Horse Talk

And the bonuses to skills will only apply to skill rolls not passives. that fits the game mechanic.

I still take issue with this. It sounds like this logic being applied is the logic of a player character adding talent bonuses to skill ranks. In the case of a loyal companion this is not the case; what you are doing is more akin to modifying a minion stat block.

I’m most familiar with the minion stat block for the War Dog on the bottom of ARPG P. 322. As you will see, the War Dog begins with +3 universal bonus, resulting in a passive 18 for listed skills and 15 for untrained skills. What the Loyal Companion advancement appears to do is change the +3 to a +4 universal bonus. Logically, the 18 listed passive should then change to a 19. The 15 untrained passive remains the same. Without exception, you will find that the listed passive in minion stat blocks results from the universal bonus plus the untrained passive, except in specific listed instances such as the Heavy Warhorse which begins with a boosted passive perception. The overwhelming majority of stat blocks in the bestiary are also constructed similarly (one notable exception is the Horned Jowl Ss’ressen on P. 25), but the construction mechanics in the back of the bestiary also support the logic I’m presenting here.

So failing a ruling that says otherwise, I don’t see why the Loyal Companion skill increases should not affect passive skill values, as presented in construction mechanics in multiple books.

Sorry guys, but this thread is Horse Talk. I want to discuss horse options. If you want to discuss other animals please start your own thread.

I need to get to the bottom of horses and horse options. Particularly the Quality Riding Horse which is common for quite a few backgrounds.

If you ever plan to take Loyal Companion with your horse, the above discussion is highly applicable.