Wilderness Rogue with pet dogs Question

[irdeggman]

Sounds like a player problem to me.


Regardless of the experience level of the DM, although a more experienced DM can usually find it easier to "justify" their rulings, if the DM has made it clear her expectations and "rules" from the beginning and everyone playing has agreed that is what they will be playing to then the trouble player needs to get inline or take a break from the game to avoid disrupting the fun of the others.

This is easier said than done and a new DM has a lot of trouble trying to "convince" people of their "worth" and "viability" as DM. THis is the time for the other players to take a stand and either support the DM or "convince" the DM to step down.

Now as a variant on this - have the "troublesome" player take a turn at being DM and see what happens. . .

 

[tensen]

I played ina campaign where I decided at 2nd level I wanted a trained dog.
Unfortunately for me... by the time it finally got trained and I was able to pick it up.. I had already reached 6th level, and we were then traveling in the underdark... and I didn't want to have to go to the trouble of building a harness to carry it in and out of the enterances to the underdark... nor worry about it getting killed the first thing we ran into.

Of course I could have made it an animal companion... but still, it kind of bothered me that I advance so quickly that it sort of became useless.
At least I got to use it for roleplaying around town and such.. but otherwise it never got to use any of the training I had hired someone to give.

 

[Pinotage]

On a dog-related aside, is the dog's jump skill correct? The riding dog has a +8 Jump, but with a +4 racial bonus, +4 from 40 ft. speed and +2 Str, shouldn't that be +10? Am I missing something. The normal dog is the same.

Pinotage

 

[axp_dave]

Since you have already started play I'll skip the cost and stats and just say that having trained dogs is going to be very hard. As someone pointed out they are trained animals, not animal companions. The first time you have to climb a rope, go into room with lots of fire, or any place where an animal would be afraid its going ot be difficult. A training check to heal or stay helps with large fire (all animals are afraid of fire) or waiting at a hole until the party comes back for every hour the party is gone, but if the dogs fail that means they wander or will not go in the room.

Also any fireball or range spell on the character also should be applied to the dogs. No one wants to kill a dog, but I think animals are more of a pain than they are worth. I don't think its fair to go out of your way to whack the dogs, but don't give the player slack for brining them into a dungeon or trying to tie them in a rope.

David