[RPG] What happens when Animal Companions and Familiars hit 0 hp or less

animal-companionsdnd-3.5efamiliarshit-points

When a Druid's animal companion's hit points drops to 0 (or lower), does it die? Or does it becomes disabled (unconscious) and can it be healed by the party cleric?
What about Wizard familiars?

Best Answer

All living creatures:

Die at −10 HP, and are Dying from −1 to −9 HP. They can be brought back to life with spells like raise dead. Animal companions and familiars don’t have any particular special rules for this.

Constructs and the undead are just destroyed when they hit 0 HP. They, and Outsiders and Elementals, are much harder to bring back to life.

Animal Companions

Can be replaced relatively easily:

If a druid releases her companion from service, she may gain a new one by performing a ceremony requiring 24 uninterrupted hours of prayer. This ceremony can also replace an animal companion that has perished.

Familiars

Not so easily replaced; the ceremony to get one costs 100 gp, and more importantly,

If the familiar dies or is dismissed by the sorcerer, the sorcerer [or wizard] must attempt a DC 15 Fortitude saving throw. Failure means he loses 200 experience points per sorcerer level; success reduces the loss to one-half that amount. [...] A slain or dismissed familiar cannot be replaced for a year and day.

Note that this XP loss happens even if you bring the familiar back to life with e.g. raise dead.