Cats?

[Kronibas]

Best Armageddon pet story ever:

When Markua Kadius tried to keep a silt louse as a pet in a chest full of silt.

...it got bigger.  A lot bigger.

[Qzzrbl]

>kill gurth

>get shell

>put shell pack

There's your pet.

[BlackMagic0]

>kill gurth

>get shell

>put shell pack

There's your pet.

That is funny. Alot of my characters keept gurths as pets, in their apartments. haha!

[musashi]

>kill gurth

>get shell

>put shell pack

There's your pet.

That is funny. Alot of my characters keept gurths as pets, in their apartments. haha!

You should let the staff know. They love animating wild animals inside people's apartments/camps/caves ect. I've seen on 3 different occasions now, various wild animals seriously jack up the room they were being kept in, shit everywhere, and then escape or be set aggro to attack the person when they come home.

And still, people never believe me when my PC is like: Yo dawg ... keeping that turaal that you stunned and subdued in your apartment is a bad idea ... 

[Talia]

Sometimes players also keep tame animals such as mounts in places where they shouldn't be keeping them (as in, the room is described as too small for that or it was never the intention of the room), and well...the same kind of thing musashi's talking about can happen with them, too. In short, if you're playing in unrealistic ways with animal NPCs, it will very possibly be noticed by staff and there will be IC consequences.

[Feco]

I immediately wished up the moment I found a gurth in someone's apartment while visiting.  It turned real fun real fast.

[manipura]

My character has a pet/companion.
Sometimes I think that my character spends more time RPing with the pet than RPing with other PCs...

[Potaje]

My pet gurth ate my couch, you could sleep on that couch it was so big.. and comfortable. Never got the couch back.. or repaired.. bad gurth, bad, bad.

[BlackMagic0]

I immediately wished up the moment I found a gurth in someone's apartment while visiting.  It turned real fun real fast.

That is half the fun of having a pet! lol

[Intrepid]

In the past 5 years, there have been at least two to three player-run projects to create/breed/train new animal types. Animals which resulted from these projects have been seen in game.

I would say that it's not unimaginable that a player-run project could produce something that might be deemed a "pet," but it's not going to be a puppy or a kitty or any other real-world equivalent; it's more likely to be barely tamed, and/or declawed and defanged, and/or akin to chained zoo animals (medieval style, not modern style), and/or extremely exotic in appearance. And it's also highly likely that such "pets" would be completely inappropriate for Amos the Commoner to own due to the expense of both purchasing and keeping them--sort of like slaves are, only more so.

Agreed, I don't think keeping a pet would be common amongst the typical Zalanthan.  High merchants, nobles and templars would be the best bet, I would think--or maybe a single organization of cronies like a platoon of soldiers might have a mascot.

That said, I have had a pc who was very wealthy in a position of high status and kept a pet lizard.  This was a looooong time ago though.  This was also an Allanak pc, which I could making a point to domesticate and overly breed creatures to their liking more than Tuluk and their closer-to-tribal origins.

Dogs are a great example, and one I think we keep revisiting, mainly because there are so many varieties of them that they're hardly recognizable as being in the same species.  Their physical and personal characteristics are very evident based on their purpose, and both their form and personality are bred into them more than most.  As a result, a dog can be either a ball of fluff with short limbs and a tiny frame or a sleek, muscular hunting creature with long limbs and superior senses.  And then there's everything in between.  While most species don't seem to have the ability to sport such genetic variety on Earth, I would conclude based on the need to adapt in Zalanthas that the currently existing species there might have the capacity to breed into many different directions with the right pc breeders.

[HavokBlue]

Pets make sense among the nobility, IMO, at least as far as Allanak goes. There's that bit about how they're always trying to out-do one another's fashion and what-not, and having an exotic pet is an extension of that.

[RogueGunslinger]

I really don't get why pets make sense for nobility but not for anyone else. Pet rats? Pet slugs? Pet rocks? It doesn't have to be some well trained neat animal to be a "pet'. It just has to be there to accept your affection for it.

Not that this is on topic. Cats don't have to be pets even. I just want to see a mangy, one-eyed cat howling at rodents and scampering off into the alleyways. Or hunting birds and shit.

[Cind]

My character has a pet/companion.
Sometimes I think that my character spends more time RPing with the pet than RPing with other PCs...

i did that one time by accident.

it was surprisingly fulfilling.

[BlackMagic0]

I really don't get why pets make sense for nobility but not for anyone else. Pet rats? Pet slugs? Pet rocks? It doesn't have to be some well trained neat animal to be a "pet'. It just has to be there to accept your affection for it.

Not that this is on topic. Cats don't have to be pets even. I just want to see a mangy, one-eyed cat howling at rodents and scampering off into the alleyways. Or hunting birds and shit.

Now I wanna roll a guy with nothing but a pet rat for company.

[CravenMadness]

Just an idle comment on the gwoshi stuff earlier in the thread...


Gwoshi                                                            (General)

   These woolly quadrupedal mammals stand nearly as tall as a human at the
shoulder. Although they can sometimes be tamed for use as mounts, their
name, originating from the Allundean for "biter" can give a potential rider
pause. Attacks on nomadic humans and elves have been reported, their large,
clawed paws adding to their painful bite, but they are normally relatively
solitary beasts.
   Gwoshi travel in small family units as opposed to herds, and do not take
well to being herded. Their unusual woolly coat is highly sought after by
certain Houses.

I've always kind of seen that as something like a woolly llama with claws.  The ig descriptions even say they are 'bearded'


   Standing about four and one half cords at the shoulder, its muscular
body is covered with a short, curly muddy-brown wool that is matted down and
thick with sand and grass.  Its four strong legs end in large, padded paws
that are equipped with claws, and its bearded head is set on a long neck
that is encircled by a shaggy mane. 

[Ouroboros]

Domani Kadius had purchased a tamed white-maned gortok for some time, was one of the most enjoyable experiences I had as his player, until some complications with a guard led to its demise.

As for gurth, that never gets old. However, I took it a step further once and didn't just try to keep it as a pet for company...

"A squat gurth is here, fighting a sand-filled sparring dummy."

Was thinking of starting up gurth pit fights!

[Intrepid]

I really don't get why pets make sense for nobility but not for anyone else.

I wouldn't think it should be limited to those of high standing either.  However, I think the point that the wealthy are more likely to keep a pet rather than eat it is what others are trying to express.

[Qzzrbl]

I really don't get why pets make sense for nobility but not for anyone else.

I wouldn't think it should be limited to those of high standing either.  However, I think the point that the wealthy are more likely to keep a pet rather than eat it is what others are trying to express.

A great point.

Most people seem to forget that most of the commoner population is often starving and poor, and would sooner eat a gortok raw, than try to keep it as a pet another mouth to feed.

Though I could see a few tribals utilizing domesticated hunting beasts, as well as filthy rich nobles holding a small menagerie of exotic creatures.

But that filthy, downtrodden group that most of our PC's belong to? I severely doubt it.

Besides, I don't see widely-available pets IG being treated as they should. Hell, we've already got people that let their already-available pet birds soak in a barrel of cleaning fluid because they wore it everywhere they went, always, in combat, out of combat, sleeping, mudsexxing, and everything else in between.

So I'd be totally cool with keeping things as they are.

[Taven]

Zalanthas is harsh, gritty, and a fantasy place. People having domesticated dogs is not something that 'adds' to this to me. Gortok are wild, feral, hideous things that do not domesticate well. Kurtoks were removed from the game because they were not in line with documentation and added nothing but Yet Another Unique OOC Status Symbol that ICly would have dozens of repercussions that were not roleplayed out by many who had them: feeding it, training it, keeping it in check, a place to keep it, people to keep it entertained, cleaning it, caring for it, cleaning up its messes... by and large PCs would just parade them about taverns/whatnot, or they would just keep them locked up in their clan compounds never to be seen.

I think more then just pet NPCs get ignored. People NPCs do too. You don't have to feed or cloth them, but giving them a personality is nice. Some players do this, others do not. My favorite NPC guard ever was Gataz, who I only interacted with a little, but who had a bit reputation.

Related to the actual topic, here is the only time I encountered a Kurtok:

Code Select Expand

Some location somewhere.

The Allanaki Blue-Robe Templar is sitting at a circular table.
The Great Lord Templar of the Red is sitting at a circular table.
The High Templar Jihaen dude is sitting at a circular table.
The Faithful Lord Jihaen dude is sitting at a circular table.
The High Templar Lirathuan dudette is sitting at a circular table.
The bristling red-streaked kurtok paces here, growling for no reason.

[important meeting stuff]

With a faint constant growl about him, the bristling, red-streaked kurtok paces over along the base of the stands, and lifting a hind leg lets out a thin stream of yellowish fluid to stain the ground.


The ranks may be off slightly, in this time frame. I sent in a Kudos for that to the player, but apparently it was a staff animation. It was still awesome.

Best Armageddon pet story ever:

When Markua Kadius tried to keep a silt louse as a pet in a chest full of silt.

...it got bigger.  A lot bigger.

Sometime after Markua died, there were rumors about a different Kadian who had a pet silt horror. I wonder if it's connected or a separate incident.

[RogueGunslinger]

But that filthy, downtrodden group that most of our PC's belong to? I severely doubt it.

Are you serious? Most pc's are flipping rich, and seldom if ever starving.

[Qzzrbl]

But that filthy, downtrodden group that most of our PC's belong to? I severely doubt it.

Are you serious? Most pc's are flipping rich, and seldom if ever starving.

I was mostly describing the other 99% of the IG NPC and VNPC population.

Seeing the poor condition most everyone is in, pets wouldn't exactly be a common, easily-obtained thing for most folks.

For (poor and loose) example, if you step into a city where everyone's very most favorite color of all time is red, you're not gonna find many blue things.

[Talia]

Feel free to keep a virtual pet cockroach or three, if you are playing a commoner.

[Kalai]

As opposed to the real pet insects available? 

Having to think about what a pet would be doing -all the time- can get old even if you're determined to pay attention to it, even for existing pets ... sometimes I slip and have to be reminded about what's on my shoulder for it to start doing anything. I would personally probably play out a bloodstained pet as getting badly injured itself. 

... Now I want one of my breeds to go into a detailed and loving explanation of the benefits of raising insects over other meat sources when someone gets annoyed at her for feeding a cricket, because tenderly feeding something you have a minor emotional attachment with while discussing eating it/its kin + bug = creepy enough for me.

[manipura]

My character has a pet/companion.
Sometimes I think that my character spends more time RPing with the pet than RPing with other PCs...

i did that one time by accident.

it was surprisingly fulfilling.

I think so, too.  I didn't plan it this way either, to have a pet, it just happened and now we are inseparable. 

[X-D]

My last PC with a pet had a certain large rat. I basically pictured it as a capybara with a tail. And staff animations made it seem it had much the same temperment. (capybara make reasonable pets BTW)

It was entertaining,  a bit of work to keep him and I think staff actually had more fun with him then My PC or his friends did.

I never asked for the mount flag for him (which would have allowed for hitching) Because I liked the idea of a half wild animal pet. Still, if enough time and training went into the npc, I would have expected the request to be granted. Most rodents tame easily and walk on leashes. I've had IRL, leash trained rabbits and rats and know somebody with a very loving 110lbs capybara.

So, I don't have any problem with people having pet NPCs of the small harmless type. But I think if staff sees them not taking care of it properly, to have a little fun. Of course, I think staff should on the pet objects as well. If Joe with the hawk on his shoulder spends a few days without feeding it, then he should end up with a dead and stinky hawk object on his shoulder. In combat, shots to the neck should count as a hit to the shoulder and the pet object, killing it. Look, Joe has a pile of blood and feathers on his shoulder. That desert snake you wear all the time as a bracelet...take a hit to the arms or wrists, Dead snake.