What’s a fantasy world without pets, right?
Animal companions/familiars/pets are staples in D&D campaigns, from ferocious bears to rascally rodents, they can add that little something extra to an adventuring party.
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So why is it that you and your party keep forgetting about the trained wolf that your DM so graciously allowed you to have as a pet at level 1?
The issue with animal companions/familiars is that they often get left by the wayside when roleplaying. A few sessions go by without a reason for that dog, or owl, or cat to exist, and the party begins to forget that they’re even along for the ride.
At least until the next time you need to peer through their eyes on a scouting mission, that is.
So we’ve put together a few tips for making sure your party remembers — and loves — that furry friend just as much as you do.
Don’t forget they exist
This one above all else. It’s hard to warm your party’s hearts to your little pet if you never bring them up. It’s usually on the player to decide what their animal friend does (especially in the case of familiars and animal companions, maybe somewhat less-so for regular ol’ pets), but be sure to check with the DM if you’re allowed to choose their every action.
Give them a voice
Whether it’s a recognizable bark, a specific hoot, or a familiar purr, give your animal friend a distinct sound to make. You can then begin to add inflections that show emotions, depending on the situations they find themselves in.
This limited vocabulary will make it especially hilarious once someone finally decides to cast Speak with Animal on the party’s pet.
Give them an origin story
Be it saving them as a little wolf puppy after they were abandoned in a cold and snowy woods, or purchasing them at a local shop like Harry’s pal Hedwig (RIP), be sure to come up with a quick story to tell when introducing your animal to the party.
This could also present some opportunities for call-backs later on, like that wolf seeming eager if they ever hear another wolf howl in the night “I don’t think that’s your mother, Mittens, now go back to sleep” or that owl being terrified at the prospect of being put back in a cage.
Give them a specialty
This could be anything from helping hunt for food, assisting in persuasion checks with those big kitty eyes, or something even sillier, like everyone collectively agreeing that the Druid’s hedgehog friend has the best sense of direction/ability to read a map (even if they don’t).
Your animal having a specialty to work with gives you, your DM, and the other players at the table a concrete connection between the pet and the situation at hand, meaning that others at the table may start bringing up the pet during roleplay unprompted.
Avoid hogging the spotlight
As much as it’s important to include mention of your animal friend on the regular so that they aren’t completely forgotten about (see point 1), you should also avoid focusing too much of the spotlight on your relationship with your pet.
The party doesn’t really need to sit through you searching out a local vet just to get a check up on your dog (unless your DM is a cruel, cruel soul who may have hurt them in some way), or a drawn out scene where you roll checks to see how well you play fetch.
Show that you care about them
An issue a lot of players face when working with a Familiar in particular is that they often consider them to be disposable, in a way.
Given that you can resummon a Familiar after they’re killed, many players will send them ahead into dangerous areas to scout, or have them distract an enemy to give their owner an opportunity attack.
This is all well and good, but players can and should add a little emotional weight to that decision by making it clear that they’re devastated when that Familiar gets caught in a Fire Ball.
Just because they can be brought back doesn’t mean that dying didn’t hurt, after all.
That worried anxiety of a pet owner should be only amplified when it comes to animal companions or pets, and could provide some touching mid-combat RP moments when the owner potentially puts themselves in danger to protect their best friend.
But, as with all things in D&D, that’s entirely the player’s (and DM’s) call.
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