UA Animal Companions after death

[TheChangelingMC]

Lost a UA Ranger the other day (beholder disintergration at level 5, let's not talk about it), but he had a panther companion. I can't find anything anywhere saying what exactly happens with it.

Does it go back to being a dumb beast, does it just disappear as the link's broken, does it carry on being a party member but just a really, really sad one?

Any help would be appreciated!

[Millstone85]

Unlike a "found familiar" or "found steed", the animal companion is an actual beast from the nearby wilderness. Primal spirits might have guided the beast to the ranger, inhabited the beast like they would a totem warrior, or even brought the beast back to life at some point, but it is not the sort of creature that goes *poof* when the magic ends.

That leaves you with the options of it returning to the wild or staying with the party. The former seems more likely to me, unless the beast has formed a bond (a regular nonmagical one) with another party member.

[Hypersmith]

maybe it goes off to fulfill what they would have wanted. It can become a guardian of some nick of the woods or the clearing where they are buried, essentially making it an NPC. It can consort with druids and form alliances, who knows. Doesn't seem appropriate for it to just be like "haha he's dead, time to eat the body and go back to hunting deer after I fought dragons."

[Koren]

I vote let the companion follow for a couple of sessions, give the party a chance to interact with it.
If they have positive interactions then let it stick around to help independently. Maybe allow the Ranger player to decide what it does so you don't have to (acknowledge that he doesn't control it anymore though.) Depending on how the bond was role played you could also let it be somewhat suicidally aggressive so that it will leave the party one way or another (role played as the beast wants to join its companion in death). I wouldn't do this personally but it's an option.

[NecroDancer]

Have the DM give the animal companion levels in a class and make the animal your new PC.

[Koren]

Have the DM give the animal companion levels in a class and make the animal your new PC.

Freak accident with Polymorph perhaps? I would actually really love to play that character. He already knows the party, already understands your tactics and such to a degree. maybe have a minor event/issue where he can't speak common but can understand it so he goes a bit struggling to speak.

[Sigreid]

I would have the extra abilities fade over a few days unless the ranger is revived. After all, it was the magic of the bond that gave them to it, and it could be replaced at the ranger's whim.

[Joe the Rat]

Have the DM give the animal companion levels in a class and make the animal your new PC.

We're trying to talk the DM (and player) into having a Wizard's familiar stick around as his new PC.