General Behavior of Followers

   This section pertains to animal followers, as do the three sections which follow--Training Animal Followers, Follower Loyalty, and Parting Company. Information relevant to human and demihuman followers can be found in the last section of this chapter.

   What exactly does an animal follower do, anyway?

   At first, animal followers do little more than that--they follow. While an avian follower may perch on the ranger's shoulder for a few miles or a dog may scout up ahead, for the most part, followers linger behind, keeping perhaps 10-20 feet between themselves and the ranger.

   In general, an animal follower attempts to accompany the ranger wherever he goes. If the ranger enters a cave, the follower goes in after him. If the ranger paddles a canoe, the follower attempts to swim alongside. If the follower can't swim, it waits on shore for the ranger to return. If the follower is too big to squeeze through an underground passage, it may surface and wait for the ranger outside.

   Likewise, if a ranger moves at a pace faster than the follower can maintain, the follower will attempt to pursue as best it can. When a ranger interrupts his travels--for instance, if he stops to camp--he may give the lagging follower enough time to catch up. If a follower is unable to rejoin the ranger because of a lost trail (the animal hasn't seen the ranger in several days and can no longer track him), physical barriers (the animal is incapable of following the ranger across a vast river) or inhospitable terrain (a seafaring ranger has left for the shore, abandoning a water-breathing follower), the follower is considered to be released; see the Parting Company section below for details.

Routine Activities

   For the most part, an animal follower can take care of itself. Assuming there's an adequate supply of game or edible vegetation in the area, the animal will hunt or graze as necessary to keep itself fed. It will find its own water, keep itself groomed, and rest when tired. If the ranger marches by day and rests by night, nocturnal animals will either reverse their normal sleeping patterns and sleep when the ranger sleeps, or sleep by day and catch up with the ranger in the evening.

   In extreme circumstances, an animal follower may depend on the ranger for routine care. If an animal follower accompanies a ranger into a city or other area where it's unable to hunt, the ranger will probably have to supply food. In a hot desert, a ranger may need to share his water. Wounded or ailing animals sometimes require medical attention. If an animal fails to receive adequate care, it may abandon the ranger (see the Parting Company section).

   As an animal becomes more attached to a ranger, it may require extra attention or reassurance. Usually, an animal lets the ranger know when it needs attention by rubbing against him, frolicking in front of him, or whining incessantly. Usually, a ranger can soothe an anxious animal follower by playing with it for a few minutes, offering some comforting words, or stroking its fur. If the ranger makes a habit of ignoring a follower, it may abandon him.

Procreation

   Most healthy animals have a powerful instinct to procreate. On occasion, a follower will disappear into the wilderness to seek a mate. Usually, the follower returns in a few hours, or at most, a few days. However, so strong is the urge that the follower may abandon the ranger altogether if it has to travel long distances to find a suitable partner. Also, the quest for a mate is not without risk; a male follower may die while fighting a rival for the attentions of a desirable female (which may account for why some followers mysteriously disappear and never come back). But more often than not, a follower will complete its liaison without incident, rejoining its ranger unharmed and content.

   Should a female animal follower give birth, the offspring don't automatically become followers. Initially, offspring are considered "followers" of the parent, as their relationship with their mother more or less parallels the mother's relationship with the ranger. As the offspring mature, they may wander away to start lives of their own, or they may stay and become followers, as decided by the DM. Offspring who become followers count against the ranger's normal limit.

Combat

   Animal followers will rarely defend their rangers against attack unless trained to do so (see the Training Followers section below), especially if the opposition is supernatural or uses fire. In general, a follower is mainly concerned with its own safety, fighting only when necessary to protect itself. An exceptionally violent animal may relish any opportunity to attack, and some will stand guard over or attempt to drag away their incapacitated ranger, but most of the time, a follower is more likely to take cover or retreat than engage in combat. The DM determines the combat reactions of a follower just as he would for any animal in the game.

Communication

   When a ranger acquires an animal follower, he gains no special way of communicating with it. Unless the ranger trains the creature to respond to specific vocal sounds or physical signals, the follower passively accompanies the ranger on his travels, oblivious to his commands.

Reactions to Others

   Animal followers feel loyal and friendly to their rangers. Most animal followers would no more harm their rangers than they would their own mothers. A follower would be unlikely to retaliate violently if the ranger mistreated it; instead, the follower would simply leave.

   The ranger's presence has a calming influence on wild animal followers which tempers their reactions to the ranger's other companions. The animal followers will generally leave other player characters alone, so long as the PCs keep their distance and don't antagonize them. However, if a PC comes too close to a lion, tiger, or other wild animal follower, the follower may respond with a warning snarl or even a swipe of the paw. If the PC doesn't get the message, the follower may attack. Such an attack continues until the PC withdraws or the ranger intervenes. If the ranger has trained the follower to attack only when ordered, fellow PCs won't have to worry about assaults. Otherwise, the ranger's companions are advised to keep their distance. Even a ranger will not approach a predatory follower just after it has made a kill.

  Naturally docile animals, such as sheep and mice, pose no threat to the party. Neither do domesticated creatures, such as farm animals and pets. Unless a trained animal is responding to its ranger's commands, the DM will decide how docile followers react, exactly as he does for followers that are wild animals.

   Wild animal followers respond to non-player characters in much the same way as they do the ranger's companions; that is, they ignore NPCs who keep their distance and make no hostile actions, but may attack NPCs who get too close or threaten them. Docile animals respond timidly to unfamiliar NPCs, possibly cowering behind the ranger or seeking cover.

   A ranger's calming influence also extends to followers who would normally consider each other predator and prey. If a deer and a lion are both among a ranger's followers, they co-exist harmoniously so long as they remain with the ranger. Though it's unlikely the pair would cuddle up together to go to sleep, neither would the lion eat the deer. At the same time, the lion follower would consider all other deer fair game, hunting them as necessary to satisfy its hunger. Should the ranger abandon or dismiss his lion and deer followers, the animals would shortly revert to their natural states, and the deer might stand a good chance of becoming the lion's next meal.

Disadvantages

   Animal followers provide many benefits to rangers, but there can be drawbacks as well. Here are a few typical complications, which the DM can use to add color to a campaign, serve as story springboards, or enliven an otherwise routine encounter.

· Some animals attract predators. A rat follower could attract a giant snake, or a boar follower might lure a hungry dragon. The ranger and his companions could be ambushed along with the followers.

· Certain followers may be sought by hunters and collectors. A weasel follower with lustrous ivory fur might prove irresistible to unprincipled sportsmen. A renegade wizard could target the party to get her hands on the feathers of a black owl follower, which she needs for a spell component. Rustlers might assault a party just to steal a ranger's horse follower.

· The presence of unusual followers may make NPCs less likely to deal with the party. A traveler may hesitate to share information when a growling bear lurks in the background. A giant eagle fluttering overhead could discourage a merchant from trading with the PCs. The DM may modify an NPC's reaction by as much as -4 when disconcerting, threatening, or obnoxious animal followers are present.

· Some animals have habits which can make life uncomfortable, if not downright miserable, for the ranger and his companions. A filthy hyena follower might smell so bad that it makes the PCs' eyes burn. A parrot follower may insist on keeping the party up all night with its incessant chatter. A curious squirrel follower could pick the pocket of a slumbering wizard, steal a crucial spell component, then bury it in the forest.

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