Animal Companion (630)
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Animal Companion allows a ranger to befriend an animal as a permanent companion. The ranger can tell their companion to do a number of actions including attacking creatures or defending the ranger, although the companion will respond faster if it has a good relationship with the ranger and slower if not.
A ranger can gauge the quality of the relationship by GAZing at the animal companion and the relationship is established or improved by FEEDing, PETting, casting helpful spells at, or otherwise interacting with the animal companion in a positive fashion.
All four companion types (canine, feline, avian, rodent) are capable of attacking creatures (or other characters) and they do either slash (feline, avian) or puncture (canine, rodent) damage. In addition, they each have different special attacks. Animal companions will attack when told to do so and will also attack automatically when the ranger is stunned or killed.
When using Assume Aspect (650), donning an aspect of a creature of the same category of the ranger's animal companion will provide a bonus to the provided benefit.
Summoning a Companion
Summoning a new companion is relatively straightforward. First, the ranger should find the desired companion using SENSE, then PREPARE 630 and SUMMON {desired animal}. Failure to specify a particular animal will summon a random animal in the room.
- Sense
>sense You scan your surroundings, considering the various flora and fauna found here (and noting those which are absent). The indications of the temperate climate and the deciduous forest are clearly evident. You quickly note the signs of a black-tipped forest tiger, a white-footed woodland jackal and a black-nosed mottled ferret having recently been in the area. Circling overhead is a fan-tailed branch peregrine. You also see a steep path.
There will always be one of each type of animal companion (canine, feline, avian, rodent) in every outdoor room, but the exact animal noun (e.g. tiger, puma, ocelot) will depend on the location, with some animals being exclusive to certain cities and its descriptor (e.g. black-footed, amber-eyed) will depend on the terrain type in a particular room (see the animal companion page for details).
- Summon
>sense You scan your surroundings, considering the various flora and fauna found here (and noting those which are absent). The indications of the temperate climate and the plain dirt environment are clearly evident. You quickly note the signs of a black-tipped orange tiger, a white-footed drab jackal and a black-nosed mire ferret having recently been in the area. Circling overhead is a fan-tailed dusky peregrine. You don't see any other paths leading away from the area. >prep 630 >summon tiger You open your senses wide and allow the desires and feelings of the areas denizens fill your mind. At the very edge of your perceptions, you feel a bright glow of curiosity tinged with wariness. Concentrating, you focus your desire of friendship and camaraderie towards that bright spot. At first the wariness holds but it is soon followed by a sharp peak in curiosity as if a decision had been made. A black-tipped orange tiger prowls majestically forward!
After Bonding
When a companion has been selected and befriended, it should be told to leave before the ranger retires from a hard day of adventuring or upon gaining a level and can be summoned again by preparing and casting the spell again, then telling the companion to return.
Failure to tell a companion to leave before retiring from adventuring means the companion will forget new things (including improvements to the relationship and gear added to the companion) and failing to tell an animal companion to leave after achieving a new level means that the animal will not level with the ranger.
Messaging
- Canine special maneuver
A forest wolf lunges at a massive troll king! A forest wolf grabs a massive troll king's hand in his mouth and shakes his head back and forth viciously! ... 30 points of damage! Impressive shot shatters wrist! A massive troll king screams in pain as its arm falls to the ground!