Demihuman Pets

Humans have domesticated many species of animals, many of which are available to the average character. More rare are those domesticated by demihumans. What ranger wouldn't be proud to call a cooshie or an elven cat companion? For a while, these were the only examples of demihuman animal domestication, but the elves, halflings, gnomes, and dwarves have bred other special animals through the centuries.

None of the following animals is common, and only the halfling pony even comes close to being as available as any of the beasts domesticated by humans. Even those species that are not jealously guarded by their breeders would probably be unknown in most human towns, and even thought of as myths or legends in some parts. DMs should be careful not to make these creatures too easy to come by. Suppose every character in your campaign wants a dwarven tunnel hound. Once they make the journey to a dwarven town and win the favor of the breeder by slaying a rampaging giant, they might find that only one puppy in the litter isn't already promised to one of the breeder's friends or relatives. Let the group decide who gets to buy and raise the pup.

The care and feeding of these animals is also something the DM should consider as a possible liability. Once a character has a tunnel hound pup, how does she go on adventures and raise a young dog at the same time? An untrained tunnel hound can be a useful ally but might be more trouble than it is worth ... barking at inopportune moments, charging into battle at will, running off to hunt on its own for days at a time. Unless the character is of the same race as the breeders of these animals, nothing about their care should be too easy.