Question about animal companions: How do I handle them as a player, and how do I handle them as a GM?

Question about animal companions: How do I handle them as a player, and how do I handle them as a GM?

Question about animal companions: How do I handle them as a player, and how do I handle them as a GM?

As a player I find that I want to be able to dictate what the animal is doing all the time and I find it annoying when it gets knocked out of combat or hindered in a way that I think doesn’t follow the fiction. How are my animal’s attacks supposed to be handled?

As a GM, well, I’m not sure how I’d handle it because I haven’t played a game with someone using one.  Thoughts?

7 thoughts on “Question about animal companions: How do I handle them as a player, and how do I handle them as a GM?”

  1. Yeah, that’s sort of what I think, too. I have GMed a lot of DW, but I’ve never had a chance to deal with a Ranger and their animal companion. 

    This time I’m actually able to play and I find that when the GM describes my animal companion’s actions it kind of irks me. Basically, I just want to make sure I handle it the “right” way, so that when I have a player use this I know how to handle it.

  2. Agree with Joel. An Animal Companion is an extension of the Ranger. It helps with things the Ranger is doing, granting a bonus when they hunt together, etc.

    Its totally fair for the GM to attack your animal companion, however, if it flows from the fiction. Just like anything else, though, it should start with a soft move, then ask what you do. Your animal companion doesn’t have HP, it is taken out of combat if such happens in the fiction, in the same way that two NPCs fighting would work out. But likewise you can return it to activity with fictional action.

  3. “This time I’m actually able to play and I find that when the GM describes my animal companion’s actions it kind of irks me. “

    This is understandable, on one level, but also, as a player it’s your job to play your character.  Your animal companion is not your character.

    It irks me when friends and family do not do what I want them to do, but then, they’re people, too, with wants and needs and desires.  They’re resources to me, certainly, but out of my direct control.

    The GM is instructed to “be a fan” but also to “use up [your] resources” and so will definitely put your animal companion in danger or use them to mess with you.  Expect this!  Don’t let it wreck your fun if you think they’re doing it wrong, though.  Dungeon World is a conversation.  If the GM is really putting the screws to you via your companion, say something!  Say “hey, my enjoyment of the game is waning a little – I feel deprotagonized!”

    Trust the rules, but talk to your GM about your concerns.

  4. Yeah, I understand what you guys are saying, and you’re absolutely right. I would expect no less than the GM to use their moves when it comes up.

    I hope I don’t sound like I’m the kind of player that doesn’t want the GM to touch me, that’s not it at all. I think it’s more along the lines of what Joel Bethell said, I feel like the GM gets rid of my companion when he doesn’t want to deal with it. I’ve only played two games, so my next step was to speak to the GM.

    I guess I just wanted some idea of how people deal with animal companions since this is new ground for me too.

  5. Yeah as a GM I’ve found the animal companion can be a bit of a pain to work with. Sometimes I create obstacles that the players are easily capable of traversing, but his wolf keeps being a pain. I think he’s going to choose the monstrous companion move next level up though, which will help by giving the wolf some wings.

  6. (Sorry for posting so late on this, just got back from vacation without real internet access, and I’m catching up on back posts in this group)

    My GM & I have ran into this problem in a PbP game we’re playing.  It’s a hard one I think: my character is a gnoll ranger with a young dire hyena as his companion.  It’s got ‘Huge, Tireless, Ferocious’ as strengths, and ‘Stubborn and Savage’ as Weaknesses.  Needless to say, it’s a massive beast (thinking the size of a young adult bear) that’s frightening as all hell.  It would make plenty of sense for the humans we’re jumping on to attack it.

    That said, it is kind of a bummer if all it takes is a soft move (‘The human gets ready to attack your pet’, yeah, I’m being lazy with the example fiction – the GM is much better) and then a bad roll on my part… and suddenly my character has lost what I consider a ‘core’ move of the class.  I’d even dare to say that the Companion is the main ‘move’ of the class – not just from the crunch perspective, but from the story perspective.  To me it’s like the wizard losing the ability to cast spells, which like you’ve said could be interesting every once in a while, but it seems much less likely to happen.

    I think a good middle ground is to have the companion slowly get worn down, rather than taken out entirely.  I’d save taking out the companion entirely(and my GM agrees) for exceptional moments of awesome drama.  Instead maybe you could take a -1 on the benefits to the companion for the scene (or until you get a moment to rest/someone heals the pet) or maybe it flinches and can’t be used for an action.

    I’m actually also running into trying to figure out how to ‘use’ my pets strengths.  The weaknesses are pretty easy when you make a bad roll, but what does ‘Huge, Tireless and Ferocious’ mean?

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