Afterglow, Adventures in the Shatter Lands

Recent Notes

Pets & Companions in the Shatterlands

In the wasteland, night is a negotiation with fear. The wind hisses through rusted towers, old radios whisper static, and every shadow promises teeth. A warm body at your side changes everything. A muzzle lifts, ears twitch, a tail thumps against your boot — suddenly you are not listening for danger alone.

Companions aren’t decoration here. They are allies, burdens, and second hearts that beat beside your own. A pet will track game when you starve, haul your gear across the flats, or warn you with a growl before an ambush. They will warm you against the cold and stare with wide eyes when you ask yourself why you keep going.

But nothing in the Shatterlands is free. A dog will take your food and leave. A gutter-bat will roost in your cloak and vanish at dawn. A feral synth-critter will sniff your hand one night and bite it the next. If you want a companion, you must earn it — with time, with supplies, with sacrifice. That means giving up rest when you’d rather sleep, spending barter you could’ve traded, or bleeding for something that may never thank you.

The bond is not instant. At first, your words are just noise. Commands are ignored. In combat, your companion might panic and flee. But as you prove yourself, the animal begins to know your scent, your rhythms, your tells. It learns what your voice means in the dark. A command becomes a promise. A whistle becomes a road. By the deepest bond, the creature moves with you as though it were reading your mind.

The Shatterlands are loud with endings, yet every companion is a beginning. A dust-hound that finds raiders’ tracks across glass flats. A spore-jay that coughs once when poison drifts on the wind. A beetle-back pack-bug that lumbers under salvaged steel. Even a half-feral machine, long divorced from its factory program, might learn your name. Each has its needs — meat, scrap-power, ritual, or shelter. Each has risks — panic, predators, sickness, or worse. They are help and hassle in one warm, breathing package.

And there is always the cost. Bring a companion into battle and you bring your heart into the line of fire. You will detour for softer ground, spend your last clean bandage on their wound, or risk yourself for theirs. If the wasteland claims them first, you will feel the loss in your hands, your chest, and the way you face the next night. That grief is part of the promise: in a world that kills love, you dared to offer it anyway.

Bond Levels: The Measure of Trust

Every companion has a Bond Level from 0 to 5. This is not XP. It does not come from kills or loot. It is earned through patience, resources, and the quiet gamble of trust.

  • Bond 0 — Raw / Untamed: A stranger, skittish and unreliable.
  • Bond 5 — Self-Sacrificing: A companion who would die for you.

Most companions begin at Bond 0. To advance the bond, you must train or tend to your companion during a rest.

  • You give up the benefits of that rest (healing, Coilburn recovery, mutation resets, etc.).
  • You may only attempt this once every other rest.
  • You must provide a component: food, grooming, mutagen scrap, a ritual, or whatever the creature requires.

Once you commit, make a Bond Check:

Bond Check = 1d20 + your Personality modifier + current Bond Level

Compare your result to the Bond DC:

Bond DC = 10 + (2 × current Bond Level)

  • Success: Bond increases by 1 (max 5).
  • Failure: Nothing changes.
  • Natural 1: The attempt backfires, and the bond decreases by 1.

Bond Level Effects

Bond 0 – Raw / Untamed

  • Stats: Base stats only (minimum HD/HP, AC, Saves).
  • Commands: Requires a Bond Check DC 15 for even simple commands.
  • Combat: Must roll Will save DC 12 each round when threatened or it panics/flees.
  • Bonus: None.

Bond 1 – Acquainted

  • Stats: No changes.
  • Commands: Simple commands (sit, follow, stay) require a Bond Check DC 12.
  • Combat: Must pass Bond Check DC 10 when threatened or it panics/flees.
  • Bonus: +1 to trick/command rolls.

Bond 2 – Trusted

  • Stats: +1 to all Saves, +1 Initiative.
  • Commands: Simple commands auto-succeed; trained tricks require a Bond Check DC 10.
  • Combat: Must roll Will save DC 10 if reduced below half HP, otherwise obeys.
  • Bonus: +2 to trick/command rolls.

Bond 3 – Loyal

  • Stats: Gains +1 HD (or flat +X HP), +1 AC.
  • Commands: Complex commands (attack, track, scout) require a Bond Check DC 8.
  • Combat: Acts reliably unless reduced below 25% HP, then must roll Will save DC 12.
  • Bonus: +3 to trick/command rolls.

Bond 4 – Devoted

  • Stats: +2 HD total, +2 AC, +2 to Saves.
  • Commands: Any reasonable command succeeds automatically.
  • Combat: Will defend PC without hesitation; no checks required.
  • Bonus: +4 to trick/command rolls.
  • Special: You gain +1 Initiative while the pet is nearby.

Bond 5 – Self-Sacrificing

  • Stats: +3 HD total, +2 AC, +2 Initiative, +3 to Saves.
  • Commands: Fully bonded — no rolls needed.
  • Combat: Will sacrifice itself to protect you if necessary.
  • Bonus: +5 to trick/command rolls.
  • Risk: If the pet dies, you must roll a Will save DC 12 or suffer a –1 penalty to all Will saves until your next long rest (grief).

Why Companions Matter

This system makes companions earned, risky, and rewarding. They are not just stat blocks but stories — creatures that grow with you, reflect your choices, and sometimes break your heart.

The wasteland is full of endings. A pet is a beginning. Tie a scrap of cloth into a collar, teach a trick, and walk forward with four extra feet of reasons to live.