Smilodon so strong, unbeliveable!

[mbradtke]

Why are pets, esp. Smilodon so strong? he has 5 attacks in full action!!! lol and he gets power attack at lv 2, he is just as strong as a 7th party member, making combats quite easy so far... if u want some OP stuff... get a smilodon lol

[Mork]

That's true smilodon is quite strong but there is a lot of reason to go for others.

Dog / Wolf higher attack bonus and CMB
Leopard small size / pounce / dex base
Bear is fun with scimitar and is overall quite strong
Mammoth reach?

[Ilja]

They generally do more damage than others, seeing that they attack with all 4 claws with full BAB. If you want to look just damage, then Smilodon is indeed the thing.

In late game Bears might actually do more damage, if it's owner wields a specific weapon.

While smilodon is great, I personally prefer Wolf or Bear. Wolves and dogs have ability to trip the enemy, which can be real asset in several situations. If you or your companions have Combat reflexes, then enemy attempting to get up in front of them is often good as dead, while our canine friends are already ripping someone else's ankle bone.

High dexterity and damage features of Leopard can also make it very effective companion.

All and all, smilodons are indeed somewhat OP with their damage output and those are definitely best animal companions for someone who wants the most damage.

Those playing with several tricks in their sleeves and need of companions capable of same might want to check other animal companions as well.

[NamelessOne]

I prefer leopard. Stays normal sized, gets it's boost at level 4, and it's a dex based monster so can tank pretty well with buffs cast on it. The trip, pounce and dex to hit+damage > 5 attacks, pounce, and power attack.

[mbradtke]

nice, thx for overview (: usually i try to avoid pets but they are so good, hard to pass on these, wonder if they get weaker late game but they start pretty strong for sure

edit: just wondering why i dont see how many attacks smilodon has in his character window, looks like he only has a bite and a claw attack, no way to tell he has 5 attacks i think, beside using him in combat of course

[legion11]

And he never gets tired. When the rest of my party has Fatigue or Exhaustion on the world map but I decide to keep pushing through to save time, I often get hit with a random encounter.

My 2 frontliners are too tired to use the charge attack feature, but Turbo-Kitty never has these problems. Dude runs all up and down the screen hitting 5 attacks every time. Hasted for 6 attacks and even more range is even more fun.

[Frostfeather]

Pets are great in the lower to middle difficulties, but tend to fall off on Unfair.

I don't generally use them on Unfair because they get in the way of all my spells and don't end up contributing anything (CotW Undead Lord Corpse Companion or ranged weapon Summoner Eidolon are possible exceptions).

Other people have said they don't use them on Unfair because they can't survive well enough in melee.

[Sipher]

Originally posted by mbradtke:

nice, thx for overview (: usually i try to avoid pets but they are so good, hard to pass on these, wonder if they get weaker late game but they start pretty strong for sure

edit: just wondering why i dont see how many attacks smilodon has in his character window, looks like he only has a bite and a claw attack, no way to tell he has 5 attacks i think, beside using him in combat of course

it does, in the menu where you can select which pet companion you want. When you look at their details it says that the smilodon does 1d6 bite and 4d4 claw attack, which translates that he does one bite attack per turn that does 1-6 damage and 4 claw attacks per turn that all do 1-4 damage each.

Also yes they get weaker because they dont level up equaly with your party. So at the beginning of the game you start as level 1 while your pet (depending on who you play) can even start as level 3 or 4, but the maximum level it can reach is level 13, when you reach level 20...so basicly it becomes weaker the more lategame you are, and is especially usefull in the early game when you select a character that struggles at bit in the early game (sorcerer or druid) so that it can "carry" you the first levels. It can still stay usefull later on, thanks to buffs and stuff, but it will not be such a powerhouse like a level 1druids-smilodon at the start of the game.

[mbradtke]

pet max lv is 13?

[Mork]

Originally posted by mbradtke:

pet max lv is 13?

A sylvan sorcerer level 20 will have a pet level 16. The Boon Companion feat cant counter that part.

[SoundsOfNight]

Haha I love this topic bc I've been thinking about posting something similar...

I held off on animal companions for about 500 hrs, never really using them except for Dog. I recently started a Feyspeaker, and HOLY CRAP ARE PETS POWERFUL. I mean, the Bear, who looks absolutely terrifying in his larger form, absolutely tears through enemies, especially with the druid buffs that sync so perfectly. Honestly, it's kinda a weird build, being so pet-centric, but man, there is nothing stopping that Bear.

[mbradtke]

excited to see how amiri's smilodon will develop :D i dont like pet classes personally, they might be one of the stronger classes but i dont mind more difficult fights but i've seen a build which recommands to make her a sacred huntswoman and it works suprisingly well

[Agony_Aunt]

Pets are pretty powerful, no matter which you select. People might for example overlook the Elk, but its damn fast and can tie up enemies at the start of combat due to its speed. Even the Lizard's/Centipede's poison is pretty useful.

They are so OP i've basically respecced most of my parties to not have ACs, apart from one party that has 6 ACs.,.. well, just because.

My favourites are: Smilodon (damage), Mammoth (stompty stomp), Dog (trip), and Leopard (AC).

[Hasefrexx]

I never seem to get to poison meaningfully with my lizard. I guess it doesn't scale well with difficulty.

[Cutlass Jack]

I love having Amiri go ranger and get a pet mammoth following her around. Its just a huge wall of stomp and ups the group's carrying capacity by so much. Double the fun when I bring Ekun's dog along too.

[mbradtke]

pets add carry capacity toO? lol
how is dog trip? it is good? i try to build my tanks with trip feats right now, seems medicore but these also give defense against trip so it should be decent catch