Rangers Getting Ranged Attack Animal Companions?

[fangGWJ]

I really hope that Rangers get animal companions with ranged attacks.  Or perhaps there will be some sort of stance system where if you hold you animal close to you and don't have them attack, you can get special bonuses.  I guess it will seem a bit like the Wizard familiars.  And since wizards, chanters and priests can cast melee summons, rangers should get familiars too =)

[Leferd]

Can't say that I've ever considered a spitting llama animal companion before.

[Gromnir]

Can't say that I've ever considered a spitting llama animal companion before.

howler monkey throwing magic poo? is juvenile and lavatorial, but obsidian did just complete a south park game. 

 

that being said, am guessing that the genesis poster is a d&d fan who were referencing the functional ranged touch-attacks o' d&d familiars. the familiar don't have a ranged attack-- the familiar is the ranged attack. your mystic tortoise gets loaded up with a spell that it can deliver by making a successful touch attack against an enemy. obviously a fireball would be kinda too hezbollah for good taste or practicality, but there were more than a few instances in which the invisible or hidden d&d familiar would be able to sneak up on an unsuspecting enemy and deliver the whammy via a simple touch. 

 

HA! Good Fun!

[flabbyjack]

In a pinch, you should be able to eat your animal companion for precious sustenance.

[Namutree]

I seriously doubt that there will be long distance attacking familiars. The threat of using them is if they take damage; so do you. Distance attacks seriously reduces that danger and thus making them over-powered; unless the distance attacking familiar is very weak, but that comes with its own issues.

[Lephys]

Well, Josh confirmed that Wizard familiars, specifically, were removed. So, whatever kind of things we can summon and/or have as animal companions (Ranger), we won't have any actual familiars. Sadly...

[Gromnir]

familiars and companions is, we suspect, a balancing nightmare. if you make the familiar/companion strong enough so that it can survive and even aid in combat, then you is functionally increasing the relative power o' the character with the familiar/companion substantially. if is the equivalent o' an extra companion in the party, then the companion is too strong, yes? our ranger and his mystic poo throwing howler monkey is like 2 party members with potential 2x as many attacks and doing near 2x as much damage. conversely, these games is so level-based that a companion or familiar that is 1/2 or even 2/3 as powerful as the player may functionally be useless. if player is 8th level and the familiar/companion is a 4th level monster with no magic rings, weapons or armour, then what good is it gonna in a combat focused crpg save as a potential scout? main goal o' the player is keeping the familiar outta combat so it don't insta die when it gets crit hit by a giant or dragon or whatever. 

 

nevertheless, the howler monkey idea should be considered, along with spitting llamas and ink-spewing octopi. is it octopus or octopi? octopus looks right but sounds wrong. regardless, our maritime ranger should be able to carry an octopus companion in a wet sack and have it ineffectually dribble out ink before battle. 

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Lephys]

I think the initial plan to have them in and allow the Wizard to remotely cast spells through them was pretty good. You could even have them increase their numbers of spells you could cast through them per day/per encounter as the Wizard levels up. That, and I believe they were supposed to be able to bestow sort of "aura" effects to nearby allies, and/or debuff effects to nearby enemies. Also good. With both of those purposes, you don't really need them to dish out direct damage, so it's no worry if they're just small, probably-not-going-to-hurt-things-much creatures. Heck, they could even be more "ethereal" type creatures, in the world of PoE, like soul fragment wisps or something. Thus, it would even make sense that they don't really physically strike stuff. And if they "died" in combat, they would merely dissipate, and be unable to reform for a decent while (maybe 15 seconds, maybe 'til the end of combat? *shrug*). That's plenty of penalty, without any kind of health hit like in D&D rules.

 

They're very useful, so that if you let them dissipate in combat, you have to do without their usefulness.

 

I also always liked how D&D familiars could help you in a variety of ways in non-combat situations, so that could be a factor, too. Then, have them be optional for a Wizard; you either take a familiar at Lvl 1, at the cost of something else (spell slots, cast time, several things maybe? who knows), or you do without them and are more capable in other respects.

 

I can see it being questionable whether or not the micromanagement of them would be feasible. But, other than that, I think it could work well. Now, with actual living animals, it makes a bit less sense, because they wouldn't just dissipate if they got smashed. So, I can see getting the lore to work being a task, but mechanically, it still wouldn't be too hard to make them work.

[Jarmo]

Maybe in expansion or through a mod, we can have halflings as animal companion.

They could range attack with their slings and little bows, provided you keep them supplied with weed and cupcakes.

 

But you'd have to take a racist trait to get them.

Edited July 25, 2014 by Jarmo

[Lephys]

Maybe we'll have armadillos or porcupines, and you can just pelt the enemy with them.

[Gromnir]

Maybe in expansion or through a mod, we can have halflings as animal companion.

They could range attack with their slings and little bows, provided you keep them supplied with weed and cupcakes.

 

But you'd have to take a racist trait to get them.

 how 'bout halfling tossing? if you need a racist trait, then might as well go complete gauche. your halfling projectile could be armoured in bladed or spiked armour, then either self-propelled or hurled by player at enemies. range would be something ridiculously plausible like 2 metres. 

 

is possible that Gromnir is not taking the ranged animal companion attacks suggestion serious. 

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Enoch]

nevertheless, the howler monkey idea should be considered, along with spitting llamas and ink-spewing octopi. is it octopus or octopi? octopus looks right but sounds wrong.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFyY2mK8pxk

[Gromnir]

 

nevertheless, the howler monkey idea should be considered, along with spitting llamas and ink-spewing octopi. is it octopus or octopi? octopus looks right but sounds wrong.

 

video

 

that so complete sold us on octopedes. jolly good show.  

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Klixen]

I love the idea of animal companions. As it's going to be possible to solo in PoE, the idea of having animal companions instead of human companions sounds very appealing. Summoner type classes are one of my all time favorites.

 

What about something like a Druid or even a Necromancer?

[Ragniz]

I love the idea of animal companions. As it's going to be possible to solo in PoE, the idea of having animal companions instead of human companions sounds very appealing. Summoner type classes are one of my all time favorites.

 

What about something like a Druid or even a Necromancer?

Chanters are "the" summoning class afaik.

They are also based around aoe buffs/debuffs so they look like the perfect summon class

[gamerdude130]

I want a porcupine that shoots spikes covered in poison.

[Suburban-Fox]

Good god, I hope not!

 

Animal companions are just that: companions who are animals. They're not magic, and therefore shouldn't be capable of magical attacks. I certainly don't want to see pet dogs standing on their hindquarters pulling bows... (I'm having a scary image of some Teenage Mutant Hero Animal Companions now! XD )

[DCParry]

familiars and companions is, we suspect, a balancing nightmare. if you make the familiar/companion strong enough so that it can survive and even aid in combat, then you is functionally increasing the relative power o' the character with the familiar/companion substantially. if is the equivalent o' an extra companion in the party, then the companion is too strong, yes? our ranger and his mystic poo throwing howler monkey is like 2 party members with potential 2x as many attacks and doing near 2x as much damage. conversely, these games is so level-based that a companion or familiar that is 1/2 or even 2/3 as powerful as the player may functionally be useless. if player is 8th level and the familiar/companion is a 4th level monster with no magic rings, weapons or armour, then what good is it gonna in a combat focused crpg save as a potential scout? main goal o' the player is keeping the familiar outta combat so it don't insta die when it gets crit hit by a giant or dragon or whatever. 

 

nevertheless, the howler monkey idea should be considered, along with spitting llamas and ink-spewing octopi. is it octopus or octopi? octopus looks right but sounds wrong. regardless, our maritime ranger should be able to carry an octopus companion in a wet sack and have it ineffectually dribble out ink before battle. 

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

I think octopus or octopuses are acceptable plurals. Never say octopi. You are bad person if you say octopi. You are a slightly less terrible, but still quite bad, person if you say syllabi. 

 

Or you can say octopodes, which would be the be plural if we were sticking to original terminations (from Greek in this case) like those who use the generic -i think they are (-i is the second declension nominative plural in Latin). 

 

EDIT - Just watched the video, which is good, although she mispronounces octopodes. 

Edited August 6, 2014 by DCParry

[Sarex]

I really hope that Rangers get animal companions with ranged attacks.  Or perhaps there will be some sort of stance system where if you hold you animal close to you and don't have them attack, you can get special bonuses.  I guess it will seem a bit like the Wizard familiars.  And since wizards, chanters and priests can cast melee summons, rangers should get familiars too =)

 

Like monkeys flinging poop? That would make the game awesome btw, like 11/10 on the awesome scale.

Edited August 6, 2014 by Sarex

[Lephys]

I think octopus or octopuses are acceptable plurals. Never say octopi. You are bad person if you say octopi. You are a slightly less terrible, but still quite bad, person if you say syllabi.

*nods*... I'm gonna go with "octocake." If that's cool. 6_u

[AGX-17]

Is not the point of Rangers having non-human companions to cover their weakness to short-range combat? You summon your bestial goons to deal with enemies so that you can shoot others in peace, no?

[Silent Winter]

Undead pirate monkey with a flintlock pistol

[Kjaamor]

Is not the point of Rangers having non-human companions to cover their weakness to short-range combat? You summon your bestial goons to deal with enemies so that you can shoot others in peace, no?

 

My impression was that this was main design of animal companions, and offered the most optimal use of the companion. However, it it is entirely possible, probable even, that there is a sliding scale amongst animal companions that ranges from tank to dps/controller/healz. At the extreme end of the dps/c/h side could lie ranged animal companions.

 

Ultimately spitting cobras are probably the best of the few real world examples of ranged animal attacks, and even they would be something of a stretch. Thankfully the golden rpg rule of "it's magic" can apply to open up possibilites.

[J.E. Sawyer]

Animal companions in PoE are fundamentally melee-oriented.  Most of the ranger's attack abilities can be used with melee as well as ranged attacks, but their base ranged accuracy is +15 (equivalent of +3 in D&D) above their base melee, so they're typically more effective with the animal companion running interference and the ranger using ranged weapons.

 

I don't think we've talked about the full list of ranger animal companions, but they are (with current bonuses):

 

* Antelope - Higher defenses.

* Bear - Higher Damage Threshold.

* Boar - Gains Might at low Stamina.

* Lion - Terrifying Roar ability.

* Stag - Carnage ability (like barbarian's, but limited-use)

* Wolf - Faster movement rate.

[Sarex]

So... So no monkeys flinging flaming poop...    Well maybe in the sequel.