Hi guys,
Looks like we're back in business!
One of the players in my LoCS campaign is playing a 12 yo street urchin (half-elf valor bard) who bought a donkey to travel on. That donkey died a few hours later during a wolf attack, so he bought himself another one in the next town.
That donkey survived an attack by yetis, a 10+ hour forced march across frozen tundra, and a second wolf attack.
The player has been trying to convince me that the donkey is deserving of a level-up for having survived all that.
I'm happy to humor him, but since the DMG isn't out yet, I'm not entirely sure what to do. Should I just give it some more hit dice? A unique special ability? We've just been using the mule stats in the back of the PHB.
What do you guys reckon?
Thanks in advance,
Jonathan
Absolutely level that donkey up. ;) That's likely not something the DMG will have rules for anyway.
Maybe give it the Tough feat (if that feat exists), and start turning it into another non-speaking-role party member. You should also allow it death saves like a character so the players can save it if it is dying. Whenever the characters level, have the donkey level too.
I agree. Level up that donkey, he's special.
I vote for Donkey with a Monk template. Unarmed attack, no armor, extra movement (handy with a rider!), extra fast kicks. Way of the Open Hand/Hoof will work well without being too flashy (until Quivering Hoof, at least). I mean, he can even spend is Don-Ki for things....
Yes level up the donkey, give it one extra hit dice and the sure footed ability from the goat in the monster manual pg. 330 to reflect his experience with pack tactics. Maybe get the donkey some studded leather leg warmers +1 ac.
I would look at the differences between a normal horse and a warhorse, and apply some of them to the donkey. Not every horse of a line that produces warhorses is automatically a warhorse. It needs training and has to go through a combat (to make sure the training sticks) to be a war horse. The noble battle donkey has clearly survived the "school of hard knocks" version of this training.
raleel wrote:
Those are some great suggestions, guys! Thanks.
Do you reckon I should level up the donkey straight away or wait until the PCs level up (which should be in a session or two)?
Oh, and I already did give the donkey death saves - it withstood a yeti's chilling gaze (unlike its rider) but was felled by the yeti's claws. It successfully made several death saves before the the bard was able to cast cure wounds on it.
Asperdn wrote:
OrwellianHaggis wrote:
Level it up as per the ranger's beast companion. The rules are already written, you can line out what you think is too strong.
Personally, I'd turn the donkey into more of a narrative element rather than a PC character - allow it to gain hit dice, leveling it up when the character does, but otherwise treat it as an a ranger's animal companion...
However...
- Make it a non-combatant (it only attacks in direct self defense or when its master goes down, if not commanded to take an action it will Dodge or Dash on its turn as appropriate)
- And give it the following ability:
Stubborn or Just Lucky: Any time the donkey fails a d20 roll of any sort, the donkey (read: the DM) can choose to reroll. The donkey can reroll a number of d20 rolls per week equal to its level.
Once per month, when the donkey rolls a 1 on a d20 roll, treat it as having rolled a 20 instead.
Once, in its entire life, the donkey can mysteriously somehow survive something which would have unquestionably destroyed it, showing up unharmed minutes, hours, days or even weeks later in the party's current (reasonably safe) location.
This effectively makes the donkey just about unkillable (and great for adding flavor to the story) when used judiciously, but allows the donkey to still get into all sorts of trouble...
bawylie wrote:
Edited the previous post as you were typing... I'd say treat it as an animal companion as suggested as far as being commanded and adding in the proficiency bonus, but give it actual hit dice instead of the companion's hit points (rangers can get another animal at any time, but the donkey is unique and needs to stick around)... If that's too much, go with one hit die per two levels. It won't get insta-killed by random wolves, but any level-appropriate monster will still take it down. Greater hit points are balanced out by not attacking unless directly threatened.
Give the donkey more Hit Dice as the group gains levels. Give it a Kick attack. Give it an incredible WIS score (stubborn as a ... ). Give it a proficiency bonus that rises like the PCs' does. And give it a Standard Behavior that basically allows it to kick anything that takes a swipe at it and then run away. (It comes back to the PCs after the fight is over.)
In short, allow it to take care of itself in combat, and scale to meet increasing threats. But don't turn it into a PC-like character.
If you re-read Fellowship of the Ring, look for the pony Sam was taking care of, between Bree and the entrance to Moria. Treat it something like that; once in a while it saves a PC's ... rear. Most of the time it steps just out of the spotlight and is available for duty.
OK. How does this look for now?
DonkeyMedium beast, unaligned
---
AC 11 (natural armor)
Hit Points 16 (3d8 + 3)
Speed 40 ft.
---
Str 14 Dex 10 Con 13 Int 2 Wis 10 Cha 5
---
Senses passive Perception 10
Languages -
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
---
Beast of Burden. as per mule
Sure-Footed. as per mule
Relentless (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). If the donkey takes 7 or less damage that would reduce it to 0 hp, it is instead reduced to 1 hp.
---
Hooves. Melee Weapon Attack: as per mule
Use your best judgment as to when to implement. But keep in mind if you use it per the ranger, it's numbers are kinda where they always need to be.
The rest of the beast master subclass doesn't apply.
I vote for rage 1/day. Donkey rage has a uniqueness all it's own. 
bawylie wrote:
Now I'm going to have a brotagonist in my game who is a level 20 donkey.
He'll say (he's freakin' level 20, he can speak now) "I am the law!" as a subtext thing.
To quote Dr Brennan, "I know what that means." 
pukunui wrote:
OrwellianHaggis wrote:
Just wait until they cast Awaken on it so that it can speak... 
pukunui wrote:
raleel wrote:
Something similar happened in my first DM campaign where a PC wanted a pig to have around. It survived all sorts of stuff, and they even gave it a helm of fireblast and taught it a trick so it could use it. It killed an Ogre Barbarian Mummy, and a pirate mook. Everyone kept referring to it as "some pig" whenever it'd get out of a situation (jumping across a gap, surviving a flowing river current, ducking under a fireball spell with a natural 20)
Eventually the party druid used the Awaken spell on it so he could chat with the party!
Regardless of how you improve it's stats, I think the real key is that it has now been promoted to "important" and can be the focus of a great story hook - weave it more into an adventure somehow.
If it ever gains the ability to speak, you'll need to be able to imitate Eddie Murphy's voice...
ChrisCarlson wrote:
im amazed at how much reactio this got. I had my first experince with an animal in the party. My Arcane Trickster just got a familiar, and being an owl, every one decided his name was Owlfred....he ended up freeing people in the middle of combat after they where captured last week and tied with ropes YAY for slashing talons!
Ramzour wrote:
Don't forget the Fear Aura.
raleel wrote:
You could say this Donkey is kinda ....
KICK ASS!
YEAAAAH! I went there!
Totally support this, it's the sorta awesome thing that players will remember for years.
They'll forget the *plot*, they'll remember the donkey.
Illithidbix wrote:
I'm loving this thread.
Although I vote for not turning him into a PC. Just increase his HD, and maybe give him a Feat every few levels.
I'd say that this donkey is in fact a burgeoning demi-god. Have him mysteriously disappear one day ... only to return much later as one of the campaign BBEGs ;)
"You thought me dead, but I have ... HEEHAAW! ... returned with my undead army to ... HEEHAAW! ... claim what is mine!"
*Fires off Meteor Swarm*
When the party is higher level, the DM can proudly announce, "Your Donkey has just learned Power Bray: Kill, and he can also scribe Eeyor's Zone of Apathy on a hoof if he likes."