Player want to be an animal

[Baumi]

Yeah, the limited intelligence is an issue. For example, did the player come up with the "dog runs up to distract guards" thing? Dogs have a whole whopping 3 Int. I am not at all sure that kind of tactical planning and understanding of the party's goals and the behavior of others is within a dog's capabilities. In fantasy, we might live with having a character order a dog to do such a thing and have it work, but come up with the plan all on its own?

Maybee he was a prince that was cursed to live as dog until he learnes his lessons or get kissed by a girl (fairy tales do that a lot ). So he might be actually quite smart (nobleman)...

Anyway I also have someone in my group that loves to play Animals or Magical Beasts (Dragons). So I don't think that it is too uncommon, Heck even Dragon Age gives you a Dog as a Party-Member and he is quite fun.

In a big group there shouldn't be a Problem with an Animal, he can even team up with another Team Member as a Trainer or play really as an intelligent beeing (cursed, magical animal,..). If the group is small and need every member to functions as good as possible then he should have some kind of abilities to communicate or even shapeshift.

Since RPG's are all about fun and playing someone else, I personally don't see the harm in letting him play an Animal .. just talk with him and the rest of the group about it first so that you find a good middle ground (not too silly, useless, etc.).

 

[Dioltach]

Maybee he was a prince that was cursed to live as dog until he learnes his lessons or get kissed by a girl (fairy tales do that a lot ). So he might be actually quite smart (nobleman)...

A eighteenth century Milord who was cursed by a gypsy wench and turned into an Old English Sheepdog called Ol' Boot ...

I agree with Baumi: what's the harm in letting him play an animal? Explain the limitations to him, find a way to work around it, and have some fun. After all, is it so much different from wanting to play an elf or a dwarf? Or a half-dragon, half-elemental sorceror/rogue/paladin?

 

[Fetfreak]

After all, is it so much different from wanting to play an elf or a dwarf? Or a half-dragon, half-elemental sorceror/rogue/paladin?

It's not, main problem is speech though.

 

[Lindeloef]

It's not, main problem is speech though.

Telepathy an option?

 

[Fetfreak]

Hmm, perhaps he could have a link with one of the other players.

 

[Rune]

I've done this. It was awesome!

'Course, everyone was an animal in that campaign.

Some years before that I also did something more like what you're describing. I had a player (briefly) who showed up and said he wanted to play a prairie dog. I went with it. Then, his attention went elsewhere and the prairie dog stayed, ultimately becoming a familiar of one of the other characters.

The trick is not to get hung up on how unintelligent D&D animals are and consider the traditional scores as a representation only of how intelligent something is from a (demi-)human point of view.

If your player wants to play an animal, he's probably already tapped into this idea on some level; he wants to explore a different perspective of the game-world. That's awesome! It's an opportunity for you to enrich your setting!

 

[Hand of Evil]

There are a number of reason to have a character as an animal, family curse being the most common, but could have been turned into a dog to escape something or could be the form he takes on this plane.

The question becomes, comes does it fit within your game and can you work with it?

 

[Umbran]

Maybee he was a prince that was cursed to live as dog until he learnes his lessons or get kissed by a girl (fairy tales do that a lot ). So he might be actually quite smart (nobleman)...

Perhaps you missed this:

"I guess the issue, I and the rest of the group have, is that he wants and actual animal. So limited intelligence and lack of dialog is the problem." (emphasis mine)

So, being a human in animal form doesn't seem to be what the player is looking for.

For the short term, playing a character that cannot easily communicate with the party can be interesting and fun. For the long haul, though, my experience is that it leads to one of two things - a workaround, so the character can communicate with some level of normalcy, or frustration for some or all in the game.

 

[Fetfreak]

frustration for some or all in the game.

This is what I'm afraid of but as Lindeloef suggested, telepathy with an interesting background can work nicely.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Let him be a dog and have the players visit a goblin tavern...players may like his taste with sause.