Beastmasters character conceot and animal companions questions

[technodemon]

I was wandering which Careers would be good to do a beastmaster type concept that can gain a certain number of animal companions? I read that Warlocks was like this and is this true? What type of animals and or beasts are trainable?

[StJason]

Nobody knows as the game isn't out yet. Ask again in a month or so.

[Goliath]

We're unlikely to see any extensive animal companion rules until the third book is released (Wilds of Immorean, iirc). I can't think of any animal-friendly examples among the 'civilised' nations.

[Aníron]

Excerpts of the character generation pages were released in the last insider.
The list of archetypes are in it, but none of them seem suited for a beast handler.

I guess my Khadoran frontiersman with rifle and argus will have to wait a few books.
Hopefully my gobber doctor/alchemist concept will be viable with book one.

[Lord of ???]

The character generation excerpt was missing quite a few things.

We already know that Mercenary is an option. That didn't show on the list.


So I'm assuming that what we were shown is just a teaser.

[Chip]

I guess my Khadoran frontiersman with rifle and argus will have to wait a few books.

I dunno, "Animal Handling" is a skill everyone has access to, so all you REALLY need to do is talk to your GM about starting with an Argus, and how much that'd cost if it's not in the equipment section. I'd probably start a character like that with a slightly weaker than average Argus and give it semi regular stat boosts until it gets on the same level as a normal one (or maybe even slightly stronger, depending on how much time the character spends training and feeding it). The cost is that you'd have to spend cash on feeding it - and it's not a steamjack you can just choose not to feed if you don't want to use it - at least one meal a day (depending on how much a meal actually costs...)

It's an RPG. If it's not a rule, make it up!

[PPS_Simon]

The character generation excerpt was missing quite a few things.

We already know that Mercenary is an option. That didn't show on the list.


So I'm assuming that what we were shown is just a teaser.

The "Mercenary" career did not make the final cut for the book. It became re-envisioned across several careers including Soldier.

[Weaselcreature]

The character generation excerpt was missing quite a few things.

We already know that Mercenary is an option. That didn't show on the list.


So I'm assuming that what we were shown is just a teaser.

I'm thinking they took Mercenary out as a class. The Simon's blurb about the insider says it's a list of all the Careers, and in the Soldier career, it talks about the variety of ways someone could be a soldier: either training in a specific military, or just picking up the skills with a Merc group.

[Edit: Ninja'd! But by Simon, so I guess it's OK]

[FrankJaeger]

I dunno, "Animal Handling" is a skill everyone has access to, so all you REALLY need to do is talk to your GM about starting with an Argus, and how much that'd cost if it's not in the equipment section. I'd probably start a character like that with a slightly weaker than average Argus and give it semi regular stat boosts until it gets on the same level as a normal one (or maybe even slightly stronger, depending on how much time the character spends training and feeding it). The cost is that you'd have to spend cash on feeding it - and it's not a steamjack you can just choose not to feed if you don't want to use it - at least one meal a day (depending on how much a meal actually costs...)

It's an RPG. If it's not a rule, make it up!

The problem is, with only 8 pages of bestiary, there probably won't be an Argus to start with.

[Chip]

The problem is, with only 8 pages of bestiary, there probably won't be an Argus to start with.

Meh, I have PRIMAL and a few preview stats in the latest No Quarter - it shouldn't be TOO hard to kitbash some stats together.

Hell, here's how I'd do it (in ten minutes, mind) : Take a Burrow Mawg, replace Gang with a second attack and you have a rudimentary "young adult" Argus. Over the course of the campaign, gradually add in +1 SPD, +2 STR, +2 MAT, +1 DEF, +1 ARM and a RAT 4 Spray with some fun crit effect. Give 'em one point at a time (depending on what's been going on), with +2 Vitality every second stat boost, a size boost to a Medium base after four advances and a Combo Bite ability when it gets all 8. You'll end up with the following;

SPD	STR	MAT	RAT	DEF	ARM
7	6	6	4	14	11

BITE x2

POW	P+S
4	10

(*Attack) Combo Bite - Give up second attack for one attack at double POW.

DOPPLER BARK

RNG	ROF	POW
SP6	1	*

Critical Paralysis

VITALITY : 12
BASE SIZE : Medium


Which looks like a fairly good "domesticated" Argus. Assuming it's not just, you know, in the main book

[StJason]

I'd probably start a character like that with a slightly weaker than average Argus and give it semi regular stat boosts until it gets on the same level as a normal one (or maybe even slightly stronger, depending on how much time the character spends training and feeding it).

Circle Arguses are super-buff mega-argus.

[Chip]

Circle Arguses are super-buff mega-argus.

Yup, and you'll note that the finished, fully advanced "domesticated" Argus I statted out would, in fact, be savaged by a Circle one (assuming the stats follow the Pistol Wraith's example and are basically the same as the minis game) - in fact, the ONLY area the domestic Argus wins out is in MAT, 'cos I figure Circle Argii have a more vicious, but less controlled, fighting style.

[technodemon]

It's been mentioned that the Pistoleer and the Ranger was left off the list of the preview and wander how different this version of the ranger will be from D&D/D20 version.

[jdripley]

I think it was Doug who mentioned that the IKRPG Ranger is more akin to an army ranger than it is to the DnD ranger. So no magical attunement to the forest and animal buddy, more survival skills and so forth.

[Munindk]

If you really want to, you could probably get away with using the jack marshalling rules to control pets instead of jacks, with a bit of renaming and house ruling?
Taking this a bit further you could probably do the same with the warcaster abilities and warbeasts, it will take some creative renaming, changing society and martial skills to wilderness skills, and it wont represent the fury rules very well, but its a way of playing a warlock before book 4 (or is it book 3?) comes out.

Chip worked up a pretty good Argus from the previews alone, I imagine creating pets and warbeasts will be even easier when we have the 8 pages of adversaries rules.

[pavel0]

Warlocks are the "beastmasters" of the Iron Kingdoms. I think you'll have to wait for the book with those rules. Or just make stuff up.