# Forum > Gaming > Roleplaying Games > D&D 3e/3.5e/d20 > 3rd Ed Animal Companion at first level

## Condé

Hello everyone,

Have seen a lot of handbook, went through lot of classes and ACF and stuff... But I still wonder, because you never know, is there any other class that can have an animal companion at first level beside these:
- Druid (obviously)
- ACF Bard (Trading what makes you a bard to get a AC like a druid)
- ACF Wizard/Sorcerer (Trade your familiar for an AC, like a Ranger)
- Wild Cohort (Feat. Not great since it doesn't specify how to recover your ac if it dies)

And that is only from the top of my head... I might be forgetting something, not sure. 

It seems only casters have this option.

Anything else?

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## Inevitability

A giant (Huge or bigger, I think) spellcaster can summon certain familiars much bigger than the norm, which is kind of like having an animal companion. Rules for it appear in the DMG, I believe.

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## Crake

Rangers don't get their AC until level 4, so a sorc/wizard trading out their familiar for an AC would also not get one until level 4, since it's "as ranger"

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## Anthrowhale

> Rangers don't get their AC until level 4, so a sorc/wizard trading out their familiar for an AC would also not get one until level 4, since it's "as ranger"


I don't think it says "as ranger"?

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## Thurbane

Shaman (OA p.22): note this is the 3.0 version of how animal companion worked, but IMHO the conversion to 3.5 should mean it works the same as Druid.

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## Crake

> I don't think it says "as ranger"?


_Shrug_, I was just going by the OP's listing, which says as ranger.

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## Condé

> _Shrug_, I was just going by the OP's listing, which says as ranger.





> I don't think it says "as ranger"?





> Rangers don't get their AC until level 4, so a sorc/wizard trading out their familiar for an AC would also not get one until level 4, since it's "as ranger"


My Bad. It says as a druid BUT progress as a ranger. 
Gain: Animal companion (as druid; treat sorcerer or wizard as a druid of half his class level).

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## Chronos

Of course, anyone, of any class, can simply buy/steal/tame a normal, mundane animal.  A horse, say, might be tough within WBL, but a pack mule is easily affordable.  As you level up and get richer, buy better animals, up to eventually a war elephant or something.

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## Inevitability

Urban druid if you count that as a separate class from druid. Mostly notable for letting you get (arbitrary?) animated objects as companion.

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## Particle_Man

There was a third party book that let you play an animal that gained a human companion, but alas the name escapes me.

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## ShurikVch

> Shaman (OA p.22): note this is the 3.0 version of how animal companion worked, but IMHO the conversion to 3.5 should mean it works the same as Druid.


Then how about Water Shugenja?

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## Thurbane

> Then how about Water Shugenja?


Well, the relevant difference there - in my opinion - is that while both have access to Animal Friendship as 1st level spells, Shaman has Animal Companion as a listed class feature, while Shugenja does not.

As always, some DM adjudication is required when updating 3.0 material. It's a shame this wasn't touched on in the Dragon Magazine 3.5 update for OA. They updated a small handful of things for Shaman, but nothing about AC.

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