Can a spider-critter be an animal if it's got an Int of 2?

[JimAde]

I did something similar in my campaign. I wanted a creature that looked like a tiny dragon, but was of the animal type. The idea is that it's appropriate for use as a familiar without the Improved Familiar feat. So I did what Nonlethal Force suggests and started with the stats of a hawk. I made sure the HD and everything were correct for an animal and just described it as I saw fit.

Granted, that wasn't for publication, but I see no problem with it from a rules standpoint.

 

[werk]

I agree with the magical beast call. How does the spider get a higher intelligence?

Phase Spiders have an Int of 7...magical beast.

Besides, drow are only obsessed with spiders if they worship Lloth, right? What about druids that worship Gaunadaur...I want an ooze companion!

 

[Infiniti2000]

Well, it's for a product, so I want to try to hew toward official-dom. I want spiders that can be a drow druid's animal companions.

If it's for a product, quite honestly that's even more reason to create your own critter that can be used as an animal companion for drow.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

If the goal is a vermin companion.. I think there is a variant driud in either Wildscape or ECS that, with a feat, can have Vermin companions. I will check when I get home...unless someone beats me to it.

If the goal is simply trained vermin, modify Awaken slightly to be able to affect vermin:

An awakened vermin gets 2d6 Intelligence, +1d3 Charisma, and +2 HD. Its type becomes magical beast (augmented vermin ). An awakened vermin can’t serve as an animal companion, familiar, or special mount.

An awakened vermin, tree, or animal can speak one language that you know, plus one additional language that you know per point of Intelligence bonus (if any).

I dropped it to 2d6 INT to make up for the lack of INT score to begin with...

 

[diaglo]

have you looked at the City of the Spider Queen by James Wyatt

it has some interesting spins on drow, spiders, driders, and aranea

 

[dcollins]

Here it is, from the Epic SRD:

Handle Animal
The character can handle creatures other than animals, and can teach or train in much less time than normally required.

Task Time DC
Rear magical beast 1 year 30 + HD of magical beast
Train magical beast 2 months 40 + HD of magical beast
Rear vermin 6 months 35 + HD of vermin
Train vermin 2 months 50 + HD of vermin
Rear other creature Varies 40 + HD of creature
Train other creature 2 months 60 + HD of creature

I suppose for your product you could create a special spell, feat, class ability, or magic item that gives a bonus to make these DCs attainable.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Of course, the problem with that is that is that a creature gets to learn a number of tricks equal to a multiple of its intelligence score.

That gives you #NUM error with vermin.

 

[diaglo]

Of course, the problem with that is that is that a creature gets to learn a number of tricks equal to a multiple of its intelligence score.

That gives you #NUM error with vermin.

do like they do for other monsters with stat -- based scores. like Cha and Con and such.. for operating spells or fort saves or whatnot for some other types. pick another stat or just ignore it

 

[Knight Otu]

Spiders aren't exactly vertebrates, so Animal isn't fully fitting (how many invertebrate Animals are there, anyway? I don't recall any) under d20 rules. But a creature doesn't have to be an Animal to be trainable - Handle Animal can be uesd on any creature with Int 1 or 2. That said:

* Skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1) per Hit Die, with quadruple skill points for the first Hit Die, if the vermin has an Intelligence score. However, most vermin are mindless and gain no skill points or feats.
Traits: Vermin possess the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).
* Mindless: No Intelligence score, and immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).

The most indicates that there can be non-mindless vermin, it just has to be noted specifically. The same ... "loophole" has been used in the Monster Manual 3 with intelligent oozes. Just say something like

"Animal Intelligence: Unlike most vermin, [CREATURE]s are about as intelligent as a dog. They are easily trainable, so the Handle Animal DC to train them does not increase by 5."

But that sort of thing should be the exception, really.

 

[JimAde]

Spiders aren't exactly vertebrates, so Animal isn't fully fitting (how many invertebrate Animals are there, anyway? I don't recall any) under d20 rules.

Octopus and Squid are both in the SRD. But I agree, you should be able to just declare an exception.