Companions & Familiars
Companions and familiars should add personality, scouting, utility, and emotional stakes without doubling a player's turn or stealing another character's role.
- Identify the source of the companion: spell, class feature, story reward, purchase, rescue, or bond.
- Clarify who controls it at the table and what orders or instincts govern it.
- Define what it can do safely in exploration, social scenes, travel, and combat.
- Respect the rules source first, then make rulings for edge cases consistently.
- Give important companions needs, fears, and reactions without making them constant liabilities.
Familiars are best as scouts, messengers, helpers, and personality beats. Protect their limits so they do not become risk-free solutions to every scene.
Animals need handling, safety, food, and believable instincts. Reward care and training, but let danger feel real.
A rescued creature, awakened ally, or bonded mount should have a reason to stay and a reason the party cares.
Control should be explicit. Decide whether the player, GM, or rules source directs the creature before a tense scene begins.
Risk should be honest. A companion that scouts, blocks, attacks, or carries important items can also be noticed, harmed, delayed, separated, or frightened.
Spotlight should be protected. If the companion regularly gets the most interesting choices, convert it into an NPC relationship or reduce its mechanical footprint.
If a companion becomes a full participant in every fight, consider whether it should be handled as a sidekick, hireling, or NPC instead.