Maintaining & Training Mounts: Happy Beasts Are Helpful Beasts

The use of beasts of burden, riding mounts and having pets are allowed, but it will come at a cost. It will be necessary for a character to ensure the happiness of their animal in order for them to willingly follow orders. The happiness of the animal will be tracked using a Wellness Scale. Here are some ways to increase your animal's wellness:

Feeding Beasts, Mounts & Pets
This is easily the single most important requirement for maintaining your animal's wellness. The food and water requirements noted in the PHB are for characters. Mounts, beasts of burden and other creatures require different quantities of food and water per day based on their size. Water needs are doubled if the weather is hot. Utilize the chart below to properly take care of your animal.

Daily Animal Intake Requirements
In the event a character can only feed their animal a half day's ration of food or water, then the creature must make a DC 10 + days marching/working Constitution Saving Throw or suffer 1 level of exhaustion at the end of the day. With no food or water at all, the creature will automatically gain a level of exhaustion at the end of the day.

Ways to Improve Wellness Score
There are various ways to please your animal and improve their wellness score. Below is a short list, but characters are welcome to get creative (at the discretion of the DM) with additional ways to improve their score. Each activity will take at least 4 hours to earn 1 wellness point.


 * Feeding Your Animal Daily (Maintenance)
 * Grooming Your Animal 1x a Week
 * Healing Your Animal for 10 or more HP
 * Curing Your Animal of a Condition
 * Giving Your Animal a Week to Rest
 * Spending Time With Your Animal
 * Having Your Animal Spend Time with a Creature of the Same Species
 * Training Your Animal
 * Barding for Your Animal (Permanent Effect: Light: +1, Medium: +2, Heavy: +3)

Ways to Decrease Wellness Score
There are various ways to upset your animal and decrease their total wellness score. Attempt to prevent these scenarios from occuring before your animal gets upset with you. Each activity will result in the loss of 1 wellness point.


 * Not Feeding Your Animal Daily
 * Not Grooming Your Animal 1x a Week
 * Getting Your Animal Physically Injured in Combat by 10 or more HP
 * Having Your Animal Suffer a Condition
 * Forcing Your Animal to Work a 5 Days out of 7
 * Ignoring Your Animal During Missions
 * Having Your Animal Not Interact with a Creature of the Same Species at least 1x a month

Animal Wellness Table
Note: Each creature can only be subject to one wellness effect at a time. Every time the score decreases the new negative effect will take hold of the creature. However, the character can choose which positive effect the animal receives if they have a wellness score of 7 or greater. For example, an animal with a wellness score of 10 can choose the improved speed feature or gain temporary hit points instead of the Fearless Fanatic effect.