Party levelled up last time and the druid selected order explorer animal order for a companion and beast master through free archetype.
He selected 2 animals right away but now I'm unsure if I should just let that happen or make him work for them by picking them up in the area during downtime.
Also how should I go about it? As a druid I'd make him roll for the types of animals he comes across and then use diplomacy to convince those he wants to work for him.
How long would that take? Seeing as he can communicate with them on a rudimentary level there's no need to train them I'd argue so I'd think you could do it in a day of bonding.
It takes a week downtime to replace a dead AC, so probably around that long
As for gaining them, there is roleplay opportunity there to acquire them, but as they are guaranteed to join him, not much in the way of failure chance unless you decide to make things a bit more difficult or involved for him
Also, he realises that he can have two ACs but only one active at a time?
Yeah he is aware but decided to go with beastmaster anyway. At lvl 2 there's not many good options for druids and beastmaster as a free archetype lets him upgrade both animal companions and wild shape.
Then I need to figure out what kinda animals he can find around plaguestone. I am suspecting no dinosaurs.
Plaguestone...is probably not the best place to go looking for furry friends, given the heavy mutation and homicidal rage present in most of them
The bear was normal!
There's a certain special animal companion there, actually...
There's a certain special animal companion there, actually...
yeah I read up to that point but they aren't there yet.
Also makes me think a caustic wolf could be a possible companion if I make it a challenge.
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I typically would not make a PC work for their basic class feature. Unless you're handling all classes equally on that aspect. Denying a character their feat for a couple of sessions until there's the right moment for the role play is somewhat punative IMO, unless that's the style game everyone wants.
If you do want to spend RP time on it, I think its best as a side session that only needs the GM and the player in question and not the whole crew.
I would normally put this into the same category as a wizard adding spells to their spellbook at level-up. You don't question where they got copies of those two spells, they just happen by plot magic, even though the rest of the time they'd need to find copies and apply a skill and make a roll. Similarly, if someone takes a feat that gives them an animal companion, I'd just give them the companion they want without worrying about where it came from. If I did filter some out, I'd still let them choose from any available in the area, with no rolling or skill checks, just like the wizard's new spells.
YMMV.
That also makes sense. Guess I'll handle it like that, just magically appear, but has to be from the area.
The player can remember and pick u a dinosaur once we enter a bigger town with an exotic market. Also there is the special animal companion specific to Plaguestone they get to roleplay that aspect with anyway.
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I would only make PCs work for these things in slow-moving campaigns, when there actually is time for it. If level 2 is going to last several months of in-game time, then a week of downtime to train an animal companion is fone.
It is not at all fun if at level 4 you've still got "pending" class features from something you were supposed to get at level 2. But in an adventure like Fall of Plaguestone in which you can go from level 1 to 4 in about that many in-game days, that's a real concern.
As a general rule of thumb, you should get your new level's class features soon after leveling. If it takes about four game sessions to level up, then after the first of those sessions you really should have all your new stuff.
Yeah hard pass from me on making the player wait for their nifty new thing. Fighter just knows how to power attack but druid needs to wait for a new companion? Nope.
But it is an opportunity to role play and I like to ask my player “tell me how you found these companions.” I do this when all players are there at the table so they can all go “cool” about the quick sentence or two of story the druid comes up with.