Some hunters form bonds with packs of well-trained creatures. Whether such a hunter is a northern berserker running with a pack of timber wolves or a savage warrior dashing through the jungle alongside her herd of dimetrodons, the packmaster revels in the thrill of the hunt and the glory of the kill. A packmaster is more comfortable in groups than alone, and although her animal companions may be weaker than a typical hunter's, what they lack in strength they make up for in numbers.
Pack Bond
A packmaster can have more than one animal companion, but she must divide her effective druid level between her companions to determine the abilities of each one. For example, a 4th-level packmaster can have one 4th-level animal companion, or two 2nd-level companions, or one 3rd-level companion and one 1st-level companion, or four 1st-level companions.
When a packmaster gains a level, she must decide how to allocate the increase among her animal companions, including whether or not to add a new 1st-level companion. Once a hunter level is allocated to a particular companion, it cannot be redistributed while that companion is in the packmaster's service. She must release that companion or wait until the companion dies to allocate its levels to another companion, which she can then do the next time she refreshes her spell slots for the day. The share spells animal companion ability applies to only one animal companion at a time—the packmaster cannot use it to cast a spell that affects only a single target and have the spell affect all of her animal companions.
A packmaster's precise companion, woodland stride, and teamwork feats apply to only one of her animal companions at a time. (For example, a packmaster can apply precise companion to one companion, woodland stride to another, and a given teamwork feat to a third, but cannot apply one of those benefits to two animal companions at once.) As a swift action, she can change which companions gain any or all of these benefits. This ability replaces animal companion.
Pack Focus
This ability functions like animal focus, with the following exceptions. A packmaster can apply her animal aspect to only one of her animal companions at a time without having it count against the number of minutes per day she can use that ability. When using animal focus on herself or any other animal companion, the ability counts against her minutes per day as normal. She can have only two animal aspects in effect at a time—one that counts against her minutes per day and one that doesn't—and they can't both be applied to the same companion. Unless all of her companions are dead, the hunter can't apply the companion's aspect to herself (and thereby gain the benefit of its unlimited duration). This ability replaces animal focus.
At 3rd level or any level at which a packmaster would gain a bonus teamwork feat, she can instead increase the number of her animal companions that gain the benefits of her precise companion, woodland stride, and teamwork feats by 1. She can select this ability multiple times. This ability alters teamwork feat.
At 8th level, the hunter gains an ability that functions as per second animal focus, except the hunter can either apply one aspect to each companion or apply both aspects to the same companion. The foci on the companions don't need to be the same, nor do they need to be the same as the one applied to the packmaster. This ability replaces second animal focus.
At 20th level, a packmaster and her animal companions can always move at full speed while using Survival to follow tracks without penalty. Also, each day when a packmaster gains new spells for the day, she can apply one animal focus to herself or one of her animal companions for the entire day (if all of her animal companions are dead, she instead can apply two animal foci to herself for the entire day). These foci are in addition to any granted by her pack focus class ability. This ability replaces master hunter.