Animal Companions - Beast of Burden.... or Just a Burden?

We've all been there: your party is traveling to a clear "Big Boss" segment of the adventure, and you need to sneak through a prison, traverse a mountain side, or slink through a series of tunnels unseen... But your friend across the table brought "Frannie" the Wild Boar along and now the party has to figure out how to get where they're going without Frannie becoming someone's side of bacon tomorrow morning. Is all of this really worth it?

Yes. It is. 100%.

So why, in this humble gamer's opinion, are animal companions one of the best additions to a campaign? There are plenty of reasons you may want to capture and tame an animal companion. Maybe you are looking for a wolf to come along and help defeat your enemies in battle. Or perhaps you're a Wizard with a small raven or lizard that you can communicate with and gather intel from without being seen. Perhaps you're an Assassin who is particularly skilled at taming venomous snakes for your poisons, or simply to slither into the chamber of your target and do your dirty work for you. The point is that no matter what your task is as a Player Character, that task can at some point benefit from the assistance an animal companion can provide. With that, let's go through some pro's and con's of having an animal companion, along with some practical examples of how the Rise system allows you to utilize our furry and feathered little friends.

Pros

There are a plethora of reasons you may want to acquire an animal companion at some point during a Rise campaign. Here are a few to consider:

• Battle - Ever wish you could get one more hit in after your turn was over? Well depending on your animal companion, you can do just that. The feeling of triumph you get when you miss with your arrow, but your wolf lunges at the enemy's throat and strikes the killing blow is just unparalleled. And funnily enough it comes with a sense of pride, that the animal companion you've groomed for battle is so adept at it.

• Distraction - Animal companions that follow direction can be a huge help when you're in desperate need of a distraction. When you're surrounded by a group of thugs or mercenaries in the middle of an abandoned village, a hawk swooping in from nowhere to rake the eyes of the group's leader can provide just the distraction needed to slip away while the chaos is erupting.

• Scout / Lookout - How many times have you found yourself stuck keeping watch after a long hard day of battle and travel. While your comrades are resting peacefully, regaining their surges and heroic powers, you're stuck keeping an eye out for a random attack or theft in the night. Not if you've brought your trusty fox with you your not! Often in need of less rest than you or your party members, animal companions can provide trusty lookouts and depending on how invested you are in the Animal Handling competency, you may even be able to send them into an unknown area and find out if you're about to walk into a trap.

Cons

It's not all glory and success for those of us who choose to take on an animal companion. There are a few drawbacks to becoming friends with the Fauna in Rise.

• Investment and Sacrifice - Animal companions don't just show up one day and grow up all on their own. It takes time, effort, and point investment to make the most of an animal companion. While it can pay off, many aren't willing to sacrifice the other cool powers and abilities that can be gained by investing points in themselves rather than into furthering their bond with their animal companion. This is a down side, but a really cool function of the Rise gaming system and how it mirrors experience in the real world. If you decide to ignore your animal companion, they may leave or turn on you. In order to keep the bond alive and further the progression of your companion you truly need to invest your character into that bond and focus your time and energy into building it.

• Experience Points - Somewhat tying into the sacrifice aspect of animal companionship, is the rate that you gain experience. Each GM may adjust the amount, but typically in Rise your player character will gain experience slower than the rest of your party if you have an animal companion with you. This is due to the fact that at each level up both you and your animal companion gain a level and get stronger. As such, you may find yourself a level or two behind the rest of the party (but they don't have an awesome wolverine there to keep them company while they're playing with their level ups!)

• Difficult Situations - There will inevitably be situations where you find yourself trying to find ways to stay close by your animal companion. A hawk doesn't do well climbing through caves or in dungeons, and I know from personal experience how difficult it can be to hoist an alligator into a castle window.

With all of the possibilities open to you in a game of Rise, you may decide that the pros outweigh the cons and would like to take on an animal companion. I have personally made the decision to do so in almost all of my campaigns, and I've found it to be both challenging and fulfilling to nurture and care of something that does the same for your character. But it's definitely not for everyone. What it boils down to is what make your personal game more fun. As I've mentioned before, we're all playing to have fun, right? Just remember, that if you're one of those who choose not to take on an animal companion, you will be happy you went through the hassle of helping your friend manage theirs when Frannie the Wild Boar skewers the Orc that was about to cut your throat from behind!

- Have Fun, Be Vigilant, and Stay Gaming -

Jogi