A Party of Familiars, Companions, and special Mounts

[Nerfwright]

Did anyone read an old fantasy novel called "The Kindly Ones?"

For the longest time I've wanted to play a game where the players all play familiars, animal companions, celestial steeds, cohorts, or other beastial and special associates of an adventuring party, maybe with a strong fey tie-ins. The party sometimes winds up in a bind, and it's up to the the beasts to save thier hides, mostly without their knowing. I'd do my best to keep if from getting too disneyfied.

So, I ask the messageboards for ideas for 'animalian characters'; familiars are smart and frequently empowered with spells and magic items of their own use, improved familiars have SNAs and other abilities, some are inherently magical, some are made of clockwork. Many also lack thumbs. What interesting animal and companion character pairs come to mind for you? How many out-there, interesting, and amusing concepts can you come up with so I can spring them on my players?

I'm particularly fond of obscure familiars like celestial armadillos, dire otters and hedgehogs, pseudo dragons, draconic speaking crows, pixies, and griggs.

This could be fun!

'fwright

 

[Nifft]

Don't forget psi-crystals. They actually get hit dice (and therefore skills & feats).

Cheers, -- N

 

[Crothian]

There is a module for FUDGE (but easily translated) called Another Fine Mess. In it the players play animals that are trying to rescue their Ranger Companion.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Awakening the critters is one way of doing things.

There are also templates out there that might help you out, like Legendary or Celestial.

 

[brehobit]

There was a long-running game at GenCon called "Noman". I think the party was a bunch of (intelligent) magic items and a familiar or two. Maybe a female 0-level or something. I was a "rug of welcome" one year.

Much fun.

Mark

 

[Qualidar]

KahunaBurger's run her "Missing Masters" game at several ENworld Boston (/Attleborro) gamedays, and it was exactly what you describe. Considering you're from Boston, your timing is really off!

 

[lukelightning]

Sounds like a fun one-shot or intermittant adventure. You could even integrate it into an existing campaign with something crazy like "you all get polymorphed into animals..."

 

[DM_Jeff]

In a D&D campaign I ran 3 years back, everyone in the party either had a psicrystal, animal companion, bonded mount, or familiar, just out of dumb luck. We all knew the party was havily balanced with all the animals.

But it wasn't until one fateful encounter in a devil's lair that all the party members were disabled or removed from combat that everyone realized the only acting participants for the next two rounds were all the animals!

There was much mirth and war stories built around that happenstance!

-DM Jeff

 

[Contrarian]

There was an RPGA tournament that used this premise back in the 1E days. Might be the same one mentioned by brehobit.

I know "PCs are all magic items" adventure was published in Polyhedron, but I don't think the "all PCs are familiars" version ever showed up in the Newszine.

 

[lukelightning]

I was considering playing a sorcerer with a very low int, and since his familiar would be smarter than he is I'd play the familiar as the main character and the sorcerer as more of a cohort.