Cat Got Your Printer?

Every DnD game needs some cuddly animal companions and familiars, so we spun one up a fav on our 3D printer, and we think you should, too! Let’s see if this feline Familiar is right for you.

Everyday animals can be so darn fun in a TTRPG game, and our 3D-printing hobby certainly agrees. So, we started poking around for fun cats, dogs, and so forth to ensure our players had eye-popping options to introduce a nifty new creature or two into our campaign.

What really got us hooked on pets, though, is the new Bastions section of WoTC’s Dungeon Master’s Guide. This new system really livens up the game and gives the players plenty to do between game sessions. Check out this awesome write-up by Dungeons and Dragons Fanatics. It ties nicely with the Dungeons and Dragons’ latest official rules.

Thankfully, Aether Studios has a fun Best Friends creature pack that gives you many options, including various cats and dogs, a lizard, and even a turtle. They print like a champ. We always like to increase the print size of our creatures so they fill out a d20 square. This makes them easier to paint and see on the game board. To-scale stuff just isn’t our jam.

Resident painter Kimmy Utah stroked our STL with the perrrrrrfect color combo. We just love it! The perky ears, the loving eyes, and the playful brown pattern were just what this 3D print needed. We added a clear base, and boom – instant DnD Animal Companion at your service!

So now we must spin up some ideas on how our furry friend gets into our game. Plenty of engaging options here, including:

• The Start: you pick her as your starting familiar.
• The Classic: just shows up at your door.
• The Save: you rescue her from the streets.
• The Cleanup: she’s all that remains from a fight.
• The NPC: she initially belongs to someone else.
• The Enemy: Paws up and prepare for trouble.

The first bullet follows the DnD Familiar rules, and the rest would be more of an Animal Companion situation. Mostly, a Familiar is bonded to you (and can’t attack), while an Animal Companion isn’t and can take a bite out of your enemy.

For our campaign, this mystery cat will appear at the doorstep of their newly acquired cabin in The Hight Forest. DM Ben has a few players who love cats, so introducing this new miniature should be a big hit. She will be classified as an Animal Companion, and picking out a name will be a hoot.

Someone on Reddit even came up with a kitty stat block (but we’ll increase its HP to more like eight). See?! Look at all the fun you can have; you don’t even have to empty the litter box! 😉