I had a PC who wanted a penguin companion. I said ok and I found a way to make it work. She'll have to work towards it, but it will happen. (Battle Penguin otherwise known as a Warguin is now a thing btw)
Now, I got a dragonborn wizard who wants to be able to fly and to have a pet bear she can talk to...who can also fly....
I told her I don't think i can make it work (unless she gets an object that grants flight and multiclass as a ranger) but if I find a way to make it work...is that to much? Am i giving in to much as a DM? Thoughts?
But...a flying bear companion? I mean I get wanting to reward them but...that just seems extreme. As soon as she asked for it another asked for a unicorn...where does it end?
I had a PC who wanted a penguin companion. I said ok and I found a way to make it work. She'll have to work towards it, but it will happen. (Battle Penguin otherwise known as a Warguin is now a thing btw)
Now, I got a dragonborn wizard who wants to be able to fly and to have a pet bear she can talk to...who can also fly....
I told her I don't think i can make it work (unless she gets an object that grants flight and multiclass as a ranger) but if I find a way to make it work...is that to much? Am i giving in to much as a DM? Thoughts?
Wow okay..so huh ya. I'm assuming the penguin companion is for a ranger, in that case, I would just reskin the nearest already existing creature and give it some penguin like abilities like a swim speed.
Wings on a dragon born are easy enough, a few levels of dragon sorcerer or the wings feat from the upcoming Xanadars Guide to Everything (Seriously if those didn't make it I am going to be upset). The bear is.. a weird request but technically a few good rolls of handle animal checks and she may be able to tame it, she can talk to it all she wants but it probably won't talk back to her unless she finds some way to uplift it. Flying on a bear is...odd, they are not really built for it and a bear waking up with the ability to fly will probably die of fright more than anything else, but I would say a custom magic item would be the easiest way to handle that. But really it sounds like they are messing with you, or are like 6 to 12-year-olds.
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GM of The Bonus Role - We are playing a 5E game set in my homebrew world of Audra check us out Sunday's at 10 AM CST and follow us at the following social media links. https://www.twitch.tv/thebonusrole @BonusRole
The penguin thing I worked out easily enough. I just homebrewed a new creature with stats. Yeah its for a ranger.
I told them I can make them fly. Like you said magic item is easy. The Bear thing....i don't know. She wants a companion I guess. She isn't messing with me, but they're new players in a fantasy setting and I'm still to much a newbie that I don't know how to explain that just because it's fantasy it doesn't mean it doesn't have limitations. I can't just poof a flying bear into existence without a little work.
The Bear thing....I don't know. She wants a companion I guess. She isn't messing with me, but they're new players in a fantasy setting and I'm still so much a newbie that I don't know how to explain that just because it's fantasy it doesn't mean it doesn't have limitations. I can't just poof a flying bear into existence without a little work.
Black bear with 12 Dex, 13 Str, no natural armor, a 30-foot flying speed, -1 damage on each attack, and a CR recalculation. Flavor to taste.
For your wizard, suggest that she learns Find Familiar. If and when she tries to summon a bear, have a Tressym appear. (For those without SKT, flying cats)
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
there's a point at which, if one gives away too much, what one gives loses it value. there's also a point wherein one should stop saying yes to everything.
but if this flying bear is to exist, it should be a reward for a seriously, seriously hard campaign, such as an extremely rare artifact in the horde of the multiverse's greatest collector or something, guarded by an entire dragonflight.
For your wizard, suggest that she learns Find Familiar. If and when she tries to summon a bear, have a Tressym appear. (For those without SKT, flying cats)
Edited for spelling
Or like some homebrew winged pigmy bear...thats actually a really cute idea in my head now.
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GM of The Bonus Role - We are playing a 5E game set in my homebrew world of Audra check us out Sunday's at 10 AM CST and follow us at the following social media links. https://www.twitch.tv/thebonusrole @BonusRole
You and your players have to decide what's best for your group, but I certainly wouldn't allow any of that nonsense in my campaign. Even if magic can erase the lines between the possible and the impossible, I think there needs to be clear lines around what is probable,plausible or believable. I wouldn't want to play with players who prefer a cartoony play-land. If you and your players want to play a humorous AdvenureTime-like campaign, then that's up to you and there's no reason not to give players ludicrous powers and gifts. Just remember that players need to enjoy the game, but that doesn't mean giving them everything they want. It is boundaries and rules which define a game - succeeding within the framework of a game is what makes it fun.
It sounds pretty ridiculous but I guess that's the magic of D&D. You can do whatever you want. How about making it a spirit or something. Make it so only that PC can see it and speak with it. Maybe make it so that the spirit can take any form it so chooses.
It sounds pretty ridiculous but I guess that's the magic of D&D. You can do whatever you want. How about making it a spirit or something. Make it so only that PC can see it and speak with it. Maybe make it so that the spirit can take any form it so chooses.
I would probably ask this player a few honest questions: - How does this flying bear fits into the story of the character itself? - What would she want to do mechanically speaking with said bear (does she wants it to fight alongside her? just be a fluffy furry moving/flying bed? be a scout for the group?)? - How far would her character go in order to obtain what she seeks? Bonus - Did she just fell in love with Trinket from Critical Role? (joking :P)
For sake of argument, I would suggest (as others did, I believe) to make this an actual quest. After the end of the story your are currently playing, or along it, the party might stumble upon an old tome of legends or rituals, in this tome the legend/ritual to find/create this fabled flying bear (or a generic companion creature of choice) is detailed. This is an adventure seed to kick off a possible downtime adventure in the campaign you are playing, and give the sense that time between parts of the main quest passes.
Also, just as an additional thing, I personally am always open to try and accomodate the players wishes, but there needs to be a sufficient counterbalance. I.e., in this case, I would have the sorceress need to permanently sacrifice part of her sorceress points pool (like 1 or 2) or one spell slot. Either of these things might seem exaggerated, but if she wants the bear as a fighting companion, and speaking, and flying etc., effectively some sort of "improved" version of a familiar, then she needs to "lose" something in return, imho.
Just my view on the issue :) never say no, always say ok and then begin the barrage of questions :P
It will be a side quest. (Kind of inspired by Critical Role), a rogue wizard from the major college was ejected from the major council for doing experimental and dark magic on animals.
Blah blah blah army of hybrid creatures under his control, blah blah blah, save the countryside from these creatures, blah blah blah kill the wizard, a surviving creature is a bear with wings and bam flying bear she has to tame. I told her its going to be awhile before she can get it (she doesnt know how) and shes fine with it.
It will be a side quest. (Kind of inspired by Critical Role), a rogue wizard from the major college was ejected from the major council for doing experimental and dark magic on animals.
Blah blah blah army of hybrid creatures under his control, blah blah blah, save the countryside from these creatures, blah blah blah kill the wizard, a surviving creature is a bear with wings and bam flying bear she has to tame. I told her its going to be awhile before she can get it (she doesnt know how) and shes fine with it.
Sounds fair :) I'd still ask her what she intends to use it for and what she expects from it, just to make sure not to give something potentially too powerful for the risks they are taking.
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Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
Just make it a cross between a Bear and a Griffon and give it Griffon wings :). You could make an adventure of it, some mad wizard obsessed with creating Chimera like creatures and the group rescues the Briffon (or Bearfon) :P
Personally, as DM I don't mind players wanting things as long as they are willing to:
1) Work for it
2) Continue to earn what they have
3) Protect whatever it is they hav
My challenge with flying, it makes a lot of challenges too easy. So you need to get creative to keep the challenge level just right (and that doesn't mean they are always walking indoors with low ceilings :P).
Pets are great, because those you can target and hit hard, groups will scramble to protect the pet (and expend resources doing so). If they don't then the pet dies.
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Just make it a cross between a Bear and a Griffon and give it Griffon wings :). You could make an adventure of it, some mad wizard obsessed with creating Chimera like creatures and the group rescues the Briffon (or Bearfon) :P
Personally, as DM I don't mind players wanting things as long as they are willing to:
1) Work for it
2) Continue to earn what they have
3) Protect whatever it is they hav
My challenge with flying, it makes a lot of challenges too easy. So you need to get creative to keep the challenge level just right (and that doesn't mean they are always walking indoors with low ceilings :P).
Pets are great, because those you can target and hit hard, groups will scramble to protect the pet (and expend resources doing so). If they don't then the pet dies.
that gave me an idea -- Hostage situation: NPC who knows the party well and has seemingly been a friend to them for a while is intimate enough to know the importance of said pet/companion and kidnaps it for a ransom of sorts from the party (or maybe the NPC itself isn't really evil but itself is captured and gives up this info to another villain who uses this as leverage against the party).
Why should it end? If your players get what they want, and they feel like they did something in-character to earn it, and you make the campaign in such a way that the players getting what they want is the "right" thing rather than the "ruined all my plans" thing (i.e. "Yes, you can eventually fly and have a flying bear companion... you're going to need it in the Kingdoms in the Sky portion of the campaign."), then no problems ever arise.
The problem can be, however, that your preferred threshold of fantastical elements is different from that of your players, which would be a group compatibility issue. That's usually what is happening when someone says "You want what? That's [insert word like "silly" or "stupid" that gets used because people, in general, have a hard time expressing "that's not what I'm into" without falsely equating that with something being objectively not good]", and the solution comes in two parts: Part 1) Talk with the group about not wanting such a high threshold of fantastical elements because maybe they are fine with using your preferred threshold, and Part 2) If an agreement can't be made by Part 1, part ways and find compatible players.
And for some advice, here is one of my go-to responses when a player asks for something that some might consider outlandish that doesn't mesh with the campaign ideas I've got in mind; "I'm going to write that down (and yes, actually do write it down, don't lie about it). It might not work out for later in this campaign, but I will make sure the next campaign will benefit from including it. (And don't make that a lie either.)"
I'm working on how to make it work. I've got the penguin in and the Bear is a work in progress. Its mainly just an issue of "how the hell do I do this?"
I'm working on how to make it work. I've got the penguin in and the Bear is a work in progress. Its mainly just an issue of "how the hell do I do this?"
But is there anytime you do just say no?
Hi Adorian,
Saying no is part of the balance of the game for sure. Here is a great video I recently found that talk about the different kind of DMs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-vH9P25U9Y&t=923s also, sometimes it's a group discussion with the game on hold. For example, I've had a conversation with the group saying, "Hey Guys, I know flying is awesome, I have trouble making challenging sessions at this level if you can fly. So maybe in the future the group may get flying powers. After all if in the Lord of the Rings they all could fly, they'd just fly to the volcano, drop the ring, and be done with it all. Heck, I'm still wondering why the Eagles only 1/2 assed it for the sake of Middle Earth".
The other part you mention, "how the hell do I do this?". I've had that challenge in the past before as well. Sometimes it's a conversation between sessions with a player. Not to necessarily help you craft the story, but to brainstorm why that idea is important and to get a sense of the commitment level of the player (do they REALLY want that or it's like, "yeah it'd be neat to have this flying bear"). I've even brainstormed with the player at an abstract level (after all I want the players surprised by how things happen).
Lastly, Adorian11, that's why we're here :P. You can always spitball ideas on forums like this, with people who have fun figuring out "How the hell do I do this?" :) and still keep the solution process away from your players (unless they are watching the forums like a hawk :P)
Hope this helps!
Envaris
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I had a PC who wanted a penguin companion. I said ok and I found a way to make it work. She'll have to work towards it, but it will happen. (Battle Penguin otherwise known as a Warguin is now a thing btw)
Now, I got a dragonborn wizard who wants to be able to fly and to have a pet bear she can talk to...who can also fly....
I told her I don't think i can make it work (unless she gets an object that grants flight and multiclass as a ranger) but if I find a way to make it work...is that to much? Am i giving in to much as a DM? Thoughts?
Rule Number [probably somewhere around 17]: Make the things the players want be the treasure they get when they finish an adventure successfully.
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Tooltips (Help/aid)
But...a flying bear companion? I mean I get wanting to reward them but...that just seems extreme. As soon as she asked for it another asked for a unicorn...where does it end?
Wings on a dragon born are easy enough, a few levels of dragon sorcerer or the wings feat from the upcoming Xanadars Guide to Everything (Seriously if those didn't make it I am going to be upset). The bear is.. a weird request but technically a few good rolls of handle animal checks and she may be able to tame it, she can talk to it all she wants but it probably won't talk back to her unless she finds some way to uplift it. Flying on a bear is...odd, they are not really built for it and a bear waking up with the ability to fly will probably die of fright more than anything else, but I would say a custom magic item would be the easiest way to handle that. But really it sounds like they are messing with you, or are like 6 to 12-year-olds.
GM of The Bonus Role - We are playing a 5E game set in my homebrew world of Audra check us out Sunday's at 10 AM CST and follow us at the following social media links.
https://www.twitch.tv/thebonusrole
@BonusRole
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Tooltips (Help/aid)
The penguin thing I worked out easily enough. I just homebrewed a new creature with stats. Yeah its for a ranger.
I told them I can make them fly. Like you said magic item is easy. The Bear thing....i don't know. She wants a companion I guess. She isn't messing with me, but they're new players in a fantasy setting and I'm still to much a newbie that I don't know how to explain that just because it's fantasy it doesn't mean it doesn't have limitations. I can't just poof a flying bear into existence without a little work.
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Tooltips (Help/aid)
For your wizard, suggest that she learns Find Familiar. If and when she tries to summon a bear, have a Tressym appear. (For those without SKT, flying cats)
Edited for spelling
Tooltips | Snippet Code | How to Homebrew on D&D Beyond | Subclass Guide | Feature Roadmap
Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
there's a point at which, if one gives away too much, what one gives loses it value. there's also a point wherein one should stop saying yes to everything.
but if this flying bear is to exist, it should be a reward for a seriously, seriously hard campaign, such as an extremely rare artifact in the horde of the multiverse's greatest collector or something, guarded by an entire dragonflight.
GM of The Bonus Role - We are playing a 5E game set in my homebrew world of Audra check us out Sunday's at 10 AM CST and follow us at the following social media links.
https://www.twitch.tv/thebonusrole
@BonusRole
You and your players have to decide what's best for your group, but I certainly wouldn't allow any of that nonsense in my campaign. Even if magic can erase the lines between the possible and the impossible, I think there needs to be clear lines around what is probable, plausible or believable. I wouldn't want to play with players who prefer a cartoony play-land. If you and your players want to play a humorous AdvenureTime-like campaign, then that's up to you and there's no reason not to give players ludicrous powers and gifts. Just remember that players need to enjoy the game, but that doesn't mean giving them everything they want. It is boundaries and rules which define a game - succeeding within the framework of a game is what makes it fun.
It sounds pretty ridiculous but I guess that's the magic of D&D. You can do whatever you want. How about making it a spirit or something. Make it so only that PC can see it and speak with it. Maybe make it so that the spirit can take any form it so chooses.
- How does this flying bear fits into the story of the character itself?
- What would she want to do mechanically speaking with said bear (does she wants it to fight alongside her? just be a fluffy furry moving/flying bed? be a scout for the group?)?
- How far would her character go in order to obtain what she seeks?
Bonus - Did she just fell in love with Trinket from Critical Role? (joking :P)
Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
Funny enough...
It will be a side quest. (Kind of inspired by Critical Role), a rogue wizard from the major college was ejected from the major council for doing experimental and dark magic on animals.
Blah blah blah army of hybrid creatures under his control, blah blah blah, save the countryside from these creatures, blah blah blah kill the wizard, a surviving creature is a bear with wings and bam flying bear she has to tame. I told her its going to be awhile before she can get it (she doesnt know how) and shes fine with it.
I'd still ask her what she intends to use it for and what she expects from it, just to make sure not to give something potentially too powerful for the risks they are taking.
Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
Just make it a cross between a Bear and a Griffon and give it Griffon wings :). You could make an adventure of it, some mad wizard obsessed with creating Chimera like creatures and the group rescues the Briffon (or Bearfon) :P
Personally, as DM I don't mind players wanting things as long as they are willing to:
1) Work for it
2) Continue to earn what they have
3) Protect whatever it is they hav
My challenge with flying, it makes a lot of challenges too easy. So you need to get creative to keep the challenge level just right (and that doesn't mean they are always walking indoors with low ceilings :P).
Pets are great, because those you can target and hit hard, groups will scramble to protect the pet (and expend resources doing so). If they don't then the pet dies.
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How do you get a one-armed goblin out of a tree?
Wave!
Why should it end? If your players get what they want, and they feel like they did something in-character to earn it, and you make the campaign in such a way that the players getting what they want is the "right" thing rather than the "ruined all my plans" thing (i.e. "Yes, you can eventually fly and have a flying bear companion... you're going to need it in the Kingdoms in the Sky portion of the campaign."), then no problems ever arise.
The problem can be, however, that your preferred threshold of fantastical elements is different from that of your players, which would be a group compatibility issue. That's usually what is happening when someone says "You want what? That's [insert word like "silly" or "stupid" that gets used because people, in general, have a hard time expressing "that's not what I'm into" without falsely equating that with something being objectively not good]", and the solution comes in two parts: Part 1) Talk with the group about not wanting such a high threshold of fantastical elements because maybe they are fine with using your preferred threshold, and Part 2) If an agreement can't be made by Part 1, part ways and find compatible players.
And for some advice, here is one of my go-to responses when a player asks for something that some might consider outlandish that doesn't mesh with the campaign ideas I've got in mind; "I'm going to write that down (and yes, actually do write it down, don't lie about it). It might not work out for later in this campaign, but I will make sure the next campaign will benefit from including it. (And don't make that a lie either.)"
I've never had a player refuse that arrangement.
I've started doing that.
I'm working on how to make it work. I've got the penguin in and the Bear is a work in progress. Its mainly just an issue of "how the hell do I do this?"
But is there anytime you do just say no?
Want to see Virtual Table Top like no other before it built within DnDBeyond.com? Upvote the feature request. It's 2nd highest voted so far:
https://dndbeyond.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/115008597088-Virtual-Tabletop-Gameboard
NOTE: You will need to setup a zendesk account (which is not your DnDBeyond.com account, the team uses this 3rd party software). It's easy to do and your votes are needed!