Hero's Companion Enhancement

[Sindaleus]

I have recently made up a half pint cleric. Browsing the enhancement list for halflings I see the companion line that improves a friend/target. I have a question about this enhancement.

1. Does it work on summoned pets?
If so, does the benefit +s noticable on returns i.e. summoned pet more noticably effective?

2. Could you use the enhancement multiple times on different people to spread the benefits?
or, its a single person use and voids previous sideline cheering as the halfling's hero?

3. Do the bonuses stack as you progress in the line?

I was considering this enhancement while I level to add some to the summoned pets, or the marked companions. Has anyone experimented with this enhancement? or, has it been obsolete by the modules over time?

[Angelus_dead]

I have recently made up a half pint cleric. Browsing the enhancement list for halflings I see the companion line that improves a friend/target. I have a question about this enhancement.

Unfortunately, Hero's Companion sucks and has always sucked, even though it was improved three times. It can only be helpful in especially rare circumstances.

First your easy questions:
Yes, it works on pets. No, it doesn't make them noticably better. No, you can't cast it on multiple people at once.

Casting it on a pet is much less helpful than putting it on another player. That's because it gives a bonus to the damage of each attack. Pets don't attack very often, so the bonus damage won't come out much. You'll get best results putting it on a player with high attack rate, such as a ranger with Tempest or Manyshot (+Haste Boost).

In general, Heroic Companion is a nearly worthless enhancement, all because of the casting time. It takes so long to cast the effect that you probably could've done something more useful with the time by yourself. If you have any ability to attack with a weapon on your own, then stopping attacking to cast the buff on someone will probably lose more damage than he gains. Of course, it all depends on the characters and situation. If you're a healbot cleric with no ability to fight and you've got nothing better to do than cast a short-short buff, then sure, go ahead and get it.

Here's an example of how it works out. Hero's Companion lasts for 20 seconds, and level 1 gives +2 damage. A person with a typical weapon can attack about 31 times in that time, for a total of +62 damage. But in the time needed to cast you could've made 5-6 attacks of your own. 62/5 ~= 12. So if your own weapon does 12 or more damage per hit, then it was a net loss for you to spend time buffing someone else. Plus, of course, the ability to cast the buff cost you APs, and also buffing someone else requires more coordination (how can you be sure he was going to attack rightaway after he was buffed, and didn't need to stop and do something else?)

Or say you'd spent 10 total AP for HC IV. That's +5 damage, so 155 damage over 20 sec. Your attack would need to be doing over 30 each to beat that. And that's ignoring that HC IV also has a bonus on attack and AC, which might further help your friend fight.

Since you're asking about ways to get a pet fighting for you, it seems your character might not have much offensive ability of your own. In that case, it is a reasonable idea to take Hero's Companion as a buff for a party member. For best results, find someone who has Manyshot or Fighter/Rogue Haste Boost, and coordinate things so that you cast the buff just before he enters the speed attack mode.

[Sindaleus]

Here's an example of how it works out. Hero's Companion lasts for 20 seconds, and level 1 gives +2 damage. A person with a typical weapon can attack about 31 times in that time, for a total of +62 damage. But in the time needed to cast you could've made 5-6 attacks of your own. 62/5 ~= 12. So if your own weapon does 12 or more damage per hit, then it was a net loss for you to spend time buffing someone else. Plus, of course, the ability to cast the buff cost you APs, and also buffing someone else requires more coordination (how can you be sure he was going to attack rightaway after he was buffed, and didn't need to stop and do something else?)

Only 20 seconds of benefits is rather nominal. I thought it carried atleast a minute or two duration since it had such good potential to elevate a friend or pet for the duration of fights. The original idea on Hero's Companion was to buff my pets for fights should I solo some quests for the added hand in fights. I see its not practical. Good idea but un implementable on the Action Point cost : return ratio.

[Angelus_dead]

The original idea on Hero's Companion was to buff my pets for fights should I solo some quests for the added hand in fights. I see its not practical.

There is virtually nothing you can to do make a summoned creature a useful fighter. There are some very rare situations where it might help... for example, a summoned mummy can beat a Mind Flayer because most mental attacks are worthless on it. But except in very unusual places, the best help you'll get from a summoned pet is to send it in first so the monsters spend their first shots killing it instead of you.

[Depravity]

There is virtually nothing you can to do make a summoned creature a useful fighter. There are some very rare situations where it might help... for example, a summoned mummy can beat a Mind Flayer because most mental attacks are worthless on it. But except in very unusual places, the best help you'll get from a summoned pet is to send it in first so the monsters spend their first shots killing it instead of you.

I've been having good luck with my bezerika. He won't pull aggro off of me after a few spells go off, but with a blur and GH he's hitting often enough to draw fire and let me pick off mobs one at a time, and he's surviving multiple fights on normal.

The fiendish troll is nice for midlevels due to the regen, he just doesn't fit through doors.

Summons are underpowered, it's just a question of when they're effective as bait, really.

[Pellegro]

the HC enhancement is a let down for all the reasons already stated.

its hard to justify taking that vs. the other options available to halflings.

if it would last longer and be a quicker cast, it would make sense. the +s it gives are nice, but 20 seconds is pretty weak and its hard to get it to stick (you have to be close to teh target and if he runs off ... oops).

[maddmatt70]

They did change the range from near to close with this mod so you don't have to be as close to the person as you all seem to think. I don't know if it is the most cost effective enhancement line, but a friend of mine has it on his buffing/healing bard and he makes it work great. He has used it alot on me during the pit fiend fight on parts 4 and 5 in between his healing spells and it is very nice especially on part 4. He also has the uncanny ability of hitting my fighter when I just hit a fighter haste boost. This buff coupled with warchanter buffs when I am in fighter haste mode is nice and well for lack of a better word fun..

[Sindaleus]

They did change the range from near to close with this mod so you don't have to be as close to the person as you all seem to think. I don't know if it is the most cost effective enhancement line, but a friend of mine has it on his buffing/healing bard and he makes it work great. He has used it alot on me during the pit fiend fight on parts 4 and 5 in between his healing spells and it is very nice especially on part 4. He also has the uncanny ability of hitting my fighter when I just hit a fighter haste boost. This buff coupled with warchanter buffs when I am in fighter haste mode is nice and well for lack of a better word fun..

Thats great! I m glad someone thought it had merits.

The concept behind HC looked pretty cool. Have your moral boosting Halfling uping someone's potential. After all not everyone can be as fearless as Halflings! The enhancement line seemed to offer a Fighter's enhancement boost but to one person within range. Whether its a pet, party member or what not. I could see a group of Halflings moral boosting each other as pack hunters.

[Club'in]

Ah ha. I had it, but dropped it long ago. Glad they changed the range on it. Last I'd heard they were looking into it. I'd taken it up to the second level, and it definitely helped me get through some tough fights (like VON3's construct when in a party of level 7's). But the short range was a real killer.

[Eudimio]

In my opinion, Hero's Companion is the second-best of the 20-second buffs (okay, third if you count human versatility).

Attack speed boost is by far the best. It gives an absolute 30% increase in dps. For those 20 seconds (five times per rest), you get a better advantage dps-wise than barbarian crit rage 2.

HC gives bonuses to attack, damage, armor class, and saves. If it was usable on yourself, most halflings would take it.

Due to its cast time, which is still pretty short, it is most useful when you are running to the fight. If you only look at the damage bonus, dps is increased by only about 5-10%. If you are not a primary fighter, it's a nice buff to give out.

[Club'in]

Due to its cast time, which is still pretty short, it is most useful when you are running to the fight.

Hmm. I wonder if the casting time was shortened at the same time that the range was broadened. If so, good job devs! Way to respond to some legitimate complaints from the user base, and implement a viable fix. I may have to respec that one into my enhancements again.

[Aspenor]

Hmm. I wonder if the casting time was shortened at the same time that the range was broadened. If so, good job devs! Way to respond to some legitimate complaints from the user base, and implement a viable fix. I may have to respec that one into my enhancements again.

I was a bit confused by this "casting time" issue people had with it. It's virtually instant-cast.

[Angelus_dead]

I was a bit confused by this "casting time" issue people had with it. It's virtually instant-cast.

Uh, no.

If you want to see a spell that's instantly cast, ask a cleric to show you Close Wounds. The casting time for Heroic Companion costs a lot of time you could be using to swing with your own weapon.

Why, even the self-boosts like Fighter Haste Boost have a measurable casting time that costs two melee swings worth of time. Heroic Companion includes an entire spellcasting animation!

[Aspenor]

Uh, no.

If you want to see a spell that's instantly cast, ask a cleric to show you Close Wounds. The casting time for Heroic Companion costs a lot of time you could be using to swing with your own weapon.

Why, even the self-boosts like Fighter Haste Boost have a measurable casting time that costs two melee swings worth of time. Heroic Companion includes an entire spellcasting animation!

Why do you assume everybody swings a weapon all the time? That's most certainly not the case....

The animation is SHORT, short enough that I never notice any problems.

[Club'in]

The problem was that there was an animation at all. It required constant voice communication with the target tank. Even the one second animation that rolled before the buff was cast was more than enough time for the tank to sprint out of the extremely tight casting range. I probably easily failed 30% or more of my attempts to apply this buff. To make sure it would work required coordinating with the tank exactly when it was going to be cast on them (usually right after the haste circle popped up). Hardly worth all that hassle. As noted by other users I almost never initiated it in the thick of battle since it's extremely short duration did not warrant the absence of your attacks for the casting animation duration. And, once again, your tank was more likely than not to move out of its range before it was fired off. It was best thrown as the very last buff before a bum rush by all the melees. It seems that two of my wishes were answered by the devs in this last mod (longer range, shorter casting time). Or maybe it wasn't shortened. Not sure. The other request I would make is that it last more like 30 seconds, rather than 20. In that case, it would be more viable to toss off in the middle of a donnybrook.

[elderon_Lafeet]

IMHO take 1 level for the +2 to skill (rogue or someone umding) if you have the free enchancement point when you are capped. The +2 is nice on those skill checks if you have a 1 enchantment point and are just gonna waste it on something else

[entropiccanuck]

I couldn't find other threads on Hero's companion, so I'm resurrecting this old one. There weren't many positive reviews of the enhancement then, has it changed in the last couple years?

[Angelus_dead]

There weren't many positive reviews of the enhancement then, has it changed in the last couple years?

Since this thread was written, the range increased and the duration tripled to 60 seconds. It still has a casting animation, but with 60 seconds it is now much more reasonable for a halfling to put on his friends (pick the guy with the highest attack speed, particularly Rangers who are about to Manyshot).

It is strongly advised that all halfling clerics and bards take this enhancement, and other classes should consider it. However, weapon-using characters will still have a hard time justifying an AP investment that could've gone to Guile instead.

[Shade]

Yea this is one of the rare abilities that Turbine changed from junk to awesome.

Must have for every Bard, Cleric and Favored soul since they can fit them fairly easily. Friend of mine has rank III on his wizard too and it's pretty awesome, doesn't cost him much in his ability to play a strong wizard and its a wicked uber buff.

A couple of those on 2 max dps melee in any raid and you've already won. (2 melee cuz you can keep it up on both in short fights, as its cooldown is 30 sec, while duration is 1min) It's like having 10 average melee. It's that good.

Plus the cool gold icon that appears above your head looks really sweet.

[Blazer]

Yep, I have it on my monk and a guildie has it on his cleric. It's a fantastic buff. I like giving it to the charmed hounds in HoX, gives them a nice little boost.