Pets and Sidekicks, a new third-party supplement for D&D and adjacent RPG systems, launched its Kickstarter campaign on July 8. This compendium is entirely dedicated to companions, who will level up and evolve alongside their humanoid buddies with Pets and Sidekicks’ new rules. There are over 170 fleshed-out companions inside, from the humble rat to the Dwarf Wrestler.
According to creator EN Publishing, these friendly creatures come with “rules on how to use them, how to lose them, and how they gain heroic levels”. Companions have their own flaws, traits, downtime activities, and tricks they can learn to assist your party. Pets and Sidekicks also covers the NPCs and DnD monsters that don’t want to be your buddy, with rules for recurring villains that evolve alongside your adventurers.
The DnD book also offers customization options for your core character. New subclass options for DnD classes, extra DnD 2024 backgrounds, and 12 new feats all apparently feature. There are also over 45 companion-themed magic items and additional equipment.
Pets and Sidekicks is primarily designed for EN Publishing’s own tabletop RPG, Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition. However, due to its similarities to D&D, the new supplement is compatible with Wizards of the Coast’s game (as well as Kobold Press’ Tales of the Valiant).
According to the Kickstarter page, a PDF of the book, plus VTT tokens, costs $25.86 (£19). Pledging $74.85 (£55) unlocks a hardcover copy plus both of these previous rewards. A deluxe hardcover plus PDF and VTT is available for $104.77 (£77). EN Publishing’s remaining pledges offer physical or digital copies of previous RPG books, such as Monstrous Menagerie 1 and 2, as well as Trials and Treasures.
For more on 5e, here’s the latest from Wizards of the Coast’s DnD release schedule. Be sure to join the Wargamer Discord, too – we’d love to hear stories about your party’s beloved creature companions.