7.6 Creature Handling (Per)

The Creature Handling skill represents your ability to influence non-sapient creatures. With it, you can convince them to do what you want or train them to follow commands. This skill has no effect on creatures with an Intelligence of -5 or higher.

7.6.1 Common Creature Handling Tasks

Perform Trained Action: You can make a difficulty value 5 Creature Handling check to convince an ally to perform an action it is already trained to perform.

Rear a Wild Creature: You can make a Creature Handling check to raise a wild creature from infancy so that it becomes domesticated. The time required depends on how long it takes the creature in question to reach adulthood. The difficulty value for this check is equal to 5 + twice the creature’s level in its adult form. This check must be repeated once per year during the process of raising the creature, and when that process is complete. Failure means that an additional year of training is required. A successfully domesticated creature can be taught tricks at the same time it’s being raised, or it can be taught as a domesticated creature later.

Teach Trick: You can make a Creature Handling check to teach an ally a trick. A trick is a specific behavior that generally requires a single-word command, like “fetch” or “stay”. A creature can learn a maximum of two tricks per point of Intelligence it has above -10. Teaching a trick generally takes at least a week of intermittent training. Simple tricks have a difficulty value of 5, while complex tricks have a difficulty value of 10 or more.

7.6.2 Common Creature Handling Modifiers

Animals are easier to handle than other kinds of creatures. You take a -5 penalty to your Creature Handling skill when using it to affect non-animals.

7.6.3 Teaching Tricks

Generally speaking, teaching a creature a new trick requires spending at least four hours a day in training over the course of a week. It is not generally possible to accelerate the process by spending more time each day; the creature must take time to learn the new behavior. If a creature is taught more tricks than its Intelligence allows it to retain, it will forget one of its old tricks during the course of learning the new trick. The trainer can choose which old trick will be replaced in this way.

A list of specific tricks that creatures can be taught is given below. Of course, players should feel free to define new tricks to accomplish more specific goals. However, complicated tricks are probably more difficult for an animal to learn, so the difficulty value to teach a custom trick might be 15 or higher.

Attack (DV 10): The creature attacks apparent enemies. You may point to a particular creature that you wish the creature to attack, and it will comply if able. This trick includes teaching the creature how to stop attacking if you give it a command to relent.

Come (DV 5): The creature comes to you.

Defend (DV 10): The creature defends you (or is ready to defend you if no threat is present), even without any command being given. Alternatively, you can command the creature to defend a specific other character.

Down (DV 5): The creature breaks off from combat or otherwise backs down. A creature that doesn’t know this trick continues to fight until it must flee (due to injury, a fear effect, or the like) or its opponent is defeated.

Fetch (DV 5): The creature goes and gets something. If you do not point out a specific item, the creature fetches some random object.

Guard (DV 10): The creature stays in place and prevents others from approaching.

Heel (DV 5): The creature follows you closely, even to places where it normally wouldn’t go.

Messenger (DV 15): The creature carries a small item to a destination. Once it arrives, it waits for up to 24 hours for someone to take the item from it. The destination must be known to the creature.

When you instruct the creature to deliver the item, you must communicate the destination to the creature. This normally requires a DV 20 Creature Handling check as a standard action. The DV of this check is lowered to 15 for locations the creature is extremely familiar with, such as its home. If you have other means of communicating the destination to the creature, such as the animal speech druid ability (see Animal Speech, page here), that check is unnecessary.

Perform (DV 10): The creature performs a variety of simple tricks, such as sitting up, rolling over, roaring or barking, and so on.

Seek (DV 5): The creature moves into an area and looks around for anything that is obviously alive or animate.

Stay (DV 5): The creature stays in place, waiting for you to return. It does not challenge other creatures that come by, though it still defends itself if it needs to.

Track (DV 10): The creature tracks the scent presented to it. (This requires the creature to have the scent ability)

Work (DV 5): The creature pulls or pushes a medium or heavy load.

Bonus Tricks

Some trainers can teach creatures bonus tricks in addition to their normal maximum number of tricks known. Once a creature has learned a bonus trick, that trick may not be retrained into a different trick by a trainer who does not have the same ability to grant bonus tricks.

7.6.4 Training Non-Domesticated Creatures

Although non-domesticated creatures of any type can be taught tricks with patience and training, they are not naturally obedient. When outside their trainer’s influence, or in stressful situations, they tend to revert to their natural behaviors. In general, even the most skilled trainers can only control one non-domesticated creature in battle.

In rare circumstances, a skilled trainer may temporarily gain the service of an elite monster. While acting at the behest of another creature using Creature Handling, elite monsters can only take one standard action or one elite action during each action phase, not both.