D&D General New D&D Magic Items From Pets & Sidekicks: Saddles, Scrolls, & Pipes

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Pets & Sidekicks--the comprehensive guide to heroic companions--contains nearly 50 new magic items. We listed them all last week and showed you the bandana of the good boy. But for those who'd like to know more, here's a sneak peek at seven of them!

Pets & Sidekicks brings you allies, adversaries, pets, and companions who can level up alongside your D&D or A5E characters. Be sure to follow along on Kickstarter, as we'll be launching soon!

• Level up your pets and animal companions!
• Various types of companion, with rules on how to use them, how to lose them, and how they gain heroic levels.
• A catalog of pet tricks allows you to customize your companion. Pets can scout, track, herd, guard, and more.
• Befriend NPC sidekicks and allies who keep track with your characters!
• Encounter recurring monsters and NPC villains who have leveled up each time you meet them!
• Use evolving wildshapes and other shapechanging powers throughout your adventuring career. You wanted to change into a wolf in your early levels--now you can still do so at later levels!
• And so much more, including companion flaws and traits, downtime activities, and rules for loyalty and motivations.

But for now, let's look at some of those magical items! And then click that notification button on Kickstarter!

 

[Rhineglade]

Personally, I always HATED having a pet for my character. The few games I've played where I did have a pet, I was too worried the pet would get killed in collateral damage. I'd always end up not using them because of this fact.

 

[Morrus]

Personally, I always HATED having a pet for my character. The few games I've played where I did have a pet, I was too worried the pet would get killed in collateral damage. I'd always end up not using them because of this fact.

That's why we've given them the ability to level up!

 

[Weiley31]

Wolfy with his brand new sword.

 

[tabletopjess]

Wolfy with his brand new sword.
View attachment 410164

what a good boy playing fetch!

 

[Koloth]

Personally, I always HATED having a pet for my character. The few games I've played where I did have a pet, I was too worried the pet would get killed in collateral damage. I'd always end up not using them because of this fact.

Yep. In early versions of RPGs, targeting Familiars, Animal Companions and Paladin Warhorses was great sport. Much easier to volley the Familiar with Magic Missiles then attacking the Wizard. Succeed and force a save vs death roll or similar.

Later versions made the animals less target-able and more survivable but early lessons are hard to forget. Much less danger in having pets in more current game versions.

But I do wonder just how many town guards are going to let Ralph the Bengal Tiger or the above Wolfy past the city gates. There might be a business opportunity for a "Pet Motel" outside a city for just such a reason. Hard to imagine the nearby farming families would be very happy about a pack of Wolfys wandering the farmland outside the city while the owners are inside having fun.

 

[tmanbeaubien]

When I run a game, part of the session Zero is that pets and familiars will never be targeted by opponents if the PC does not sent them into active combat. They might get caught or trapped while scouting or such, but never hurt. Too many peeps at my table with fur babies (including myself) to do otherwise.

Personally, I always HATED having a pet for my character. The few games I've played where I did have a pet, I was too worried the pet would get killed in collateral damage. I'd always end up not using them because of this fact.