Not weird monsters that humans can have as pets, but rather "weird pets that monsters have".
So like, we know that goblins ride wolves.  Drow have spiders because goth.

What other creatures could make good pets for monsters you might encounter?

What would a Dragon have for a pet?  What about  Lich?  What would be a favorite pet for Trolls (something inedible to them, I would assume?).  What pets would have some useful purpose (for riding, guarding things, etc.) and which would be used mainly as decoration or for some unusual purpose (to do tricks of some kind; or do something the monster itself can't)?

RPGPundit

I remember a discussion of a goblin tribe that raised giant weasels for their meat, fur, and milk. Goblin Weasel Cheese, just let that concept sink in.....

I have  locathah set-up with manta rays as guard animals and pets, sort of like combining the attachment to a horse and a dog.

There was an ogre that had a detachable penis in a friend's adventure. You know, like from the song by King Missile. True psychedelic games his.  It ran around like the rodent creature on Kim Possible.  Pretty weird.

The decadent, Immortals of the Emerald garden-palaces keep body-sculpted, lobotomized humans. These "pets" are as clever as a dog or a dolphin, but resemble physically idealized specimens, despite their doe-eyed, empty looks. The exact physique of the ideal human-pet change with fashions, and more extreme forms are popular with avantgarde transmogrifiers and human breeders.
The Immortals consider the transmogrification of 'misbegotten' normal humans into one of their pets a great blessing and almost a moral duty to "free" the ordinary humans from their unhappy and physically imperfect existence, taking any disagreement or revolts among their sapient human slaves as a prove for their childishness and the great service the transmogrification truly is.

Oh, easy.

A dog.  Just a plain houn' dog.  Or a plain, slightly plump, tabby cat.  Lazing about in a sunbeam.

How many parties won't assume that it's really a mutant hellbeast, ready to sprout tentacles and dripping ichor from its fangs?

Quote from: Ravenswing;847905Oh, easy.

A dog.  Just a plain houn' dog.  Or a plain, slightly plump, tabby cat.  Lazing about in a sunbeam.

How many parties won't assume that it's really a mutant hellbeast, ready to sprout tentacles and dripping ichor from its fangs?

Especially if its lair is a gazebo. Those things are deadly.

Trolls in Glorantha have all kinds of giant insects including some large enough to put packs or riding howdahs on and Tuskers (a kind of half-troll) have giant war pigs that they ride.

For D&D, paired critters are nice, e.g.

• Fire Giant and Hell Hounds
• Stone Giant and Gorgon
• Storm Giant and Sylphs or Air sprites
• Hill Giant and Giant Badgers (because who doesn't love a badger>)

In BX Gnomes were not a PC race and were potentially hostile. They kept giant weasels.

Others seen are...

Bullywugs keeping giant frogs.
Kua-Toa keeping sharks. As may shauguin.
Mermen and Tritons using giant seahorses.
Mind Flayers with Umber Hulks or Intellect Devourers
Ogres with cave bears.
Dragons with Kobolds.
Lamia and Jackalweres in 5e.
Gnolls and hyenas.
Elves and Blink Dogs

Snerfneblin and flumphs!

Slithering Trackers and Gelatinous Cubes!

In one of my 5E games there is a tribe of gnolls that once served a mad wizard- you know, the kind of wizards who are responsible for owlbears. The wizard is long gone, but the gnoll tribe lives on with some of the wizard's creations. Some of these have been bred for generations.

One the nastiest beasts is the dreaded dogreman pincher. Nope that's not a typo. These foul beasts are the size of ponies and resemble a Doberman in body shape. The have the heads of ogres, and just behind their front legs, a pair of strong  claws resembling those of a giant crab.

The gnolls release these terrors at the front of their raiding parties to soften up the opposition.

Non acidic ooze as a pet for a D&D trolls. The ooze crawls on the trolls body digesting away the outer skin and parasites. It is the only hygene a troll would accept, in fact, they quite enjoy the prickly sensation of the process and the fresh feeling afterwards.

Quote from: jeff37923;847847I remember a discussion of a goblin tribe that raised giant weasels for their meat, fur, and milk. Goblin Weasel Cheese, just let that concept sink in.....

They can also be used for ripping your flesh!

Quote from: Gold Roger;848150Non acidic ooze as a pet for a D&D trolls. The ooze crawls on the trolls body digesting away the outer skin and parasites. It is the only hygene a troll would accept, in fact, they quite enjoy the prickly sensation of the process and the fresh feeling afterwards.

Mind if I steal this idea? I love it.

In my DCC game, Gnomes have Mind Flayers as pets.

Quote from: RPGPundit;848990In my DCC game, Gnomes have Mind Flayers as pets.

I would think it would be the other way round, how does that work?

Quote from: Bren;849003I would think it would be the other way round, how does that work?

Gnomes are much more evil than Mind Flayers.