Some of my players have pack animals with them. They sometimes leave them tied up when they venture into a building or cave. Also, during battles, we basically ignore the animal.
Are there rules for what happens to pack animals when the PC owner is not attending it? How do you guys handled this?
One time the Wizard cast some 0 level spell to make his mule look like he was foaming at the mouth as a form of protection - I thought this was clever. But I didnt know what to do with that...do I roll a random encounter for the loan mule?
Thanks everyone.
Should you kick the PCs defenseless kitten? Probably not.
Depends on the type of game you want run though to be honest. Might not be appreciated.
For instance we once had a mule. Barney I think his name was. He was the sole property and best friend of one of the players. This player had a lot of interaction with the mule. Removing the mule would remove a good amount of that players actions in game.
For similar threads, you may want to look at threads about sundering weapons, burning spell books, or just outright stealing the party's gear while they aren't looking. There are number of threads about that sort of thing.
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Personally, if my PCs leave animals unattended somewhere dangerous, I generally roll a percentage chance of something bad happening to them (chance dependent on locale). In combat with the PCs present, it mostly depends on the situation. A hungry predator will totally go after the pack animal, as it's an easy meal; an intelligent foe will most likely go after the guys with sharp, pointy things or magic (unless there's a benefit to attacking the pack animal).
Depends on the pack animals and what the PCs are facing.
Typically, kidnapping people from the local town and enslaving them to act as pack animals is going to guarantee that there are frequent attempts to free or kill them. Unless they're gnomes; then one of your pack animals may become the ball in a game of soccer.
Goblins are another exception; if you leave them unattended, you may come back to find your pack animals blown up or on fire. Depends on what you have them carrying that they can play around with.
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Depends on the pack animals and what the PCs are facing.
Typically, kidnapping people from the local town and enslaving them to act as pack animals is going to guarantee that there are frequent attempts to free or kill them. Unless they're gnomes; then one of your pack animals may become the ball in a game of soccer.
Goblins are another exception; if you leave them unattended, you may come back to find your pack animals blown up or on fire. Depends on what you have them carrying that they can play around with.
With goblins, you might also come back and find that your number of pack animals has increased.
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I think so. But I think it's something that should probably not happen out of nowhere... For example if your PC's have always left the animals unattended, and nothing bad has ever happened it could create done resentment.
If however, the very first time they leave them to go in a dungeon/cave and come back to find the horses have been spooked & bolted (or worse), they'll probably take measures to prevent that from happening again.
With goblins, you might also come back and find that your number of pack animals has increased.
Goblins are pack animals.
I think so. But I think it's something that should probably not happen out of nowhere... For example if your PC's have always left the animals unattended, and nothing bad has ever happened it could create done resentment.
If however, the very first time they leave them to go in a dungeon/cave and come back to find the horses have been spooked & bolted (or worse), they'll probably take measures to prevent that from happening again.
Well, that really depends...
Are there wild animals/monsters around that enjoy horses? Are there bandits nearby? Or some other plot related threat that knows the PCs are nearby?
And... how long are the PCs gone? 20 minutes? Horses are probably fine, a few hours? Well... a lot can happen in a few hours...
The PCs rest a few times while exploring some deep cavern system between skirmishes with drow and undead and ancient lost horrors, lose track of time and are gone for days?
Them horses is gone, or dying of thirst. Probably gone.
...This player had a lot of interaction with the mule. Removing the mule would remove a good amount of that players actions in game...
This is the crux of the issue: how much investment does the player have in the pack animal?
Is it a beloved friend whom the player talks to and grooms and sleeps next to on cold nights? Probably not a good idea to randomly kill it. Maybe have it stolen by brigands or trolls and need to be rescued. Just straight up removing something the player has invested significant RP time into will be a major blow to that player. The same goes for abrupt changes in alignment or character background shifts.
Now, compare the mule the wizard rented for 5 gold to carry his duffel bag. The player probably forgets it exists when it isn't mechanically important. When the PCs exit the dungeon and find its bones picked clean by an owlbear, the reaction will probably be mild inconvenience and not heartbroken shock.
As usual when we're dealing with destroying/stealing PC possessions, my answer is 'rarely'. The stuff the PCs tend to put on pack animals is basic survival gear they don't need in a short dungeon excursion, but need on overland trips. If you swipe it or make it hard to carry, you need to account for what that means; they'll either be horribly encumbered, or they'll be short on supplies for the next leg of their trip.