Suggest to me: Weird sidekicks for teen investigators

[Umbran]

Like a WereBear?

Nah, that one looks like he could really be angry and mean, even if he's small and pastel/neon.
We'd want something that even when it is enraged, it just gets cuter. King, from the Owl House, probably fits the bill.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Nah, that one looks like he could really be angry and mean, even if he's small and pastel/neon.
We'd want something that even when it is enraged, it just gets cuter. King, from the Owl House, probably fits the bill.

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I’ve seen several cartoonists online who have depicted black cats (usually kittens) who are either homicidal psychopaths but too little to do anything about being picked up & cuddled or are able to cow powerful supernatural beings with a “Do you know who you’re talking to?”, a la John Constantine.

 

[Gradine]

A cranky, telepathic toddler (maybe a younger sibling) who is extremely rude to everybody except her pet rock, who she insists is sentient and talks back to her

 

[definiteFreakyFishGuy]

Mom. Teenagers investigating with their mom(s) sounds like the weirdest thing.

 

[aco175]

I recently introduced a flying sword sidekick. This way the party has a little more firepower but it does not talk or make decisions unless they want to attack. It could also be more of a Swiss Army Knife where other things could open up. A giant magnifying glass to give advantage on Perception checks or a spatula for its profession in cooking.

The other one that the players liked was an animated skeleton cat that acted like a cat. It had a power like Shatter that let it blow up 1/rest and then reform, but it hardly did. It was mostly comic relief when it would rub up against someone for attention or try to eat grass.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Some more ideas:

1) in It Waits, the protagonist has a pet African Grey Parrot. Hoppy is a completely normal Grey Parrot, but for (unexplained) reasons, it is able to detect the ancient forest demon is lurking nearby before any of the humans can. When it does do, it says, “Uh-oh!”. As I recall, the humans NEVER catch on to the fact that the parrot is warning them. A similar parrot sidekick could be as mundane as the one in the movie- possibly as profane as Pebble the Cockatoo- or could be as verbal and judgmental as a cartoon version.


2) in You Might Be the Killer, the protagonist has a horror genre guru friend who works in a movie rental store. She knows ALL the tropes, and he calls her every once in a while to get her insights on how to survive the massacre going on in the camp. This would be more of a GMPC, but could still be fun.


3) combine elements of Wishbone, Brain and Courage the Cowardly Dog to have a supernaturally smart dog who uses quick costume changes ex nihilo to act out warnings or advice to the teens.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Think: Scooby Doo, Jabberjaw, the Funky Phantom, Captain Caveman, Speed Buggy.

I will be running a one-shot game in the "teens with weird sidekick investigate possibly supernatural phenomena..." genre. While my players will be able to make up their own investigators, I should have some pregens available.

And I thought - Why not crowdsource this?

So, gimme your wacky, but playable, weird sidekick ideas!

Is your intention that the sidekick be a PC, DMPC, or part of a PC (e.g. Norville Rogers, beastmaster ranger)?

 

[bedir than]

An e-bike with a brain. Think KITT, but something the kids use

 

[Tigris]

An e-bike with a brain. Think KITT, but something the kids use

You mean Tom Turbo: Tom Turbo - Wikipedia

 

[Duke_]

Is your intention that the sidekick be a PC, DMPC, or part of a PC (e.g. Norville Rogers, beastmaster ranger)?

Norville Rogers is an Arcane Trickster rogue with a familiar. Fred Jones is the ranger (strength build, casts Ensnae a couple of times an episode). Velma is a divination wizard. Daphne is a glamour bard.