Pets in Heroic campaigns

[Dauntless]

Should pets or other beasts of burden if used as companion be paid for in character points or through money?

 

It seems more natural to do it through money (after all, in real life you pay for your pets and utility animals), but on the other hand there's an argument to be made that you do give up some of your life experience in training, playing with, and just being with your pet or other close animal (like a cowboy with his horse).

 

So, money or paid for as a follower?

[tkdguy]

If the pet is trained and has a useful skill or two (It doesn't have to be combat; tracking is a good skill for dogs), then the pet can be written up as a follower. If on the other hand, it's just a companion, it should be classified as a DNPC. Keep in mind that it really sucks to have your pet constantly harmed or taken away from you.

[Snarf]

If it's just your emergency food source, go ahead and pay for it with money.

[Herolover]

This is a very tough question to answer and will vary from GM to GM I think. There are basically 3 ways this can be seen. DNPC, Follower, and bought with money.

 

I have a Fantasy Hero campaign going and in it I have a character that has used money to buy the equivalent to a “masterwork†warhorse and a guard dog so I am going to use it as my example.

 

1) DNPC.

If the player had bought the horse as a DNPC I would not make them spend money to purchase a horse. It is part of their character. The horse would still be a horse and, if bought with very useful skills, would have some extra abilities that normal horses don’t. However, I as GM, would make it difficult for the player to be able to use the horse in normal situations. The horse would be getting lost a lot, would require great upkeep, keep being stole, that kind of thing. It would almost be a not worth it kind of situation. Of course a lot of this depends upon the level of the DNPC and exactly how it is bought.

 

2) Follower.

At this point the player has spent his most precious substance, points. He does not have to buy the animal with cash. The follower is going to be helpful, but remember that followers have their own lives and are not necessarily slavishly loyal. As a follower I would let the animal follow almost all the players commands and even has some initiative. A guard dog bought as a follower is going to be better than the same guard dog bought wit cash. The guard dog and warhorse would attack in combat and there would be little downside to having the animals. They would not get lost, injured, or stolen often if at all.

 

3) Bought with money.

I like to think of this as the all bets are off way of having an animal companion. It isn’t as bad as the DNPC, but not nearly as good as the follower. Using this way I think of the animal as nothing more than property. Look at a sword, you wouldn’t make the character spend points on his sword would you? So the guard dog will guard, attack, and do the normal things you would expect the guard dog to do, but not much extra and I, as the GM, would not feel badly at all if the dog died, got lost, or whatever.

 

As I said, in my campaign a player bought a “masterwork†warhorse with money. I think I am going to see if she wants to convert it to a follower, because she has taught it some tricks and until it is a follower I will consider it as nothing more than expendable.

 

I guess that is the way to think of it.

DNPC’s: very little helpful (almost none), causes lots of problems.

Follower: very helpful, little problems, not expendable.

Money: helpful, little problems once in a while. Completely expendable.

 

In the new Fantasy Hero book they have a discussion under followers I think that gives some good info on the difference between DNPC and follower.

[JohnTaber]

I like Snarf's comment...direct and to the point...

[Michael Hopcroft]

Getting back to the horse

 

The hrose would be worth even more as a DNPC if you were a peasant or commoner in a fnatasy world where only the nobility are allowed to ride horses (as opposed to having an oxen to pull your plow).

 

Ask anyone with a liger about the charms of having a pet who could land you in jail just by existing....