So how do you play cohorts, familiars and animal companions?

[AFGNCAAP]

For me, it's a mix.

I generally allow the players to control the cohort/familiar/animal companion's actions, unless the player tries to have the NPC pull something they shouldn't/wouldn't. For example, a familiar may know it's master is suddenly in trouble, but a cohort shouldn't (unless it has a telepathic link somehow).

For the game I currently run, I usually have animal companions & familiars go on the same initiative as their masters. Normally, I'd consider having them have their own initiatives, but since I'm running a game with 11 players, fusing player & cohort initiatives helps reduce the clutter a bit.

Intelligent items have been DM-run (for personalities & Ego clashes), however.

 

[iwatt]

Something I wanted to try but never got around to was in aparty with 2 PCs that took Leadership. I thought it would have been fun to have them handle each others cohort. That way you can get some fun interaction between the leader and follower without having to watch a one man show . Sadly, this idea was presented to me too late to implement (the players had already been handling their cohorts for over 6 months by that time).

 

[Nifft]

Same here. The PCs run their cohorts tactically, but as the DM I reserve the right to make the cohort behave differently should the situation demand it.

Very few situations should demand it... those should be moments of strong dramatic tension.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Storm Raven]

From my house rules (listed in the "how I run things" section):

Cohorts: Cohorts may be members of any standard class, and any standard race. If you desire a cohort with an ECL (who may be added under the same conditions as a player could bring in a new character from a race with an ECL), the cohort must be eligible to enter play at least twice as high in level as his ECL (i.e. if you want a cohort from a race with an ECL of +2, your Leadership score must be no lower than 6). Cohorts may multiclass and take prestige classes just as PCs may. As elite individuals, their statistics are generated using 4d6, six times, arrange to taste. A cohort is equipped with gear appropriate to his level when recruited (as set out in the DUNGEON MASTER’S GUIDE on page 127). You may build your preferred cohort, subject to my approval, who will be introduced to play when it makes sense for them to show up. Once the cohort comes into play, he or she will be an NPC acting under your control for the most part, but if I think I should (for whatever reason), I may take control of the cohort and run him or her directly.

For familiars, I treat them as an extension of the will and personality of the caster - the caster can pretty much direct his familiar to do amost anything. For animal companions, I treat them as animals who regard the PC as their master - they can give the animal commands, and it will usually obey, but things obviously contrary to the animal's nature and training will cause it to balk.

 

[Mean Eyed Cat]

In the game I DM, familiars and animal companions are controlled by the players. Cohorts are "mostly" controlled by the player -- I'd say 95% player and 5% DM. If I notice the player doing something concerning with the cohort, I might intervene by giving "alternative suggestions."

 

[Michael Silverbane]

In general, I like for the player resources to be controlled by the players. That is, animal compainions, familiars, mounts, cohorts, followers... This also sometimes extends to hirelings for short periods of time.

My players often like to use cohorts and followers to fill in holes in their knowledges, so I'll sometimes pipe in with something like, "lackey Bob, points at the carrion crawler, noting the paralyzing goo that covers its tentacles."

And often, I'll use cohorts or lackeys to hook the party into a plotline that I think they'll enjoy but have otherwise missed, "minstrel Jim complains that he cannot write a proper epic if his subject continues to ignore the pleas of the damsel in distress. Yes, THAT damsel in distress."

Some players don't really like to handle the extra paperwork or strategizing or characterizing that goes along with having additional characters. For those players, I generally suggest character options that do not come with such additional responsibilities. If they take them anyway, I encourage them to take on those roles. If they will not or cannot, then I take care of it for them.

The campaign that I'm running now has only a few extras in it, at the moment (a hunting beast, a few non-magical mounts, and one carrier)... But in the previous campaign, each of the eight players had two PCs and each of them had at least one cohort, dozens of followers and hundreds of hirelings. That does not include the multitude of animals that were either bonded to one of the characters in some way, or were trained in a more mundane fashion to obey one of the PCs or someone under his command.

Later
silver

 

[Tonguez]

I usually go with 'the Player describes the cohorts actions, the DM describes the outcomes - which can include not completing the action described"

so just because the player has said that Gog the cohort 'runs forward and leaps of the cliff' doesn't mean that the DM can't say 'at the last minute Gog realises how stupid that would be and instead spins around and runs for the door instead ...'

 

[Ry]

I think animal companions and cohorts are wildly unbalanced - not because they're overpowered, but because they keep the "camera" on one player for a disproportionately long time. I don't use any npc-controlled-by-pcs - you get to be 1 character at a time.

 

[Li Shenron]

As a DM I usually play PCs' companions myself, particularly in combat. I think they would be too much of an advantage if the player has full control, and it will certainly end up in the player "synchronizing" the two like they were one person only (and whatever the Int of the companion, he's going to play it smart).

I prefer to make sure they are separate, and that the PC has to use whatever communication skill is available to direct them (voice commands, telepathy...). Of course I try to play them well in combat, so that they are pretty much useful to the PC anyway.

Out of combat instead I can agree with the player what he prefers to do. If he is interested in roleplaying the relationship (e.g. "Don Quixote & Sancho Panza") I definitely let him! If he's not interested - which means he probably took the companion/cohort mostly as a combat aid - then I can roleplay it like a NPC, but typically I won't roleplay him very much, and it will rather fade to background.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

I think animal companions and cohorts are wildly unbalanced - not because they're overpowered, but because they keep the "camera" on one player for a disproportionately long time. I don't use any npc-controlled-by-pcs - you get to be 1 character at a time.

An interesting point. To some extent, this sin occurs even with summon critters. Do you dislike those spells as well?

I must confess that I have seen this happen with a certain druid PC of mine, in spades. It is not necessarily mechanically unbalanced overall, but every once in a while we have a combat where other PCs will wonder if they needed get out of bed that morning at all. In this particular case, the problem is unusually extreme in that not only is my Wolf AC running all over the battlefield tripping foes, but I am riding a very strong war-trained cave lizard with a powerful bite -- a party item that was captured from a previous foe. I just happen to be the logical PC to ride it, and we have had extraordinary luck in that the lizard has not yet been killed.