*group hits level three* Fighter: Hey Wizard, what happened to the Ranger? Wizard: I dunno...I haven't seen her since we killed those kobolds. *Montage of the Ranger punching out a gorilla then spending a month eating ants with it in the jungle*
Sounds dangerous, from what i understand the stats for an adult gorilla in DnD 5 e would be somewhere around: Str: 14-18(Gorrilas are extremely strong, they can usually pull themself up with just one arm, and that also applies to the 200 pound ones) Dex:14 Int: 12 Wis: 6 CHa: 10
I disagree due to a crucial difference in behavioural motives. Cats occasionally do what they are told but never because you told them to. (‘Why it was my plan to get of the table and stop eating your fish all along, I was simply reminded that this was the case by your suggestion’).
Matt Colville sent me over, said I wouldn't be disappointed. He was right!! Love the video and you too! Glad to see more diversity in DM! Keep up the good work!
I came across this and misread the title at "My Terrible Rules for Eating Animal Companions" and that combined with the look on your face in the title card made for the best chuckle I've had all day.
You meticulously draw the summoning circle, carefully laying your arcane candles on various sigils. After 7 hours of study and meditation, an image shimmers into being, and takes form in front of you. You open your eyes, pleased with what you behold. "It is good to see you again, Daniel Jackson." "Teal'c, hi. So, you're a Wizard now?"
OH MY GOD. i got this video in my recommendations and thought "meh why not click on it" AND i've just been on a binge of SG-1 the last few days. so i can literally hear their voices saying that in my head XD THIS IS EVERYTHING. thank you universe^^
Your ideas are not stupid at all. You have taken a mechanical element of the game and turned it into a role-playing experience. You have an excellent mind. I love the Stargate being used as an Arcane Circle! Brilliant.
I definitely like the idea of making acquiring an animal companion/familiar more difficult or at least more story driven than "I go out into the woods for a day and come back with a pet wolf". Though, I'm not sure I'd go with the exact things you say. I guess I'll see what works and what doesn't.
Matt Colvile just mentioned your channel, and I'm so very glad for that! I had just found you like, a week earlier, and loving your energy. Hope this brings you new viewers :) Also, these are, without a doubt, very, very terrible rules. I will, without a doubt, use them gladly. You're a genius. Of the terrible.
I totally agree with your ranger method! For my PC, I saved it from a band of orcs as a puppy, and as he finally grew up, he became a full on companion. I'm running a campaign now as a first-time DM, and for my ranger, I will DEFINITELY use your home-brew method.
I read a passage on rangers in AD&D. Ranger sitting with a bear and the text is. Oh some day he just came around, he hasn't left since. I think that is the best way to show the ranger's connection with the land and peace with animals.
While this system is a bit complex I definitely like the idea of it. Making families of piece of yourself, having Patronusy elements to it, the spectacle of the ritual, and the sheer intensity of it all- it feels right. It feels like that's what's needed to perform this type of old magic. And that is cool as heck. Really paints a picture of exactly what happens and makes it much more of a story instead of a bunch of numbers and words.
This is friggin' brilliant!!! Not stupid in any fashion whatsoever. :) I especially like the Patronus-y aspect of selecting the animal. It's super fun and a very well thought out method. This is the first of your videos I've watched, I'm on to see more!
I really like this idea, it opens up a lot of chances for non-class exclusive companions in games, as well as a random element for the arcane ritual. I would maybe consider adding in a specific “recipe” for how to summon a specific creature, so the player who really wants an alicorn companion would have to track down the information on summoning/bonding to one.
I initially read this as "My Terrible Rules for EATING Animal Companions"... I was horrified... but I sure as heck clicked right away! CURSE YOU IMAGINARY CLICK BAIT!
I really really love these rules and I don't think they're terrible at all! I think the random element almost always makes things better because when something is more organic rather than just being "hey I want a cat so give me a cat" then it ends up being more meaningful and memorable. I am 100% going to steal these rules thank you so much for the idea!
I'm sitting here and looking at this video, because it popped up as something I should watch, and it starts off with "Hello Humans" and I'm hooked. That's the way I great people, and it's always nice to see someone else use it.
Went thru some comments and I don't see enough people appreciating the randomness factor by drawing from hats, and also the dedication that takes. You just got a new sub, and I don't even really play d&d
Everything you said makes alot of sense, its not stupid or terrible, its really actually common sense. This helps DM's think about how we can implement a challenging way to acquire animal companions. My players and I'm sure every DM has that one player who wants an animal companion (without being a Druid or Ranger) and we just give them the animal companion without making it a challenge or otherwise memorable. So, thank you for the ideas and thoughts!
I don't know if I like these pet summoning rules for things like familiars and animal companions, but the part towards the end with putting different animal parts and elements into the ritual and randomizing them did bring one thing to mind. Chimera creation. Have the mad wizard or whatever go through all those steps with placing components on the circle and what they place where determines which random tables they roll on to determine what odd features are tacked onto the base creature. Which random tables you ask? Well right now I'm thinking two good places to start are the Ravnica and Theros books. Use the random tables listed next to the stat blocks for the three Krasis types and the Theran Chimera.
this is perfect, I run a game with two druids and a ranger and have had so much trouble with them just using animals as meat shields and then often eating them. YOU NAMED HIM MIFFY, AT LEAST PRETEND YOU'RE SAD AS YOU EAT HIS LEG. this might help them feel a little more atached
I made them suffer for it once already when they killed a Tressym by using her to look for traps, the Tressym, Miyamo, was the pet of a powerful wizard that is no longer their ally and might currently be trying to hunt them down for revenge against the party that kidnapped and killed his cat, so I'm more than happy to make horrid consequences for their actions, but would prefer them to stop murdering pets
Give them an invisible counter for every pet's trust they break; once it runs out send a pack of whatever wild creatures you want at them under the guise of "nature's wrath".
My DM had me go out to find my Animal Companion (this was Pathfinder) once I reached the particular level. I basically went out hunting, feeling out the forest (which was some kind of rainforest or jungle), meditating... and seeking out a spirit animal, which would "want" to be my animal companion (as opposed to simply taming one... I had tried it with a wolf before. Did not work. The Wolf wound up being a second character I played - a Druid, in fact - but that's a whole other story). Well. Up in the trees. I spotted an oversized Chameleon. He just kinda crawled onto my shoulders lazily. He was...the opposite of useful...for a very long time. I spent A LOT of time just trying to train him to scout and spot things for me. Most of the time, he just hung out on my shoulders. My DM didn't give me a wolf or a bear or a rhino... He gave me a lazy lizard that happened to be able to blend into my clothes. God damn it I loved that lizard.
I did the same thing with my ranger!! He was looking for a dire wolf companion but I had him find it one level before so that he could spend some time with the bloodthirsty untrained beast, risking life and limbs to befriend it, before rules permitted him to have it. Long story short, the player ended up caring a lot more about the animal, all of the trouble he went through to earn his trust made it important to his character. This got even cooler as they levelled up, infact the beast was able to become the alpha male of a pack that hung around the forests close to the characters locations!
This is actually super helpful. I have a druid who has been on a collection campaign and trying to adopt every single animal she comes across and it's honestly just super hard to keep track of them.
This just gave me an great idea (well, maybe not great, but it sounds funny in my head): your player tries to find a familiar. Maybe do this animal-parts-needed thing. Let them roll some dice to find out if they succeed. They roll terrible, but maybe not bad enough to fail, so you may let them "succeed". They finish the Ritual and *Bamph* Goldfish! In my head it looks incredibly funny, the wizard, always running around with a goldfishbowl and talking to his magic fish.
I say the ranger has to make a skill check to track the (normal, local) animal, a skill check to befriend it using food, & a skill check to bond with it. But certain characters at high level can get a “grand charger”. For this, they have go questing for it: ask around during adventures for leads about where to find a griffon, pegasus, hippogriff, giant lizard, giant panther, etc. Then they have to do the above. Then they have pay for any sheep it eats, if it's a predator.
These are really cool ideas, I loved some of them! Also it makes me very happy that everything you have is so organized and your home-brew rules are written down! The last couple Animal Companions we found in our campaigns (pathfinder, both clerics with the Animal Domain): 1. We found a wolf in a trap, the cleric. She released it from the trap and it ran away. Later when she gained the class ability to have a Companion, the wolf had made an appearance a few times. So the transition was pretty smooth. 2. We found a scene of carnage where a mother bear died protecting her cub (many dead enemies around her). But the baby bear was still with her. And the cleric adopted the small cub and raised it. It became the cleric's Animal Companion when it was appropriate.
Your rules aren’t terrible. They make your players value their companions more. Good on you for that. Actually, you’ve inspired me to create a list of fantastical creatures that can be familiars beyond the imp/quasit/sprite/pseudodragon offerings, so take heart in that. :) If I could ask a question it might be something like this: Many DMs are just that - full time DMs. Some are Players that have taken up the reigns out of necessity. Which are you, and do you have a preference? And to that, if you could encourage one of your players to DM, what would you prefer to play?
Haha, I think I became a DM partly out of being a bit of a control freak and partly because, even though all my friends agreed we should play, I knew we never would unless I volunteered to learn the rules and run it. In fact, our game only started proper after I guilt-tricked them into playing a oneshot for my birthday and got them hooked. My favourite classes to play as are probably Rogue and Fighter, though I have a tiefling bard character tucked away in the back of my brain to one day dig into.
MonarchsFactory Thsnks for the reply. Yeah, it often breaks down to “If I don’t DM, we don’t play.” I’m in that boat right now. I tend to play martial classes myself, having played a LOT of bards in the past. I’d LIKE to play a Rogue, because I want to test myself against every trap, scam, and black op a DM could devise.
I also tend to DM because I can’t watch other people do it. I usually end up making at least one part time, DMPC. This is often a god in disguise that helps lead the party (where they are led depends on the god).
Outer M. I understand your viewpoint although I think that you might misunderstand my intention: Kratos the bizarre child with a knack for shamanism is in fact Cyric (illusion and murder) and his own separate, mortal NPC. The party meet Kratos early on and he is a bit weird and slightly selfish but friendly enough. Kratos encourages behaviour that appeals to the needs of Cyric such as lying to guards or tricking a merchant but is not very forceful. The device comes from the idea in Greek mythology that anyone you meet could be a god in disguise so you should be nice to everyone you meet just in case. Most importantly, the NPC doesn’t necessarily prompt the other players to do things that I want them to do but suggest possible alternatives that the god in question takes pleasure in viewing. Nor do they help nor hinder the party.
I *THINK* your channel was recommended to me because I've been re-listening to a bunch of DnD Beyond and Web DM content for inspiration. I'm glad I clicked, +1 Subscriber. I enjoy your rulings quite a bit. Parotting what some others have said, they aren't stupid. If it works for your group, then great! Maybe I am spoiled, but my group loves focusing more on character development and role-playing than combat effectiveness. Often times those two can go hand in hand, but on more than one occasion my players will shoot themselves in the foot because it makes sense for their character. Entire rest of the party: Keys! Do not pick up the glowing green skull! It is clearly a trap! Monk Player(Keys): Now, out of game, I know this is a trap. In game, Keys knows this is a trap. But damn, if he isn't excited to spring that trap and overcome whatever pops out. *Player rolls self-imposed Will Save to resist his own impetuousness, which he fails* Edit: As an additional thought, I'm giddy with excitement at the thought of an Owen Grady inspired Ranger who wrestles a raptor to the ground to make it his companion.
It hasn't come up a lot in my game but I've always really liked Steven Brust's description of how the protagonist in Jhereg obtained his jhereg familiar. After a lengthy and dangerous ceremony to summon an adult jhereg mother he had to care for the egg she gave him. He had to protect it from breaking but also had to nourish and protect the psychic link as it developed. It was so good in the books from a narrative perspective but not all players would want to rp that whole thing. Half of my party are tacticians who really enjoy the nuts and bolts of combat and take a back seat for the rp sections.
That's actually a pretty cool way of doing it for the wizard/sorcerer. I like playing magic users and love having an animal companion to keep my magic user company. Protecting them, helping them, keeping them company, etc. They're helpful and are great. I mainly play 2nd edition, and typically when casting Find Familiar it will choose an animal from that area. You're in a forest you have a chance to get a forest animal like a Monkey or perhaps a bird of some kind. For example, my longest living wizard never used a Find Familiar spell until his party was sent back in time to save stop some people and happened upon an Oasis with white tigers. These tigers have 3 gems in their foreheads. My wizard cast Find Familiar, seemed like a good time to do so. Only creatures around. He was able to get one (though the DM rolled a percentile to see if it even worked, and it did). And that's how I got my Tiger Kyri. My DM doesn't use components, they find it an unnecessary hassle when casting spells. Having to buy specific components, writing them down, erasing, writing them down, erasing, repeat. But, your way of doing a sort of ritual for it is pretty neat. I love the idea of having to search out components or something for a special rituals. Even though my DM doesn't use components for spell casting I love the idea of doing it for this and for other summoning rituals. Not to mention the idea of how you mix the names and they get to choose them and then choose between the couple they chose so as to personalize it. I love that. Kinda wish I could play with your group just to do that xD I do wish there was a bit more to that list that you have, but still. I love that way of doing it. Could even go one step further and include certain types of scales, fangs, claws, feathers, fur, etc. Narrow it down a bit more by what your player has their character use for the materials. Idk, but I love your idea. Keep up the awesome ideas! It's not stupid at all.
A feature to represent ranger spending time to train their companion: each time you level up with the companion (4th plus), assign a +1 to any of the companion's skills or saving throws - to the maximum of its proficiency bonus.
I love this person. these rules seem super interesting and I just absolutely love the randomly pumping of fists in the middle of the video. thank you soo much for putting this up
As someone who's only gotten into D&D mainly from the crit roll show and tried playing a couple of times I totally dig your system for picking animals. I had a pretty, lets call it rough, experience when I tried playing. Didn't really have much of an idea what to do and your system would have really brought the whole thing together and made it an interesting and exciting experience.
I would honestly do something like this as a more powerful version of summon familiar (and have it available for all magic classes and maybe even non-magic ones). Basically, it'd be a ritual that requires a higher level casting and collecting rare natural items normally unseen in shops. If there's a Bazaar or caravan in town, you'd better be quick and find a rare magic vendor, or you'd be lucky enough to wander into town during a large auction or estate sale where your components are ripe for the taking, and you either pay up (whether fairly or by cheating isn't my concern unless you get caught) or steal it. Finally, I'd probably have a small level up system to make sure the pet/familiar has more powers. I'd also like to use them as how witches do in Pathfinder, as a mini-spellbook filled with extra spells you always have prepared as a way to free up slots, and give them access to their own slots and some special spells that modify their physical traits for fighting that can also be used by the wizard, like a 2-way Pathfinder eidolon. I'd also b cool just to have a Summoner class as an biologist wizard that could also go the route of grafting/Frankenstein or a spiritualist with JoJo Stands or Personas.
I really like the idea of making the process for obtaining an animal companion more involved. When I got my famailer spell as a Sorcerer, I didn't feel that bound. Like, the animal was expendable, wasn't what I super wanted in my famailer.
I think it's awesome, very detailed, and immersive. It reminds me of some of the old-school D&D books that had specific rules for subduing dragons. At that time, dragons were the only creatures that it was possible to subdue and it was directly tied to the idea of getting a dragon as a pet / mount. I think Gygax himself would be impressed by your system.
I think that's a really good idea actually! I had players who were very obsessed with the idea of companions, not that there's anything wrong with it, and it felt like it was a little to easy to go to a store and buy and op wolf
Aaand subbed. I think I might do this for a bunch the cool abilities the classes get, not just companions. So, like, you don't just get the ability when you ding whatever level, you unlock it. It's up to you to then do the thing and claim it.
Just found your channel. For a first video that I've seen, it's convinced me to watch a few more. :) As for the content...I don't have a clue why you say it's "terrible". Your ideas and implementations are really cool! I've been DM'ing for longer than you've been alive, and I can honestly say that when I find another DM who describes the why's and wherefore's of their house rules, it's usually easy to tell if they are "good", "average", or "bad". You fall squarely into the "Good" level of DM'ing. Your ideas are well thought out, take the players desires into account, but put more weight onto your campaign world (your whole "old magic" spiel). I've talked to a LOT of DM's over the decades, and, IMHO, the "bad ones" are the ones that basically say "yes" to everything a player asks for regardless of if what they want "fits" into the campaign world. They will say "yes", and then ret-con or create a situation in their campaign world to allow for that "yes" thing. In my experience, they ALWAYS leads to stale campaigns that die quickly...or campaigns with no rhyme, reason, or permanence...which leads to a quick death as well. Keep it up, Dael! Great stuff! Oh, what do I want you to talk about? Your world and cool/unusual things you have in it and how you created/used/interpreted the game rules to make those things feel "real". Love to see some maps and stuff! :D
Am currently planning an encounter with a potential animal companion that both my sorcerer and ranger have mentioned interest towards. So thank you! this was super helpful! :)
This is fantastic! I love it. In one of my campaigns I made the barbarian track then fist fight a grizzly in order to earn her bear totem spirit. This is a wonderful way to engage your players. Well done.
Honestly, love it. It reminds me of The Witcher III in a way. That setting has a lot of mixing between old magic and newer, more flashy magic. Like, the Pellar uses seeds, milk, blood, and a rat tail I think in order to cast what we would consider to be a type of foresight. Meanwhile, Yennifer can teleport and read minds and do that sort of thing. I do love the older magic feel though, like, ancient stones inscribed with mystical markings and they are used for powerful divination, but they're quite dangerous if used without the proper knowledge or bearing. Very cool.
Have you considered some houserules for leveling up familiars and/or animal companions? I have some really terrible rules for scaling familiars and mounts. But they are kinda awesome and I really want to try them on some players. The short version: combine Find Steed into Find Familiar. Allow higher level casting with escalating gold and other requirements.
Yo thanks for the shares ^_^ these were quite nice imo. sounds like a nice flavor that could enrich roleplay & offer player characters a deeper connection with their animal companions! hmm.. i will think on this awhile.. was here looking for some ideas regarding homebrewing a faction.. (lolz.. since i'd prefer taking some old lore to remix a few "new classes", with optional NPC companions.. than just shoe horning them into preexisting ones) but this has now inspired me to take a bit more care & add some extra depth (requisites perhaps) to the companion system. && that it also must have some animals (or beasts -cough-) but i suppose that was just super silly of me to forget. haha much love to our animal palz
Yeah this. So long as it fits the narrative and the rules are explained to the party/pc before hand this rule is rather fair. Also it adds mystery and challenge, expanding what could be a weak story for that PC into loving their class more.
*The system you lay out sounds like the "Pocket Monsters" style of acquiring animal companions: prove your strength, then work with it to become the very best! *Then there's the Manly Hero method, which involves impressing the creature in some way, earning its trust, and then it decides to hang around you. It's still a wild creature, but it's on your side. The Lone Ranger got Silver this way in the original radio program (he shot a bison that was about to gore Silver to death), and Tarzan got...well, a pretty significant menagerie after a while. *Finally, there's the Pretty Pony Princess method. In this, you're special, and so creatures are just drawn to you >because< you're special. Elena of Avalor is a good example of an immediately adventure-worthy version of this sort of character, with her magic fox-spirit-thing and her flying felines all ready to lend a paw when she's in need. Of course, it's not at all hard to see how somebody like Snow White could be turned into a combat monster with just a little tweaking: th-cam.com/video/P-wGG8vYbZU/w-d-xo.html - yikes! You really got my creative juices flowing with this video, making one of those "mental links" for me, so that now I see different ways to make getting an animal companion or a familiar can be part of the narrative of the story being told. All I needed was that little nudge in the right direction, and for that nudge, I thank you.
i enjoy this system. i'm definitely taking it and expanding it and having the bonding period with animals be different depending on the animal type (air,water,burrowing, etc.) and other factors.
Great video. I always enjoy learning about other people's homebrew rules so that I can expand my own in cool ways. Even if they are stupid. I look forward to more videos, maybe one about any tips on improvising? One of my players keep doing the most unexpected things and while incredible and hilarious of his bard, it is incredible stressful coming up with new areas and characters on the spot.
I realize that I'm late to the show, but I'm working on a Pokemon RPG and I found all these things to be crazy insightful and very helpful for what I've got planned, thanks!
How the hell is your channel just recommended to me now and not earlier? So much interesting videos, so much Mythology, which I am a huge nerd for. And Stargate reference. I mean, it's Stargate. Plus, you seem like an absolutely awesome person who's genuinely passionate about what you're doing. I'm humbled to join your following! Gods, now I have a whole new channel to binge, don't I?..
I agree entirely.... although, I'd probably add more optional foci to the familiar.... for example, you could further narrow the summons down into sub elements (this is sounding like Pokémon now that I think about it) so -beyond just being land, sea (or scaled), and sky- you could change how the circle is oriented (since you appear to have assigned an element to each cardinal direction) and narrow down what plane they may draw energy from.... sort of like Zodiacs,... for example, Leo is a fire sign so a lion would be a land (furred) creature of fire that is more likely to be summoned when the circle is oriented south (as per your compass) and fur is in the middle segment.... this still wouldn't guarantee you summoned what you wanted, but if each of the 3 pools were narrowed down into further 4 pools it would give the player more choice... you could even reintegration the randomness by saying they have to orient it either SW or SE and that would add in the corresdponding elemental pool.... so you'd be dumping all of the fire and earth (for SE) scaled and feathered creatures in 1 hat and fire and earth furred creatures into the other hat and pull the same number of slips from the hats you do now... For some examples, an Armadillo could be Fire while a constrictor would be water, pangolin earth, and frilled neck or pseudo dragon air.... flying fox or hopping mouse could be air, cat would be fire, pig would be earth, and otter or platypus would be water (man fur is really filled out).... buzzard as fire; flamimgo, duck, or pelican water; emu or peacock earth; and crow or owl air....
Totally stumbled upon this video and absolutely love your vibe and approach! I'm guessing this video was about an hour and a half long before editing... and that's awesome! :) I'll definitely have to check out your other videos!!!
Some random questions for a future video or if you ever do a D&D Q&A: Where do you draw inspiration from for your stories? What kinda soundtrack do you like to use? Do you do a lot of homebrew (spells, magical items, monsters etc.) Would you ever consider running a mythology inspired D&D game? Would you ever consider livestreaming your D&D game? I’d also like to know more about your world and your adventure-making process. :)
I mostly GM Pathfinder, but I've played a bit of 5e. The only thing I'd never use it the ability to catch and tame any creature as an Animal Companion. Honestly, though I don't remember how 5e's Animal Companions work. In my games, it's a mystical ritual and connection. The person meditates with nature for the required time then a creature will appear. I do allow players to make animals they've encountered to become their animal companions. I allow my players roll a Wisdom-based ability check to see if they get a special Animal Companion. The creature could acquire through their connection to you or already have a template. Such as fiendish, celestial, or advanced...etc.
My big ol beefy Goliath boy wrestled with, dominated, tamed and trained a baby Bullette until it grew to a full size Bullette. He's a wonderful metal dog and I love him.
I prefer to get more touchy-feely with ranger companionship than "wrestle your potential friend into submission," but I like a lot of your ideas for familiars. As written in 5e, there's very little consequence for treating your familiar as disposable (as compared to 3.5, where I started, and the spellcaster would face significant penalties for allowing their familiar to die). Adding randomization to the summoning process is a cool idea, too. It prevents players from picking up a specific familiar for a purely mechanical advantage, and from a flavor standpoint, it gives the impression that this creature is something that exists outside of and independent of your character. None of this has been a problem at my table, mind you, but these are great for helping a player/character establish a special bond with their companions.
Okay, but can we stop for a second and appreciate your jacket, as well? Honestly, I kind of love this idea as a general premise. I don't know if I'd codify it into a real hard rule set, but for summoning critters I could see this making it far more interesting than just "okay, it's done. Poof!"
The rule I generally use, is you have to have something the animal can eat, they must not have been in combat that day, and you have to role critical in animal handling. Generally, unless they have the goodberry spell, few animal companions are in the game, making them more valuable, and therefore, treasured. This also offers a chance for a fantastic sad death scene, as descriptions in taming can get the players attached to the animal's personality fairly easy. idk though, whatever works best for your campaign :p
You keep saying early on that your brew is stupid, but I strongly disagree. I think you are doing it the right way. Animal companions, special mounts and familiars should be something special and having them "just appear" is what is stupid. Besides, actually getting them adds depth and immersion which is what a good RPG should be all about :) Edit: I think I am going to use something similar to this for my game. I really want to encourage immersive role playing, not just dice rolling. I was already planning on bringing back the old 2e thing of having Paladins quest for their mounts, so this works in quite nicely. I'll just borrow some of your brilliant rules if you don't mind!
I dig these rules; especially the familiar rules. I do think that your Ranger rules could/should apply to any character who wants a companion even if a Ranger is more suited to the task. They'd obviously have a huge advantage, but if your monk wants to keep their eye out for a bear buddy, I'd let them try, lol. Also, I'd probably make the Beastmaster Ranger able to use that Druid-y ritual you mentioned, because it'd be odd for the subclass meant to have an animal to have a harder time than a class that can fully function as their own animal companion. Maybe a mix of the two would be cool? Like, the Beastmaster can summon an animal, but still need to earn the bond thereafter? I dunno. P.S. Stargate for life.
I played in a campaign to where having any animal companion/pet/mount was a real chore. All the DM did was apply a little 'reality' to the game. Horses were expensive to feed and stable and you had to pay a tax equal to 10% of their value since you were riding it on the King's roads. Most normal NPCs (peasants, farmers, etc.) were afraid of war dogs and you couldn't take them into large towns unless they were muzzled. The halforc in our party had a Dire Wolf she had raised from a pup and once it was grown people accused it of eating livestock and children, and a group of Inquisitors even accused the halforc of being a werewolf because of it. And feeding it was expensive since it would only eat fresh meat. The DM made dealing with an animal was too much of a hassle. It was a shock at first but it didn't interfere with the flow of the campaign. We just did a lot of walking and riding in hired wagons.
I think this is perfect! The creatures that beasmasters are stuck with are complete garbo. I find it really great that you allow your players to push themselves for a much better option (:
I like these rules. They're not dumb at all. They make perfect sense, so they're right up my alley.My wood elf ranger has a dog which she found as a stray puppy in a ruin and nursed back to health, so I'm very down with the idea that there HAS to be bonding for someone to have a wild animal become their companion. I just tend to work in a very compassionate flavor to that, vs the whole "break it like a horse" idea. I want to also have a hawk, but it will require finding one injured and helping it, and it choosing to remain with me. I'm still working out how I'm going to port my panther mount from neverwinter to dnd... (Way in the future, mind you) They kind of bond as the panther is companion to one of her dear friends and then becomes hers when he dies, I think. (ie, the panther CHOOSES to stay with my ranger as they are already bonded from years of traveling as a group) But given this character doesn't exist in our dnd realm, I have to find some other logic as to HOW she gains the trust of the great, wild, cat. o .o
Not terrible, give yourself more credit than that! You obviously put a lot of thought into this and it makes it more special from a players perspective ♥
The random animal table is neat. Would you consider something similar for critical failures? I find the idea of someone bonding to a random insect or something like that amusing - "you were careless in your ritual preparation (too many bug bits) and now your animal companion is a beetle". Maybe that's too mean spirited, but it seems like a fun idea to toy with at least.
I like this idea. If your players are in for a more in-depth story that is narrative driven rather than playing for the more awesome mechanically badass moments, then go for it. I like narrative driven games and D&D is a particular in that you can have a fair share of both and still make it work.
I love the thematics of it. I would suggest caution on how difficult repeated revival or recreation of the animal companion or familiar is though, as at even mid range levels they will die, a lot. Far more than the party themselves. Especially familiars. On another note though, in 5e dnd, familiars are not exactly animals, they are spirits that you force to take the shape of animals, so they already kind of are like what you wanted.
I'm currently playing a home-brew artificer and my construct is something I have to put gold, spell slotd and time into to mend. Definitely get the idea of making the bond stronger. Kevin and Rick are unseparateable
Nice! With my ranger I ended up going for a kind of improvised psychedelic kind of thing that ended up sort of suggesting that the wolf that he connected with may or may not have been one from centuries past that the ritual manifested back into existence, which made for a nice bonus. I love the idea of the semi-randomness with getting a familiar - definitely borrowing that if the opportunity arises.
The ranger in my party had a hyena. We found him as a cub after slaying the mother in a random encounter. In the beginning he was just another mouth to feed and our Ranger kept him in his pack but later as he grew older acted as dog companion with his own attack roll and inventory space
There are some really good parts to this. I like the semi random animal for a conjured animal. Maybe if they fail one of the checks it removes one of the draws
I do feel that doing it this way might make the familiar or Mount special. But at the same time it takes a lot of time that can be used for plots. Cool idea anyways
Now I'm picturing a ranger running around chasing animals with mittens that make his hands look like bear hands ... as opposed to his unadorned bare hands ... lol
I have a player who always asks for an animal companion, but never plays a ranger. I think these rules should come in handy; just enough of a challenge to dissuade them if it's not really important, but rewarding enough if they stick through it.
So if the rhino wins, do I have to become _its_ animal companion?
Ahahaha! I can't breathe!
no you become paste on the floor lol
...human companion 0___0
you get turned into goo
*group hits level three*
Fighter: Hey Wizard, what happened to the Ranger?
Wizard: I dunno...I haven't seen her since we killed those kobolds.
*Montage of the Ranger punching out a gorilla then spending a month eating ants with it in the jungle*
LaundryMonster lmfao
hahahaha
Sounds dangerous, from what i understand the stats for an adult gorilla in DnD 5 e would be somewhere around:
Str: 14-18(Gorrilas are extremely strong, they can usually pull themself up with just one arm, and that also applies to the 200 pound ones)
Dex:14
Int: 12
Wis: 6
CHa: 10
I'll take one!
Int 12! Thats a talking gorrila! Any creature with Int above six can speak in D&D its more like Int 4.
Only dumb thing you said was "capture and train a cat." Everyone knows that's not possible. Cats train humans, not the other way around.
cats are very obedient. something is wrong with yours.
Good human
Nah, the cats I know behave more like my girlfriend. I'm a bit confused now, are the cats are now like my girlfriend or is my girlfriend like a cat?
I disagree due to a crucial difference in behavioural motives. Cats occasionally do what they are told but never because you told them to.
(‘Why it was my plan to get of the table and stop eating your fish all along, I was simply reminded that this was the case by your suggestion’).
Cats need to be raised too, you know?
Matt Colville sent me over, said I wouldn't be disappointed.
He was right!!
Love the video and you too! Glad to see more diversity in DM! Keep up the good work!
I came across this and misread the title at "My Terrible Rules for Eating Animal Companions" and that combined with the look on your face in the title card made for the best chuckle I've had all day.
You meticulously draw the summoning circle, carefully laying your arcane candles on various sigils. After 7 hours of study and meditation, an image shimmers into being, and takes form in front of you.
You open your eyes, pleased with what you behold.
"It is good to see you again, Daniel Jackson."
"Teal'c, hi. So, you're a Wizard now?"
you. you are my hero.
OH MY GOD. i got this video in my recommendations and thought "meh why not click on it" AND i've just been on a binge of SG-1 the last few days. so i can literally hear their voices saying that in my head XD THIS IS EVERYTHING. thank you universe^^
Dave Douds “What are you talking about? My name is not Teal’c, boi.” -Kratos
thankyou for reminding me of my countless years spent watching stargate. Thankyou so much.
BRUH
Your ideas are not stupid at all. You have taken a mechanical element of the game and turned it into a role-playing experience. You have an excellent mind. I love the Stargate being used as an Arcane Circle! Brilliant.
I definitely like the idea of making acquiring an animal companion/familiar more difficult or at least more story driven than "I go out into the woods for a day and come back with a pet wolf". Though, I'm not sure I'd go with the exact things you say. I guess I'll see what works and what doesn't.
Wait a minute..these rules aren't terrible at all! I want my money back!
Matt Colvile just mentioned your channel, and I'm so very glad for that! I had just found you like, a week earlier, and loving your energy. Hope this brings you new viewers :)
Also, these are, without a doubt, very, very terrible rules.
I will, without a doubt, use them gladly. You're a genius. Of the terrible.
I'm here because Matt Colville mentioned this video, so hi!
Erick What video?! I need to see it
Dr. Enasni if im not mistaken, its this one, where he talks about how to make travel more interesting:
th-cam.com/video/UvQ2JgZIjVI/w-d-xo.html
Erick Bertolotti That's the one.
I'm here because of Mr Colville too, and I'm loving it because I totally relate to the self-criticism style she's got going on.
I totally agree with your ranger method! For my PC, I saved it from a band of orcs as a puppy, and as he finally grew up, he became a full on companion. I'm running a campaign now as a first-time DM, and for my ranger, I will DEFINITELY use your home-brew method.
I read a passage on rangers in AD&D. Ranger sitting with a bear and the text is. Oh some day he just came around, he hasn't left since. I think that is the best way to show the ranger's connection with the land and peace with animals.
While this system is a bit complex I definitely like the idea of it. Making families of piece of yourself, having Patronusy elements to it, the spectacle of the ritual, and the sheer intensity of it all- it feels right. It feels like that's what's needed to perform this type of old magic. And that is cool as heck. Really paints a picture of exactly what happens and makes it much more of a story instead of a bunch of numbers and words.
This is friggin' brilliant!!! Not stupid in any fashion whatsoever. :) I especially like the Patronus-y aspect of selecting the animal. It's super fun and a very well thought out method.
This is the first of your videos I've watched, I'm on to see more!
I really like this idea, it opens up a lot of chances for non-class exclusive companions in games, as well as a random element for the arcane ritual. I would maybe consider adding in a specific “recipe” for how to summon a specific creature, so the player who really wants an alicorn companion would have to track down the information on summoning/bonding to one.
I initially read this as "My Terrible Rules for EATING Animal Companions"... I was horrified... but I sure as heck clicked right away! CURSE YOU IMAGINARY CLICK BAIT!
coolstream1 same here
same
My cacodaemon familiar approves of this interpretation. In fact, he's already stoked the fire beneath his cauldron.
Starving adventurers summon a Pig! Bacon!
coolstream1 I mean... I would like to know what kind of benefits and penalties come with eating your animal companion...
That's not dumb, its a nice mechanic to encourage roleplay and story! I like it particularly the sorcerer one.
I really really love these rules and I don't think they're terrible at all! I think the random element almost always makes things better because when something is more organic rather than just being "hey I want a cat so give me a cat" then it ends up being more meaningful and memorable. I am 100% going to steal these rules thank you so much for the idea!
I'm sitting here and looking at this video, because it popped up as something I should watch, and it starts off with "Hello Humans" and I'm hooked. That's the way I great people, and it's always nice to see someone else use it.
Went thru some comments and I don't see enough people appreciating the randomness factor by drawing from hats, and also the dedication that takes. You just got a new sub, and I don't even really play d&d
Everything you said makes alot of sense, its not stupid or terrible, its really actually common sense. This helps DM's think about how we can implement a challenging way to acquire animal companions. My players and I'm sure every DM has that one player who wants an animal companion (without being a Druid or Ranger) and we just give them the animal companion without making it a challenge or otherwise memorable.
So, thank you for the ideas and thoughts!
I don't know if I like these pet summoning rules for things like familiars and animal companions, but the part towards the end with putting different animal parts and elements into the ritual and randomizing them did bring one thing to mind.
Chimera creation. Have the mad wizard or whatever go through all those steps with placing components on the circle and what they place where determines which random tables they roll on to determine what odd features are tacked onto the base creature.
Which random tables you ask? Well right now I'm thinking two good places to start are the Ravnica and Theros books. Use the random tables listed next to the stat blocks for the three Krasis types and the Theran Chimera.
this is perfect, I run a game with two druids and a ranger and have had so much trouble with them just using animals as meat shields and then often eating them. YOU NAMED HIM MIFFY, AT LEAST PRETEND YOU'RE SAD AS YOU EAT HIS LEG. this might help them feel a little more atached
either that or just roll with having psychopathic players
Ahahaha! I should't laugh but I can't stop!
Make the forest turn against them. Maybe a few (owl)bears or a pack of wolves hunts them down.
I made them suffer for it once already when they killed a Tressym by using her to look for traps, the Tressym, Miyamo, was the pet of a powerful wizard that is no longer their ally and might currently be trying to hunt them down for revenge against the party that kidnapped and killed his cat, so I'm more than happy to make horrid consequences for their actions, but would prefer them to stop murdering pets
Give them an invisible counter for every pet's trust they break; once it runs out send a pack of whatever wild creatures you want at them under the guise of "nature's wrath".
My DM had me go out to find my Animal Companion (this was Pathfinder) once I reached the particular level. I basically went out hunting, feeling out the forest (which was some kind of rainforest or jungle), meditating... and seeking out a spirit animal, which would "want" to be my animal companion (as opposed to simply taming one... I had tried it with a wolf before. Did not work. The Wolf wound up being a second character I played - a Druid, in fact - but that's a whole other story).
Well. Up in the trees. I spotted an oversized Chameleon. He just kinda crawled onto my shoulders lazily. He was...the opposite of useful...for a very long time. I spent A LOT of time just trying to train him to scout and spot things for me. Most of the time, he just hung out on my shoulders. My DM didn't give me a wolf or a bear or a rhino... He gave me a lazy lizard that happened to be able to blend into my clothes.
God damn it I loved that lizard.
Croecho imagine getting a sloth.
I did the same thing with my ranger!! He was looking for a dire wolf companion but I had him find it one level before so that he could spend some time with the bloodthirsty untrained beast, risking life and limbs to befriend it, before rules permitted him to have it. Long story short, the player ended up caring a lot more about the animal, all of the trouble he went through to earn his trust made it important to his character. This got even cooler as they levelled up, infact the beast was able to become the alpha male of a pack that hung around the forests close to the characters locations!
Firstly, your jacket is 10/10. Secondly, these rules are awesome. I now want to use them, both as a player and a DM.
This is actually super helpful. I have a druid who has been on a collection campaign and trying to adopt every single animal she comes across and it's honestly just super hard to keep track of them.
This just gave me an great idea (well, maybe not great, but it sounds funny in my head): your player tries to find a familiar. Maybe do this animal-parts-needed thing. Let them roll some dice to find out if they succeed. They roll terrible, but maybe not bad enough to fail, so you may let them "succeed". They finish the Ritual and *Bamph* Goldfish!
In my head it looks incredibly funny, the wizard, always running around with a goldfishbowl and talking to his magic fish.
You REALLY should not say this is bad or stupid. I just loved and realized a problem that I have and even did not noticed. Totally gonna use it!
I say the ranger has to make a skill check to track the (normal, local) animal, a skill check to befriend it using food, & a skill check to bond with it.
But certain characters at high level can get a “grand charger”. For this, they have go questing for it: ask around during adventures for leads about where to find a griffon, pegasus, hippogriff, giant lizard, giant panther, etc. Then they have to do the above. Then they have pay for any sheep it eats, if it's a predator.
These are really cool ideas, I loved some of them!
Also it makes me very happy that everything you have is so organized and your home-brew rules are written down!
The last couple Animal Companions we found in our campaigns (pathfinder, both clerics with the Animal Domain):
1. We found a wolf in a trap, the cleric. She released it from the trap and it ran away. Later when she gained the class ability to have a Companion, the wolf had made an appearance a few times. So the transition was pretty smooth.
2. We found a scene of carnage where a mother bear died protecting her cub (many dead enemies around her). But the baby bear was still with her. And the cleric adopted the small cub and raised it. It became the cleric's Animal Companion when it was appropriate.
Your rules aren’t terrible. They make your players value their companions more. Good on you for that.
Actually, you’ve inspired me to create a list of fantastical creatures that can be familiars beyond the imp/quasit/sprite/pseudodragon offerings, so take heart in that. :)
If I could ask a question it might be something like this:
Many DMs are just that - full time DMs. Some are Players that have taken up the reigns out of necessity.
Which are you, and do you have a preference?
And to that, if you could encourage one of your players to DM, what would you prefer to play?
Haha, I think I became a DM partly out of being a bit of a control freak and partly because, even though all my friends agreed we should play, I knew we never would unless I volunteered to learn the rules and run it. In fact, our game only started proper after I guilt-tricked them into playing a oneshot for my birthday and got them hooked.
My favourite classes to play as are probably Rogue and Fighter, though I have a tiefling bard character tucked away in the back of my brain to one day dig into.
MonarchsFactory Thsnks for the reply. Yeah, it often breaks down to “If I don’t DM, we don’t play.” I’m in that boat right now.
I tend to play martial classes myself, having played a LOT of bards in the past. I’d LIKE to play a Rogue, because I want to test myself against every trap, scam, and black op a DM could devise.
I also tend to DM because I can’t watch other people do it. I usually end up making at least one part time, DMPC.
This is often a god in disguise that helps lead the party (where they are led depends on the god).
Outer M. I understand your viewpoint although I think that you might misunderstand my intention:
Kratos the bizarre child with a knack for shamanism is in fact Cyric (illusion and murder) and his own separate, mortal NPC. The party meet Kratos early on and he is a bit weird and slightly selfish but friendly enough. Kratos encourages behaviour that appeals to the needs of Cyric such as lying to guards or tricking a merchant but is not very forceful. The device comes from the idea in Greek mythology that anyone you meet could be a god in disguise so you should be nice to everyone you meet just in case.
Most importantly, the NPC doesn’t necessarily prompt the other players to do things that I want them to do but suggest possible alternatives that the god in question takes pleasure in viewing. Nor do they help nor hinder the party.
I *THINK* your channel was recommended to me because I've been re-listening to a bunch of DnD Beyond and Web DM content for inspiration. I'm glad I clicked, +1 Subscriber.
I enjoy your rulings quite a bit. Parotting what some others have said, they aren't stupid. If it works for your group, then great! Maybe I am spoiled, but my group loves focusing more on character development and role-playing than combat effectiveness. Often times those two can go hand in hand, but on more than one occasion my players will shoot themselves in the foot because it makes sense for their character.
Entire rest of the party: Keys! Do not pick up the glowing green skull! It is clearly a trap!
Monk Player(Keys): Now, out of game, I know this is a trap. In game, Keys knows this is a trap. But damn, if he isn't excited to spring that trap and overcome whatever pops out.
*Player rolls self-imposed Will Save to resist his own impetuousness, which he fails*
Edit: As an additional thought, I'm giddy with excitement at the thought of an Owen Grady inspired Ranger who wrestles a raptor to the ground to make it his companion.
Ok, but I've had three pet crows that came out of the wild and I hand tamed by myself, just bribing them with food. Does that make me a ranger?
... You just might be, that's dope
Cool, cool. I'll let Earhart know you say he's qualifying material.
Or a witch.... but that is badass..... do they bring you random shiny things??
I love these ideas! Flavoring the bond to the class makes it so much more engaging for players as they get into the vibe of their character.
I like this a lot. I relate to “these are things I think make my gaming world more interesting but they are dumb” because that’s all my house rules
It hasn't come up a lot in my game but I've always really liked Steven Brust's description of how the protagonist in Jhereg obtained his jhereg familiar. After a lengthy and dangerous ceremony to summon an adult jhereg mother he had to care for the egg she gave him. He had to protect it from breaking but also had to nourish and protect the psychic link as it developed. It was so good in the books from a narrative perspective but not all players would want to rp that whole thing. Half of my party are tacticians who really enjoy the nuts and bolts of combat and take a back seat for the rp sections.
I like stupid homebrew that makes things harder/more engaging.
That's actually a pretty cool way of doing it for the wizard/sorcerer. I like playing magic users and love having an animal companion to keep my magic user company. Protecting them, helping them, keeping them company, etc. They're helpful and are great.
I mainly play 2nd edition, and typically when casting Find Familiar it will choose an animal from that area. You're in a forest you have a chance to get a forest animal like a Monkey or perhaps a bird of some kind. For example, my longest living wizard never used a Find Familiar spell until his party was sent back in time to save stop some people and happened upon an Oasis with white tigers. These tigers have 3 gems in their foreheads. My wizard cast Find Familiar, seemed like a good time to do so. Only creatures around. He was able to get one (though the DM rolled a percentile to see if it even worked, and it did). And that's how I got my Tiger Kyri.
My DM doesn't use components, they find it an unnecessary hassle when casting spells. Having to buy specific components, writing them down, erasing, writing them down, erasing, repeat.
But, your way of doing a sort of ritual for it is pretty neat. I love the idea of having to search out components or something for a special rituals. Even though my DM doesn't use components for spell casting I love the idea of doing it for this and for other summoning rituals.
Not to mention the idea of how you mix the names and they get to choose them and then choose between the couple they chose so as to personalize it. I love that. Kinda wish I could play with your group just to do that xD
I do wish there was a bit more to that list that you have, but still. I love that way of doing it. Could even go one step further and include certain types of scales, fangs, claws, feathers, fur, etc. Narrow it down a bit more by what your player has their character use for the materials. Idk, but I love your idea. Keep up the awesome ideas! It's not stupid at all.
A feature to represent ranger spending time to train their companion: each time you level up with the companion (4th plus), assign a +1 to any of the companion's skills or saving throws - to the maximum of its proficiency bonus.
I love this person. these rules seem super interesting and I just absolutely love the randomly pumping of fists in the middle of the video. thank you soo much for putting this up
As someone who's only gotten into D&D mainly from the crit roll show and tried playing a couple of times I totally dig your system for picking animals. I had a pretty, lets call it rough, experience when I tried playing. Didn't really have much of an idea what to do and your system would have really brought the whole thing together and made it an interesting and exciting experience.
Oof. I think we've all been there at least once. I wish you better gaming days ahead!
I would honestly do something like this as a more powerful version of summon familiar (and have it available for all magic classes and maybe even non-magic ones). Basically, it'd be a ritual that requires a higher level casting and collecting rare natural items normally unseen in shops. If there's a Bazaar or caravan in town, you'd better be quick and find a rare magic vendor, or you'd be lucky enough to wander into town during a large auction or estate sale where your components are ripe for the taking, and you either pay up (whether fairly or by cheating isn't my concern unless you get caught) or steal it. Finally, I'd probably have a small level up system to make sure the pet/familiar has more powers. I'd also like to use them as how witches do in Pathfinder, as a mini-spellbook filled with extra spells you always have prepared as a way to free up slots, and give them access to their own slots and some special spells that modify their physical traits for fighting that can also be used by the wizard, like a 2-way Pathfinder eidolon. I'd also b cool just to have a Summoner class as an biologist wizard that could also go the route of grafting/Frankenstein or a spiritualist with JoJo Stands or Personas.
Having used that same Stargate image for a teleportation circle, it made me grin so much when I saw the summoning circle X_X
I really like the idea of making the process for obtaining an animal companion more involved. When I got my famailer spell as a Sorcerer, I didn't feel that bound. Like, the animal was expendable, wasn't what I super wanted in my famailer.
I think it's awesome, very detailed, and immersive. It reminds me of some of the old-school D&D books that had specific rules for subduing dragons. At that time, dragons were the only creatures that it was possible to subdue and it was directly tied to the idea of getting a dragon as a pet / mount. I think Gygax himself would be impressed by your system.
I think that's a really good idea actually! I had players who were very obsessed with the idea of companions, not that there's anything wrong with it, and it felt like it was a little to easy to go to a store and buy and op wolf
Aaand subbed. I think I might do this for a bunch the cool abilities the classes get, not just companions. So, like, you don't just get the ability when you ding whatever level, you unlock it. It's up to you to then do the thing and claim it.
Just found your channel. For a first video that I've seen, it's convinced me to watch a few more. :) As for the content...I don't have a clue why you say it's "terrible". Your ideas and implementations are really cool! I've been DM'ing for longer than you've been alive, and I can honestly say that when I find another DM who describes the why's and wherefore's of their house rules, it's usually easy to tell if they are "good", "average", or "bad". You fall squarely into the "Good" level of DM'ing. Your ideas are well thought out, take the players desires into account, but put more weight onto your campaign world (your whole "old magic" spiel).
I've talked to a LOT of DM's over the decades, and, IMHO, the "bad ones" are the ones that basically say "yes" to everything a player asks for regardless of if what they want "fits" into the campaign world. They will say "yes", and then ret-con or create a situation in their campaign world to allow for that "yes" thing. In my experience, they ALWAYS leads to stale campaigns that die quickly...or campaigns with no rhyme, reason, or permanence...which leads to a quick death as well.
Keep it up, Dael! Great stuff! Oh, what do I want you to talk about? Your world and cool/unusual things you have in it and how you created/used/interpreted the game rules to make those things feel "real". Love to see some maps and stuff! :D
Am currently planning an encounter with a potential animal companion that both my sorcerer and ranger have mentioned interest towards. So thank you! this was super helpful! :)
This is fantastic! I love it. In one of my campaigns I made the barbarian track then fist fight a grizzly in order to earn her bear totem spirit. This is a wonderful way to engage your players. Well done.
Honestly, love it. It reminds me of The Witcher III in a way. That setting has a lot of mixing between old magic and newer, more flashy magic. Like, the Pellar uses seeds, milk, blood, and a rat tail I think in order to cast what we would consider to be a type of foresight. Meanwhile, Yennifer can teleport and read minds and do that sort of thing. I do love the older magic feel though, like, ancient stones inscribed with mystical markings and they are used for powerful divination, but they're quite dangerous if used without the proper knowledge or bearing. Very cool.
I like the idea of tracking, capturing and training animals for the ranger, these seem like pretty good rules to me.
Have you considered some houserules for leveling up familiars and/or animal companions? I have some really terrible rules for scaling familiars and mounts. But they are kinda awesome and I really want to try them on some players. The short version: combine Find Steed into Find Familiar. Allow higher level casting with escalating gold and other requirements.
Yo thanks for the shares ^_^ these were quite nice imo.
sounds like a nice flavor that could enrich roleplay & offer player characters a deeper connection with their animal companions!
hmm.. i will think on this awhile.. was here looking for some ideas regarding homebrewing a faction..
(lolz.. since i'd prefer taking some old lore to remix a few "new classes", with optional NPC companions.. than just shoe horning them into preexisting ones)
but this has now inspired me to take a bit more care & add some extra depth (requisites perhaps) to the companion system.
&& that it also must have some animals (or beasts -cough-) but i suppose that was just super silly of me to forget. haha
much love to our animal palz
If you and your players are fine with the rules then it's not terrible.
Definitely as long as it works for the players your doing nothing wrong.
Yeah this. So long as it fits the narrative and the rules are explained to the party/pc before hand this rule is rather fair. Also it adds mystery and challenge, expanding what could be a weak story for that PC into loving their class more.
I'm testing this out with my ranger soon. She's a joy to DM for and she tries to have fun with whatever she's given, so this will be interesting.
*The system you lay out sounds like the "Pocket Monsters" style of acquiring animal companions: prove your strength, then work with it to become the very best!
*Then there's the Manly Hero method, which involves impressing the creature in some way, earning its trust, and then it decides to hang around you. It's still a wild creature, but it's on your side. The Lone Ranger got Silver this way in the original radio program (he shot a bison that was about to gore Silver to death), and Tarzan got...well, a pretty significant menagerie after a while.
*Finally, there's the Pretty Pony Princess method. In this, you're special, and so creatures are just drawn to you >because< you're special. Elena of Avalor is a good example of an immediately adventure-worthy version of this sort of character, with her magic fox-spirit-thing and her flying felines all ready to lend a paw when she's in need. Of course, it's not at all hard to see how somebody like Snow White could be turned into a combat monster with just a little tweaking: th-cam.com/video/P-wGG8vYbZU/w-d-xo.html - yikes!
You really got my creative juices flowing with this video, making one of those "mental links" for me, so that now I see different ways to make getting an animal companion or a familiar can be part of the narrative of the story being told. All I needed was that little nudge in the right direction, and for that nudge, I thank you.
Keep rocking out the D&D vids...amazing insight....thank you.
i enjoy this system. i'm definitely taking it and expanding it and having the bonding period with animals be different depending on the animal type (air,water,burrowing, etc.) and other factors.
Great video. I always enjoy learning about other people's homebrew rules so that I can expand my own in cool ways. Even if they are stupid. I look forward to more videos, maybe one about any tips on improvising? One of my players keep doing the most unexpected things and while incredible and hilarious of his bard, it is incredible stressful coming up with new areas and characters on the spot.
I realize that I'm late to the show, but I'm working on a Pokemon RPG and I found all these things to be crazy insightful and very helpful for what I've got planned, thanks!
Actually the complexity of that system sounds like it makes for a great story.
How the hell is your channel just recommended to me now and not earlier? So much interesting videos, so much Mythology, which I am a huge nerd for. And Stargate reference. I mean, it's Stargate. Plus, you seem like an absolutely awesome person who's genuinely passionate about what you're doing.
I'm humbled to join your following!
Gods, now I have a whole new channel to binge, don't I?..
I agree entirely.... although, I'd probably add more optional foci to the familiar.... for example, you could further narrow the summons down into sub elements (this is sounding like Pokémon now that I think about it) so -beyond just being land, sea (or scaled), and sky- you could change how the circle is oriented (since you appear to have assigned an element to each cardinal direction) and narrow down what plane they may draw energy from.... sort of like Zodiacs,... for example, Leo is a fire sign so a lion would be a land (furred) creature of fire that is more likely to be summoned when the circle is oriented south (as per your compass) and fur is in the middle segment.... this still wouldn't guarantee you summoned what you wanted, but if each of the 3 pools were narrowed down into further 4 pools it would give the player more choice... you could even reintegration the randomness by saying they have to orient it either SW or SE and that would add in the corresdponding elemental pool.... so you'd be dumping all of the fire and earth (for SE) scaled and feathered creatures in 1 hat and fire and earth furred creatures into the other hat and pull the same number of slips from the hats you do now...
For some examples, an Armadillo could be Fire while a constrictor would be water, pangolin earth, and frilled neck or pseudo dragon air.... flying fox or hopping mouse could be air, cat would be fire, pig would be earth, and otter or platypus would be water (man fur is really filled out).... buzzard as fire; flamimgo, duck, or pelican water; emu or peacock earth; and crow or owl air....
Totally stumbled upon this video and absolutely love your vibe and approach! I'm guessing this video was about an hour and a half long before editing... and that's awesome! :) I'll definitely have to check out your other videos!!!
This is like the sha'um in the Gandalara books. A rider had to subdue his sha'um (huge riding cat) cub hand-to-hand.
Some random questions for a future video or if you ever do a D&D Q&A: Where do you draw inspiration from for your stories? What kinda soundtrack do you like to use? Do you do a lot of homebrew (spells, magical items, monsters etc.) Would you ever consider running a mythology inspired D&D game? Would you ever consider livestreaming your D&D game? I’d also like to know more about your world and your adventure-making process. :)
I mostly GM Pathfinder, but I've played a bit of 5e. The only thing I'd never use it the ability to catch and tame any creature as an Animal Companion. Honestly, though I don't remember how 5e's Animal Companions work. In my games, it's a mystical ritual and connection. The person meditates with nature for the required time then a creature will appear. I do allow players to make animals they've encountered to become their animal companions. I allow my players roll a Wisdom-based ability check to see if they get a special Animal Companion. The creature could acquire through their connection to you or already have a template. Such as fiendish, celestial, or advanced...etc.
My big ol beefy Goliath boy wrestled with, dominated, tamed and trained a baby Bullette until it grew to a full size Bullette. He's a wonderful metal dog and I love him.
I prefer to get more touchy-feely with ranger companionship than "wrestle your potential friend into submission," but I like a lot of your ideas for familiars. As written in 5e, there's very little consequence for treating your familiar as disposable (as compared to 3.5, where I started, and the spellcaster would face significant penalties for allowing their familiar to die).
Adding randomization to the summoning process is a cool idea, too. It prevents players from picking up a specific familiar for a purely mechanical advantage, and from a flavor standpoint, it gives the impression that this creature is something that exists outside of and independent of your character.
None of this has been a problem at my table, mind you, but these are great for helping a player/character establish a special bond with their companions.
I appreciate the Stargate reference. I support your choice and hope no one begrudges you it.
Okay, but can we stop for a second and appreciate your jacket, as well?
Honestly, I kind of love this idea as a general premise. I don't know if I'd codify it into a real hard rule set, but for summoning critters I could see this making it far more interesting than just "okay, it's done. Poof!"
The rule I generally use, is you have to have something the animal can eat, they must not have been in combat that day, and you have to role critical in animal handling. Generally, unless they have the goodberry spell, few animal companions are in the game, making them more valuable, and therefore, treasured. This also offers a chance for a fantastic sad death scene, as descriptions in taming can get the players attached to the animal's personality fairly easy. idk though, whatever works best for your campaign :p
You keep saying early on that your brew is stupid, but I strongly disagree. I think you are doing it the right way. Animal companions, special mounts and familiars should be something special and having them "just appear" is what is stupid. Besides, actually getting them adds depth and immersion which is what a good RPG should be all about :)
Edit: I think I am going to use something similar to this for my game. I really want to encourage immersive role playing, not just dice rolling. I was already planning on bringing back the old 2e thing of having Paladins quest for their mounts, so this works in quite nicely. I'll just borrow some of your brilliant rules if you don't mind!
Love your idea about star gate. Wonder if you put more stuff (6 or 7, I forgot) and "dial-up" the gate, an animal pop up from the gate!
I dig these rules; especially the familiar rules. I do think that your Ranger rules could/should apply to any character who wants a companion even if a Ranger is more suited to the task. They'd obviously have a huge advantage, but if your monk wants to keep their eye out for a bear buddy, I'd let them try, lol. Also, I'd probably make the Beastmaster Ranger able to use that Druid-y ritual you mentioned, because it'd be odd for the subclass meant to have an animal to have a harder time than a class that can fully function as their own animal companion. Maybe a mix of the two would be cool? Like, the Beastmaster can summon an animal, but still need to earn the bond thereafter? I dunno.
P.S. Stargate for life.
THIS IS NOT DUMB AT ALL!!! THIS IS ACTUALLY REALLY FUCKING COOL!!
Kinda cool. I really dig making players work for their magic and cool stuff because it feels more mystical and earned that way and less gamey.
I played in a campaign to where having any animal companion/pet/mount was a real chore. All the DM did was apply a little 'reality' to the game. Horses were expensive to feed and stable and you had to pay a tax equal to 10% of their value since you were riding it on the King's roads. Most normal NPCs (peasants, farmers, etc.) were afraid of war dogs and you couldn't take them into large towns unless they were muzzled. The halforc in our party had a Dire Wolf she had raised from a pup and once it was grown people accused it of eating livestock and children, and a group of Inquisitors even accused the halforc of being a werewolf because of it. And feeding it was expensive since it would only eat fresh meat. The DM made dealing with an animal was too much of a hassle. It was a shock at first but it didn't interfere with the flow of the campaign. We just did a lot of walking and riding in hired wagons.
I think this is perfect! The creatures that beasmasters are stuck with are complete garbo. I find it really great that you allow your players to push themselves for a much better option (:
FINALLY, MY RECOMMENDED SECTION IS ACTUALLY DOING ITS JOB
Great video, probably will binge watch a lot more, really enjoyed this video
I like these rules. They're not dumb at all. They make perfect sense, so they're right up my alley.My wood elf ranger has a dog which she found as a stray puppy in a ruin and nursed back to health, so I'm very down with the idea that there HAS to be bonding for someone to have a wild animal become their companion. I just tend to work in a very compassionate flavor to that, vs the whole "break it like a horse" idea. I want to also have a hawk, but it will require finding one injured and helping it, and it choosing to remain with me. I'm still working out how I'm going to port my panther mount from neverwinter to dnd... (Way in the future, mind you) They kind of bond as the panther is companion to one of her dear friends and then becomes hers when he dies, I think. (ie, the panther CHOOSES to stay with my ranger as they are already bonded from years of traveling as a group) But given this character doesn't exist in our dnd realm, I have to find some other logic as to HOW she gains the trust of the great, wild, cat. o .o
Not terrible, give yourself more credit than that! You obviously put a lot of thought into this and it makes it more special from a players perspective ♥
The random animal table is neat. Would you consider something similar for critical failures? I find the idea of someone bonding to a random insect or something like that amusing - "you were careless in your ritual preparation (too many bug bits) and now your animal companion is a beetle".
Maybe that's too mean spirited, but it seems like a fun idea to toy with at least.
A beetle isn't that bad... Now a slug, or a leech... no thank you.
Brian Rutherford losing a familiar is a -2. So having an insect as a familiar would suck ass.
I like this idea. If your players are in for a more in-depth story that is narrative driven rather than playing for the more awesome mechanically badass moments, then go for it. I like narrative driven games and D&D is a particular in that you can have a fair share of both and still make it work.
Your take on animal companions would 100% make me want to summon my own. I want to know what I get.
Very entertaining video, I like your approach to animal companions, it builds a better story.
I love the thematics of it. I would suggest caution on how difficult repeated revival or recreation of the animal companion or familiar is though, as at even mid range levels they will die, a lot. Far more than the party themselves. Especially familiars. On another note though, in 5e dnd, familiars are not exactly animals, they are spirits that you force to take the shape of animals, so they already kind of are like what you wanted.
I'm currently playing a home-brew artificer and my construct is something I have to put gold, spell slotd and time into to mend.
Definitely get the idea of making the bond stronger. Kevin and Rick are unseparateable
Nice! With my ranger I ended up going for a kind of improvised psychedelic kind of thing that ended up sort of suggesting that the wolf that he connected with may or may not have been one from centuries past that the ritual manifested back into existence, which made for a nice bonus. I love the idea of the semi-randomness with getting a familiar - definitely borrowing that if the opportunity arises.
I'm so intrigued about your world, I would love a video describing your setting!
The ranger in my party had a hyena. We found him as a cub after slaying the mother in a random encounter. In the beginning he was just another mouth to feed and our Ranger kept him in his pack but later as he grew older acted as dog companion with his own attack roll and inventory space
There are some really good parts to this. I like the semi random animal for a conjured animal. Maybe if they fail one of the checks it removes one of the draws
I do feel that doing it this way might make the familiar or Mount special. But at the same time it takes a lot of time that can be used for plots. Cool idea anyways
Tell us more about the woooorld
You're actually a pretty good singer. Better than most of the pop stars out there that heavily rely on auto tune.
My first thought when you said that "you had to catch an animal and tame it with your bear hands". Was your ranger should try and catch a wyvern.
Now I'm picturing a ranger running around chasing animals with mittens that make his hands look like bear hands ... as opposed to his unadorned bare hands ... lol
Michael Roach I was waiting for a bear related pun for OPs entire comment
Kind of like the right to Bear Arms?
Ranger: I want that Tarrasque!
DM: You may certainly try...
Finally a reason to take the tavern brawler feat
I have a player who always asks for an animal companion, but never plays a ranger. I think these rules should come in handy; just enough of a challenge to dissuade them if it's not really important, but rewarding enough if they stick through it.
i actually really like this system, your taste in magic is exactly what mine is at least in this case.