D&D 5E Training an Axe beak

[dpkress2]

One of my players (Halfling Bard 3/Rogue 1) found an axe beak egg and hatched it. My setting is a low magic/low treasure world, so I put the axe beak egg there as "treasure" with the intent of the party doing something with it. I ruled that eventuly it hatched and it's about 2 weeks old.

I never considered rules for how to train this thing. Any ideas? I don't want to give the play free druid/ranger powers so I will have complete control of the thing and it's generally pretty ornery, so It's not going to listen all the time.

 

[Xeviat]

I'd go through a complex skill check for a while of in game time, with handle animal checks to represent teaching and training it. 3E had a pretty detailed system. Once it's fully grown, check how many successes there were and decide how well trained it is.

As for in game, simply make commanding it an action. That would limit its usefulness.


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[Quickleaf]

One of my players (Halfling Bard 3/Rogue 1) found an axe beak egg and hatched it. My setting is a low magic/low treasure world, so I put the axe beak egg there as "treasure" with the intent of the party doing something with it. I ruled that eventuly it hatched and it's about 2 weeks old.

I never considered rules for how to train this thing. Any ideas? I don't want to give the play free druid/ranger powers so I will have complete control of the thing and it's generally pretty ornery, so It's not going to listen all the time.

Depends on how much involvement your player wants. If it's meant to be behind the scenes, I'd consider adapting the training use of downtime to learn a proficiency/language in 250 days, costing 1 gp/day. Tweak the time/cost required as you see fit.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Sounds like falconry with a BIIIIIG falcon.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

If it is meant to be treasure, I would be careful about basing training on skill challenges or anything that could have the potential of failure. If the Axe Beak can't be used as a companion or mount, I would feel pretty dejected as a player, like I had just been given a cool sword that can't cut or shatters the first time I use it. What I might suggest is consider the minimum tricks or commands you would be ok with the player having and give them for free. Then as the player levels (or if you go the skill challenges route, based on number of successes) reward additional abilities, commands, or tricks.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

Another consideration, have the player write up or describe in detail the way he plans to train his Axe Beak. Then base the abilities/commands/tricks around that.

Also, unless there is a ranger or druid in the party that has worked to fill the animal companion niche, there is no reason not to consider giving them a limited version of those abilities. The Axe Beak egg was a treasure/boon. Let it feel special, especially given that you are using a low magic world. I do that kind of stuff for my players all the time. As long as it doesn't make the player clearly more powerful/useful than the rest of his companions, the focus should be on what will be coolest and most fun. At least, that is the way I run my games.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Another consideration, have the player write up or describe in detail the way he plans to train his Axe Beak. Then base the abilities/commands/tricks around that.

*SKRAAAAWWK*
"Polly want a finger! Polly want a finger!"
*SKRAAAAWWK*

 

[MarkB]

One option is simply to employ a suitable NPC to train the creature. Leave it in their care for X months, then the player receives a message that it's sufficiently matured and trained for them to pick up.

 

[jodyjohnson]

The default crafting rules let you create 5gp of value per day for mundane items.

Assign a value to a trained Axe beak and then use Handle Animal to make 5gp of progress per day toward the value as downtime. Once it hits the value, you have a trained axe beak provided it has reached adulthood (which I generally make faster than 'real world'). Possibly allow the use of spells to increase the progress (i.e. Speak with Animals doubles progress per day). The cost is half the value in feed, training supplies, and Scooby snacks.