D&D 5E Mounts and Animal Companion as Retainers

[Hawk Diesel]

So I was struck with an idea that I think is really worth considering. It's one of those things that seems so simple and obvious, yet elegant that it smacks you for not having thought of it sooner. For anyone that has Strongholds and Followers, Matt Colville provides a really great mechanic with retainers. They are super simple to run with your character. But then I got to thinking, why do retainers have to be people? What if you reskinned a retainer as a mount or animal companion? Now, suddenly you have a way to standardize mounts and animal companions in a way that remains fun without breaking the game. Monster animals, monsters, or creatures one would consider for a mount or animal companion can easily be covered using retainer rules, with perhaps just minor mechanical tweaks to get the flavor or feel just right.

Has anyone else thought about this or tried it? How might you adjust something like a beast companion ranger to have a class-provides retainer?

Edit: What if we took the idea further for conjures and there summoning spells provided temporary retainers?

 

[aco175]

I would think to be a retainer the animal needs a bit of intelligence. Maybe a 5 on the low side. This may take out most of the traditional mounts, so maybe another list of traits that they can do separate than the other henchmen

 

[Hawk Diesel]

I would think to be a retainer the animal needs a bit of intelligence. Maybe a 5 on the low side. This may take out most of the traditional mounts, so maybe another list of traits that they can do separate than the other henchmen

The thing about retainers is that they don't have stat scores, at least not so specific as Int 10 or Dex 13 or whatever. There's nothing inherent about a retainer that gives them human, subhuman, or super human intelligence. Outside of a few specific traits such as their special attacks, signature ability, and health levels a retainer has no specific characteristics that would define it as a person, animal, monster, construct, or whatever. I think Matt Colville purposely made them to be defined what they do mechanically, but otherwise completely blank slates to give players freedom in terms of how a retainer might interact with the party, NPCs, and game world.

 

[aco175]

So, I could have special mounts called Budweiser Horses and get a bonus to transport beer faster, making me an extra 50gp/month. Should I have the person that trains them instead of the actual animal. I'm guessing most mounts and animals will not show up without a master leading or breeding them. You can list them by the animal to make the chart flow better.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

So, I could have special mounts called Budweiser Horses and get a bonus to transport beer faster, making me an extra 50gp/month. Should I have the person that trains them instead of the actual animal. I'm guessing most mounts and animals will not show up without a master leading or breeding them. You can list them by the animal to make the chart flow better.

I genuinely do not understand what you are talking about or trying to say. Are you familiar with the retainer rules in Strongholds and Followers? Also, several classes get access to mounts, such as the Beast Master Ranger as well as Paladins who use the Find Steed spell. Not to mention players can always receive mounts or animal companions through adventuring or as rewards, and don't need trainers or handlers to tag along during the adventure. So I'm legitimately confused as to what point you are trying to make.