Turning an Animal Partner loose

[Kerebrus]

In our game we have a Lancer that is eyeballing the Beastmaster expert class.
he is hoping to go and mount a tiger or a saber tooth tiger (BITE V = WIN!).

I notice that the Beastmaster's Exotic Partner can now have Beast, Horror, Ooze, Plant, and Undead qualities.  This leads me to believe that the Beastmaster is turning his existing Animal Partner loose and taming a new one.  This would mean losing Reputation equal to your current Career level, per the Animal Partner feat.  That doesn't seem right, even if it is only a relatively small reputation hit.

Further - how does that portion of the Animal Partner feat combine with the extra bit of the Lancer's Lifetime Companion Core Ability "Your Mount is replaced at no cost if lost or killed."  No Reputation cost?

[Antilles]

I'm fairly certain the official answer will be that it's up to the GM, though personally I'd allow a player to change his Animal Partner when he levels up, or perhaps even between adventures if he dedicates his downtime to it, without a loss of reputation.

As for your other question, Lifetime Companion does indeed negate the reputation penalty if your mount dies.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Personally I'd rule that creature qualities can be added to an existing animal companion as a form of "supernatural evolution".  Perhaps a bit too Pokémon for some people, but when magic exists I don't ask those sorts of questions.

[Crafty_Pat]

I'm fairly certain the official answer will be that it's up to the GM,

Ding! Antilles gets a cookie.

There are myriad (perfectly acceptable) justifications for a range of answers on this one. You've already seen one (from SilvercatMoonpaw) that I would only use in settings where APs might physically transform. That wouldn't fly in a more grounded world, of course, and the Rep cost is likewise a matter of conditions and GM/group preference.

[Pickman]

The question could be avoided entirely with a house rule allowing PCs who intended to level to Beastmaster to take those Qualities for their pet at creation for, perhaps, a temporary reduction in the pet's maximum value.

I'm not sure what an appropriate amount might be.

[pawsplay]

Just because Beastmaster offers exotic types for your companions does not mean you will immediately gain such a companion.

[Doublebond]

Just because Beastmaster offers exotic types for your companions does not mean you will immediately gain such a companion.

Doesn't mean you can't either, of course.

[Kerebrus]

Taking it to the Gamemaster tonight, but here is our tentative workaround.

My understanding of the intent of the Animal Partner Reputation loss is so that a player does not use his Animal Partner as some sort of disposable trap magnet or switch out his Lifetime Companion just because the next adventure looks like it will be less than favorable terrain.

So, building off of that and working in the peculiarities of various Partner types, upgrades, etc.:

When a character with the XP value of the Animal Partner increases (be it from the addition of a terrain feat or the Beastmaster class), the character can dismiss his animal partner without penalty in order to take on a new animal partner with the new qualities.

That should limit the frequency of animal partner changing and allow budding beastmasters to make new friends.

[Crafty_Alex]

Looks good to me!