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Message: <blockquote data-quote="iserith" data-source="post: 8578060" data-attributes="member: 97077">Time as a resource and the cost or weight of some components exist whether or not the party wants to have 5 familiars. In the context of those things being true, I illustrated some of the risks and trade-offs with attempting to have a party of 5 PCs with familiars that they expect to use to deflect attacks regularly. That is not punishing familiars. It's just how the game works: it will cost you time (for the ritual), money (10 gp per casting), and inventory space (whatever that works out to). Players can make their decisions accordingly. Perhaps they think those things aren't a concern and carry on with their 5 attack deflection familiar strategy. Or perhaps they modify it or don't try it at all because they need the gold for something else. Maybe they only do it sometimes when it would really pay off. That's for the player to decide.The question I would have is why you seem to look at this as a punishment for familiars and not just another meaningful choice a player makes in the context of the game. I find it unusual for someone to look at having to make meaningful decisions as "piling on difficulties" or that no consideration is given for the "fun part of it from the players' side." Do you imagine my players aren't having fun with this? Two PCs in the current party have familiars. I imagine if it was so terrible they wouldn't.As for the mule, that would certainly be another thing for the PCs to need to protect. Same deal if they have a hireling or a henchman or some other valuable thing. It's a dangerous world of swords and sorcery, after all. The players in my current campaign use mules regularly. Sometimes they die. (As do the camels in the game I play in.) We're increasing our inventory space at the risk of losing money when the pack animal dies. We do what we can to mitigate that by positioning them well, buying them barding, and hiding them when we're not nearby. There's nothing punishing about that. It's just part of the game.</blockquote>

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