Cooperative Content Conversations
Welcome to the first installment of our GM Roundtable discussions. This and future articles will have a rotating cast of GMs discussing topics we believe the community wants to hear about. The title is still being workshopped. Have an idea? Let us know!
This idea was born in The Cove discord server where many TTRPG creators collaborate and pitch ideas for things they want to see or do. We also will source ideas from the community via polls on twitter, suggestions made on these articles and in the cove. Since that's out of the way let's see what we are talking about today.
Drumroll please….Summons and Pets! Now why is this a good first topic you ask. Well consider the following:
A trusted dog companion of the wasteland wanderer.
The best friend of the last man left in a post-apocalyptic world.
The adventurer who wants to tame and train monsters from around the world.
The lost child being raised by animals.
Couple these with the fact that many of us have memories of a pet growing up that we spent significant time with and it really is no surprise that players and GMs in TTRPGs see the appeal to having an animal companion as a way to enrich their stories. I personally remember as a child playing adventurer in my yard much like in the video games I would play and my dog was my party member.
For those of you in the video game sphere summons have been a big part of many franchises. Using a summoner has always been a fun and powerful event in many games and sometimes is a main part of the storyline.
If you take a look at homebrew content a summoner class is a popular creation. One that creators struggle to try and bring to life. But what happens when you try to balance this and what happens when you include these things in your game? The views expressed below don't oppose, one focuses on the mechanics as they stand while the other focuses on improving the mechanics on how pets and summons can shape your TTRPG experience.
Join Don from Damn Good Games (@GamesDamn) and Ben (@Tabletopcourant) as they dive into their thoughts and experiences. First up Ben and how better to discuss the role pets play in Dungeons & Dragons than through the lens of the ranger?
Combat
The ranger’s bestial buddies can fill several different roles, from aquatic mauler to flying mount. Thanks to updated pet mechanics in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything (TCE), they are also viable choices that won’t bankrupt your action economy. With just a bonus action, the ranger can command their pet to take a variety of new actions beyond the Dodge action. This remains problematic for spellcasting, however, as bonus actions are required to cast several of the ranger’s spells, Hunter’s Mark most notably. Despite this drawback, the system is a welcome improvement to the Player’s Handbook version, which requires an entire action to issue a command.
The new primal companions featured in Tasha’s are fine choices: a mauler for the land, an entangler for the sea, and a harrier for the sky. Each is fun enough, and reasonably powerful; however, nothing quite compares to the effectiveness or the cool factor of the Drakewarden (in my opinion, at least).
Common advice from the internet would have you use your drake as a flying mount from which to rain ranged attacks from above. The internet isn’t wrong on this one: that is absolutely awesome, and it opens up a new dimension for the ranger that’s typically reserved for full spellcasters with their flight spells, and born flyers like the Aarakocra.
If your table uses the optional flanking rule, a Strength or melee-based ranger is also a strong consideration. By working in tandem with your drake, you can effectively position yourself to have advantage (via flanking) on almost every attack either of you will ever make. When the drake grows in size, becoming large at level 15, the Mounted Combatant feat can be an alternative way to gain advantage against any target smaller than your mount. You can also make good use of reach weapons and the drake’s 40’ of movement (50’ with the Longstrider spell), charging in and out of melee without exposing either of you to attacks from enemies who lack a reach greater than 5’. When your ripped ranger does need to engage in ranged combat, don’t forget that spells like Hail of Thorns and Lightning Arrow apply to thrown weapons - not just bows.
All of these changes and features combine to elevate the ranger’s animal companion from more than a simple sack of additional hit points. They open up new dimensions to the ranger, like the sea and sky, enhancing the class’s effectiveness in multiple environments. More excitingly, animal companions validate atypical ways to build and play a ranger, such as a gritty, strength-based close-range bruiser or a highly mobile mid-range skirmisher who can deal good damage and frustrate opponents by staying just out of their reach, while also adding to the strengths of traditional long-range snipers. No matter your preferred build, for tactical-minded players, adding a second piece to the grid invigorates combat by rewarding clever positioning and providing new angles of attack. The ranger and their companion present, in many ways, the best of what Dungeons & Dragons combat has to offer.
Roleplaying
For the DM, a pet or animal companion can be a low-effort NPC, requiring little more than knowing looks and apropos grunts, until the occasional Speak with Animals goes into effect. Do make it a point to include the pet in roleplaying moments though; doing so will encourage the player(s) to care for it and create an emotional bond - an emotional bond which you can repeatedly exploit with villainous effect.
For players, a good doggo can be much more than a simple prop, but if they’re only acknowledging their pet when it’s time to roll initiative, they may need some help realizing the creature as more than a slight combat buff. In town, show them an NPC who is afraid of their companion, and an inn that doesn’t allow animals. If they aren’t feeding it in the wild, have it run off chasing a meal and not come back - tracking the animal can become an encounter all its own. Play up the animal’s affection towards the player(s) by noting it walking and sleeping alongside them. Have it bring the player “presents,” which would vary based on the creature; cats offer their kills to feed their owner, while crows bring shiny things… but who’s shiny things? By doing this, you’re treating the animal as another character that the party will grow attached to, and before you know it, they’ll be the ones including it in roleplay.
A Person and Their Dog (or drake or owlbear or…)
This real life trope is well worth playing out in games. From enhancing the social element of our personal and our characters’ lives to allowing the tactical mechanics of Dungeons & Dragons to flourish in exciting ways, introducing a pet can do so much for your campaign. With plentiful first- and third-party support (check out Underground Oracle’s Creature Companions or MCDM’s Beastheart), there is no question: we must explore, and our adventures are better with a loyal companion - especially one that doesn’t care how you split up the loot.
Next up Don with his experiences, the negative effects, and some intriguing mechanics for keeping the game moving when companions and summons come into play.
What’s the big deal?
Aren’t pets just a fun addition to the game?
Let's start by discussing what problems can arise and make things more difficult for both the players and the game master. Most of these issues are system agnostic, and the list of issues I have seen is not exhaustive, but they are definitely worth understanding so they can be avoided.
The first thing players and game masters tend to do is create pets, familiars, and summons as complete NPCs with every stat and action mapped out. In games with a lot of tracking mechanically, this can seem like the best mode of action, unfortunately, doing so has unintended consequences.
In a combat situation in a TTRPG, when an NPC joins the fight, the total number of initiative slots increases. If there are four players and four enemies, adding an NPC means there are now nine initiative slots. Before the NPC joined, the players took up half of the slots, but with the addition of the NPC, the players' slots make up a smaller proportion of the total. For a party of three players and one player with a pet, they each have a smaller share of the initiative slots.
When a pet or summon is added to a combat situation in a TTRPG, it can cause players to have a smaller share of the initiative and can lead to unbalanced gameplay. Having multiple pets or summons can further reduce the time available for player actions during combat rounds. This is a common issue in games that allow for summoning many creatures, as it can disrupt the balance of combat.
In some popular TTRPGs, certain spells and abilities can cause imbalances in combat by allowing players to summon pets, familiars, and other creatures. This can lead to players having less time for their own actions during combat rounds. However, there are ways to address this issue. Some solutions are simple and easy to implement, while others involve more advanced techniques and custom game design.
One Player, One Turn Method.
Beginner Method.
This method of balancing combat timeshares between players involves limiting the use of pets, summons, and familiars. In this approach, each player is only allowed to take one action per combat round, regardless of whether they are controlling their own character or a summoned creature. This means that pets and summons are more like extra hit points on the battlefield, and must be used strategically in combat. This approach reduces the power of these creatures but can help create a more balanced game.
The Sharing is Caring Method.
Beginner Method.
The sharing is caring method is a way to evenly distribute the turns of pets and summons among the players. In this approach, players take turns controlling these creatures in combat, with control passing from player to player each round. This helps to balance out the time that players have to take actions during combat, and does not require any changes to the game's mechanics. This is a simple and effective way to include additional creatures in combat while maintaining balance.
Part of the Player’s turn.
Intermediate Method.
This method of balancing combat timeshares between players and NPCs involves players trading their own actions in order to control NPC companions. For example, if a player wants to control their pet ostrich in combat, they can trade their movement action for the turn to control and move the ostrich. This allows for flexibility in combat and can make the game feel more dynamic. However, it can also slow down combat and make it more complex to manage, especially when multiple players are controlling NPC companions. It is important to consider the limitations of this approach when deciding whether to use it in a game.
The GM-Controlled Method.
Intermediate Method.
This method of balancing combat timeshares between players and NPCs involves the GM controlling all NPC companions, including pets. This can speed up combat by allowing players to simply state their intentions for their pets, and the GM handles all of the rules and rolls. However, this can also add additional workload for the GM and may lead to misunderstandings or miscommunications between the GM and players. If a GM plans to use this method, it is important to clearly communicate the rules and expectations to the players at the start of the game. This approach can be difficult to implement successfully, especially at a larger scale, and requires a GM with strong organizational skills.
Mechanically as a Power.
Advanced Method.
This method of handling pets in combat involves treating them as a power or ability that players can activate, rather than a fixed stat block. This can speed up combat and create a smoother gameplay experience. It is important to communicate with players and remind them that their pets are still mortal and that there will be mechanics in place to manage dangerous situations. This approach requires more collaboration between the GM and players but is a good option for scaling with larger groups or multiple pets and summons. Overall, this is a recommended method for GMs and players in TTRPGs.
Wrapping Up.
I hope this adds value to your game.
As a forever GM, I have seen and tried the craziest solutions to try to keep the game fun and moving while trying to help manage the legions of lovable critters my players want to inject into the game. These are the things that have had varying degrees of success and have worked.
Really my hope is that people can play the game they want, the way they want, but in a way that’s realistically manageable to keep it fun for the whole table, instead of being stuck in a slog that’s as fun as watching paint dry.
All of these methods have been used and proven over the years, sometimes combined together for complicated fixes during play. The goal is for people to better enjoy the games we lay in the best ways we can. I hope that this helps with that.
Outro
Thank you for joining our discussion today. We had some differing thoughts on how to use summons and companions in your games but also thoughts about the great story possibilities they create.
What are your thoughts on companions and summons in the TTRPG sphere? Comment and let us know if you agree or disagree with points made here or if you have something to add we would love to hear it!
Thanks to Bjarke the Bard for hosting/layout, TableSaltDM for editing and of course Don and Ben for contributing. This is your host Geoff from Damn Good Games signing off. Stay tuned for a new discussion topic next time and drop a suggestion for future topics you would like to see covered.
Credits
This post was a collaborative effort between a group of individuals. They are as follows -
Writers
Don of Damn Good Games
Ben of Tabletop Courant
Editors
TableSalt of TableSaltDM
Host and Organizer
Geoff of Damn Good Games