Just a curiousity of mine as a DM. I was just wondering how other DM's handle PC's animal companions?
Do you let them just use them as an extension of the character or do you step in to 'play' the role of the companion.
The animal companion in my campaign is a Riding Dog called Bono and currently has the highest AC (due to it gaining/being taught Light Armour Proficiency and having Masterwork Hide Shirt) probably has the most impressive kill tally so far by killing most of the Thistletop Goblins by itself... It's now referred to amongst the goblins around Sandpoint as 'The Devil Dog'.
Anyway... Digressed there. I usually have a lot of ambushes being signalled by the dog barking or growling as it scents something. Do other DM's have the companions work like that?
Just give the dog a stage and the opportunity to sing politically relevant anthem-rock, and he'll wander off, start wearing bug-shades, and become incredibly full of himself. Problem solved. Unless, of course, you like good music.
In all seriousness, though, I generally let the player run his animal companion, just as I do with cohorts, etc. I say you should let them have fun with their ambush-scenting doggie. It makes the choice an important and relevant one, and the players feel like they have a cool trick. Before long, though, the dog will lag behind the power-curve and won't be able to keep up with the ACs and hit points needed to be involved in a real fight. Then you kill it, or it becomes much less involved in combat and encounters.
O
I allow the player to control his animal companion unless I see that player is having his companion do things that are outside of that companions ability. Examples: An animal intelligence companion starts taking actions that are beyond the tricks he has been taught. (setting up flanks, blocking escape routes, targeting obvious spellcasters without being directed to, etc) Or to the ridiculous where a player had a summoned celestial buffalo attempt to grapple a human opponent.
In cases like that I will step in and control the NPC.
Mostly, you should let a player run their Animal Companion. However, let them know that they need to follow the rules for Handle Animal (Player's Handbook pg. 74-75) and provide you a list of training their Animal Companion has. If they want their Animal Companion to perform an action they are not trained to do, then they will need to use speak with animal or some other magic to communicate with the Animal Companion directly for each instance.
Also, both wearing armor (Wear Armor, DC 15) and "barking or growling as it scents something" (Warn, train DC 15) should be separate tricks.
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If they want their Animal Companion to perform an action they are not trained to do, then they will need to use speak with animal or some other magic to communicate with the Animal Companion directly for each instance.
Err, no. You can "push" an animal to perform a trick it doesn't know with a DC 25 Handle Animal. No magic necessary.
If they want their Animal Companion to perform an action they are not trained to do, then they will need to use speak with animal or some other magic to communicate with the Animal Companion directly for each instance.Err, no. You can "push" an animal to perform a trick it doesn't know with a DC 25 Handle Animal. No magic necessary.
Right, but it still requires active use of the Handle Animal skill each time. If you want an Animal Companion to perform a trick automatically, it needs to be trained.
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Right, but it still requires active use of the Handle Animal skill each time. If you want an Animal Companion to perform a trick automatically, it needs to be trained.
Are there any tricks that happen "automatically"? I'm not seeing anything in the PHB. As I see it, you can train the dog to track, and Handle it with a DC 10, or you can not, and handle it with a DC 25. Either way, it'll keep tracking until it gets there, or you convince it to stop...
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Right, but it still requires active use of the Handle Animal skill each time. If you want an Animal Companion to perform a trick automatically, it needs to be trained.Are there any tricks that happen "automatically"? I'm not seeing anything in the PHB. As I see it, you can train the dog to track, and Handle it with a DC 10, or you can not, and handle it with a DC 25. Either way, it'll keep tracking until it gets there, or you convince it to stop...
Handling an animal companion (which is what we're talking about, actually) is a free action for the druid/ranger in question. So, in a certain sense, all the tricks happen automatically, if they're known.
Handling an animal companion (which is what we're talking about, actually) is a free action for the druid/ranger in question. So, in a certain sense, all the tricks happen automatically, if they're known.
Exactly. Essentially, the Ranger or Druid can just speak/point the command as a free action and the animal will do it on their next action. It's relatively easy for a Druid or Ranger to teach a bunch of tricks to their companion. It only takes a few weeks, presumably between adventures.
The player running a druid in one campaign I play in is always careful to issue commands to his wolf animal companion each round when we're in combat.
Early on there was a lot of the "Attack" trick, with snapping wolf jaws and free tripping all up in the bad guys bizness. Another favorite was the "Defend" trick applied to my Gnome Wizard. As we got higher in level, the wolf spent a lot of time performing the "Stay" trick a (hopefully) safe distance outside of combat with CR 10+ creatures.
It dosen't sound like your player is abusing the dog's abilities. It's pretty reasonable to assume that a trained guard dog would growl at all goblins and then chomp on any that it could catch.
I agree with Arcesilaus, the dog will eventually have less of an impact on combat as the party advances the story and starts meeting tougher bad guys.
But it will always have the ability to spoil ambushes and track down and munch on your foes. That's what guard dogs are for. That's why police, shepherds, and the army still use them.
Hmmm... Thanks a lot for that. The main reason I asked about the Scemt thing is that they are about to enter the last part of The Skinshaw Murders and a certain baddie is going to be invisible.
As for combat effectiveness, this Dog has had rather jammy HD roles and is packing 50+ hitpoints. Not fantastic but often enough to attract the attention of something big for a will... It also has successfully tripped numerous big opponents for example Malfesnekor got broughht down by the dog.
for example Malfesnekor got broughht down by the dog.
O_o
The dog beat someone with a 30 STR? (Only 26 if Bull Strength not activated.)
That would take a pretty big spread on the d20 rolls. Not impossible, but rare. Sooner or later, that dog's luck has gotta turn.
I know... That's what I've been telling the players but this dog just seems to always roll high for the trip. The PC has also been considering magic items as well as enchanting it's armour.
Also what magic items would you say that a dog could have? I'm probably going to allow rings (through ear) and amulets/collars. Any suggestions?
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At this point, the dog sounds like he should have a little red cape with an 'S' on it...
I allow the players to run their companions / familiars, but have various encounters where they might not be quite so cooperative. (The Druid had to 'push' his dog to attack some undead, for instance.) Since the Wizard in my current group has a Raven familiar, I also use it as a sarcastic 'voice of the GM' at times. (It has an Int 6, so it hasn't ever offered useful advice. It also spends a lot of time chatting with another talking familiar from an NPC they've run into a few times. An Int 6 critter trying to recap the adventure to another Int 6 critter gets a laugh out of the group.)
Our Druid did the same thing, giving his dog Lt Armor proficiency for it's first Feat. It will never threaten the Fighter, since he's got better armor, a greatsword and Cleave, but it's still a force to be reckoned with.
Myself, I don't DM, but usually the DM's i've seen actually use both approaches.
Players control companions, cohorts, followers, and whatnot.
the DM however is absolutely free to occasionally bump them around.
For instance:
My current halfling wizard has a pseudodragon for a familiar.
While I can usually dictate her actions and even her thoughts, the DM will occasionally inform me that she has wandered off or that she hs poking at me with some as-yet unasked inquiry.
I control her, but he gives bumps as needed.
We find it works well this way- since the DM doesn't have to sit there and wonder about everyone's companions/henchmen all the time while still being fully able to utilize them when it suits his whims.
-S
Also what magic items would you say that a dog could have? I'm probably going to allow rings (through ear) and amulets/collars. Any suggestions?
I'm not sure I'd allow rings. I don't think most DMs allow PCs to substitute ear or nose (etc.) for the "hand" slot, but I could be wrong. Technically, you'd have to cut the ring, right? Although I guess if you're really hardcore, you cut a slot in the ear, stick in the ring and sew it back up.
But amulets would be fine, and a cloak would probably be okay too.
Also, you could allow them to buy a scroll of permanency to use with magic fang.
My Druid character has an animal companion, riding dog, as well.
He has the best AC in the party, and when he is buffed up can fight as well as the fighter in the group.
Remember that barding (armor) for animals is usually a trick, not a feat, otherwise you couldn't put barding on a warhorse, they don't have an armor proficiency.
Buffs:
Barkskin
Greater Magic Fang
Natures favor * cast at start of battle
Bite of the Weretiger * cast at start of battle
Animal growth
It gets ugly for the boss in that situation. Add a haste and a couple of summoned monsters, you can shred him without even getting into the battle yourself.
It is almost broken...
How about belts? maybe instead of a choker?
I allow the player to control his animal companion unless I see that player is having his companion do things that are outside of that companions ability. Examples: An animal intelligence companion starts taking actions that are beyond the tricks he has been taught. (setting up flanks, blocking escape routes, targeting obvious spellcasters without being directed to, etc) Or to the ridiculous where a player had a summoned celestial buffalo attempt to grapple a human opponent.
In cases like that I will step in and control the NPC.
I agree with all of the above with one exception. Any animal that in real life is a 'pack hunter', such as a dog, wolf, or lion, I will allow to set up flanks, and adjust 5' to better surround or flank. This is instinctual for such animals and it's not too much of a stretch for them to see their druid/ranger master and his/her companions as their pack.
My living greyhawk character was a riding dog with a druid/beastmaster companion (well it felt that way at times). With barding, and the insane natural ac bonuses companions get, they are often a better 'corking' tank than anyone else in the party up until 7th or 8th level.
I allow the player to control his animal companion unless I see that player is having his companion do things that are outside of that companions ability. Examples: An animal intelligence companion starts taking actions that are beyond the tricks he has been taught. (setting up flanks, blocking escape routes, targeting obvious spellcasters without being directed to, etc) Or to the ridiculous where a player had a summoned celestial buffalo attempt to grapple a human opponent.
I'm not sure that's as ridiculous as you think... An intelligent creature the size of a buffalo (Celestial creaures have greater intelligence, remember) could very well "bull into" a human, pinning them against the floor or a wall. Just because they don't grapple the same way a humanoid would doesn't mean they can't grapple.
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Remember that barding (armor) for animals is usually a trick, not a feat, otherwise you couldn't put barding on a warhorse, they don't have an armor proficiency.
Looking in the SRD, I don't see a trick that has anything to do with wearing armor.
However, note that any animal (or PC for that matter) can wear leather or padded armor, as well as MW studded leather or a mithril chain shirt with no penalty, since non-proficient armor use imposes the armor check penalty on your attack rolls, and these armors have no armor check penalty.
I allow the player to control his animal companion unless I see that player is having his companion do things that are outside of that companions ability. Examples: An animal intelligence companion starts taking actions that are beyond the tricks he has been taught. (setting up flanks, blocking escape routes, targeting obvious spellcasters without being directed to, etc) Or to the ridiculous where a player had a summoned celestial buffalo attempt to grapple a human opponent.I'm not sure that's as ridiculous as you think... An intelligent creature the size of a buffalo (Celestial creaures have greater intelligence, remember) could very well "bull into" a human, pinning them against the floor or a wall. Just because they don't grapple the same way a humanoid would doesn't mean they can't grapple.
SRD: Celestial Bison has an int of 3. You would need to spend time training it to pin.
I had a similar problem with an APE companion in 3.5. Man that thing was hard, it could keep up with the main fighter for damage output and had a better AC.
I found it important to remember that the animal has the following weaknesses:
1) Certain undead cause animals to panic, enforce that rule.
2) It is a free action to get an animal to perform a trick, but the trick is limited by the animals intelligence, having the animal move to attack an enemy is acceptable, having it move to flank an opponent while avoiding attacks of opportunity is a stretch for a free action.
3) The DC gets higher when the animal is wounded.
4) It is a move action to "push" an animal to perform an trick it does not know.
I would limit the items the animal could wear, I never feel an animal companion, which is basically a class feature, should be more powerful than a character. This can sometimes with animal companions.
(note, I have not looked at handle animal in pathfinder, so i am not sure if it has changed).
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SRD: Celestial Bison has an int of 3. You would need to spend time training it to pin.
The SRD says that you'd need to spend time training a Celestial Bison to pin? That's pretty darn specific...
Anywho, normal milk cows know how to pin someone between their flank and a wall, as anyone who'se ever milked an ornery one knows, so I'm pretty sure a Celestial Bison can figure it out.
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Well that is strange.
I was going to point out how the animal companion is treated as a magical beast for any effects that are based on type(and thus immune to undead causing animals fear and such) but when I looked in the SRD I didn't see it. One of my players had told me that is the case once and it made sense so I never looked it up and now I was figuring he was just wrong.
But looking in the actual PHB under the animal companion sidebar it says: "The companion is treated as a magical beast, not an animal, for the purpose of all effects that depend on type (although retains animal HD, saves, etc etc...)"
That is really strange, I wonder if it got some errata on it, or if it was just left out of the SRD? Seems it could be a big thing. Going to go check errata now...
-Tarlane
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Also, you'll want to note that the attack trick under handle animals only gets your animal to attack "mundane" creatures, like humanoids, monstrous humanoids, giants, and other animals. If you want your animal companion (or trained animal) to attack other creature types, like undead, elementals, etc., you need to spend another trick on expanding the attack trick to cover all creatures.
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SRD: Celestial Bison has an int of 3. You would need to spend time training it to pin.
I know an Int of 3 is cringe worthy to us, but don't forget that it is above animal intelligence, smart enough to speak and learn feats, and puts it at the lower end of the humanoid intelligence spectrum. A character with an intelligence of 3 is technically a playable character.
I will give you that I think you have to train half-orcs in a lot of things(house breaking, ect) but I suspect that combat and maneuvers(but not necessarily tactics) come fairly naturally.
-Tarlane