Unique Pet Companions for Your Adventurer's

I see lots of magical items, now for some low-magic tiny animals...

Metal worm – eats through small amounts of metal such as a within a keyhole or the clasp of a chain once per day before becoming full, prefers it rusty. Can be taught to eat through other substances as trained.

Honeyed bee – a bee both larger than normal and more intelligent than normal, when surrounded by wildflowers will return and make honey for the owner it is devoted to. Can be selectively trained to collect certain wildflowers each level, with the resultant honey beneficial for being a salve to wounds, detecting poisons, or flavouring drinks, etc.

Listening spider – spins a small amount of web once per day that transmits the smallest vibrations and allows you to determine basic speech or sounds detected at the other end of the web. Generates increasingly more complex structures with it’s web as it is trained.

Shifting newt – raised amongst Moon Ruins the newt momentarily disappears then reappears nearby when touched. Can be taught to disappear and reappear with increasingly complex instructions as trained.

Singing cricket – can be taught a single word or short tune it then repeatedly produces on command. Number of words and tunes increases with training.

Pinecone firefly – has a small spark capable of igniting flammable materials on contact. Needs to be kept in a jar without training, but training improves the command and range it can fly. 

Tolkein's Little People in TTRPGs

The Fellowship Leaving Rivendell - Ted Nadsmith (2002)

“You are a very fine person, Mr Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!” – Gandalf (towards the end of the Hobbit)

 

In an attempt to get off my Youtube addiction I have made a conscious effort to try and listen to more podcasts lately. In doing so, I have come across “Gone Medieval”, where two or more academic scholars talk about events or aspects of that most delicious thousand year period.

 

The most recent one focused on the medieval influences found in Tolkien’s writings, and provided much food for thought regarding how we approach TTRPGs. In particular was a part of the conversation on how Bilbo is chosen as the least likely to adventure, and even after he adventures is humbled by Gandalf to remind him he is still a little person in a big world despite his achievements.

 

Part of Tolkien’s appeal is that his works position the ‘Little People’ – those not of any great skill, might or valour – at the heart of the story. This is in stark contrast to other works such as the Arthurian legends, Nordic Sagas or Beowulf. This makes it more easy to associate with his characters. Reflecting on RPGs, it seems relevant to think where we are trying to position our characters in the world. 

 

These fantastical, larger than life heroes such as Conan shine in the Old School style of play, but Old School play also has the versatility to tell tales about the down and out, inconsequential knaves who disappear into dungeons to not be seen again. Modern playstyles purport to tell the tales of Little People (often quite literally), but through game design turn these little people into mighty plane-traversing heroes. For my own RPG, I would love to keep the Hobbits as Hobbits – to humble the heroes. This means telling tales of the small folk, but also guarding against power creep.