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View Full Version : Improved Pack Lord Archetype for the Pathfinder Druid.



ngilop
2018-09-08, 12:33 PM
Pack Lord

Some druids bond with many animal companions rather than just one, achieving a level of communion rare even in druidic circles and leading their pack brothers and pack sisters with total authority.

Pack Bond (Ex)
A pack lord druid may not select a domain and must choose at least 2 animal companions, which has an effective druid level equal to double the number of druid levels. The druid gains a +2 bonus on wild empathy and Handle Animal checks made regarding her animal companion. The pack lord may have more than one animal companion, but she must divide up her effective druid level between her companions to determine the abilities of each companion. For example, a 4th-level pack lord can have two 4th-level companion or one 4th-level companion and two 2nd-level companions, or two 1st-level and two 3rd-level companion.

Each time a pack lord’s druid level increases, she must decide how to allocate the increase among her animal companions (including the option of adding a new companion). Once a druid's effective level is allocated to a particular companion, it cannot be redistributed while that companion is in the pack lord’s service (she must release the companion or wait until the companion dies to allocate its levels to another companion, which she can do the next time she prepares spells). The share spells animal companion ability only applies to one animal companion at a time—the pack lord cannot use it to cast a one-target spell and have it affect all of her animal companions.
This ability replaces nature bond and the ability to spontaneously cast Summon Nature's Ally.

Improved Empathic Link (Su)
The pack lord gains an empathic link with all of her animal companions. This functions like an empathic link with a familiar. In addition, as a swift action the pack lord can shift her perception to one of her companions, allowing her to experience what it sees, hears, and so on. She can maintain this connection as long as she likes (as long as the companion is within 1 mile) and end it as a free action. The druid can only use this ability on one companion at a time, and cannot see, hear, or smell with her own body while maintaining this connection. In addition a Druid may only wild shape into the same animal as her current active animal companions. She doesn’t gain the ability to become an elemental or plant.
This ability modifies Wild Shape .


I did not like how the pack lord really was just bad, getting basically cannon fodder animal companions and not anything else. SO I thought why not let the druid actually have a decent pack, so I changed it to double the druids level BUT required the druid to take a minimum of 2 animal companions.