FEAT: ANIMAL ALLY

Designed for one of PCs to able to convert a wolficorn into an animal type companion – so it wouldn’t die every battle at level 20.

ANIMAL ALLY 

Your respect for nature is so great that you can form a deep and lasting friendship with an animal.

You may only take this feat if there is a suitable beast (or undead version of said beast), construct or monstrosity that makes sense narratively to become an animal ally (“animal” is used loosely) and you do not have access to the find familiar spell.  The selected creature gains the following benefits:

• The chosen animal ally can not have a CR greater than 1/4 your level.
• The animal ally loses its Multi-attack action if it has one.
• The ally obeys your commands as best it can. It rolls for initiative like any other creature, but you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your companion acts on its own.
• Your animal ally uses half your proficiency bonus (if greater) rather than its own for attacks and skills which it is proficient in.
• An animal ally also adds half your proficiency bonus to its AC and to its damage rolls.
• It also becomes proficient with all saving throws.
• For each level you gain after the companions HD number, your animal ally gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly. For example, a 10 HD animal ally will not gain another HD until you are level 11.
• Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your companion’s abilities also improve. Your companion can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your companion can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise.

Penalty. If your animal ally is killed you can not summon another companion for 1 year.

ANIMAL COMPANION

If you already have an animal companion as part of a class feature – for example, beastmaster, mechromancer or shukenja – when you take the animal ally feat you gain the following benefits instead.

You may add 1 to an ability score of your choice and pick any two of the following traits for your animal companion:

• Your animal companion increases by one size category.
• Your animal companion’s natural attacks become magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
• Its type changes to fey or some other relevant magical beast subtype like spirit, kami, oni or yokai.
• It gains a multiattack option if it had one previously or an extra attack if it did not.
• Your companion’s Intelligence becomes 10 and it can now speak common.
• Your animal ally gains proficiency in two skills of your choice.
• You may select an animal companion of a CR equal to or less than your level.
• You may select an animal companion that is not a beast (DM’s discretion).

You may take this feat multiple times.

Penalty. If your animal companion is killed you lose one level and can not summon another companion for 1 year. An animal companion is an extension of your consciousness and the mental and spiritual feedback causes long lasting damage. If your animal companion is resurrected the lost XP is restored as well.

SUPERIOR FAMILIAR

If you have access to the find familiar spell as part of a class feature – for example a wizard – when you take the animal ally feat you gain the following additional benefits:

• Determine familiar type by making a spell check: guardian, focal, arcane, or demonic.  The result is influenced by your alignment.
• Randomly determine physical configuration (some discretion is given if the PC already has made efforts to find a suitable in game familiar narratively.  For example, a childhood pet cat could be used as the physical configuration).
• Randomly Determine personality.
• The wizard gains bonus hit points equal to the familiar’s.
• The familiar is unusually intelligent for their species, typically around an Int of 5 in human terms.
• Other features are determined by the type of familiar.

Penalty. If your Superior Familiar is killed you lose one level and can not summon another familiar for 1 year. A familiar is an extension of your consciousness and the mental and spiritual feedback causes long lasting damage. If your familiar is resurrected the lost XP is restored as well.