Post/Author/DateTime	Post
TheBard 02-25-05, 10:57 AM	Hi there. Isn't DnD a strange game? There is one issue I want to talk about now: Familiars and Animal Companions See, I'm currently gaming in a group with a druid... and she's traveling with a huge Dire Bear. And she's trying to get into a city but is stopped at the city gates by some guardsmen, who sure as hell don't want this *huge* bear running free around there. Most of the other players didn't see the problem. They say, "Hey, we're the good guys. We can't be expected to just leave the Bear outside?" When I thought about it, this must be a common problem in the DnD world. There are not so many high level characters around, they are only a small minority of the population. Otherwise, they wouldn't be heroes. Chances are small that your average city guardsman never saw a Dire Bear before, so what's he supposed to do? And even if it would be ok for the guardsmen if the Bear is lead into the town, what would the population do? No, there's no place for a Dire Bear in a city. Your opinion?
Count Arioch the 28th 02-25-05, 11:07 AM	I can imagine that most cities wouldn't allow big animals running loose either. There could be a few exceptions though. (The town in my game run by a druid who has an awakened dire lion as honorary captian of the guard would be a bit mroe tolerant of such a thing, but most people would, quite wisely, not want a wild animal the size of a dump truck wandering around loose.)
MarkB 02-25-05, 11:17 AM	Trying to take an animal companion into a big city seems a little cruel, anyway. It's not going to be happy there. When my 13th-level Druid was sent on a mission to the big city, he was careful to leave his Horrid Bat companion in safekeeping with his local Druid grove first, and won't have the opportunity to pick her up again for awhile, although he regularly checks in to make sure she hasn't eaten anyone.
Thoronmir 02-25-05, 11:20 AM	Actually, the description of the Animal Companion ability mentions this problem, so it’s hardly a surprise for Druids or Rangers who choose “wild” animals. Acceptance of dangerous “pets” varies in my world … some places prohibit them, some places welcome them. I had one Druid in my game use Handle Animal to teach her bear to dance. She had an easier time gaining access to the stricter cities (of course, the bear had to remain muzzled inside the city walls). This issue affected my choice for my Ranger’s Animal Companion. I chose Riding Dog since it’s pretty easy to get a dog into most places in our D&D world. The city guards don’t look twice at my dog … I’m sure they’d expect me to “check the wolf at the door.”
Krelios 02-25-05, 11:23 AM	Leave the bear outside and tell it to stay. It won't be hard to find when you're ready to leave (Huge animals make big tracks, and it's likely looking for you too).
TheBard 02-25-05, 11:31 AM	In our game, my char is a baron, thus also the ruler of the lands capital city. When the group tried to enter the city, not willing to leave the bear outside, my guards were instructed to fire at will and kill the bear if it would step into the city. Luckily, it didn't come so far. But how would you expect a town to react if a party would teleport there, Dire Bear included?
TheRedRobedWizard 02-25-05, 09:00 PM	My question for you, monsignor TehBard, is why are you being so antagonistic to a fellow party member? You should know that as his animal companion, it won't do anything that the druid doesn't tell him to do. Sounds to me like the only strangeness in your D&D is lack of party trust and team playerdom. Ordering your guards to kill his animal companion if it sets foot in the city? That's majorly evil and primarily stupid. -TRRW
TheBard 02-26-05, 08:16 AM	My question for you, monsignor TehBard, is why are you being so antagonistic to a fellow party member? You should know that as his animal companion, it won't do anything that the druid doesn't tell him to do. Sounds to me like the only strangeness in your D&D is lack of party trust and team playerdom. Ordering your guards to kill his animal companion if it sets foot in the city? That's majorly evil and primarily stupid. -TRRW Hi there, thanks for your input. I agree, the animal companion doesn't do anything that the druid doesn't tell him to do. Nonetheless, the city population surely wouldn't want this Dire Bear walking around in the city. It's not a matter of trust... just a matter of common sense. The city guards are there to uphold peace in the city, and to prevent people from breaking the rules. It is against the "rule" that an animal of the size of a dump truck runs around in the city, so what options are there to make sure that this doesn't happen? Remember, they are city guards, not your average hero team, so Force Cage etc. is out of the question. I, personally, and my character also, surely don't want to kill the bear. But what are the alternatives? Tell the Guards to stand down and let the bear enter the city? This would surely mean Chaos. My character would do what's best, not neccessarily what's the law. And I don't see any possibility where "bear in city" would be a good thing. So what are my options?
cymbolik 02-26-05, 08:38 AM	get a smaller pet... ;) you're absolutely correct, of course... firstly we're assuming that the general populous even has an accurate estimation of the abilities of any kind of hero...most are wreathed in legends and half truths...so, the general populous is unlikely to immediately grasp the concept that the ruid can control the animal... (is this a change in 3.5, by the way? 3.0 animals behaved instinctively, animal companion or not...the distinction between run-of-the-mill animals and animal companions was that they could be trained, in this case to follow the druid into an area it would not ordinarily frequent, to heel, etc. sorry for the dullard question, but south africa's slightly behind, plus i'm not blowing ANOTHER 300 bucks a pop just to stay current as a player! i've heard mention that the animal companion can now advance along similar lines as a familiar, but the details are sketchy) secondly, even if the people of the city know or have heard of the existence of dire animals, i sincerely doubt many can say that they've actually seen one, let alone survived such an encounter, due to the fact that chances were pretty damn good such individuals get eaten by said dire animal. i reckon the closest city folk have come to a dire bear is perhaps the rug that the local baron has in front of his fireplace as a trophy...
Thoronmir 02-26-05, 11:33 AM	(is this a change in 3.5, by the way? 3.0 animals behaved instinctively, animal companion or not...the distinction between run-of-the-mill animals and animal companions was that they could be trained, in this case to follow the druid into an area it would not ordinarily frequent, to heel, etc. sorry for the dullard question, but south africa's slightly behind, plus i'm not blowing ANOTHER 300 bucks a pop just to stay current as a player! i've heard mention that the animal companion can now advance along similar lines as a familiar, but the details are sketchy)When my Ranger acquired his Animal Companion, our group discussed the limits on a Ranger’s (or Druid’s) control over his Companion. What follows was my interpretation of the 3.5 RAW: A common misperception is that the Link between a Druid and his Companion allows communication and/or control. There’s nothing in the RAW to support such an interpretation. Unlike the Empathic Link between a Wizard and his Familiar, the Link (note the lack of the modifier, “Empathic”) between a Druid and his Companion simply allows the Druid to Handle the Companion (i.e., use the Handle Animal skill) as a Free Action rather than a Move Action. The amount of “control” a Druid possesses over his Companion is limited to his use of the Handle Animal skill. Note, that checks are required to get the Companion to perform Tricks, so it’s obvious that the Druid’s “control” of his Companion is not absolute. Absent a successful Handle Animal check by the Druid, a Companion has nothing but instinct to guide its behavior. That can include attacking if the Companion feels threatened and the Druid is unable to make an appropriate Handle Animal check to keep the Companion at bay. A Dire Bear is unlikely to feel comfortable in a large city with walls, noise, and lots of strange people … it’s hardly like Pooh traipsing through the Hundred Acre Wood. However, most Tricks have a DC of 15. So the Druid ought to be able to control the Dire Bear, assuming the Dire Bear has been taught an appropriate Trick, such as Heel (let’s face it, if the Bear hasn’t been taught how not to attack something it’s instincts say to attack, the Druid can’t stop it). As for advancing, yes, Companions can gain HD and other bonuses as their Druid (or Ranger) progresses in level. But that still doesn’t make them Familiars.
Lina_Inverse 02-26-05, 12:09 PM	Hi there. Isn't DnD a strange game? There is one issue I want to talk about now: Familiars and Animal Companions See, I'm currently gaming in a group with a druid... and she's traveling with a huge Dire Bear. And she's trying to get into a city but is stopped at the city gates by some guardsmen, who sure as hell don't want this *huge* bear running free around there. Most of the other players didn't see the problem. They say, "Hey, we're the good guys. We can't be expected to just leave the Bear outside?" When I thought about it, this must be a common problem in the DnD world. There are not so many high level characters around, they are only a small minority of the population. Otherwise, they wouldn't be heroes. Chances are small that your average city guardsman never saw a Dire Bear before, so what's he supposed to do? And even if it would be ok for the guardsmen if the Bear is lead into the town, what would the population do? No, there's no place for a Dire Bear in a city. excuse me?the city guard are thinking dire bears are unusual fare?huge monsters are common events in the D&D world.and many of them can take down armys with little problems.you see a direbear following some panzy elf,you know damn well that elf can kill the entire city guard anyways,why **** it off?
Super_Demolition_Christ 02-27-05, 12:31 AM	um, I think it explains somewhere, at least in the "Masters of the Wild" how most druids who feel the need to live in a town or city for an extended period of time usually find houseing near the edge of town, and visit their friend (companion) frequently. I mean, it IS a wild animal, so it should stay in the wild. The Bear is your friend, not your slave. most druids wouldnt want to put their friend through the ordeal of dealing with such a stange and scaryplace( and yes, even large animals will get scared easily) it would be cruel to take it with you. Keep him out of the city and tell him to take care and dont do anything bad while you are gone. oh, and I dont think a ! DIRE BEAR ! has to worry about finding food or fearing Predators. If your GM isnt a complete Idiot, he should know that most predators usually only go for easy prey(unless they are starving or something) so you shouldnt even have to worry about dragons. (why eat a dire bear when you can have some merchants)