Wolf Companion Build

[Blackthunder3]

I have structured a Wolf Companion build and would like to hear what you have to say about it. I feel that it is more balanced than the wolves in the books.


Wolf Stats:
Average Size: 3’7”- 5’9”
Average Weight: 170-250 Lbs.
Ability Scores: +2 to DEX, +2 to STR
Size: Medium
Speed: 7 Squares
Vision: Dark Vision
Languages understood: Common, Elven
Skill Bonuses: +2 Nature, +2 Perception
Wild Step: Ignore difficult terrain
Group Awareness: All party members in 3 squares gain +1 to Perception Checks

Role: Striker
Power Source: Primal
Key Abilities: STR, DEX, INT
Bonus to Defenses: +2 to REF, +1 FORT
HP at 1st level: 14 + DEX Score
HP Per Level Gained: 4
Healing Surges Per Day: 6 + DEX Modifier

Trained Skills: Perception or Stealth
Gain training in 5 of the following:
Insight, Stealth, Perception, Acrobatics, Athletics, Nature, Dungeoneering, Endurance

Melee Basic Attack:
At-Will ✦Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Strength vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Strength modifier damage.
Increase damage to 2[W] + Strength modifier at 21st level.
Special: You can use an unarmed attack as a weapon to
make a melee basic attack.

Encounter:
Gnashing Strike
Target: 1 Creature
Attack: DEX Vs. AC
Hit: 1(W) + DEX Mod
Special: When bloodied, do 1d8 extra damage.

Daily:
Ferocious Assault
Target: 1 Creature
Attack: Strength Vs. AC
Hit: 3d12 + STR Mod

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Welcome to the boards!

I have a couple questions on your build prior to a full response...
Is this for one of your characters like a druid animal companion? what level are you looking at pinning this creature at?

I happen to be playing a Druid with a companion Wolf... It works pretty good using the Essentials version that has a real animal companions

On to your build... and since you don't know me from Adam, let me preface to saw that these comments are meant as constructive criticism.

As a DM, the way I create companion characters tends to be to take the appropriate standard monster, trim down the powers to be easy to handle, and cut the hit points in half. There is a level 2 grey wolf skirmisher that makes a good start, and a good point to compare against your build.

Using that to compare, your build is way overpowered. The Wolf's basic attack reads:
1D6+2 damage. If the wolf has combat advantage against the target, the target falls prone. A prone target takes 1d6 extra damage from this attack.

I would be tempted to give a aura that causes adjacent enemies to grant combat advantage to allies of the Wolf.

definitely drop the dark vision and group awareness. Wild step is a cool addition, one that I would grant to the normal monster most of the time.

Also drop the Daily. that is too much for a mere wolf.

More when I know more about your intent!

 

[Blackthunder3]

I was thinking about building it from scratch as if I was making a PC. I can send you the character sheet that I've been working with as I build it.

I used the 3d12 attack as a daily because the daily is usually the best attack and most often the one as a last resort (if the player knows how to use it). The Wolf Companion from Martial Power 1 has a basic attack of:


Melee Basic Attack:

Bite; level + 4 vs. AC; 1d8 +
Strength modifier damage.

The Essentials Sentinel Druid's Wolf has a basic attack as such:

Animal Attack ​

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• At-Will

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Attack: ​

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Melee 1 (one creature); your level + 5 vs. AC
Hit: 1d8 + your Wisdom modifier + your Constitution modifier damage

The Monster Manual's Gray Wolf has an attack that reads:

Bite ​

​

[COLOR(standard at-will)

+7 vs. AC; 1d6 + 2 damage, or 2d6 + 2 damage against a prone​

target.
[/COLOR]​

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​

​

Considering that the MM has d6 while the MP and HotFK books have a d8, I really don't think it would be that bad.

As far as what level, I haven't fully decided, but I do know that the PC's that are in my game are currently level 2. I have a Rogue from another game that is level 3, and a Beast Master Ranger that is level 1 that I plan on using as NPCs when the time comes.

I tweaked a very small amount of abilities around while still thinking about a Wolf's natural abilities in the wild.

I figured the Dark Vision would work better than the Low-light Vision that the books list for almost any animal as a Wolf is an excellent night hunter.


By no means am I saying that my build is 100% perfect, I am just going through what I did to make it and my thought behind what I did.
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[Siberys]

Sorry to pry, but do you also post on the Wizards boards? I vaguely recall seeing this over there last week.

On to the mechanics... I think you're missing the point of the companion creatures. Those are class features of the druid and ranger; they're structured differently because the druid is trying to do different things from the ranger. Add on to that, both are doing something completely different from the monster wolf. Their stats are different because of that, not because the designers are being inconsistent or anything.

That said, if you want to build the wolf companion as a PC, go for it. Just know it might make whoever controls the companion more effective than originally intended, especially if you're giving the wolf dailies. That could result in the wolf being more badass than the PCs, which seems a little off, no? :/

EDIT: It may help me to critique this if I understood how this would be used. Will it (and the rogue and ranger you mention) be an adversary of the party? An ally? A full-time party member?

 

[Blackthunder3]

Sorry to pry, but do you also post on the Wizards boards? I vaguely recall seeing this over there last week.

On to the mechanics... I think you're missing the point of the companion creatures. Those are class features of the druid and ranger; they're structured differently because the druid is trying to do different things from the ranger. Add on to that, both are doing something completely different from the monster wolf. Their stats are different because of that, not because the designers are being inconsistent or anything.

That said, if you want to build the wolf companion as a PC, go for it. Just know it might make whoever controls the companion more effective than originally intended, especially if you're giving the wolf dailies. That could result in the wolf being more badass than the PCs, which seems a little off, no? :/

EDIT: It may help me to critique this if I understood how this would be used. Will it (and the rogue and ranger you mention) be an adversary of the party? An ally? A full-time party member?

Are you refering to this thread on WotC's site?

Whoops! Browser Settings Incompatible.

If you are, then yes, that was me asking. In that, I asked about combining stats to make a wolf companion for both the Sentinel Druid and Beast Master Ranger builds. Since then, I've taken a different look at the build and figured that it wouldn't hurt to do something of a custom build entirely of my own creation with the helpful tips of others that have done something similar.

I would still like to use it as a companion to the Ranger and Druid, but at the same time, I would scale it back slightly for that purpose. As a stand-alone companion, I wouldn't think that it would need such back scaling. Every class has a daily that can be upwards of 2-5 of one particular die roll.

Again, I'm merely running my thoughts on the build. I know that once I can get ahold of the Heroes of the Feywild book, I'll be able to balance the build a little better as that has a Fey Beast Tamer build that allows for any class and race to have a beast companion.

 

[Siberys]

Yes, that is the thread to which I was referring.

The fey beast tamer works very similarly to the HotFK sentinel druid, so I don't think it will actually help you with what you're trying to do.

In the case of what you seem to want to do... Don't build the companion ranger as a beastmaster, or use the companion sentinel druid as a sentinel druid. Build them as another type of ranger or druid, or maybe even a type of warlord or some other class.

Then, instead of worrying about building a wolf race and class, build it as something else and reflavor it. Make it an elf thief, for example. Then just say it's a wolf, and its knives are actually its bite, and so on and so forth. That way, the only things you need to change are descriptions.

What you seem to essentially be talking about doing is running the wolf as a full-on PC anyways, so why not just go full-bore and do it?

The thing about the wolf companion is that it's fully a part of another class. It's presented as a creature, sure, but in the end it's an enabler for the PC's power. That's why adding a daily power to the wolf is not a good idea - you'd essentially be giving the druid or ranger an extra daily power for free.

 

[Blackthunder3]

What if I just remove the Daily power from the wolf? You are right that I am essentially making a PC to a point. I want it to be able to have its own actions. The Beastmaster Ranger has some abilities that would work great with an actual companion to work with rather than a puppet. The companions in the books take the actions of the Ranger or Druid instead of the person taking their own actions as well as the companion. It's more or less a "meat shield" for the class. Therefore, if it's run as its own being, the "meat shield" wouldn't be a factor because the companion would be moving of it's own free will.

 

[Siberys]

That's why I suggested building the 'ranger' as a warlord - it's stuff is made to play nice with another character with its own actions. The BMR? Not so much.

That said, if you wanna try it, by all means, go for it. It won't work too badly - you'll have some wonkiness with the interactions between the BMR and the wolf, but that's about it. If you're careful, that may not even be an issue.

I guess all I'm trying to say is that you're trying to reinvent the wheel. You'll have a fast moving striker and another character spending actions to give it buffs and more attacks... In any other discussion, I could be talking about a rogue and a warlord. :/

 

[Blackthunder3]

I was looking at taking maybe a few of the BMR powers (Circling Strike, Predator Strike, stuff like that) and then still using a decent run of Ranger powers. I'm playing the BMR as a Half-Elf, so I get to have a few extra powers too.