Base classes that grant animal companions?

[ketaro]

The question is, is there more than one >base class< that grants an animal companion at 1st level other than Druid?

I'm gearing up for an E6 Gestalt Underdark game and I wanna be a literal Spider Queen with all the spiders and probably a wildshape druid on one side of the gestalt to also be a spider myself. 

[TC X0 Lt 0X]

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An Issue here might be that most Animal Companions stack with Animal Companions from other classes.

What might work instead is going Vermin Druid//PF Summoner and  have the Eidolon take the shape of a spider, maybe going with the Broodmaster Archetype to have multiple Eidolons.

Perhaps as one of the sides of your 6th level you go Beast Heart Adept and choose a Ankheg, reflavoring it as some kind of burrowing spider.

Then you use the Alternative Summon Monster List variant rules from Unearthed Arcana and theme your Summon lists around spiders of various kinds.

End up with something like this:
Summoner 6 // Vermin Druid 5/Beast Heart Adept 1

Surely your DM would accept this. I should know, I am your DM.

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BTW, we need exlpoding spiders.

[ketaro]

Um, god. And then I realize Elise is what I'm doing.

WELP, I'm doing it anyways! Thanks, mah DM~

Only question would be when you mention Eidelon, is that the character's race that you're suggesting or what?
As for exploding spiders, all I'd need to do is get you to okay making my own feat selection on summoned spiders so I can throw Final Strike onto everything!
(So long as I can find spiders with elemental subtypes.................)

[Gazzien]

Please spoiler those pictures so that they don't stretch out the screen.

Base classes, I can't think of. I'm sorry.

[TC X0 Lt 0X]

Eidelon are the Summoners pets

[ketaro]

Shows how little I know PF

[Prime32]

Wizard and sorcerer can get ranger animal companions through ACFs, or there's the Wild Cohort feat.
Take a look around.

[Maat Mons]

If you want to maximize number of spiders, you could use urban companion, swarm familiars (Dragon 329, p98), and the extra familiar feat (Dragon 280, p62).  Admittedly, that requires 3rd level and a slight house-ruling on the interaction of urban companion and improved familiar. 

[PlzBreakMyCampaign]

No one gave the obvious answer to this simple question. It's one of my favored classes: the Shaman.

If you want a PrC, try beastmaster. 

[TC X0 Lt 0X]

No one gave the obvious answer to this simple question. It's one of my favored classes: the Shaman.

If you want a PrC, try beastmaster. 

I couldnt get a clear 3.5 update to how the Shamans Animal Companion, otherwise I would have suggested it.

[Azoriel]

Dunno if the deadline already passed for this, but...
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2pjan?Ways-to-gain-a-Familiar-or-Animal-Companion#24

[Childe]

Not entirely the same, but Drow Clerics can Turn/Rebuke Vermin. If you go the Rebuke route, you can Command spiders, of course. You get +4 to your turning level when commanding spiders, in fact.

Source: Drow of the Underdark, pages 57-58.

It replaces Turn Undead, which for power-level optimization is an issue, but for thematic optimization is of no real consequence.

DotU also has a Spider Shape variant for Druids. It likely has other goodies.