Navigating Dungeons with Large Animal Companions
Navigating a dungeon with Large (10’x10’) animal companions is a classic challenge for GMs and players alike. Fortunately, the rules offer several official, creative, and highly effective ways to solve this problem without needing to homebrew a custom magic item.
Here are the best official approaches and mechanical solutions to consider:
1. The Retroactive Zero-Gold Fix: Companion Stat Advancement Option
Many players are unaware that they do not have to let their animal companion grow to Large size.
- The Rule: When a companion reaches its 4th- or 7th-level advancement (which normally dictates a size increase to Large), the player can choose to bypass the size increase entirely.
- The Compensation: Instead of the Large size changes, the companion permanently increases its Dexterity and Constitution by +2.
- GM Implementation: Offer the player a “retraining” window, or simply let them retroactively apply this choice. The companion reverts to Medium size (5’x5’ space) but gains a significant boost to its defenses.
2. The “Poke-ball” Armor Property: Hosteling
If the player wants to keep their companion Large for open-field combat but tuck them away in narrow hallways, look no further than the Hosteling magic armor/shield special ability.
- How it Works: The armor’s wearer can use a command word to magically store their bonded animal companion, mount, or familiar inside their armor or shield. While stored, the animal is safely asleep. A second command word releases the animal into an adjacent space, fully awake and ready to act.
- Size Rules: A suit of light or medium armor (or a light/heavy shield) can store an animal up to the wearer’s size. A suit of heavy armor or a tower shield, however, can store an animal one size category larger than the wearer — allowing a Medium player to store their Large companion!
- Cost: +7,500 gp (construct cost 3,750 gp)
3. The Spell Route: Reduce Animal
If the party has a Druid (2nd-level spell) or a Ranger (3rd-level spell), they already have access to the perfect counter-measure.
- How it Works: This spell reduces a willing animal’s size category by one step (Large to Medium).
- Duration: 1 hour per level — a single casting can easily cover a major portion of a dungeon crawl.
- Items to consider:
- Wand of Reduce Animal — 4,500 gp, 50 charges
- Staff of Belittling — 20,000 gp; also allows casting Reduce Person and Shrink Item
4. The Teleportation Trick: Whistle of Calling
If the companions are too big to navigate the hallways, the party can simply leave them outside or at the dungeon’s entrance and summon them only when they reach spacious boss rooms or cavernous chambers.
- Whistle of Calling (6,300 gp): Once per day, blowing this attuned whistle instantly teleports the animal companion from up to 1 mile away to a safe space within 30 feet of the user.
5. Working within RAW: Squeezing and Compression
If the companions must walk through the halls, they can technically use the Squeezing rules.
- RAW Squeezing Mechanics: A Large (10’x10’) creature is permitted to squeeze into a 5-foot-wide hallway. While squeezed, the miniature occupies 2 squares, centered on the line between them. It takes a –4 penalty on attack rolls, a –4 penalty to AC, and moves at half speed.
- Mitigating Squeezing with Gear: A Belt of the Weasel (10,000 gp), if fitted for an animal companion, grants a +2 enhancement bonus to Dexterity and bestows the Compression ability — allowing the companion to squeeze through tight spaces at half speed without any AC or attack penalties.
Summary Recommendation
| Goal | Best Option |
|---|---|
| Preserve size and offensive power, but avoid the hassle | Hosteling Armor or Wand of Reduce Animal |
| Simplify permanently, for free | Medium-size advancement retraining option |