This document provides rules for players to have pets in the game that are not associated with a specific class. It outlines which animals are eligible to be pets based on their challenge rating and intelligence. It also describes how to domesticate wild animals through animal handling checks and building their loyalty over time. Once domesticated, pets can be further trained to perform non-combat and combat actions when commanded by their owner.
This document provides rules for players to have pets in the game that are not associated with a specific class. It outlines which animals are eligible to be pets based on their challenge rating and intelligence. It also describes how to domesticate wild animals through animal handling checks and building their loyalty over time. Once domesticated, pets can be further trained to perform non-combat and combat actions when commanded by their owner.
This document provides rules for players to have pets in the game that are not associated with a specific class. It outlines which animals are eligible to be pets based on their challenge rating and intelligence. It also describes how to domesticate wild animals through animal handling checks and building their loyalty over time. Once domesticated, pets can be further trained to perform non-combat and combat actions when commanded by their owner.
This document provides rules for players to have pets in the game that are not associated with a specific class. It outlines which animals are eligible to be pets based on their challenge rating and intelligence. It also describes how to domesticate wild animals through animal handling checks and building their loyalty over time. Once domesticated, pets can be further trained to perform non-combat and combat actions when commanded by their owner.
Rearing Wild Animals and Training Domesticated Animals
Jensen Toperzer
W W hat do you do when a player decides they want their character to own a pet? The simple solution is to have them play a Beastmaster ranger or an arcane spellcaster who can cast find familiar, but what if a character of a different class finds an animal they wish to keep as a pet? Perhaps they dont want the hassle of dipping into a class with a built-in pet, but still want some mechanical benefit to having an animal around. Maybe your player hasnt found such an animal, but theyve expressed interest in their character having some sort of animal companion. These rules allow player characters of all classes to adopt pets of their very own, while ensuring that rangers animal companions and spellcasters familiars remain more potent options.
EN World EN5IDER| Player Pets
Eligible Animals can be found semi-domesticated by monsters, such as wolves with goblins, or hyenas with gnolls. Pets must be beasts of 1/4 challenge rating or These animals can be re-trained as adults to be loyal lower and an intelligence of 3 or lower, with the to a party member. exception of the warhorse. A creature must be Domesticating a wild animal uses a variant of trained before it can be effective in combat. A wild the optional loyalty rules for NPCs. An animals creature must be domesticated before it is trained. loyalty score is on a scale from 0 to 20. An animals Finding the right place and person to purchase an maximum loyalty is equal to the Wisdom score of animal from can be difficult; while the average its owner. Wild animals start at loyalty 0. Animals human or elven city will have horses, cats, and trained by monsters start at loyalty 5. dogs for sale, finding a pre-trained giant lizard or To domesticate an animal, a player must make flying snake may be difficult in some campaign one Animal Handling check. The Animal Handling settings. That said, a town in a deep jungle or check has a DC of 10 + the animals HD. Success swamp may well have such creatures for sale, while means that the animals loyalty increases by one an underground city may sell giant fire beetles to point. Failure means that loyalty does not increase; dungeon delvers. Similarly, in some far northern failure by more than five means that the animals climates, there might be domesticated elk for sale, loyalty decreases by one point. Dealing damage but this is rare. to an animal, pushing an animal beyond its limits, frightening an animal, or failing to feed or care for an animal lowers an animals loyalty by 1 point per Care and Feeding day. An animal that reaches loyalty 10 is domesticated Each pet adds 1 sp/day per size category to and loyal to its trainer. The animal will now follow lifestyle expenses. For example, a Tiny rat only its owner to the best of its ability. It will not obey costs 1 sp/day, while a Large warhorse requires 4 commands more complex than follow, nor will sp/day. An owner can hunt food for their animal, or it enter a dangerous situation of its own volition. the animal can be trained to hunt for itself, halving If an animal is forced into a dangerous situation, the cost. The remaining cost represents other types it will cower until the danger passes. If the owner of care, such as medicine, shelter, and toys. When was the one who deliberately led the animal into training a domesticated animal to perform actions the situation in question, the pets loyalty score on command, the base lifestyle cost doubles. Thus, decreases by 1 point. if you were teaching your Tiny rat to take the Perform action (described below in the Non-Combat Actions section), it would cost and additional 1 sp/ Training an Animal day as long as you were teaching your rat. This A pet owner can continue to build loyalty with cost represents things like extra treats and supplies. Domesticating a wild animal increases the cost an animal after it has been domesticated; this allows to 1 gp/day per size category. A Medium wolf, the animal to be trained. A trained animal can take actions when commanded. Most commands must for instance, costs a full 3 gp/day to domesticate. be verbal, though hand signals can be used if the This cost reflects the increased price of keeping animal has line of sight to its owner. the animal safely contained, and the comparatively Every point of loyalty beyond 10 allows you larger amounts and more exotic types of food a wild animal requires. to teach an animal one additional action that it is physically capable of performing. If an animal becomes owned by someone with a Wisdom score Domesticating an Animal lower than 10 + the number of skills the animal knows, the animal does not forget any of its known A wild animal must be reared from infancy to actions. become domesticated. Sometimes, wild animals
EN World EN5IDER | Player Pets
Non-Combat Actions Investigation check to find secret doors, traps, corpses, unusual features (a strange These are some examples of actions and tricks sound, smell, etc.) or food. a pet can learn. A pet cannot be commanded to Track. The pet makes a DC 10 Wisdom act in combat unless it has been trained in combat (Survival) check. On a success, it grants actions. advantage to its owners Survival check to Guard. The pet watches an area and track an individual or creature. performs an action specified by their A Rangers animal companion, Paladins owner if someone enters the area, such mount, or spellcasters familiar can automatically as alerting its owner or attacking. If the do anything on this list that it is physically capable intruder attempts to sneak in, compare of doing. their Dexterity (Stealth) check against the animals passive Wisdom (Perception) Combat Actions score to determine if they are detected. Harness. This pet can be harnessed to a Pets with combat training obey your cart or plow, allowing it to carry larger commands as best they can. They take their turns objects or work on a farm. on your initiative. A pet can be commanded Hide. The pet takes the Hide action. to move without using an action, but all other Hunt. The pet makes a DC 10 Wisdom commands require an action on your part. You may (Survival) check. If it succeeds, it finds use your action to command your pet to Attack, small game native to the region, and brings Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help, if it has learned its prey back to its owner. those combat actions. Each combat action learned Intimidate. The animal makes a DC counts towards the maximum actions a pet can 10 Charisma (Intimidation) check. If it learn. Pets without combat training will cower succeeds, the pets owner gains advantage or hide until combat is over. If a player character on all Intimidation checks they make this is riding their pet, the pet cannot take the Attack round. action. Light Source. The pet carries a light source for the party. The pet can be commanded to walk 10 feet in ahead of or behind its owner. If the pet is naturally bioluminescent, it does not need to carry a light source. Messenger. The pet can carry a message or object to a destination or recipient. The pet must be familiar with either the recipient or the destination in order to deliver the message. Mount. The pet can be ridden if it is at least one size category larger than its rider. Perform. The pet may aid an owners Performance check by making a DC 10 Charisma check. If the pet succeeds, the owner gains advantage on that Performance check. Search. If the pet succeeds at a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check, the pets owner gains advantage on a Perception or
EN World EN5IDER| Player Pets
Example Pets & Abilities This is a table of example pets. Many other type. Not all trained animals know all the actions animals could exist in your campaign that fit these in their action lists when purchased. For example, requirements, such as small monkeys, dinosaurs, a riding dog would probably know how to act as ostriches, and the like. You may also choose to a mount, but might not know how to perform. make exceptions for more powerful animals such Known actions can be determined by where the as elephants, griffons, hippogriffs, pegasi, or animal is purchased, or randomly generated. A dragon wyrmlings. GM can determine that a given animal can learn Each animal is listed with their size and an action not listed. challenge rating. Animals that can be purchased Animals that cant be trained simply cannot have prices. Each animal has a list of suggested learn instructions, by their very nature. They can actions that animal can learn, based on the animal still be successfully domesticated.
Can Be Purchased Trained
Animal Size CR Average Price Possible Known Actions Hunt, Perform, Messenger Hawk Tiny 0 25 gp Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Mount, Harness, Perform, Intimidate, Light Camel Large 1/8 50 gp Source (must be tied to the animal somehow) Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge Guard, Hunt, Perform, Search, Track, Light Source, Harness, Mount, Messenger, Hide, Mastiff Medium 1/8 25 gp Intimidate, Light Source (can be carried in mouth or tied to the body) Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Help Harness, Mount, Perform, Light Source Mule Medium 1/8 8 gp (must be tied to the animal) Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge Harness, Mount, Perform, Light Source Pony Medium 1/8 30 gp (must be tied to the animal) Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge Flying Snake Tiny 1/8 25 gp Messenger, Perform, Hunt, Hide Harness, Mount, Perform, Light Source Draft Horse Large 1/4 50 gp (must be tied to the animal) Attack, Disengage, Dodge, Dash Harness, Mount, Hunt Giant Lizard Large 1/4 75 gp Attack, Disengage, Dodge, Dash Harness, Mount, Perform Riding Horse Large 1/4 75 gp Attack, Disengage, Dodge, Dash Harness Mount, Perform, Intimidate Warhorse Large 1/2 400 gp Attack (can attack while mounted), Disengage, Dodge, Dash
EN World EN5IDER | Player Pets
Can Be Purchased Domesticated (generally do not have training when purchased) Name Size CR Average Price Can Be Trained? Frog Tiny 0 1 cp No Giant Fire Beetle Small 0 1 gp Light Source Goat Medium 0 1 gp Perform, Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge Lizard Tiny 0 1 cp No Rat Tiny 0 0 (Free!) Messenger, Guard, Hide, Perform, Search, Track Weasel Tiny 0 1 sp Messenger, Hide, Perform Messenger (can speak simple phrases of one Raven Tiny 0 1 sp language), Perform 1/8 Hide, Perform, Hunt, Attack, Dash, Disengage, Cat Tiny 1 sp Dodge Messenger, Guard, Hide, Perform, Search, Giant Rat Small 1/8 2 cp Track, Hunt, Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge Perform, Guard, Hunt, Mount Giant Weasel Medium 1/8 1 gp Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge Giant Frog Medium 1/4 1 gp Perform, Guard, Harness, Intimidate
