What to do with animal companions and familiars?

[Oryan77]

If your party unexpectedly needs to adventure in an environment that would make it hard to have animals along (such as going deep into the ocean if you own a ferret or flying far away up to a floating city while you have a lion), what would you do with the animals?

I just don't think they'd be able to swim underwater or fly in the air with PC's.

 

[Crothian]

we just place magic on the animals same as we do with the PCs.

 

[Ashy]

Crothian has the idea, suren. Or, you can have the characters spend a little of that gold they've been hoarding and comission some magical items be made that takes care of this sort of thing. For example, in my campaign (see SH link in sig), my wife's character is a nixie who has a giant eel mount. She wanted to take the mount onto land and so she comissioned a special saddle be made that allowed the eel to polymorph into an amphibian, so now, "Ang", (the eel mount) transforms into a giant salamander on land and an eel in the water.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

That eel is named Iron?

What to do with animal companions and familiars?

What do you want? Recipes?



What the others said: Magic items for the animals (sounds like an organization to fight for animal rights - MIFTA ). There is the problem that the mentioned modes of travel are not what these animals are born for, but I think that if you have an animal companion, you are good enough at handling animals to able to convince it to go along.

 

[sniffles]

Crothian has the idea, suren. Or, you can have the characters spend a little of that gold they've been hoarding and comission some magical items be made that takes care of this sort of thing. For example, in my campaign (see SH link in sig), my wife's character is a nixie who has a giant eel mount. She wanted to take the mount onto land and so she comissioned a special saddle be made that allowed the eel to polymorph into an amphibian, so now, "Ang", (the eel mount) transforms into a giant salamander on land and an eel in the water.

Has your wife been watching "Avatar - The Last Air Bender"?

We usually have a NPC look after them, or assume that the animals can take care of themselves. We should probably penalize the magic-users for being separated from their familiars, but we usually forget. In one campaign the GM allowed my ranger's animal companions to keep finding her again no matter how far behind they ended up being left- once she was captured by bad guys on pegasi and her bird companions still tracked her down.

 

[Tonguez]

Crothian has the idea, suren. Or, you can have the characters spend a little of that gold they've been hoarding and comission some magical items be made that takes care of this sort of thing. For example, in my campaign (see SH link in sig), my wife's character is a nixie who has a giant eel mount. She wanted to take the mount onto land and so she comissioned a special saddle be made that allowed the eel to polymorph into an amphibian, so now, "Ang", (the eel mount) transforms into a giant salamander on land and an eel in the water.

You know eels are able to travel on land (albeit that it has to be wet (eg across mud or grass after heavy rain)

 

[Oryan77]

I just don't imagine animals acting like Scooby-Doo and swimming underwater with PC's simply because they have a water breathing spell cast on them. Imagining them fighting underwater hurts my brain even more. It just appears too cartoonish.

I can get away with imagining a man flying because he has a better understanding of what's going on and is willing to do it. But a Ranger's dog companion flying with the party reminds me of Dynomutt, Dog Wonder. It just seems silly.

So I was looking for ideas like Polymorphing or Magical Storage Devices.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Polymorph? So you have a dog in the shape of a bird flying around? You know he still got his own "mind". The poor beast will be so spooked at his sudden change (and probably totally unable to deal with the changed abilities) that this will be of even less use.

 

[Oryan77]

Polymorph? So you have a dog in the shape of a bird flying around? You know he still got his own "mind". The poor beast will be so spooked at his sudden change (and probably totally unable to deal with the changed abilities) that this will be of even less use.

No, polymorph into something that can be carried along safely. Flying? Change the dog into a hampster and tuck him away in a pouch. Swimming? Change the dog into an eel and tuck him away in a pouch. For dealing with it being spooked....isn't that what your Animal Handling skills are for? It does have the same mind and is still your animal companion.

 

[Storyteller01]

It's 3.0, but the Tomb and Blood splat book has a magic item just for familiars. Basivcally a bad of holding with a friendly internal environment. I forget what it was called though.


If your evil (and don't mind OGL), the 'Plots & Poison' book (it's about drow) has a nasty feat. You absorb your familiar, taking the benefits (from the critter, not bonuses you gain for your level) for yourself! No familiar to target or kill! You can never summon another, but you got what you wanted...