-
The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
D&D 5E A cat and 21 mice in a PC's backback
- Thread starter jaffab
- Start date
darkrose50
First Post
Pickled mice in a jar . . . yummy!
A cat may appreciate being given live mice to toy with.
Mice in a glass jar with holes poked in the tin lid.
A mouse trap of some sort in order to catch mice would be interesting (there are a crazy amount of variations of mouse traps). A bucket, with a rolling pin on top, bait on the rolling pin (peanut butter), and some ramp to run up would catch mice. The mice step onto the rolling pin to get the bait and roll off into the bucket. Normally this kind of trap fills the bucket with water in order to drown the mice, but if you want live mice, then no water (or mix water breathing potion in with the bait).
Evidently there was once a CRAZY amount more birds . . . then came along the cats. Cats murder everything.
A cat may appreciate being given live mice to toy with.
Mice in a glass jar with holes poked in the tin lid.
A mouse trap of some sort in order to catch mice would be interesting (there are a crazy amount of variations of mouse traps). A bucket, with a rolling pin on top, bait on the rolling pin (peanut butter), and some ramp to run up would catch mice. The mice step onto the rolling pin to get the bait and roll off into the bucket. Normally this kind of trap fills the bucket with water in order to drown the mice, but if you want live mice, then no water (or mix water breathing potion in with the bait).
Evidently there was once a CRAZY amount more birds . . . then came along the cats. Cats murder everything.
Last edited:
Many years ago, when I first started gaming, my PC was traveling through a small village and came across a bunch of villagers catching and throwing all the village cats into a pond. Being young, naive and apparently not overly suspicious, I picked up one of the cats, remounted my horse and went on my way.
Turned out the cat was a witch in disguise attempting to escape the angry villagers. They apparently knew she could turn into the cat and were trying to kill her. That was a bit of shock when she turned back into a human that night. She talked me into escorting her to some swamp rendezvous she needed to get to. My PC nearly died getting her there and again of infection from the wounds I took.
I got her safely to her meeting, she thanked me and told me I could go no further and would have to leave. No reward. No explanation. I never saw her again in that campaign and never found out if she was good or evil or what she was up to.
Turned out the cat was a witch in disguise attempting to escape the angry villagers. They apparently knew she could turn into the cat and were trying to kill her. That was a bit of shock when she turned back into a human that night. She talked me into escorting her to some swamp rendezvous she needed to get to. My PC nearly died getting her there and again of infection from the wounds I took.
I got her safely to her meeting, she thanked me and told me I could go no further and would have to leave. No reward. No explanation. I never saw her again in that campaign and never found out if she was good or evil or what she was up to.
Oofta
Legend
Schrodinger's backpack?
SmokeyCriminal
Explorer
If you put 20 mice in a bag they would just thrash around loudly untill the backpack tears and they spill out.
It seems to me that the player just wants to make sure that the cat has kitty rations so it doesn't starve. I think you should reassure the player that the cat won't starve and you'll just hand wave it away and just assume that the cat can finds its own food and that one of his rations feeds him and his cat. And that the cat jumps in and out of the backpack at its own leisure and isn't just stuffed in the pack, which is what I think the Player had in mind.
I think you should treat the cat like a Character Trait instead of an NPC.
The cat doesn't have any meaningful stats and it doesn't mechanically do anything.
You never have to keep track of it. It's there when you need him, and not there when you don't.
Just treat the cat as something for the PCs and NPCs to roleplay off of, and as flavour/fluff in the fiction, and as an extension of the PC.
Like when the player succeeds on a Perception Check. "You notice Coconut (Yes I already gave a name to your players cat, she's also a she and her fur is chocolate brown with a white muzzle, star, and the tips of her fuzzy ears.) turn her head towards a bush and hiss. You follow her gaze and notice a Wolf in the bushes."
Or when the player fails at a Charisma Check. "You tried to seduce the Barmaid but she sneezes in your face, gives an angry look at Coconut and says shes deathly allergic to cats and stomps away."
Or, Orc misses attack. "The Orc was about to bring down his axe on you but Coconut leaps out of your backpack right into his face causing him to miss, then she leaps off and scampers off to safety."
Don't let Coconut get lost or hurt. If a fireball is dropped in the middle of the party, Coconut was in the backpack safe and sound, or ran into the bushes in time. When a fight starts, she runs off. And when it ends, she scampers right back.
But! If the Player happens to be the type that gives big reactions to things then I think it would be fun to FEIGN peril for Coconut. "You all just barely escaped the collapsing tunnel. But where is Coconut? you don't see her, and you look back at the section of the tunnel that collapsed and your stomach sinks... (Let them think the worse for a few beats.) ... Then you hear a meow further up the tunnel. She was perfectly safe the whole time."
I think pets can be a lot of fun if used right. But if you have to babysit them and constantly worry that they might die or be used against you, then you can end up regret it. It's why PCs never have any family, because they don't want the DM to put them in danger or use them against the players PC.
It seems to me that the player just wants to make sure that the cat has kitty rations so it doesn't starve. I think you should reassure the player that the cat won't starve and you'll just hand wave it away and just assume that the cat can finds its own food and that one of his rations feeds him and his cat. And that the cat jumps in and out of the backpack at its own leisure and isn't just stuffed in the pack, which is what I think the Player had in mind.
I think you should treat the cat like a Character Trait instead of an NPC.
The cat doesn't have any meaningful stats and it doesn't mechanically do anything.
You never have to keep track of it. It's there when you need him, and not there when you don't.
Just treat the cat as something for the PCs and NPCs to roleplay off of, and as flavour/fluff in the fiction, and as an extension of the PC.
Like when the player succeeds on a Perception Check. "You notice Coconut (Yes I already gave a name to your players cat, she's also a she and her fur is chocolate brown with a white muzzle, star, and the tips of her fuzzy ears.) turn her head towards a bush and hiss. You follow her gaze and notice a Wolf in the bushes."
Or when the player fails at a Charisma Check. "You tried to seduce the Barmaid but she sneezes in your face, gives an angry look at Coconut and says shes deathly allergic to cats and stomps away."
Or, Orc misses attack. "The Orc was about to bring down his axe on you but Coconut leaps out of your backpack right into his face causing him to miss, then she leaps off and scampers off to safety."
Don't let Coconut get lost or hurt. If a fireball is dropped in the middle of the party, Coconut was in the backpack safe and sound, or ran into the bushes in time. When a fight starts, she runs off. And when it ends, she scampers right back.
But! If the Player happens to be the type that gives big reactions to things then I think it would be fun to FEIGN peril for Coconut. "You all just barely escaped the collapsing tunnel. But where is Coconut? you don't see her, and you look back at the section of the tunnel that collapsed and your stomach sinks... (Let them think the worse for a few beats.) ... Then you hear a meow further up the tunnel. She was perfectly safe the whole time."
I think pets can be a lot of fun if used right. But if you have to babysit them and constantly worry that they might die or be used against you, then you can end up regret it. It's why PCs never have any family, because they don't want the DM to put them in danger or use them against the players PC.
Schroedingers Backpack: The cat eats all of the 21 mice at the first day and the backpack starts smelling funky.
Each day after that, the cat does random meowing, alerting wandering monsters because it is hungry now.
Letting the cat out to hunt additionaly Food is no Option, becuase it is now to fat to go hunting.
The backpack smells worse adding disadvantage to the wandering monster rolls, because now they are also attracted by the smell.
Each day after that, the cat does random meowing, alerting wandering monsters because it is hungry now.
Letting the cat out to hunt additionaly Food is no Option, becuase it is now to fat to go hunting.
The backpack smells worse adding disadvantage to the wandering monster rolls, because now they are also attracted by the smell.
S
Sunseeker
Guest
Personally I'd advise the player to take the Magic Initiate Feat (if feats are an option) as soon as they are able to get Find Familiar, and then just get a cat familiar.
1: they won't have to feed it.
2: it'll completely obey them.
3: it can be resummoned if it dies.
Having pets is fun IRL, but not so much in game.
1: they won't have to feed it.
2: it'll completely obey them.
3: it can be resummoned if it dies.
Having pets is fun IRL, but not so much in game.
Make it Pratchet's Backpack, Odd the cat's alive, even it's dead, on a one or a twenty, it's Furious and attacks the PC!
Similar Threads
