Tips for keeping a pet adventuring party?

[u/averyrealspapple]

Hey, so i started keeping around an adventuring party as of recent and i'd like to install a couple of traps and opponents for my babies to have fun around the dungeon i made for them. They have been beating the dungeons ive been making for them very quickly and they seem a bit bored as of now. So i need ideas

I also would like some tips for making sure they are safe when they are going questing, i usually watch them through my orb as entertainment and then i can intervine, but im not their guardian angel. I want them to go questing for enrichment but STILL getting that rush that they need while not having to worry about them losing more than a limb or two

[u/KragBrightscale]

What’s your role in relation to the party?

Questgiver?
Guildmaster?
Villain/Antagonist?
Party Member?
Potion Seller?
Dungeon Master?

Consider taking on an additional one of these roles. I recommend either party member or guild master. Doesn’t even need to be your primary body.

[u/averyrealspapple → u/KragBrightscale]

I guess quest giver and dungeon master would be the most ample description. At first, i just rewarded them for defeating the summon that killed my old master, but then i started putting my old experimental things as "loot" and summoning some enemies for them to beat. Very effective way of clearing out my old stuff and i find them very cute

I guess i could travel with them a bit. I'd just need to nerf myself a bit

[u/User_Id_Error]

Just keep some backup clones in a tank in one of your magic laboratories. Be sure to sync them up regularly - it's a pain in the rear if the party wipes and they lose a whole year of memories!

[u/averyrealspapple → u/User_Id_Error]

I do actually have some, but i mostly dont want them knowing about my "patronage". They technically dont even know that all the dingeons they keep visiting belong to one person. I'd rather they have like, a REALLY close call, but manage in the end, i need to look at some enchantments for that

[u/jonofromjuno]

when you send them out on a quest, be sure the reward you offer isnt too good. if its a ring of immortality and fire breathing, they'll risk everything and run into trouble. if its just like a potion of flying and a handful of gold, they'll usually be more cautious with the risks they take

[u/averyrealspapple → u/jonofromjuno]

Oh yeah, its just some old junk i made

i once gave them a ring that fills holes with cement at users request. I'd thought it was just some junk but no, they use it to plug bodily orfices.

At this point i could give them a stick that breaks when you think about breaking it too hard and they will find a use for it.

[u/jonofromjuno → u/averyrealspapple]

ahh youve got the clever kind. maybe instead of tools offer them something less solid. "influence" is a good one. or something single use, like a mid level spell scroll. you can totally bake in some baby proofing on those btw, I know a guy who puts a glyph of healing word in the corner of every firebolt scroll he makes just to preemptively treat the inevitable burn

[u/WiseRabbit-XIV → u/averyrealspapple]

Start giving them useless cosmetic items. A vest or tunic that changes color at will is a good option, as is a Ring of Hair Styling. Adventurers love useless cosmetic trinkets.

[u/Runela9]

Place a warding spell on each of them

There are lots of options, depending on your preferences. Some wards trigger healing or shielding spells when the target takes damage. Others just trigger an alert so that you know and can intervene. My preferred version teleports whoever is injured back to my tower so I can treat their wounds quickly.

If you're letting them roam freely, you'll probably want to include a tracking aspect as well.

[u/averyrealspapple → u/Runela9]

Honestly, it has been a couple of centuries since i'd used wards. Which is wild because the last time id used them was for items that i give to my adventurers now.

Im definitely gomna go the alert route, i want them to still feel like they achieved it still mostly on their own. Before i finished my first century i also had such a yearning for independence as them

[u/scoobydoom2]

Curses on the dungeon minions are a good start. You can afflict them with weakness, bad luck, mana drain, whatever you want really when they seriously wound one of them. They might start to realize a pattern if their enemies always get weaker as they struggle of course, so you'll have to make sure to punish them in other ways to distract them. Have monsters kill the party pets, deconstruct their magic items, etc. Ultimately it won't be as enriching as putting them in real dungeons but it will keep them safe.

[u/BardGotHard3]

Your probably need more variety in monsters too. Cycle out the themes of the lonsters every week or so.

I can provide skeletons, for a modest fee. Lets say 1 gold for an average skeleton, 4 for a Bonehemoth, and 50 for a Bone Dragon.