As an exception either of these might be fine if actually being used in a storytelling method IE Fluffy is just off camera where we can easily here him chewing on the body of a Goblin Assassain that managed to cast sleep on our guys on watch.
Except there's mechanics for that too, it is 100% supported by the Defend trick which does not require the AC to be instructed to Defend you, it does so as a default.
:)
Whichever way you put it you have to make an action to control the animal, because it is not by default under your control, regardless wether that control lasts a day or a week. Even while defending it will do just that even if you do not want it to in retrospect, it might bite the captain of the guard for rough handling you since it is 'programmed' to defend. Do you expect players to rp the animal biting the captain, or is it the gm's call ? In this case the animal does exactly what you commanded it to do, but not quite under your control.
The fact that so many people disagree is enough to make it a GM's call case in my opinion, but hell talk it over with your group if you feel they are going to be upset for their pet to do something unexpected.
Older thread, but my question is relevant to this. Raven familiar went out on scouting mission. Raven familiar can talk. If player wants to talk to Raven, whom does the talking for the Raven. The controlling player? Or the GM?
Older thread, but my question is relevant to this. Raven familiar went out on scouting mission. Raven familiar can talk. If player wants to talk to Raven, whom does the talking for the Raven. The controlling player? Or the GM?
The most reasonable thing would be the DM, or the DM would have to tell the player controlling the raven who would themself have to tell their wizard the same thing.
I feel like the most important thing is establishing ahead of time how the GM plans to handle it because once you're in it, you're in it. You don't want to be surprised or be hurt by a gm decision, so don't set yourself up for failure...
How I run and how I play is definitely never take control of an AC/Familiar/Eidolon etc... unless there is a game mechanic in place for having done so, like a charm or mind control or fear effects... I do agree it is basically trying to take control of another player's character which is more than any gm should be doing.
In the scenario where the dog sees a squirrel, as a gm, you dont say the dog goes after a squirrel... you say 'the dog see's a squirrel and feels a strong inclination to go after it' and let the player decide whats appropriate behaviour for his dog. Just like you'd tell a pc what they notice and then let them decide how to act.
If the dog smells a trap door you dont say 'the dog stops and scratches at a trapdoor and seems insistant that you check it out... Tell the player that their dog smells something funny this way and perhaps the general nature of what kinda funny its smelling and let the player decide how the dog would let the player know about it and if the player would do anything about it.
Every GM is different and every player's reaction to it is different but that's my style. I don't ever get pcs complaining about running it this way. There are so many other tools in the toybox for a gm to use to tell a story, but the difference between 'your pet smells a this' and 'your pet runs off' is the difference between a clue and an action.
I prefer the familiars and acs and eidolons to be run by the player so their perceptions and discoveries are controlled by the gm but their responses to it are controlled by the players.
More than anything I really identify with the comment about 'the dog wanting to piss on the princess or the barbarian running off to attack something in the trees'... I know our barbarian likes to run up and piss on the princess all the time...
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As a player I am capable of separating two characters from each other. I've been forced to RP two different characters in a campaign before after all. With Nick the spiritualist I often let the GM run my phantom as an NPC out of combat. And since I have a backstory written for this phantom with personality notes... There's frequently a lot of backtalk and sulking. And sometimes outright refusal.
In combat, I run the Phantom. But I take her personality into account. Which sometimes means having her go against orders, and/or doing something reckless and stupid.