Animal Companion abuse (?)

[Oryan77]

What about evil druids? Those who manipulate and use nature to personal advantage? Do they lose their animal companions if they are nice to them?

Only if their evil animal companions don't kill them first.

 

[steeldragons]

I'm thinkin' take something like this...

What if, instead of actual living creatures, the druid's animal companions were simply manifestations of the druid's magic? They aren't really living creatures, and can be replaced (after suitable time and effort/cost) if destroyed. One possibility is requiring the druid to sacrifice a spell slot, the higher the slot, the more powerful the companion. So long as the companion is with the druid, the druid cannot use the sacrificed slot.

and a lil' dash of this...

I have a house rule in my game druids and rangers who have animal companions suffer an XP penalty one half that of a wizard if their companion dies and I do not allow another one for a period of six months.

And refluff your Animal Companions that they are, actually, like famliars. They are separate, real creatures that are bonded through/with the druid's power and the two are connected.

I guaranTEE you that the player's will start caring right quick when that "four-legged pile of hit points that aren't mine" begins shaving hit points from them at, say, a rate of 1/2 or 1/4 damage.

Or, if that's too much math/calculating then yes, DEFinitely the hp damage and XP loss (I'd even go so far as the full wizard penalty) if the animal is killed, at least. Bet they're gonna love their animals to pieces if losing one means getting knocked back a level.

And yes, the ritual to summon an "animal companion"/bond an animal to the druid is only possible once a year (iow, the druid must wait 12 months before being able to bond another one, not the same single night of the year)

Now, this is all, obviously, if you want to (and it sounds like you do) "just make the conflict go away."

Personally, I still say, throw the proverbial book at them (take away all of their powers) for being really really crappy Druid players.

--SD

 

[Hand of Evil]

agree with a lot of the statements here but you know, why did the frogs attack the toad? I mean, sure frogs are slimy and will eat anything they can get in their mouths but could have left it alone as being seen as "dude, it is cousin toad".

Animal companion abuse, can be the animal companion abusing their humans. Example: chatty animals, they just like to tell all the other animals about their humans. Mean animals, just because they are animal companions does not mean they are not nasty to be around. Nature, sorry I ate the little guy but I was hungry, burp!

 

[LostSoul]

I pretty much told him that if that happened again, he'd lose his spell ability; at which point his sulked about how druids sucked in my campaign.

Thoughts?

1. That can be a pretty hard pill to swallow if he didn't know that before.

2. Druids can be neutral evil.

3. Does this mean that the PC doesn't "revere nature"? That is a tricky question.

 

[ExploderWizard]

This druid (if not evil already) will simply start shifting to an evil alignment. In addition, animals that will want to befriend him will become fewer and more far between. Let him go a few game months without finding an animal willing to be his friend.

 

[amerigoV]

Way too many words in this thread. Go for the simple solution:

Revenant Toad - "I am the (Croak) ghost of Companion's Past!"
(then kill the PC)

 

[Abraxas]

I suggest using Croesus's idea also.

I am slightly surprised by the responses. I've yet to see anyone around here comment on how terrible it is using summoned creatures as meat shields or as trap finders (in fact the latter tactic is considered smart play in the Tomb of Horrors thread) and sending them to fairly painful deaths.

 

[Cor Azer]

I suggest using Croesus's idea also.

I am slightly surprised by the responses. I've yet to see anyone around here comment on how terrible it is using summoned creatures as meat shields or as trap finders (in fact the latter tactic is considered smart play in the Tomb of Horrors thread) and sending them to fairly painful deaths.

Well, there's an implication you're wrenching a summomed creature from somewhere else, so you already not high on its Christmas card list (hence all the magic circles to contain summoned beasts).

And while it may be painful, when the ordeal is over, the creature goes back home.

So, summoners are sadists.

 

[Janx]

Well, there's an implication you're wrenching a summomed creature from somewhere else, so you already not high on its Christmas card list (hence all the magic circles to contain summoned beasts).

And while it may be painful, when the ordeal is over, the creature goes back home.

So, summoners are sadists.

this is why we summon DIFFERENT dire/celestial badgers each time. Repeat summons of the same badger who keeps dying makes for a very uncooperative badger.

 

[Herobizkit]

Ooh, wild idea. [pun intended]

How about making him a Blighter Druid? Switch his alignment to Neutral Evil, and have his animal companions be vermin rather than animals? It would seem to suit his character... because who cares if giant bugs die?

The Complete Divine Sourcebook for D&D, develops a blighter Prestige class for fallen druids. The blighter can be considered the Druidic version of the Blackguard. Just as a Blackguard is a champion of evil (whereas a Paladin is a champion of good), the blighter gains spells by destroying nature, rather than preserving it.