How to Get A Pet in DND
After the popularity of the owlbear and dog in Baldur’s Gate 3, lots of people are asking how to get an animal companion in DnD
One of the greatest joys in Dungeons & Dragons is getting to live out wild imaginary adventures: going on quests, finding lost treasure, and of course…adopting D&D pets. There are a variety of ways to get pets in D&D; you can befriend a wild animal, summon a creature with a magic item, or even create a pet by casting magic spells! We’ll go through all of these options to let you know exactly how you can get a pet in Dungeons & Dragons.
Can You Have An Animal Companion In D&D?
Winter wolves are one of many wild animals in DnD
You can fly on a dragon, summon meteors, and turn into a dinosaur – of course you can have a pet in D&D! The first, and perhaps simplest, way to adopt a pet in the game is to befriend an animal you find in the wild. My party once encountered an ice witch deploying a Winter Wolf to eliminate the party; after defeating the witch, they brought some meat to the weakened wolf and gave him a little boop on the nose. They rolled high enough on their Animal Handling checks that I gave them a party pet!
Unfortunately the dice aren’t always in your favor (and you don’t always have a spare steak on hand). But, in D&D, there’s always magic to help you out. Not only can you cast spells to increase your odds of getting along with a beast; you can also talk to them, explaining that you mean them no harm and only want to bring them along on your adventures and feed them delicious treats. If your character isn’t a spellcasting class, you can still cast these spells – just pick up the Ring of Animal Influence. One of my players used this item to calm down a wild swarm of poisonous snakes; now they slither on his body like living armor and attack any enemies that try to hurt him! And if you prefer pets of the furry variety, you can always nab the Pipes of the Sewers. These let you call all rats within a half-mile radius to you then charm them into being your friends with the power of music.
After taming an animal in D&D, a little bit of magic can help you get the most out of your new furry (or scaly or feathered) friend. The Beast Bond spell lets you speak telepathically with your pet and gives them advantage on attack rolls to creatures close to you. The Animal Messenger spell lets them deliver a message to anybody in a spot you know within 600 miles. But my personal favorite has got to be Beast Sense. Using this spell, you can not only see, hear, and feel through your own body, but through their senses as well. This is great for recon, shaking out an ambush, or even strategically targeting creatures you wouldn’t otherwise be able to see!
Items to Give You A Pet in D&D
You can have a pet dog in DnD…if you roll a 3 on the Rust Bag of Tricks!
Items like the Ring of Animal Influence and the Pipes of the Sewers are great for adopting animals in Dungeons & Dragons, but what if you’re in a place where there are no cute animals in D&D to be found? Luckily, there are a ton of magical items in D&D that let you simply summon a pet from thin air. The Hat of Vermin can summon a Bat, Frog, or Rat. It can be whichever you choose, but you’ll still have to put in the effort to befriend it before it runs away. If you’d rather an already-friendly animal (and don’t mind a little bit of randomness) you can ask your Dungeon Master for a Bag of Tricks. This funky little item lets you pull out balls of fuzz, throw them to the ground, and summon an animal right on the spot – up to three times a day! There are three different types of bags (gray, rust, and tan) with eight unique animals each; these include normal pets, like a weasel, dog, or owl, beast of prey, like a dire wolf, panther, or brown bear, and even giant animals, like a giant hyena, giant boar, or giant badger. If you want to take it one step further and summon rare animals in D&D’s world, you may want to track down a Cube of Summoning. This wondrous Jack-In-The-Box not only lets you summon animals, but also dragons, elementals, fairies, and even living statues!
Magically Summon a D&D Animal Companion
In my humble opinion, a dragon is one of the best pets in DnD
You Dungeon Master may not give you a powerful item like a Cube of Summoning. But if you pick the right spells for your character, you can use them instead and summon your own magical animal in D&D! In my very first campaign, my paladin summoned an otherworldly steed named Frank. In that game, he appeared as a wolf with the galaxy flowing through his fur, but in the new edition, the Find Steed spell lets you pick any animal you can ride. Now, they can heal people, terrify enemies, and even teleport with you! In that campaign, Frank had a friend: a bat creatively named Batty. Our party wizard was able to summon a familiar. In D&D, familiars can carry out your commands, communicate telepathically, and even take a break for a while in a pocket dimension.
Most of the spells that let you summon a pet are exclusive to the Druid and Ranger classes, but they only get better as you level up! Summoning a normal animal, like a lion, eagle, or crocodile, is a simple second-level spell. But once you get third-level spell slots, the new Conjure Animals spell lets you summon a pack of animals with a form you choose (Dungeon Master Zach’s players once used this to conjure a horde of beavers to chew through the rutter of a flaming windmill. You can read about this story – and the tragic tale of the beaver Poopa Stinka – here). Fourth-level spell slots give a druid or ranger the ability to summon aberrations (which includes Beholderkind, Mind Flayers, and Slaad), constructs (which can be made of clay, metal, or stone), and elementals (which are bipedal spirits manifested from air, earth, fire, or water). With fifth-level spells, you’ll be able to summon a full-on dragon, which can breathe down flames (or ice or acid or poison or lightning) upon your enemies!
How to Get A Pet in Dungeons & Dragons
We found some strategic (and chaotic) methods to get your D&D character a pet. But the best method of all is simply to ask your Dungeon Master. Good Dungeon Masters will be able to find you good options in the rules to get what you want, whether it’s a pet owlbear or a sword that kills vampires. Great Dungeon Masters will work with you to create a game that fits you: a pet Pikachu with shock abilities, a custom feat that lets you play as a skeleton, or an epic conclusion to your character’s tragic backstory. And, in my admittedly biased opinion, the DMs at Young Dragonslayers are great Dungeon Masters. We run online games for tweens and teens where we teach you to play D&D, help you create the characters and ideas you want to see, and take you on adventures tailored to your interests and play style! (and yes, we have seen our fair share of pets — in Zach’s case, temporary beaver allies) If this sounds like the best way for you to live out your pet-owning dreams in Dungeons & Dragons, check out our games!
