Post/Author/DateTime	Post
kntshade 12-12-05, 01:55 PM	Several sessions ago, the Ranger in my group lost her Animal companion, a dire Badger by the name of Panic. Panic was captured by a group of cannibalistic giants deep in the jungles of Xen’drik. Before this event, her animal companion was always just kind of there, and no one paid any attention to him. He was just an animal after all. However, now I would like to make him come into the spot light a little more. He needs a more defined personality, and a few quirks, perhaps stemming from his time captured by the giants who almost made badger stew out of him. What are some suggestions you guys have? In the past I’ve had some really great familiar/animal companion NPCs. One was a pyromaniac pseudo-dragon, and the other was an ill-tempered raven who constantly insulted his Half-dragon Sorcerer mistress. Then there was the Water djinn Searene, who loved absolutely everyone, and everything… even the big demonic bad guy… there was a classic scene where she actually managed to kiss him. ANYWAY, enough reminiscing…I just want ideas about this Badger and how I can make him memorable too… One of the PCs died fighting the giants trying to save him…
The Brat Prince 12-12-05, 02:24 PM	Well in my opinion there's a couple of ways to go here. Since it's still not a sentient being, i think personality is a shade limited; however, if you think of pets and such, they still have distinct personalities. Take for example my cat Oliver: he may not have an INT score above 2, but he's still pretty flippin smart. One of those cats where you can just SEE he's working out in his head how best to steal your credit card numbers, nick the car, and drive to Tiajuana. For a Dire Badger I'd be tempted to go one of two routes: totally feral and a bit insane (especially after his recent ordeal.) He could be incredibly skittish, even more so around any type of cooking apparatus. Possibly even prone to attacking (or at least snarling menacingly at) anything remotely giant-like. The other route i'd go would be the Redwall depiction of Badgers- noble, stout, and protective. He could be VERY attached to his master and fiercely protective of her, feeling some sense of loyalty to her for adopting then resuing him.
kntshade 12-12-05, 02:36 PM	I’ve never read the Redwall books, but that depiction sounds just like he was before his capture. Now what? More feral? Possibly… Also I heard my players talking about getting a druid to awaken him, so I kind of want to be ready for that possibility too. What would an animal be like when suddenly awakened? How would they react? What would their first words be? Heh!