Proposal for New Bardic Kit

[Salk]

See post #13

[Kish]

I'd probably relax this to 'any Neutral alignment', so allowing NG, LN, TN, CN and NE. I'd also list it in the main info block, not as a Disadvantage.

That's the same as bards already have, so there'd be no reason to list it in the kit description at all.

 

Also, it's worth noting that any PC bard can summon a familiar.

[SimDing0]

Rangers and Druids should be given animal companions. Remix plz.

[icelus]

Rangers and Druids should be given animal companions. Remix plz.

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Once upon a time it was planned for UB to give Beastmasters dog/wolf variants as familiars, based on the naming conventions of the familiar .cre files. Alas, I couldn't figure out how to do it. It would be a welcome addition to the game, though--for more than just Beastmasters.

[Bri]

Why should meistersingers get an animal familiar when rangers and druids don't?

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A bard PC (if its the main character, the Bhaalspawn) in a Baldur's Gate 2 game can get a familiar, I believe.

 

However, logically, a ranger and druid should be able as well.

 

The thing is that the way it is handled in the Pen and Paper game is that for rangers and druids to have animal companions, they would fill the slots of followers/henchmen rather than familiars...and such is the case of the Meistersinger. Their extra animals actually took the place of followers they would naturally get. As it is, there is no henchmen/follower option available in BG 2, I had no complaint with the suggestion of having a Meistersinger dropping the animal companions and changing it to summoning animal spells.

 

 

However, I will admit if someone could implement some kind of animal companion supplement, I would love it as well.

[Salk]

I'd probably relax this to 'any Neutral alignment', so allowing NG, LN, TN, CN and NE. I'd also list it in the main info block, not as a Disadvantage.

That's the same as bards already have, so there'd be no reason to list it in the kit description at all.

 

Also, it's worth noting that any PC bard can summon a familiar.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

I thought that only PC mages could summon a familiar but I must admit that I played Baldur's Gate 2 "solo" in Multiplayer mode creating all six characters. The "leader" was a wizard but I had a bard as well in the group and couldn't recall being able to have a familiar for him...

[Kish]

Yeah, only the main character can have a familiar. However, any (main) character who can cast Find Familiar can have a familiar (without cheating). That includes sorcerers, wizards, and bards right away, and thieves with Use Any Item who can cast the spell from a scroll.

[SimDing0]

Once upon a time it was planned for UB to give Beastmasters dog/wolf variants as familiars, based on the naming conventions of the familiar .cre files.  Alas, I couldn't figure out how to do it.  It would be a welcome addition to the game, though--for more than just Beastmasters.

MakeGlobal should cover it. Somebody like Igi may actually have done a tutorial on it at some point, if you're ever inclined to browse through a never-ending supply of Game-Be-Gones.

[Fallen_Demon]

Rangers and Druids should be given animal companions. Remix plz.

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Isn't this the point of the totemic druid kit. I've never used the kit so it might work differently from a technical standpoint, but I'm pretty sure it would make the kit redundent from a technical standpoint

 

@animal as familar

would it be codeable to make the find familar spell summon an animal companion instead.

[Kish]

Rangers and Druids should be given animal companions. Remix plz.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Isn't this the point of the totemic druid kit. I've never used the kit so it might work differently from a technical standpoint, but I'm pretty sure it would make the kit redundent from a technical standpoint

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Pretty sure one of those--probably the second--is meant to be something other than "technical." And I'd say not really. Totemic Druids summon spirit animals--beings in animal form, but with powers that mark them as clearly supernatural creatures. They can summon multiple spirit animals every day, and don't know what they'll get in advance. A real animal companion would be very different.

[BigRob]

Something about animal companions is that they should probably have some capacity to gain "levels", especially if they are envisaged as a combative type. As soon as you see any dragons or demons, any normal animal is going to get obliterated.

[Andyr]

I'd probably relax this to 'any Neutral alignment', so allowing NG, LN, TN, CN and NE. I'd also list it in the main info block, not as a Disadvantage.

That's the same as bards already have, so there'd be no reason to list it in the kit description at all.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Song and Silence relaxes alignment restrictions for bards.

 

Trueclass and Blades can be any alignment, while Jesters and Skalds are non-Lawful.

[Salk]

I actually now think too that having a animal companion for the Meistersinger should be a little different from a normal familiar even because Find Familiar is already a spell that all bards can get advantage of.

 

Instead this animal companion should be a little special somehow. Andyr will think of something...

[Salk]

A bard PC (if its the main character, the Bhaalspawn) in a Baldur's Gate 2 game can get a familiar, I believe.

 

However, logically, a ranger and druid should be able as well.

 

The thing is that the way it is handled in the Pen and Paper game is that for rangers and druids to have animal companions, they would fill the slots of followers/henchmen rather than familiars...and such is the case of the Meistersinger.  Their extra animals actually took the place of followers they would naturally get.  As it is, there is no henchmen/follower option available in BG 2,  I had no complaint with the suggestion of having a Meistersinger dropping the  animal companions and changing it to summoning animal spells.

 

I find myself very much in line with Bri here. What we need to discuss is mainly, I think, the opportunity of having an Animal Companion for the Meistersinger. That is, I think we all agree that would be the best. But how to do it ?

 

Can't be just a Familiar since all Bards can cast such spell so we should think of something else and perhaps extend this later to Druids and Rangers.

 

The simplest solution, however, is an innate Animal Summoning which summons the same creature (which will work in this way as spiritual/animal companion) of higher than average intelligence. I think it would be still fair to apply the same Constitution check in case of dead that we have with Find Familiar.

 

Your opinions ?

[Andyr]

If anyone has any more comments, post them - I am going to try to get around to this soon.