but let it be optional then! it wouldn't be fun if you were almost obligated to have a pet, that the game will be almost impossible to complete without a pet.
like when you want to play though kick *ss warrior that can save himself for example <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Whether it is optional depends on the situation. Not all pets would be made for fighting, some would be able to let you perform more than one action at once, e.g. Your pet (let's say a charmed skeleton) pulls down a lever to release a trap on a fast monster which you've lured to that spot, and then you run away. Not many pets would be strong, as they would mostly be used for tactics. Defence, distracting enemies, searching for booby traps etc. Pets would be very useful for archers and mages in particular. Pets would not be things which helped you kill the final boss or something lol. Unless they were some smart summon...
A pet is like the poor cousin of a party member: no personality or equipment needed, and never adds anything to the story.
Ever heard of quests? You could interact with your pet speech wise, perhaps you might need to give it food every now and then or let it rest.
