<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=188886.msg9132130#msg9132130">Quote from: FallenDabus on 01-11-2013, 17:25:35</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Okay, after having looked into it, I think I understand what happened here. Due to its size, the leopard appears to have been categorized as a small cat, but the small cat animal companion is clearly meant to represent a cheetah due to its faster speed and sprint ability. Likely the designers also didn't want to give the leopard pounce and rake, even thought they match the animal's hunting style, in an effort to differentiate between the small and large companions. My proposed solution? Just use the big cat statistics and call it a leopard. <br/><br/>That does bring up a good point though... Does anyone foresee gaining any animal companions, familars or taking the leadership feats between now and level 6? If so, please let me know, as I do need to do a bit of planning ahead on my behalf.<br/></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>Works for me. I thought that leopards should of been in the big cat category, but going against the book without a DM's ok can land you in trouble.<br/><br/>I do plan on picking up an animal companion at level 4, and boon companion at level 5 as my 5th level feat. That'll bring the companion up to match the character's level. (instead of having a level 2 companion in encounters with CR 5 or 6 threats)<br/><br/>This does bring up a question that I think that I should ask. Some DM's prefer to retain control of the companion to some extent. This ranges from minimal to total. Others just let the player control the companion by and large. How much control will the player have over the companion? If, for example, Lydia orders the companion to attack a demon (and the companion has been trained for this), are you going to balk at that, or let it work itself out? I have had DM's in the past who let me have the companion, then everytime I tried to do something with it, he overruled it and the animal basically became a pontless element in the game because it would wonder off whenever something was about to happen, or wouldn't do anything but sit there. I know that the most common viewpoint is that it's just going to appear for combat, but I tend to put them more into the story for both flavor and soetimes, to lighten the scene... nothing like having a big animal decide that he just loves such and such and keeps trying to make a teddybear out of them. ;)