Pet Shop of Horrors in Golarion


Homebrew and House Rules

Liberty's Edge

So, last night's RotRL game kinda didn't happen. But I was introduced to the Pet Shop of Horrors anime (all 4 episodes.) For those that aren't familiar, the gist of the story is there is a mysterious pet shop in Chinatown that sells exactly the pet that a person needs. For example, a grieving couple that just lost their daughter was sold a rare species of rabbit that exactly resembled their daughter. Of course, there were specific rules (never show the pet to anyone, keep a specific incense burning at all times, and never feed her anything but water and vegetables) and of course they weren't followed, with tragic results.

I have been trying to figure out a way to incorporate the shop and it's "owner" into Golarion.

I see the Count as either some kind of sorcerer or fey of some kind. You could truly argie for just about any alignment you wanted for him. He definitely seems to care more for animals than humans, but he also seems to try to teach his customers a lesson. Most of them don't seem to learn it until it is too late, though. I personally feel like he is some kind of neutral, as he does not inform his customers of all possible consequences and will not take responsibility for whatever may happen if the conditions of the contract are violated. He does repeat that the pets are only animals, even though they appear human; most of the problems arise when the customers forget that fact and break the conditions.

All of the "animals" he sells appear to their owners as some kind of human/semi-humanoid (one was a mermaid, one was a medusa), but they are in truth animals or magical beasts. From what I can guess from a quick scan of the manga and watching the anime, it seems to be the incense that provides the illusion. I assume that the reason why no one else can see it; they might not be affected by the illusion. It seems that it at least some of the animals gain a measure of intelligence over long-term care.

I think the incense burner would probably be the main magic item sold. Maybe it has to attune to a specific animal or magical beast, then creates an illusion of a humanoid. The Count can shape the illusion to fit a specific customer's needs. The contract is a connected magic item. A customer who signs it takes a -10 to the saving throw against that specific illusion, and also sets up the conditions that will cause the illusion to end and the incense burner to become nonmagical. Perhaps the illusions cast are only temporary until the contract is signed.

The shop could truly fit in just about any big city in Golarion. To do a literal translation, all you need is somewhere with a sizable Tian population. But, anywhere with a run-down section of town would make a perfect place to tuck the tiny facade of this shop. The shop seems much larger on the inside, but that could simply due to extensive underground space, and space behind neighboring storefronts.


You could try using the witch class. Create a few custom hexes maybe. Not sure how to turn it into a dnd adventure myself, but every group plays different.

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