Dungeons & Dragons: How To Run Animal Companions As A DM

Unsure of how to introduce and act out an animal companion? This guide’s got you covered!

As a Dungeon Master, role-playing a vital component of a character's backstory can be intimidating. This is especially true when a player has an animal companion they bring to the Dungeons & Dragons table. Even if you have a good understanding of how to bring life to your NPCs, animals can be very different.

How do you convey deep emotions and thoughts without them being able to speak? How does their personality differ from other beasts? If you're worried about making an impact with a player's or the party's animal companion, this guide will set you up for success.

What Is An Animal Companion?

You can rightly assume an animal companion is an animal that works with or is loyal to your party of players.

The most typical situation that will introduce anyone to an animal companion is when a Ranger chooses to become a Beast Master for their subclass selection.

At third level, this unlocks a feature called Ranger's Companion, which details what kind of creatures the player can pick from. To simplify it:

• The creature must be Medium in size or smaller.
• The creature must have a Challenge Rating (CR) of 1/4 or lower.

To read about Rangers and Beast Masters, you can find the rules in their entirety in the Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook on page 93 .

Even though that is most likely going to be the situation that introduces you to an animal companion, there are many different scenarios that can arise or that you can cultivate as the DM.

But, no matter how the animal companion ends up with the group, it is ultimately a creature that travels, battles, and stays with the party.

Can Other Classes Use An Animal Companion?

The short answer is absolutely. D&D is very open to players using the rules they like and altering or disregarding the rules they don't.

If you have a player who doesn't have any interest in being a Ranger but would still like an animal companion, there's no reason, as the DM, you can't explore that option with them .

For animal companions, you can rework the class to make room for a feat similar to Ranger's Companion.

Or, you could let them adopt, save, or bring an animal along on the journey, knowing that the player may not be able to have full command over what this creature does.

How To Introduce An Animal Companion

There are two ways to introduce a beast-based best friend to a player or a whole group of them. This is if the player has the companion before the campaign starts or after the campaign has already started.

Once you know some of the technical aspects of how the animal companion came to be in the party, you can then better introduce them to the players and act as this new friend.

If it is before the campaign starts, the player will already know the companion. So, you can then focus solely on what the first impression would be for the rest of the party.

If one of their traits is that this animal companion has been spoiled by the player they start with, then they can show off some attitude . If they are nervous, they can hide behind their humanoid companion .

Consider the following questions when you have a player starting the campaign with an animal companion:

• Will the player be able to command the companion?
• Is the companion more a pet, not participating in combat?
• Do they display certain traits? What are those?

If it is after the campaign starts , you will need to create a scenario for the players to see the animal and be introduced to them.

A popular way to open this option for your party is to have a Bestiary or Pet Shop where your players can visit and adopt a new ally.

Or, as your party is out on their adventures, they may come across an injured or captured animal they want to help or set free.

Consider the following questions when introducing an animal companion after the campaign has begun:

• Does the player(s) have to roll Animal Handling to try to give commands?
• Will the animal fight with the party or flee?
• Does the companion start to trust the party and eventually listen to commands?

How To Act Out An Animal Companion

There are endless ways you can decide to inhabit an animal companion. But having endless options can be daunting, to say the least.

Here are things to keep in mind that will aid you in deciding how you want to bring this pal to life.

Knowing The Character Before The Campaign Starts

If you're acting out an animal companion that has known the character, or even the party, before the campaign starts because of a backstory, consider that this creature could be played with a lot of trust in whoever they are traveling with.

They will have an easier time following commands. Maybe even to a fault. You can have them cuddle with the party at night, pick up on social cues or changes in mood easier. They may even know ways to lift the spirits of their humanoid companion(s).

Do they act spoiled? Get into trouble because they know they can get away with it? Do they copy the mannerisms of their allies? You can play with deep facets of this animal character.

Meeting The Character After The Campaign Starts

On the flip side of that same coin, if an animal companion joins the party after the adventure starts, you can lean into that a great deal.

They can sleep off to the side alone, they might not understand the moods and musings of these humanoids they are traveling with. If food is provided to them, they still go off and hunt.

Are they aloof? Do they wander off on their own? Do they detest humanoid food? Get nervous in big crowds or when entering cities? You can have this be a time of growing pains for the animal companion until they begin to trust the party members more.

Being The Companion Of A Beast Master

If this animal companion is working beside a Ranger who is multiclassed into a Beast Master, there are different ways you can approach this and give special meaning to that relationship.

One way is to make this a working relationship. There can be a time when the animal is "on duty" and "off duty" where they are focused on whatever the day's goals are until their armor is removed for the night and the animal knows they can be more playful. Or maybe they are more serious all the time.

Do they have a clear and deep respect for the Ranger, but refuse to listen to the other party members? Do they raid the party's supplies and health potions to give to their Ranger? It doesn't always have to stay this way, but it can certainly start like this.

Stat Blocks

Use an animal's stat block to guide you in how the animal companion will behave. If the animal has a low intelligence modifier, they won't make the best decisions.

They can keep fighting even if they are surrounded or in danger. They can forget that certain types of enemies resist the damage the animal companion deals.

High-intelligence animals can make more tactical decisions. They would know when to flee or where they would be safe. They can learn how to weaken an enemy or give your players advantage.

Loyalty

Loyalty is an optional rule in D&D, but it's just a concept as well. Just like with NPCs, you can use loyalty to determine how an animal companion will interact with the party.

The optional loyalty rule is on page 93 of the Dungeon Master's Guide .

You can track loyalty with numbers, as the optional rule stats. Each time the party or player does something that helps the companion or makes them happy, you can give them a loyalty point.

If the party or player does something that puts the companion in harm's way or does something the companion doesn't like, then you can remove a loyalty point.

Quirks And Traits

Much like with NPCs, you can give the animal companion different quirks or traits to make them feel more real.

Is the animal companion fascinated by shiny things? You can make them distracted when they see something that catches their eye. Do they hate water? They can refuse to enter water, even if commanded to in combat.

Animal Companions In Combat

While an animal companion is in combat, you have to make similar decisions informed by the enemy, the party, and how you want them to behave when the swords are drawn.

You can use all of the above tips to help make this both realistic and dynamic in terms of how the animal companion feels about the party.

For knowing a character beforehand, you can make it so that the player doesn't even have to issue commands. They know each other so well that the animal companion picks up on what their ally is doing and follows suit.

For joining the party afterward, the animal companion can prioritize themselves or their safety. They may even find situations they decide not to fight in, not knowing what side is best.

If they are the companion of a Beast Master, they can be methodical or very dutiful. Unlike a loyal companion that may break from a command to provide aid, they can stay on task even when their ally is in grave danger.

With stat blocks, you can see what the animal's strengths are and have them use those attacks or actions. You can also have their different stats tell you if they would fight smarter or fight harder.

For loyalty, if they feel a great deal of loyalty to the player or the party, they can defend them fiercely. If they are lacking trust and loyalty, then they can ignore commands and flee.

For quirks and traits, you can make them stop and play with shiny things. Or they can refuse to follow certain commands altogether.

Additional Tips And Homebrew Rules

With the day-to-day roleplay figured out and combat sorted, you can add any additional homebrew rules or situations that fill out the animal companion. The beauty of D&D is it can be anything you want it to be.

Here are some homebrew rules to get you started with your animal companion: