How does initiative change when an animal companion is reduced to zero hit points? Typically, when a PC, companion or significant NPC is reduced to zero HP, their place in initiative is moved to immediately before the turn in which they were hit.
I assume this means when an animal companion is reduced to zero HP, the player controlling them moves their initiative as a result of their companion being knocked out.
Is that correct? Is there text I'm missing that would suggest Animal Companions do not have their initiative changed... because doing so would impact the player too?
Thanks.
Animal Companions don't have Initiative, as they don't have turns, so I don't believe any Initiative change occurs.
Certainly, can see that interpretation. This might also sort of apply in part to Mounts as well, which behave like minions when ridden.
What might happen is while they are unconscious they may get their own initiative and if they are awoken, the use of a Control Animal would move their initiative to the PCs. I seem to remember reading somewhere that when you mount a mount animal it moves its initiative to your initiative and that first round it may not be able to use an action (because it may have just gone) but I can't remember where I read that, or find it back again. However, something similar might happen, being unconscious it may temporarily have its own independent initiative for save purposes.
A potentially decent alternate rule would be to allow the PC to choose to move Initiative, to the what would normally be assigned to the Animal Companion, or they can keep their existing Initiative, as a unit together.
There's some tangential messiness here, though I agree with the basic premise that Animal Companions are dependent on the PC's turn (and IMO shouldn't effect the PC's initiative ever).
The problem is when the animal has a debilitating condition and the PC doesn't give it actions, i.e. Fleeing or Persistent Damage.
It seems those would have to effect or occur, whether or not the animal is given actions by their PC. Yet if the AC's have no turn, that messes with a lot of the rules lingo.
Same with Dying, if the GM deems that Animal Companion (effectively an NPC) doesn't die at zero. (Could explain why some animals in movies have long, drawn out deaths!)