Stay away from my animal friend, darn it.

[Cespenar]

@OP: By any chance, are your "friends" fans of, or have ever played, Baldur's Gate 2?

[Sliver]

Did you try saying, OOC, that you don't find this fun or amusing, and asking your DM to back you up on this, officially and using words, instead of him just looking at you and leaving you to handle this yourself?

If someone said "I eat his horse!" there is no way I would have accepted that. And if the DM would have been fine with it, I wouldn't think much of him...

If your pals want to have a companion, they need to get one themselves, and taking yours isn't getting one. Buy a cat or a horse. Get the wild companion feat, w/e.

If the monk wants you to share your toy, the cat, then he should share his toys. Cut off his arms and play with them for a while, see who wants to share then.

[nedz]

Four seperate occasions!
It sounds to me like you have a reputation for being wound up over this.

The solution is to change the way you react.
Best solution is just to ignore it, and not play along.

When it happens just react in a bored way and move along to the next thing.

[AstralFire]

I actually think that this sort of thing is great potential for roleplaying humor. But not when it is against what you want, OoCly. This happening so many times seems like it's being intentionally done to provoke a reaction, and they're either too dense to realize you're not enjoying playing the straightman to this zaniness, or they don't care.

You should not be modifying how you're playing to suit them. Tell them, up front, in as clear as terms as you can manage that it's not the type of thing you want to roleplay. Like, "if you don't quit it, I don't want to finish this session," if you have to.

[Vizzerdrix]

Dragon Mag has the monstrous Companion feat. Use it to get a grick, Howler, horrid abomination from the far realms and have it fall madly in love with the offending character. Have it cuddle them in a slimy tentacled embrace every time they fall asleep.


Better yet, play a Spell Sovereign. Now do the above, but with a living spell


Either way, support your familiar's new found love.

[cheezewizz2000]

*cheezewizz2000 is wrong*

All valid points and, if you really can't take it and it is ruining the game for you then asking them to stop/asking the DM to tell them to stop really is the best option.

But, then again, D&D is a game. Games are fun and, as Ralph Wiggum so wisely said, "fun things are fun". My suggestions were made in that spirit: vis a vis - trying to pull the most fun out of this scenario. Sure it makes absolutely no sense that your Celestial Warhorse would like the druid better after you had been though so many battles together as comrades-in-arms. Then again, by the sounds of things, the druid in that scenario was doing the D&D equivalent of slipping the Warhorse a sugar lump and a carrot and brushing its mane every now and then. Sure it's an intelligent creature from the Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia, but then again it is also a horse. They neigh, and trot and like people who give them treats, no matter how good they are at differential calculus. The player can RP a horse that is better friends with the druid than with the player outside of battles, but is still the Paladin's stallwart companion and steed. Hell, that's the plot of basically every buddy movie.

Perhaps this is marred coming from the standpoint of someone who loudly and vehimently made self-depreciating jokes to diffuse bullying that I think the best way to avoid being bullied is to play *with* them rather than *against* them. It's not everybody's cup of tea, and it doesn't work for everybody. I just think that rather than resisting, no matter how passively, you should work with your friends to make the game the most fun it can be, and sometimes playing "their" way rather than "yours" can reveal things that were fun that you had never thought of. Perhaps modifying the way you play to suit them is a (as distinct from "the") way forward.

As I said, it's your class feature, and it's up to you what happens to it. Perhaps if someone else wants a go with the fighter's +2 ungodly sword of doom, the fighter should share. There's bound to be another magic sword kicking around in the party anyway, and the guy who is borrowing the sword will probably realise that it doesn't work so well for them anyway. It is a game after all, and rules of share and share-alike don't end after pre-school.

[AstralFire]

I think it's a great opportunity for comedy, as I said, but if it keeps happening and he's still not enjoying it, he shouldn't make himself tolerate it any longer.

[BlackSheep]

The <insert species here> ignores you.

The <insert species here> looks expectantly at its master.

The <insert species here> growls/hisses/snorts menacingly.

The <insert species here> disappears into the brush.
(You can still see/sense it because of your connection, but it is hidden from the others. It can come back later.)

Seriously, there's nothing that says your animal companion has to engage in conversation with or even be polite to your fellow party members.

As for the familiar thing, aren't Monks supposed to be lawful? Taking someone's spirit-bonded pet "just cuz" sounds like grounds for an alignment change, not to mention arcane retribution.

Seriously, stop being such a mush.

[nedz]

It does sound like a form of mild bullying, and there are many solutions to that problem. You should probably try a few out to see which work best for you.

[Prime32]

I wonder how they'd react to a psicrystal, which is part of the master's mind.

[Narmoth]

Tell the concerned player that you feel entitled to their magical weapon and their class ability. When they start wording their confusion, explain that the animal is a part of the class, just like their class ability, and you will part with it even less than they will part with their magical weapon

What alignment was your Ranger? A CG Ranger might abandon the Barbarian who ate his horse companion... a CN Ranger might put an arrow or two through said Barbarian in his sleep.

Doubtfully. The CG ranger would most likely try the barbarian as well.

[Shademan]

barbarian eating your horse: he has to die. blood for blood! the horse spirit demands vengance!

Monk stealing your cat: The cat is merely expanding his/her slavehold. after all, you humans are expected to serve the cat, in its own mind. Naturally, you are the head-slave, no one else is allowed to touch it. SCRRRRATCH!

druid talking to your divine horse: "Hi, I'm a druid" "sod off, heathen!"

and the whole velociraptor thing: It is a cold blooded servant of nature. only you, it's druid master, is held in high enough regard by it to NOT be turned into (long)porkchops. everyone else....well...

[demidracolich]

if one of my friends try that I would use my "smack annoying player" power.

[Rhydeble]

I really don't know how to reply to this...

On one hand, you have the right to be pissed at these other epople that they are trying to steal your companions.
On the other hand, I find it hilarious.
I propose that this newfound "dragon" of yours wishes to sleep as a dragon should sleep, on treasure. And who else to bugger about his dragon-related needs then that wonderful sorceress that probably has a lot of treasure, there's nothing like guilt-tripping someone into giving all their money to your companion.

[Arbane]

If this keeps happening, it's an OOC problem.

NEVER TRY TO SOLVE AN OOC PROBLEM IC. It almost never works and always makes everyone involved look like a jerk.

TALK TO THE PLAYERS. TALK TO THE GM. I cannot overemphasize this.

And if this is annoying enough to be a deal-breaker, remember the RPGnet Mantra: "No gaming is better than bad gaming."

[Machiavellian]

Make your Animal Friend something that can (and possibly will) kill anyone dumb enough to attack it, such as a Shadow Dragon Wyrmling familair or a Gold Dragon mount, or my personal fave, an Unraveler Elemental Companion

[Anterean]

Paladin's Horse is a Celestial Magical Beast... Speak with Animals won't work. Or, you have the Paladin's Horse (just as Lawful Good as said Paladin) lecture the Druid on her moral failings.

druid talking to your divine horse: "Hi, I'm a druid" "sod off, heathen!"

"This man, <insert character name>, is a devoted and valiant warrior of higher powers. But you... you have no commitment to the cause. Certainly you are better than those who strife the plunge the world into darkness, but have you devotion to actually combat them ? No you are but a sheep to be protected from the wolves"

I never play my paladins like this, but heh it could be fun to have his horse act like this

[The Cat Goddess]

Once, in a D&D game I was playing in (instead of running, for once)... We were using the Greek Pantheon.

One of the characters (a ranger) was approached by an Owl. The Owl was not his Companion, but only there to deliver a message from Athena.

Two of the other players quickly took this up... you see, one followed Hermes, who demanded burnt offerings at a crossroads... the other followed (I think) Aphrodite, who demanded feathers as her offering.

So, they planned (only semi-seriously), to shoot the Owl when it started to fly away... since they were very near a crossroads at the time. They even (clearly joking now) asked the other party members if any of the Owl's body parts would satisfy any other god's worship requirements.

Once the horrified look on the Ranger's player's face faded as he realized they were just joking, he asked the DM to allow him to keep the Owl around (made Handle Animal checks, etc.).

Much to the DM's continued chagrin, the two players would occassionally say things like "hey, the Ranger's asleep... we can grab the Owl now!"

Nothing ever came of it, but I'd imagine that was the most nervous Owl you've ever seen.

[Escheton]

Make out and get it over with?
Sounds like elementary (school) behaviour.

Besides that, players, and characters mess with each other. It's a warped bonding dominance thing. Sucks being the nice guy. Suck it up, take it like a man and keep at it. Good on ya. Looks like you are.

[Greenish]

Make out and get it over with?
Sounds like elementary (school) behaviour.

Besides that, players, and characters mess with each other. It's a warped bonding dominance thing. Sucks being the nice guy. Suck it up, take it like a man and keep at it. Good on ya. Looks like you are.

Squick.

[Escheton]

I shoulda checked my message, why don't I ever check stuff?
Just read it as intended and keep in mind that the other is probably intended as well, just not nearly as much...

[Optimystik]

I actually did try this for a while! But then the player gave me this really forlorn expression when I was challenging the integrity of her character, so I just hung my head and took the crazyness like a man. In the end, I think I only encouraged her.

It's not a matter of "trying it." Those are the rules. Speak With Animals does not affect paladin mounts.

If your group is willing to break the game rules to ruin your fun, you might want to have a long talk before you continue to play with them.

[Loxagn]

I personally would have waited for the barbarian to go to sleep, then polymorph him into a rabbit.
The next morning, have yourself some delicious rabbit stew. Make a point of offering some to the party.

That, or feed him to a dragon. One of the two. If the player gripes, tell him that he may as well have killed and eaten another character's little sister. I don't care what he thinks his justification was, you don't do that. Period.

Have your wizard's cat cozy up to the monk. And then when he's all cuddly-wuddly with it, have it deliver something really nasty in the region of touch attacks. And then maul his face off.

The Paladin's mount is lawful good. The Druid is not. If she keeps bothering him, have him kick her in the face because he 'refuses to associate with a heathen temptress'.

The sorceress is easy enough to take care of. When she goes into a tirade on how the 'dragon' is being mistreated, promptly have it replicate this image.

They will learn.

[aivanther]

I've tried. Doesn't phase her Chaotic Neutral keister. For actually following through with that threat... well, I have trouble bringing myself to actually ever deal damage to another player's character. Which may be part of my problem.


I actually did try this for a while! But then the player gave me this really forlorn expression when I was challenging the integrity of her character, so I just hung my head and took the crazyness like a man. In the end, I think I only encouraged her.



Same problem as with the sorceress and the dinosaur. My best hope with the cat and the monk was to try to pass a series of really unlikely grapple checks.

Uh, you seem to have some self defeating behaviors/thoughts here. You seem to think that other people's problem is yours. It's not. You don't want to deal with this crap, then don't. You aren't "taking the craziness like a man" but taking it like a doormat. Sorry to be harsh, but you seem to have allowed yourself to be taken advantage of at the whim of other people.

If you really want to deal with this, lay down the law. If you are unwilling to do that, IT WILL NOT STOP. The rule for relationships to be successful is that the dissatisfied one has to begin the change. Tell the other player that if they don't stop messing with you, you will cut their character's head off and feed it to the velociraptor. Or the druid that you are convinced that anyone trying to STEAL A GOD'S GIFT TO HIS SERVANT is clearly an evil act, and will get down and dirty if you have to.

[Vaynor]

Monk grabs a cat, cat scratch's Monk's hand/face. Not all cats are nice, cuddly creatures... in fact, most aren't, especially around strangers.

Even better. Monk steals cat and loses class features for committing an unlawful act. Cat then proceeds to beat up the monk (at this point, possibly quite easily).

A housecat might actually kill a monk at level 1.

[Optimystik]

Even better. Monk steals cat and loses class features for committing an unlawful act.

Actually, monks never lose their class features for "falling." They can't advance further, but it's not like they forget all the kung-fu they already know.

[Vaynor]

Actually, monks never lose their class features for "falling." They can't advance further, but it's not like they forget all the kung-fu they already know.

Bah, it's not like a monk could fend off a housecat even with all of his powers anyways.

[Sliver]

Actually, monks never lose their class features for "falling." They can't advance further, but it's not like they forget all the kung-fu they already know.

Hes better off losing everything he learned.

"I take his cat"
"You fall"
"On my feet?"
"It doesn't work like that"

In my head, everybody lols.

[Cinnamonbunnies]

Make out and get it over with?
Sounds like elementary (school) behaviour.

Besides that, players, and characters mess with each other. It's a warped bonding dominance thing. Sucks being the nice guy. Suck it up, take it like a man and keep at it. Good on ya. Looks like you are.

You take it like a man. Gah. Say you build roads, and I take your bulldozer. You feel like a big man now? Gee, sounds like elementary school behaviour, Escheton, how you'd mind someone taking your things. Doesn't sound like you're a man at all.

Then, it's all a game, of course! oh, how unimportant, as opposed to the great quest for monetary compensation, no?

(Well, I suppose you might need a bulldozer to build roads. To be honest, I haven't the clue.)

[Maryring]

Next time you play a character like that, get the Celestial Familiar feat from BoED. Pick a Lantern Archon, Coure Eladrin or Musteval Guardinal companion. Not only are all three great RP companions, but they're also intelligent, good, loyal and honest creatures who would be happy to support you, would stick up for you and would quite clearly express to your party members just how much of a jerk they are being. All of em can speak common and they tend to be smarter than your average druid, barbarian and monk. The musteval have the added bonus of looking like a large mouse.