Casting classes in some other MUDS I have played have the ability to create/call a familar to them that augments their abilities. Sort of like a permanent charmie, only without the 'use, kill, and re-summon' idea that drives the use of charmies in DL right now.

A familar would be a permanent addition to your character, one that would accompany you forever. They are normal animals (constructs for the enterprising mage)that are friends and (in essence) part of your character's soul. Some ideas that come to mind are wolves, ravens, snakes, weasels, bats, or raptors (birds of prey) and the like. Your familar would grow as you did, and could provide a nice little RP hook.

Just think of the possibilities here.

Good idea. I've always liked having a player specific character to run around with you. It's been a long time since I've played this other mudd I got some ideas from, but they have pets there. Only problem with pets is that they tend to be stronger than the player on that mudd. Pets automatically attack when you do and assist you. They CAN be left behind if you flee, but try to flee with you. When you recall, they return with you. They CAN be attacked by mobs, so you gotta keep em protected or invisible. There are differents items you can purchase or find for your pets, or they can wear some of the same eq you can on chest, anklets, neck item, and a floatie. They can carry items and rent with you and will keep those items, their str depends on how much they can carry.

Example, my character bought a beagle, started out nicely, hitting maybe one time a prompt or two, but hitting far harder than I, so that'll have to be adjusted. After I saved up the proper gold, I had my pet renamed Sheba, a fawn colored Mastiff, awaits her masters orders. She would pounce from room to room. All personalized by me. She got stronger as I leveled. I could train her at a special shop every now and then and she could get Str, wisdom, int, hp, or more moves. One point per. Now, if my character is still there, when I cast some spells on her she'll hit 4 times a prompt or so and do far more damage than my level 40 character does. (Level 51 is max on this game mind you.) She's wearing the same breast plate I am, a different orb that gives her more str, she's got some necklace on, etc.

I think if something like this were put in DL, it would have to be more or less a pack mule and probably not even assist at all. If if did assist, maybe depending upon your level and it's level (group with it to allow it to get exp) level would determine it's hitting role and damage. If you had a four legged animal maybe you could find items like claws and things for it's feet to wear, or a clawed anklet for it to wear on it's paws, like an anklet for us on our legs, but it can have four. I don't see our armor fitting an animal, so I'd have to be specialized body armor. A necklace would work the same way. Maybe if it wore a leash it assisted more if it does attack at all. A floatie could totally work since it's magic that keeps it there.

One could cast spells on their pets to protect them more. If they for whatever reason got attacked and died, it'd be just like any other character that died, have to do a corpse run and try to resurrect it, or just let it come back on it's own and it'll go back to your temple and wait to follow you until you get back. I doubt a pet like this would be allowed to attack as much as on this other game, they were very very strong. A high level pet could kill a mob on it's own and you'd never get hit, it'd turn in to a permanent charmie more or less. I don't see a low level dog doing much damage to say, a fully armored knight... unless it's a Mastiff. FYI Hannibal used em in the alps and would place torches on either side of them and send em through towns filled with thatched huts and burn down the town. Not to mention males can get over 200 lbs easy. Even then I don't see a pet doing enough damage to easily kill a mob that I couldn't normally take out even with shriek/flee combo. So if it did assist you, then it'd be like an extra annihilate at it's highest level every couple of prompts or so.

Some pets could hit more than others, but would be weaker. One could even "turn" their pet in to a creature that follows them around, doesn't have to be an animal of the household pet type. One player I knew had a small dragon follow him around and it'd claw everyone. Another person had a demon looking thing, pretty good desc too.

So the idea about having something follow you around permanently is a great idea. Maybe even allow it to be a perk of Hero level characters and then it gives players something to group with and try to get it higher levels. You can check it's stats with different commands, but obviously during rp you'd only be able to look at it to tell what's going on with it.

Engouh rambling on and on and on and on...