Puppies & Passageways
Looking for dog and/or puppy rules? Here's what I threw together for my home campaign.
Just as every Dungeon Master has a personal style for running the game, so too do we often have a “signature”—a small element that runs common in many of our campaigns. Something that seems to crop up regardless of the other elements in the story.
Me? I love dogs. Without me specifically planning it, I’ve included dogs as a significant element in the last three campaigns I’ve run—including a streaming game from 2018 that’s still viewable online.
More recently I’ve put together a campaign that includes a few friends from my original game group going back to the 1980s, a heavily modified version of my published adventure A Delve In The Cave. As written, there is an NPC named Vaughn who is a ruthless vintner who incidentally raises and trains mastiffs, who guard his property fiercely and loyally.
In the second session of our campaign the party decided to track some goblin bandits back to a ruined keep they were using as their base of operations, and Vaughn offered his personal guard dog—a huge and well-trained brute named Caliban—to assist the party.
This was a one-time thing, meant to keep the party’s rough combat capabilities the same as six-person group, since another player was going to be joining the following session. But it turns out that the group liked having a big dog with them Very Much, so when negotiating a new contract with Vaughn, the party wizard insisted they get a puppy from the most recent litter.
Enter: Shovelface. It was never part of my original plan, but the group not only obtained a 9-week-old mastiff puppy, but they took it with them into a dark and scary forest.
For your enjoyment, the following are the decisions and rules I used when incorporating these dogs into the game. As with all the material presented here, none of this has been developed or playtested, and is just an example of what I threw together in my own game that might inspire yours. These are meant to be compatible with Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (D&D5e) rules.
Guard Dog
The heroes in my campaign were 2nd level when Vaughn offered his dog’s assistance, which seemed the perfect time to bust out the Sidekick rules from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. I picked the Warrior class for Caliban, grafting its features onto the Mastiff stat block—essentially a simplified fighter. I chose Defender as his martial role, noted his bonus proficiencies, and gave him Second Wind. This dog was ready to take on some goblins.
Puppy
As for the puppy, dubbed “Shovelface” by the party ranger? While I’m not going to deliberately kill off the extremely vulnerable animal (that’s bad karma I don’t need!) I wanted the group to accept take responsibility and think about the little dog in game terms the way they did their own characters.
Being lazy, I did a quick search and found perfectly acceptable Puppy stats on the D&D Wiki. I lowered the pup’s Dexterity score and removed the cute-but-silly Puppy Dog Eyes feature.
But here’s the thing about puppies … they aren’t just little chess pieces you can move around the board. Shovelface is the equivalent of a preschooler with ADHD—boundless energy (until they collapse and require a nap), insatiable curiosity, intense distractibility, and a fleeting attention span. So I decided to mix things up with two elements. The first, easy enough, was to ask for Animal Handling checks from anyone trying to get the puppy to listen and obey. Because he’s young and not yet trained I decide the DC for the checks on the fly but make them rather high, and impose Disadvantage if there’s something calling the puppy’s attention away from the player character.
Secondly, I wanted to add a random element to Shovelface’s behavior, so I created the Puppy Antics Table. Once per in-game hour while the puppy is awake, I ask for a d20 roll from one of the players. Consulting the table, I’ll determine how it applies to the current situation (if at all). Sometimes I ignore the results, other times I’ll distort the meaning to fit what’s going on in the game. This is meant to be inspiration—not rules!
The results are broken up by category: Harmful (1-5), Annoying (6-10), Adorable (11-15), and Helpful (16-20).
Puppy Antics Table (d20)
The puppy's loud barking or whimpering attracts unwanted attention from enemies.
The puppy accidentally damages a minor item belonging to a party member.
The puppy spills a party member's potion or drink, wasting its effects.
The puppy wanders off, forcing the party to spend time searching for it.
The puppy gets tangled in a party member's equipment, causing a delay and requiring time to sort out.
The puppy barks loudly for no apparent reason, interrupting conversations and thoughts.
The puppy tugs on a party member's clothing or shoelaces, demanding attention.
The puppy scatters nearby items, causing a mess.
The puppy whines for food, even if it has just eaten, causing a distraction.
The puppy constantly tries to play, making it hard for the party to focus.
The puppy playfully chases its tail.
The puppy lets out an adorable yawn.
The puppy snuggles up against a party member.
The puppy curiously tilts its head.
The puppy attempts to mimic a party member's action, looking endearingly clumsy.
The puppy accidentally uncovers a hidden item or clue by digging or sniffing around.
The puppy's barking or growling warns the party of an approaching threat.
The puppy's innocent charm helps to ease tensions with a non-hostile NPC.
The puppy offers emotional support to a party member, granting them a small bonus to their next roll.
The puppy's curiosity leads the party to discover a secret passage or shortcut.
This is just a quick example from my home game about how I took an idea from my players and ran with it. If they manage to keep this little dog alive long enough and invest in its training, Shovelface will follow in the footsteps of his sire and become a Sidekick to the party!
Dogs really are the best.
P.S.
This is an unsolicited plug, but if you like D&D and love dogs you should check out Pugmire, a game by my friend Eddy Webb. In this post apocalyptic fantasy setting, dogs have inherited the world left behind by humans, pondering the true meaning of what it is to be a Good Dog. Don’t just take a dog on your adventure—be the dog!
