is it time for a single pet power pool?

MM get lots of pets. Controllers and Doms get them in almost every set. VEATS get them. But a few others get semi-pets like gun turret. And now incarnates get them.

With all of the new pet options they are creating - but mostly vanity pets, is it time for a single pet power pool? Call it the Sidekick pool (or minion)

Not sure if you would need different pools per pet type, or just select the pet when you take the pool, or what. But it seems like everyone should be able to get a combat lion, robot, spider, or whatever.

If you could take a power pool which gave you a pet would you want one? And would you pay paragon points for it?

I suspect almost all of my characters would like a sidekick that fit their theme.

No.

Sure, why not.

I could go for a pet pool...You get in good with the cops, so the PPD reserves an officer or two to help in tough binds...You have a job at the zoo...you're an unusually successful Kabbalist. They'd probably have to limit it, say only give one or two pet powers in the pool, and probably make the pools exclusive, but it could work:

1A: Pet(s)
1B: Weak buff/debuff clicky
2: Weak Attack
3: Weak Buff Toggle/Weak Attack
4: Pet Buff Clicky

Sounds like fun!

Or a shape shift pool complete with pop-up power tray like the coming Panther Stealth travel power?

Before you can address a request like this, we need to understand why they made the decision to limit everyone to one non-combat pet at a time. If there are server resource issues, then it may be that it's simply infeasible for the door to be left open for every character in the game to have a combat pet alongside a non-combat pet.

The second hurdle is that they'd be a lot more amenable to having a single pet pool with customizable pet than to have a dozen pet pools customized to a dozen different pets. That suggests that power pool customization has to come online before a power like this comes online.

Assuming that those issues are addressed satisfactorily,then sure, I'd pay for a battle pet power pool.

Alternatively, I'd settle for craftable pet powers along the lines of the vet pets and the leprechauns; non-combat pets that offer a buff or debuff of some kind instead of participating directly in the battle.

*checks calendar* Nope, not yet.
Try again in... oh... carry the twelve... check pockets for lint... i'd say about 27 months. Give or take a few.
(Margin of error is +/- 3,446,565,609%.)

Maybe what we need instead is a pool power that sets the target on fire so he flails around and incinerates all his friends. That's kinda like a pet, right?

I remember a thread in which people were requesting ranged powers in Pools, specifically, a throwing star or pistol (similar to the temp power), and Castle said that, in order for it to be balanced, it would probably end up weaker than the pistol temp. He also said that AoEs would likely be even weaker.

Now, Castle's not around any more, so what he said isn't the last word any more, and we even did get an AoE in a pool (and it's not so weak it would be useless). However, pets are arguably far stronger than a simple ranged attack or AoE, so balance would be an issue.

First, there's no way we would get a permanent pet in a power pool - we don't even get them in patron pools. And I really doubt that we'd get the option of upgrading them the way henchmen are, as was suggested upthread.

I'm guessing that the best we'd ever see is a minion-class pet (ie, squishy with weak attacks) that's set up as a toggle with a 2 minute duration and 2-6 minute recharge. As a toggle pet, it would be exclusive with all other vanity/buff pets, and wouldn't start recharging until toggled off, meaning it could never be made permanent.

Of course, a pool pet would be an even bigger headache than Masterminds are for the devs - how do they decide what ONE pet (or at most, five, since pools have up to five powers) is offered to players. How do they decide what pet(s) are offered? And how many players have to be banned from the forums to stop the screaming when someone's favourite idea doesn't get used?

It would be cool, but it would be too much work for too little return and too much hassle. So to respond in the spirit of your other threads...

Or what.

I could see them adding more Pet recipes like the backup radio. Maybe Dog Whistle?

A pet power pool, large and powerful enough to drown all the vanity pets. /signed

I'd say head on down to the suggestions forum and flesh out a complete pool and see how it goes.

I can imagine one which my masterminds would happily take to have yet even more minions to do their dirty work.

No. My controller already has 9 uncontrollable pets (10 when a pet summons its pet). There are LOTS of sets/combos that have pets as the OP pointed out. Want pets? Use one of them.

patron pools give every AT except mm a pet, so i dont see the point of this very much

Thematically, I could see something like a "bumbling sidekick" or "senior henchman' in generic street clothes, where the pool power selections slightly altered his available powers. Given low hit points and basically the option of basically the snowball or rock power, he'd amount of an alpha-absorbing taunt (which, hey, is exactly what I use my vet pets for anyway), but with investment up to tier 4 he might have brawl, ranged fraction-of-brawl and some extra hit points.

Thing is, there are some ATs and power combinations that could still do a lot of good work with that guy. A solo buffer-type would have something to buff. A blaster could have a volunteer to eat an alpha. An MM might have a spot to put the Recharge Intensive pet uniques if they don't have another power that allows 'em. But melee toons would really get nothing except a dead pet on a long recharge timer.

Anyway, I'm OK with with this. I think it could work, be balanced and be appealing.

Lovely idea, but as a few have mentioned, probably not viable from a resource standpoint. Vets have their somewhat-useful-buff pets and that's fine enough for my themes.

Can't believe nobody said this yet....
You want a combat pet? Get the Lore pets :P

For a serious reply, I think the idea is good in concept, but would probably end up lacking in execution. If you look at how sets are balanced now, when it comes to actual offensive output, the hierarchy (with some exceptions) is AT sets > epic/patron sets > pool sets. A pet from a power pool would have to be, for balance purposes, at the very least marginally worse than the patron pets, which are already of debatable usefulness. You'd end up with a really flimsy combat pet, to which most people would then ask, "well why don't you just make this a vanity pet that I can have it all the time."

There's also the practical issue of server resources. Controllers and MMs are VIP gated for resource reasons, and I'm fairly sure that's why vanity pets are 1 at a time as well.

No thank you. The way I see it, if you want a sidekick find a friend to act out the part of your +1.