you attacks any sort of creatures when defending you.

An animal acting under this command remains vigilant to the best of its ability. As a living creature, an animal needs to eat and sleep, and eventually it must abandon a task if not relieved. Unless something else interferes or distracts the animal, it normally takes up the task again after seeing to its needs. If in doubt, you can call for another Handle Animal check with a -5 penalty. The character who originally gave the order makes the check even if no longer present.

Down: You give this command to make the animal stop whatever it's currently doing. Usually, you give this command to make an animal stop fighting, but you can make it cease almost any activity. The rules don't say what the animal does when it backs down; I recommend that the animal remain adjacent to its foe (or other object of its attention) or it makes a 5-foot step away from the opponent and toward you. The DM decides if the animal makes the step.

An animal that doesn't know this trick fights until it defeats its foe (or acts until it completes its task) or until an injury or some other condition (such as a fear effect) forces it to flee. The rules don't say how long a wounded animal keeps fighting. An animal usually doesn't fight to the death, and I recommend that it fight until it loses somewhere between half and three quarters of its hit points. The more aggressive the animal, the more punishment it endures before fleeing.

Fetch: The animal picks up something and brings it to you. If you point to a specific item, the animal goes to get it and then carries or drags it to you. If you fail to point out a specific item, the animal grabs some random object that it can easily pick up and carry and brings that to you. The rules don't say how far the animal travels to retrieve a random item. I suggest that the animal moves to the nearest location that might have something to fetch before searching for something to pick up, but that it's always at least a half move for the creature.

Guard: This works much like the defend command, except that the animal stays in place and keeps other creatures from approaching or entering the area.

Heel: When you give this command, the animal moves adjacent to you (or possibly into your space if it's sufficiently small) and follows you wherever you go, even if you go somewhere the animal wouldn't normally go.

If an animal doesn't know this trick, getting it to travel along with you could require some effort. You could assume that an animal follows the character who handles its care and feeding; however, animals are notorious for becoming distracted when moving from place to place. Unless you keep the animal on a lead (or use it as a mount) you can pretty much count on delays when travelling as the animal dawdles or makes impulsive detours. The animal also can balk at crossing terrain that it finds unfamiliar or unpleasant. You might overcome either problem by pushing the animal (see Part One) to heel or by using the "come" command.

Perform: According to the rules, teaching an animal this trick allows it to execute a variety of simple stunts, such as sitting up, rolling over, roaring, or barking on command.

The rules don't say how many stunts the animal learns, but the examples make it fairly clear that the stunts must be both simple and well within the animal's physical limits. I recommend that the animal learn a suite of stunts that it can execute in about 3 minutes, say three to twelve stunts in all. Other possible stunts include jumping through hoops (for animals with Jump bonuses), balancing on a wire or rolling ball (for animals with Balance bonuses), or playing a simple tune (for almost any animal that can pick up and manipulate an object). Keep in mind that some stunts might require a trained character to make the animal perform on cue. For example, you can train animals to simulate the ability to perform arithmetic by responding to subtle cues from its trainer. In such a case, the assisting character also needs the Perform skill (most likely act), or some skill that allows covert communication, such as Bluff.

Seek: On command, the animal moves into an area you designate and looks for anything obviously alive or animate. The rules don't say what the animal does when it finds what it seeks, but I recommend that it stops and does something to indicate the subject's location. For example, a dog might "point" (strike a rigid pose with its nose extended toward the subject).

Stay: When you give this command, the animal stays where it is until you give it another command. The rules don't say so, but this command does not work when the animal is engaged in combat or any other intense activity (you need the down command for that).

While waiting, the animal does not try to guard the area against intruders, but it does defend itself if attacked. Likewise, it sees to its own needs, as noted in the notes about the "defend" trick.

Track: Only animals that have the scent ability can learn this trick. When you give this command, you must present the animal with a scent to track. You can present a scent in any number of ways. The most reliable is to allow the animal to sniff some article that the target has worn or touched.

Work: You can command the animal to push or pull a medium or heavy load. The rules don't say so, but you reasonably could assume that the animal can perform other kinds of labor, provided it is physically able to do so, such as walking on a treadmill or lifting things (if the animal has a grasping appendage). Draft animals must know this trick before they can pull vehicles or other devices (such as farm implements) any appreciable distance. An animal that does not know this trick still can push or pull a medium or heavy load, but it is inclined to give up the task or try to escape after moving the load a short distance.

The DM must decide if the animal needs a harness or other special equipment to move the load. Most four footed animals, for example, aren't very good at pushing unless provided with a bar or pad to push against. Likewise, most animals can't pull anything unless fitted with a harness over the chest or shoulders (or both).

How Animals Act When Not Commanded 

As noted in Part One, you control an animal during an encounter by commanding it to perform tricks it knows ("handling" the animal). An animal, however, has a smidgen of Intelligence and usually a fair bit of Wisdom. An animal may do something useful during an encounter even without a command from a handler. Of course, an animal's actions are entirely in the hands of the DM when they're not commanded.

So, what might an animal do on its own? Here are a few things to consider.

• An animal generally acts according to its basic nature, but its training might overcome that.

Start by considering what the animal is all about.

For example, horses in the wild rely on their speed and their herd instinct to keep them safe. A horse given its head probably runs from danger. If one horse in a well-established group runs away (even with a rider), the other horses in the same group often follow along.

Dogs, on the other hand, are pack hunters. If characters a dog knows and trusts go into battle, that dog is quite likely to join the fight.

• A trained animal becomes a creature of habit.

Any animal that has used the same trick over and over again might revert to that trick when it doesn't know what its handler expects. For example, an animal that has received training to attack might prove aggressive enough to simply move toward the closest foe and attack no matter what its handler does. An animal that has received training to guard or seek might simply stand its ground, but it gives a warning about foes that the group might not otherwise notice.

• An animal that lives with people tends to think of itself as "people" (or thinks of certain people as one of its own).

A neglected or mistreated animal probably doesn't care much about its handler's welfare, and even less about the handler's companions. A well-treated animal, however, probably thinks of itself as a member of the group and acts accordingly.

From the Player’s Handbook page 36: 

THE DRUID'S ANIMAL COMPANION
A druid's animal companion is superior to a normal animal of its kind and has special powers, as described below.


Animal Companion Basics:
Use the base statistics for a creature of the companion's kind, as given in the Monster Manual, 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 (such as the ranger) 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 Constitution 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 (see the Monster Manual).

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, page 74). 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's devotion to its master is so complete that it 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 (see the Monster Manual for details on this feat) 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.



The animal companion class feature gives you an animal to serve you and accompany you on your adventures. The animal is pretty much just like any other creature of its kind, but its status as an animal companion gives it several exceptional features and traits.

• The sidebar on page 36 in the Player's Handbook shows potential animal companions and their special abilities.

Your class and class level determines the kind of animal you can choose, as shown in your class description. Some animal companion traits, however, remain the same no matter what your level. Here's an overview:

An animal companion remains an animal.

Early versions of the Player's Handbook said that animal companions become magical beasts. According to the errata files, however, animal companions are merely animals.

• You can handle your animal companion as a free action, and you do it very well.

The link special ability, which is available to anyone who has an animal companion, allows you to give your animal a command as a free action if you order it to use a trick it knows. You can push your companion (see Part One) as a move action. You also gain a +4 circumstance bonus on any Handle Animal or wild empathy check you make regarding your animal companion. Otherwise, commanding an animal companion works just like commanding a trained animal, as described in Part One.

• You can share spells with your animal companion.

You decide when spells are shared. To share a spell, you must cast the spell and you must select yourself as its target. The spell must have a target entry; you cannot share effect and area spells. See Rules of the Game: Reading Spell Descriptions for a discussion of targets, effects, and areas. You can't share a spell with touch range unless you target yourself with the touch.

You and your animal companion can share a spell even if the spell normally does not affect animals. The shared spell does not have to be a divine spell; you can share any spell you cast yourself with your animal companion. You cannot share spell-like abilities or supernatural abilities, even if you can target them on yourself. You and your animal companion can share effects from magic items only if the effect is a spell that you can target on yourself. For example, you and your animal companion can share a barkskin spell cast from a wand, but cannot share the armor bonus from bracers of armor.

To share a spell, your animal companion must be within 5 feet of you and there must be an unbroken line of effect between you and the companion. If the shared spell has a duration other than instantaneous, your animal companion must remain with 5 feet of you and maintain an unbroken line of effect to you or lose the spell's benefits. Once your animal companion loses the benefits from a particular casting of a spell, it cannot regain them again.

When you and your animal companion share a spell, you're effectively adding one free target (your animal companion) to the spell's effect. In simple cases, the spell just affects both of you in the same way. For example, when you share a cure light wounds spell with your animal companion, the spell provides healing equal to 1d8 + your caster level for both you and for your animal companion. A shared spider climb spell gives both you and your animal companion the power to climb sheer, smooth surfaces. A shared protection from energy spell provides a separate ablative shield against the chosen energy type to you and to your animal companion.

Some spells don't work quite as simply as these, but the effect of sharing them with your animal companion is usually pretty intuitive. For example, if you cast word of recall, your animal companion doesn't count toward the limit of transported creatures (regardless of its size). Likewise, if you share a transport via plants spell with your animal companion, the companion doesn't count toward the spell's weight limit. If you share a water breathing spell with your animal companion, the companion gains the same duration of effect as you do, but it isn't counted as one of the creatures touched for the purpose of dividing the total duration.

Some spells require special handling when shared. See Rules of the Game: All About Polymorph for an example.

You also have the option of casting any spell with a target of "you" on your animal companion as a spell with touch range. If you do so, you do not share the effect with the companion, but your animal companion retains the spell's benefits for as long as the spell lasts no matter where the companion goes after you cast the spell.

• The animal companion learns a bonus trick.

You don't have to make a check or spend any time training the companion. Once you select the bonus trick, you cannot change it later.



An animal companion gains several traits that depend on your level in the class that gives you the companion. If you have more than one class that can give you an animal companion, add your class levels together to determine what animals are available to you as animal companions and what your animal companion's abilities are. (You don't gain an animal companion for each class.) You might not be able to add all your class levels together to generate an animal companion. For example, the ranger's animal companion class feature uses the same particulars as the druid's animal companion class feature, but the ranger's effective class level for his animal companion is only one half his ranger level. A druid/ranger uses his druid level plus one half his ranger level for all his animal companion's level-related variables.

Here's an overview of an animal companion's level-based benefits:

• Bonus Hit Dice.

The animal companion gains extra Hit Dice as noted in the table on page 36 of the Player's Handbook. The companion gains the full benefit from increased Hit Dice, including increased base attack, base saves, skill points, and feats. The animal companion, however, does not increase in size (any more than you do when adding Hit Dice for your class levels).

• Natural armor increase.

Add the value shown on the table to the companion's normal natural armor bonus. For example, a standard wolf's natural armor bonus is +2. A wolf animal companion with a 5th-level master has a natural armor bonus of +4.

This trait doesn't simply provide an extra natural armor bonus, it actually improves the companion's racial natural armor bonus. Additional natural armor bonuses from items or spells, such as amulets of natural armor or barkskin spells stack with the natural armor bonus from this trait, as noted in their descriptions.

The natural armor bonus from this trait increases with your level, as shown on the table. The companion gets the benefit of this trait for as long as it remains a companion.

• Strength and Dexterity increases.

Add the value shown on the table to the companion's Strength and Dexterity scores. For example, a standard wolf has a Strength score of 13 and a Dexterity score of 15. A wolf animal companion with a 5th-level master has a Strength score of 14 and a Dexterity score of 16.

As with natural armor, this is an outright increase to Strength and Dexterity, not a bonus.

• Bonus tricks.

The animal companion learns additional tricks. As noted earlier, you don't need to teach your companion its bonus tricks. Once you choose a bonus trick, you cannot change it.

• Evasion.

If your effective class level for the animal companion class feature is at least 3rd (for example, you are a 3rd level druid or a 6th-level ranger), your animal companion gains the evasion special quality. If the companion is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, the companion takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw.

• Devotion.

If your effective class level for the animal companion class feature is at least 6th, your animal companion gains a +4 morale bonus on Will saves against enchantment spells and effects.

Essentially, your animal companion becomes so devoted to you that others have a hard time establishing mental control over the companion.

• Multiattack.

If your effective class level for the animal companion class feature is at least 9th, your animal companion gains Multiattack as a bonus feat if it doesn't already have it. The companion must have three or more natural weapons (for example, two claws and a bite) to gain Multiattack. If the companion does not have the requisite three natural weapons, it instead gains a second natural attack with its primary natural weapon at a -5 penalty. The companion must use the full attack action to get the second attack (just as it must to use more than one natural weapon).

For example, a wolf animal companion with a 9th-level master has 8 Hit Dice (2 racial Hit Dice and 6 bonus Hit Dice), a base attack bonus of +6, and a Strength score of 16 (base 13 increased by 3). The wolf companion attack bonus with its bite is +9 (+6 base, +3 Strength). Because a wolf has only one natural weapon (its bite), the wolf gains a second bite attack when it uses the full attack action. The attack bonus for this second attack is +4 (9 - 5).

• Improved evasion.

If your effective class level for the animal companion class feature is at least 15th, your animal companion gains the improved evasion special quality. If the companion is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, the animal takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.



The rules speak of a ceremony to gain an animal companion, but they do not go into much detail about the process other than noting that the ceremony takes 24 hours of uninterrupted prayer. Here are a few thoughts to flesh out the process.

An animal companion is not a conjured creature and is not subject to effects, such as protection from evil or dismissal, that banish or hedge out conjured creatures. Think of it as binding an animal companion rather than summoning it. To begin, you must first locate the kind of creature you desire. The prospective companion cannot be an advanced animal, nor can it be another character's animal companion or another character's familiar. It also can't have a template, even if that template doesn't change its type. Awakened animals can never serve as animal companions. The animal you choose must be of a kind your class makes available to you as an animal companion.

You can use any convenient means to locate your intended companion. Because most animal companions aren't the kind you can find in a shop, finding the animal you want probably requires a trip into the wild and a few Survival or Knowledge (nature) checks.

After locating the companion, you must arrange to keep the animal nearby for the day-long ritual that binds the two of you together. Lucky masters choose companions that are friendly enough to stick around on their own , but sometimes you must tether or cage it to keep it from wandering off.

The ritual does not succeed unless the intended companion is friendly toward you (but a wild empathy check can solve that problem). The ritual also does not succeed if the intended companion is under any charm or compulsion effect.

You can have only one animal companion at a time and an animal can have only one master at time. You can, however, have both an animal companion and a familiar if your class levels give you both class features.

The ritual itself can take any form the DM desires; however, a few gestures, chants, and perhaps some drawings sketched on the floor around the pair of you - all repeated at intervals throughout the day - are all that are necessary.



Sometimes, a character may want to rid herself of an animal companion, usually because the companion has suffered some debilitating injury or because a more desirable animal becomes available as a companion. To dismiss an animal companion, you simply will it so, though breaking the link that binds the two of you is a full-round action.

You suffer no penalties for dismissing an animal companion (other than the necessity of finding and binding a new animal companion). Immediately on being dismissed, the animal loses all animal companion abilities and becomes a normal creature of its kind. It suffers no other ill effects. You are free to bind a new animal companion as soon as you have the opportunity to do so.



When an animal companion dies, the master doesn't suffer any penalties beyond the loss of the companion and she can bind a new one right away, as noted above.

Bringing back the animal from the dead re-establishes the link between the two of you, and you need not locate or bind a new companion; however, the reincarnate spell is an exception. The spell brings back the animal as an independent being and the resulting creature is no longer an animal companion.



If you die, and your animal companion survives, it is effectively dismissed. As a house rule, you might want to delay the companion's loss of abilities for a short time, say one day for each character level you have.

If you are later brought back from the dead, the link between you and your surviving animal companion is re-established automatically.



A great way to both protect your companion and perhaps give it some offensive power is to equip it with magic items. Consider purchasing items for your companion or just give it items you no longer need (such as your +1 ring of protection when you acquire a +2 ring of protection).

Once you do so, however, you and your DM face a potentially difficult decision. Exactly which items can animals use? Since most magic items fit users of any size, the simple answer is this: pretty much any item. No animal companion can use an item that requires spell completion or spell knowledge because they are not spellcasters. Likewise animals cannot speak, so they can't use command word items. Animals also lack weapon proficiencies and prehensile appendages, so they cannot employ weapons, either. That leaves us with the following: potions (though you may have to open the potion vial and pour out the liquid), rings, and most items that can be worn or carried. Your DM may decide that your companion's body type simply does not allow some items to fit your companion. For example, you might persuade your DM to let your wolf wear boots, but don't count on your snake wearing boots. Creatures like owls and hawks may have a hard time with cloaks (since the garment interferes with their wings).

Other than the exceptions noted here, all animals have locations for magic items similar to those noted for characters on page 214 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. For example, a quadruped uses its back feet for the "foot" location and its front feet for the "hand" location. The hind legs correspond to a humanoid's legs and the front legs correspond to a humanoid's arms.

For avians, treat the feet and legs as hands and arms, and the wings as legs and feet. The creature can wear "leg" items on its wings or hind legs, but not both.

A snake simply wears items over its head or body.

In most cases, even if your companion can't use an item you've found, it should be possible to make (or have made) an item it can use. For example, you might fashion wing bands of speed for your owl's or hawk's wings, and they would work just like boots of speed for your companion.

For an in-depth look at what items an animal can use or wear, check out (Wild Life)



Other than the special traits noted earlier, an animal companion acts just like a well-trained loyal animal, no smarter or more capable than any other creature of its kind (except for the improvements your class levels bring). An animal companion identity is strongly linked to you, however, and the two of you form a sort of dual being. The animal companion cannot gain experience or add any class levels on its own.

Likewise, an animal companion is an extension of you, and you and your companion do not split or share any experience points you earn even when the companion helps you earn that experience.



That wraps up our look at animals. I hope that you find the material on this topic helpful when you next sit down at the gaming table.



Skip Williams keeps busy with freelance projects for several different game companies and was the Sage of Dragon Magazine for many years. Skip is a co-designer of the D&D 3rd Edition game and the chief architect of the Monster Manual. When not devising swift and cruel deaths for player characters, Skip putters in his kitchen or garden (rabbits and deer are not Skip's friends) or works on repairing and improving the century-old farmhouse that he shares with his wife, Penny, and a growing menagerie of pets.

Based on the original Dungeons & Dragons® game by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and on the new edition of the Dungeons & Dragons game designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison.

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