Animal Companions and Tricks

[Grandpa]

I must be blind, because I can't find the reference for this... How many tricks can you teach an animal over the course of its life? Is it unlimited, three tricks per point of intelligence, or what?

-Gramps

 

[Axiomatic Unicorn]

SRD:

An animal with an Intelligence of 2 can learn six tricks.

Most of the animals have an INT of 2. I would assume that an INT 1 animal could not learn tricks.

A more intelligent animal could probably learn a very large number of tricks. But that is just my opinion.

 

[Tobold Hornblower]

It takes 2 months to teach a trick, so only 6 for each year since it was old enough to start learning. And then only if the Handle Animal skill check succeeds every time.

 

[Hejdun]

THE RIGHT ANSWER is 3 tricks per intelligence point that they have. If that wolf has an int of 2, you teach him 6 tricks. It does not take the time outlined in Handle Animal, this is a special case. Sort of like Wizards and their extra spells in a spellbook, they just happen. It probably makes the most sense if it is incorporated into training time/costs. I assume you found the list of "tricks"

 

[Hejdun]

Err.... sorry to sound condescending. I see where the foul up occured.

If you are talking about animal companions, such as the ones druids, rangers, and some clerics get, then you can teach them 3 tricks per point of intelligence. This is supported by:

Page 173 of PHB, under Animal Friendship spell:

You can teach the befriended animal three specifi tricks or tasks for each point of Intelligence it posesses. ... They cannot be complex (complex tricks, such as accepting a rider, require the Handle Animal skill).

And this is further supported by DMG page 46, under Animal Companions:

An animal with an Ingelligence of 2 can learn six tricks.

Also, the list of tricks is listed on page 46 of the DMG.


Now, if you are talking about just a regular character, say a fighter, trying to teach an animal to do things, that would require the Handle Animal skill, as was posted above.

 

[Axiomatic Unicorn]

answer posted during the question

 

[Grandpa]

Thanks for the replies. I'm asking because a druid character in player party has an animal companion, and assumes that tricks given under the "animal friendship" spell are "free" tricks, and that any more would require the Handle Animal skill. I have the impression that 6 skills are the maximum for any animal with two intelligence, and that absolutely no more can be taught to it.

Can anyone back up my side or his on this? Was the SRD quote given in reference to the Animal Companion spell, or in the Handle Animal entry? It makes sense to me that an animal could learn far more than 6 tricks (can't dogs?) and I don't think it would hurt the game, but I would still like to know the "official" ruling is.

-Gramps