D&D 5E Adopting Baby Monsters (Out of the Abyss)

[Fauchard1520]

I have henceforth sworn off adopting any and all baby monsters. That's because of the tragedy of Stool the myconid sprout. Suffice it to say that things did not end well.

So here's my question to the forum: Have you guys ever adopted a baby monster and NOT have it come back to bite you? Because rearing adorable infant monsters whilst on an adventure always seems to screw us.

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

I've had players adopt animals many times. It's lots of fun. I just require the "owner" to make a check (in 5e, probably animal handling) in order to get the monster to do what the player wants.

 

[dave2008]

I have henceforth sworn off adopting any and all baby monsters. That's because of the tragedy of Stool the myconid sprout. Suffice it to say that things did not end well.

So here's my question to the forum: Have you guys ever adopted a baby monster and NOT have it come back to bite you? Because rearing adorable infant monsters whilst on an adventure always seems to screw us.

That is pretty much left up to the DM. So if it goes south, likely the DM wants to go that way. There are bunch of different companion animal rules that could be used for adopting animals if you / your DM wanted to got that way.

 

[Larnievc]

A player in my game adopted a baby basilisk. It wrapped itself around his neck and mostly slept, mostly. Then it went off with the intelligent basilisk in Gravenhollow.

 

[RogueRonin]

One of the characters in my Tomb of Annihilation game adopted one of the orphaned Kamadans from Omu. The adventure explicitly states that no matter how well they take care of it, it will turn on them in a year, but I don't think I'm going to have that happen (not like the adventure will extend another year in game time anyway).

 

[Iry]

So many things. Sometimes they betray the party. Sometimes they become noble steeds. Most of the time they get put into a pokemon stable and don't get mentioned nearly as much as they should. But the players takes joy in the idea that they are taken care of and well fed monsters, and visitation is implied in downtimes.

 

[Tonguez]

One of Orbril the gnomes first adventures (hunting a gryphon) involved a wandering monster encounter with giant carnivorous hamsters. It was too good to not do it so Orbril captured six of the hamsters and trained them as mounts/to pull his wagon. This became the core of Orbrils travelling circus which provided a mobile base for Orbril to adventure. The circus remains active in that world although Orbril retired in the Fae Realm.
The hamsters of course reproduced and as part of his travels Orbril had been leaving giant hamsters at various gnome burrows he’d visited so that now most gnomes have a resident herd of hamsters too.

 

[Richards]

I've had a player whose barbarian PC adopted a dire wolf cub and raised it to adulthood; another player runs a ranger doing the same with a dire bear cub (although that's in my current campaign and he's still only a cub); and yet another player has a gnome fighter who took on a jackalope as a riding mount. These are all in addition to the normal animal companions and familiars taken on as part of a class feature.

Johnathan

 

[Eltab]

The Doomvault has a few opportunities to do this. My group slew the adults of a pack of ... Displacer Beasts? I forget ... and used the younglings to 'soften up' the next few rooms - and eat the evidence of our deeds. We provided them with much food and split paths with them, when we got into an undead-heavy section.

 

[Fauchard1520]

The Doomvault has a few opportunities to do this. My group slew the adults of a pack of ... Displacer Beasts? I forget ... and used the younglings to 'soften up' the next few rooms - and eat the evidence of our deeds. We provided them with much food and split paths with them, when we got into an undead-heavy section.

But did you form packs bonds with them only to watch them get senselessly murdered by your DM?