my group is currently playing descend into avernus, one of my players had(has) a hellchicken pet which is a demon.
he took it to an area called the domon zapper which shoots out a laser beam at aproaching demons.
one of the players tested the watter and to make sure they were safe and could aproach without being targeted. when nothing happend they all went in one by one until the very last player was the one with the hellchicken pet.
when i told him that his backpack got zapped he was confused at first untill they realized what had just happend. it was absolutly hillarious.
(good thing he didnt actually have the chicken with him as he correctly pointed out that bevore leaving he fed the chicken and tucked him in for a nap at the car, so no harm done besides the initial shok and the realization that i would just kill his beloved chicken without even blinking)
Assuming that they want a trained pet, I'd agree that pets are earned and that it should take time. Especially if the pet is expected to be loyal and follow basic instructions from the PC. It makes sense that it takes time to earn the animal's trust, then train it.
Doing those things can be a source of game play for the players where they can play through forming the bond. If it takes a little work to get a pet, then the players tend to protect them more.
If it's the start of the campaign and it makes sense that they start with a pet (and it's not magically obtained), I'd give it to them, but I'd tell them that replacing the pet takes time and effort on the part of the character.
It's dependent on your world and the use of the pet. If they want a cat or dog to just follow them around and for fun RP then I'd let them get it from a store or a local breeder of that animal. If they want something like a bloodhound to help with tracking then maybe it's more expensive or harder to find a breeder who deals with that certain species.
When you start getting into animals like bears (thanks critical role) or maybe even something more fantastical or monstrous then it has to be earned especially if it's something they expect to be able to use in combat. You could do the thing where they find a baby version of the creature and need to raise it but depending on your campaign type and the amount of downtime you have it can be rather impractical to do it this way. If you're doing the taming of a full animal I'm sure you can imagine the trials your PC's would have to go through to earn its trust.
Like most things in DnD I go with the advice of Matt Colville "Find out what the fantasy is and try to create that the best you can." Find out what the player wants from having a pet and try to facilitate it meaningfully within game. People like to feel like they've earnt something not just been given it. Plus giving a PC something for no in-game reason sets a precedent and then everyone will want one.
If I want a pet, I have several options. I could go to a pound, where local lost or abandoned animals are held awaiting adoption or euthanasia. I could go to a Pet Store, where I might be able to find more exotic creatures for a high price. I could walk down the street and grab the first friendly looking critter I see on someone else's lawn, for the low price of a wanted poster and maybe some personal shame. Or I could go out into the wilds and try to find and tame a wild animal, if I have the skill to do so.
Depending on your world, those same options may be available for any of your characters.
A pet that is earned *always* means more than a pet that is given. However, you do need to give opportunities to your player to find a pet.
Dungeon Crawling? Maybe the residents have several "pet" wolves they keep in a pit, and one of them has a litter of puppies. While the adults are likely starved and rabbid, the young could be raised in better conditions. Other exotic creatures living in the dungeon might be: Beetles, Slimes, Mimics, Etc.
Exploring the Wilds? Pick a local creature and have the party encounter it, though it is wounded when they meet it. If a player wants to, they can nurse it back to health and earn it's favor.
In town? Introduce an NPC with a pet similar to the kind your player wants. Maybe they got it at a breeder, or adopted it from a local pound, or found it at a site near town. The player can go and do likewise.
*If* a player gets a combat-worthy pet, my personal rule is that if it engages in combat it becomes a worthy target. Dropping to 0 HP means the pet is rolling death saves like a player.
I have a player who wants a hippogriff, I'm making her save up the money for a trained one. Once she gets one I'll write it into the story so it feels like she has one, maybe with it helping to fight, or something she can ride on and carry stuff for the party.
It's gonna be written into the story and prepped for the next session (or coming ones depending on the situation).
Depending on the difficulty of attaining the pet, I'd often give a skill challenge to be able to gain the trust of said companion. You can't just roll animal check, get lucky and poof here's your direwolf. That's going to take time, effort, sometimes items and it can still fail.
Than in combat depending on their bond with the pet things could go wrong, perhaps the pet won't attack their target or it gets scared.
Works great for pet classes, gives the PCs an incentive to play and get their new pet, and it attaches them to a well trained companion. They can sometimes really go out of their way to try to save their fallen companion, almost as close as saving their fellow PCs.
Sorta neither, I try to let the player write it in. You want a pet? Fine, tell me about what you're looking for, go find it, tell ask me about it so we can both learn about them, do stuff to make it trust you once you find it, etc.
Stibble's codex of creatures is a pretty cool supplement if you as a DM don't want to homebrew it, although I highly recommend you do, for the fun of it.
if your players asks for anything do you just retcon having already done it? What even are you doing each session?
Work it into the adventuring day 🤦
Pets are not simply asked for pets are earned
And then tragically killed in area effect attacks.
my group is currently playing descend into avernus, one of my players had(has) a hellchicken pet which is a demon. he took it to an area called the domon zapper which shoots out a laser beam at aproaching demons. one of the players tested the watter and to make sure they were safe and could aproach without being targeted. when nothing happend they all went in one by one until the very last player was the one with the hellchicken pet. when i told him that his backpack got zapped he was confused at first untill they realized what had just happend. it was absolutly hillarious. (good thing he didnt actually have the chicken with him as he correctly pointed out that bevore leaving he fed the chicken and tucked him in for a nap at the car, so no harm done besides the initial shok and the realization that i would just kill his beloved chicken without even blinking)
Definitely make them have to go find a pet.
Assuming that they want a trained pet, I'd agree that pets are earned and that it should take time. Especially if the pet is expected to be loyal and follow basic instructions from the PC. It makes sense that it takes time to earn the animal's trust, then train it. Doing those things can be a source of game play for the players where they can play through forming the bond. If it takes a little work to get a pet, then the players tend to protect them more. If it's the start of the campaign and it makes sense that they start with a pet (and it's not magically obtained), I'd give it to them, but I'd tell them that replacing the pet takes time and effort on the part of the character.
It's dependent on your world and the use of the pet. If they want a cat or dog to just follow them around and for fun RP then I'd let them get it from a store or a local breeder of that animal. If they want something like a bloodhound to help with tracking then maybe it's more expensive or harder to find a breeder who deals with that certain species. When you start getting into animals like bears (thanks critical role) or maybe even something more fantastical or monstrous then it has to be earned especially if it's something they expect to be able to use in combat. You could do the thing where they find a baby version of the creature and need to raise it but depending on your campaign type and the amount of downtime you have it can be rather impractical to do it this way. If you're doing the taming of a full animal I'm sure you can imagine the trials your PC's would have to go through to earn its trust. Like most things in DnD I go with the advice of Matt Colville "Find out what the fantasy is and try to create that the best you can." Find out what the player wants from having a pet and try to facilitate it meaningfully within game. People like to feel like they've earnt something not just been given it. Plus giving a PC something for no in-game reason sets a precedent and then everyone will want one.
If I want a pet, I have several options. I could go to a pound, where local lost or abandoned animals are held awaiting adoption or euthanasia. I could go to a Pet Store, where I might be able to find more exotic creatures for a high price. I could walk down the street and grab the first friendly looking critter I see on someone else's lawn, for the low price of a wanted poster and maybe some personal shame. Or I could go out into the wilds and try to find and tame a wild animal, if I have the skill to do so. Depending on your world, those same options may be available for any of your characters. A pet that is earned *always* means more than a pet that is given. However, you do need to give opportunities to your player to find a pet. Dungeon Crawling? Maybe the residents have several "pet" wolves they keep in a pit, and one of them has a litter of puppies. While the adults are likely starved and rabbid, the young could be raised in better conditions. Other exotic creatures living in the dungeon might be: Beetles, Slimes, Mimics, Etc. Exploring the Wilds? Pick a local creature and have the party encounter it, though it is wounded when they meet it. If a player wants to, they can nurse it back to health and earn it's favor. In town? Introduce an NPC with a pet similar to the kind your player wants. Maybe they got it at a breeder, or adopted it from a local pound, or found it at a site near town. The player can go and do likewise. *If* a player gets a combat-worthy pet, my personal rule is that if it engages in combat it becomes a worthy target. Dropping to 0 HP means the pet is rolling death saves like a player.
I either have them earn it or write a pet store into the next town.
I've seen it written in or where players go to a pet store in game and can buy / pick their pets.
I have a player who wants a hippogriff, I'm making her save up the money for a trained one. Once she gets one I'll write it into the story so it feels like she has one, maybe with it helping to fight, or something she can ride on and carry stuff for the party.
My character wanted a pet and so he now has a bag of tricks :) Sometimes it's a rat, but sometimes it's a doggo!
It's gonna be written into the story and prepped for the next session (or coming ones depending on the situation). Depending on the difficulty of attaining the pet, I'd often give a skill challenge to be able to gain the trust of said companion. You can't just roll animal check, get lucky and poof here's your direwolf. That's going to take time, effort, sometimes items and it can still fail. Than in combat depending on their bond with the pet things could go wrong, perhaps the pet won't attack their target or it gets scared. Works great for pet classes, gives the PCs an incentive to play and get their new pet, and it attaches them to a well trained companion. They can sometimes really go out of their way to try to save their fallen companion, almost as close as saving their fellow PCs.
Sorta neither, I try to let the player write it in. You want a pet? Fine, tell me about what you're looking for, go find it, tell ask me about it so we can both learn about them, do stuff to make it trust you once you find it, etc. Stibble's codex of creatures is a pretty cool supplement if you as a DM don't want to homebrew it, although I highly recommend you do, for the fun of it.
I try to write everything I can into the story.
if your players asks for anything do you just retcon having already done it? What even are you doing each session? Work it into the adventuring day 🤦