HANDLE ANIMAL (CHA; TRAINED ONLY)
- PLAYER’S HANDBOOK (3.0)
- PLAYER’S HANDBOOK (3.5)
In Class: Barbarian, Druid, Fighter, Knight, Ranger, Spirit Shaman
Use this skill to drive a team of horses pulling a wagon over rough terrain, to teach a dog to guard, or to teach a tyrannosaur to “speak” on your command.
Check: The DC depends on what you are trying to do.
—————Animal’s Attitude (DC to achieve)—————
Init Attitude Hos Unf Indif Friend Helpful Fanatic
Hostile <20 20 25 35 50 150
Unfriendly <5 5 15 25 40 120
Indifferent - <1 1 15 30 90
Friendly - - <1 1 20 60
Helpful - - - <1 1 50
Attitude: Possible Actions
Hostile :Will take risks to hurt you. Attack, interfere, berate, flee
Unfriendly: Wishes you ill. Mislead, avoid, watch suspiciously
Indifferent: Doesn’t much care. Ignore you.
Friendly: Wishes you well. offer limited help, offer encouragement
Helpful: Will take risks to help you. Protect, aid, bring you food, lead you to safety
Fanatic: Will give life for you. The target gains a +2 morale bonus to Str and Con, +1 Moral bonus to will saves, and a -1 penalty to AC while fighting for you or your cause. This attitude lasts for 1 day plus one day per point of charisma bonus. Afterwards, the target reverts to it’s original attitude, or indifferent if the original attitude was unknown) Treat this as a mind-effecting enchantment as far as immunity, save bonuses, or being detected, however it is non-magical and cannot be dispelled.
Handle an Animal (DC 10): This task involves commanding an animal to perform a task or trick that it knows. For instance, to command a trained attack dog to attack a foe requires a DC 10 Handle Animal check. If the animal is wounded or has taken any nonlethal damage or ability score damage, the DC increases by 2. If your check succeeds, the animal performs the task or trick on its next action.
“Push” an Animal (DC 25): To push an animal means to get it to perform a task or trick that it doesn’t know but is physically capable of performing. This category also covers making an animal perform a forced march or forcing it to hustle for more than 1 hour between sleep cycles. If the animal is wounded or has taken any nonlethal damage or ability score damage, the DC increases by 2. If your check succeeds, the animal performs the task or trick on its next action.
Teach an Animal a Trick: You can teach an animal a specific trick with one week of work and a successful Handle Animal check against the indicated DC. An animal with an Intelligence score of 1 (such as a snake or a shark) can learn a maximum of three tricks, while an animal with an Intelligence score of 2 (such as a dog or a horse) can learn a maximum of six tricks. Possible tricks (and their associated DCs) include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following.
Ambush (DC 20): The animal hides, using the Hide skill to the best of its ability. It then stays hidden and attacks the first foe to come close enough for the animal to attack after a single move. The animal must know the attack trick to learn this trick, and it will attack only those kinds of creatures it has been trained to attack and that it recognizes as foes. The animal will not attack creatures that are familiar to it (such as members of its owner’s party) or harmless creatures that it would not otherwise attack (such as birds or squirrels). You can specify a kind of creature to attack each time you command an animal to perform the ambush trick. Doing this requires a DC 20 Handle Animal check, and you must convey your desire to the animal somehow. If the animal has the scent ability, you can supply the animal with the scent (for example, from a piece of discarded clothing or equipment). You also can show the animal the kind of creature you want ambushed (by pointing to the creature in the distance or showing the animal a captive creature). A speak with animals spell can be handy for designating a kind of creature to ambush. You can specify a location for the ambush instead of the kind of creature. Doing this also requires a DC 20 Handle Animal check. The place you designate must be a place the animal can reach by taking a single move action, and the animal must be able to see it when you give the ambush command.
Armor (DC 15): The animal is willing to accept the burden of armor.
Assist Attack (DC 20): The animal aids your attack or that of another creature as a standard action. You must designate both the recipient of the aid and a specific opponent when commanding the animal to perform the task. The animal uses the aid another combat action, attempting to grant a bonus on the recipient’s next attack roll against the designated opponent. It also flanks the designated opponent, if it can do so without provoking attacks of opportunity. An animal must know the attack trick before it can learn this trick.
Assist Defend (DC 20): The animal aids your defense or that of another creature as a standard action. You must designate both the recipient of the aid and a specific opponent when commanding the animal to perform the task. The animal uses the aid another combat action, attempting to grant a bonus on the recipient’s AC against the designated opponent’s next attack. An animal must know the defend trick before it can learn this trick.
Assist Track (DC 20): The animal aids your attempt to track. The animal must be present as you attempt a Survival check to track another creature; if the animal succeeds on a DC 10 Survival check, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus on your Survival check made to track. An animal must have the scent ability and know the track trick before it can learn this trick.
Attack (DC 20): The animal attacks apparent enemies. You may point to a particular creature that you wish the animal to attack, and it will comply if able. Normally, an animal will attack only humanoids, monstrous humanoids, giants, or other animals. Teaching an animal to attack all creatures (including such unnatural creatures as undead and aberrations) counts as two tricks.
Rules of the game (Attack): The animal attacks your foes on command. Animals can attack your foes when they don't know this trick, but usually only when attacked themselves or when they perform another combat-oriented trick (such as defend). Usually, you give the command to attack and point to a foe the animal can see or otherwise perceive. If your Handle Animal check succeeds, the animal attacks the designated foe to the best of its ability. The rules don't address this, but you may want to consider simply giving an attack order and allowing the animal to select a foe to attack. Most animals are discerning enough to tell your foes from your allies, especially once a battle starts. See the notes on the down trick for more notes on how animals act in a battle. According to the rules, animals attack only humanoids, monstrous humanoids, giants, or other animals. Aberrations, constructs, dragons, fey, elementals, magical beasts, plants, oozes, outsiders, undead, and vermin make animals uneasy. You can train an animal to attack creatures of any kind, but doing so counts as two tricks. Remember that you can still "push" an animal not trained to attack any foe to attack a strange creature. Please note that we're talking about animals attacking on command. An animal fights in its own defense when any kind of creature attacks it. You can also count on an animal that you've trained to defend to stand its ground in the face of nearly any foe. Likewise, be fairly liberal in deciding which creatures animals attack on command. A dog, for example, might well shy away from a Gargantuan monstrous spider, but it probably won't balk at attacking a Small or Tiny one. Likewise, magical beasts such as girallons and owlbears aren't strange enough to make attack animals balk.
Bestow Venom (DC 15): By succeeding on a DC 15 Handle Animal check to handle a vermin that has a poison special attack, you can compel the vermin to give up some of its venom. The creature deposits its poison into a container you indicate, providing a single dose. A Handle Animal check to extract venom takes 1 minute. You can then attempt a DC 15 Craft (poisonmaking) check to refine this venom into a poison you can use.
Bull Rush (DC 20): The animal attempts to bull rush a designated creature. The animal must know the attack trick to learn this trick, and it will bull rush only those kinds of creatures it has been trained to attack. This trick otherwise works just like the attack trick.
Calm (DC 15): This trick lets an animal deal with dungeon environments. It becomes willing to move through or rest quietly in darkness, to skirt ledges around pits, and to climb up slanted passages and staircases. When the situation requires it, the animal even allows itself to be harnessed for travel over vertical surfaces.
Come (DC 15): The animal comes to you, even if it normally would not do so (following you onto a boat, for example). An animal that knows this trick will move through a tight space if commanded to do so.
Rules of the game (Come): A successful check makes the animal move to a space adjacent to you, or it moves into your space if it is small enough to do so, even if it isn't inclined to do so. The animal generally follows the shortest path to you, but it avoids any hazards (including hostile creatures) and impassible terrain along the way if it can. The DM might decide to increase the check difficulty if the animal's only path to you entails some risk (for example, if the animal must walk a narrow ledge and risk a fall if it fails a Balance check, or if it must jump from a dock into a wobbly boat). You also can use this command to make an animal ignore some distraction, such as another animal, and come to you, but this command won't make the animal break off combat; see the notes on the "down" command.
Defend (DC 20): The animal defends you (or is ready to defend you if no threat is present), even without any command being given. Alternatively, you can command the animal to defend a specific other character.
Rules of the game (Defend): You can give this command to make an animal defend you against a foe that is attacking you. You also can give this command when you face no foes at all; when you do so, this command makes the animal ready to defend you if you are attacked. You also can command the animal to defend another character that you specify. The rules don't define exactly what the animal does when it receives this command, but it's pretty clear to me that the animal attacks any creature that tries to attack you (or some other character you've designated). I recommend that the animal also remains adjacent to you and moves to place itself between you and hostile creatures. Once you give this command, the animal continues to defend you (or another character you've designated) until it receives a different command. In effect, the animal fights to defend you just as it fights to defend itself. As suggested earlier, an animal defending you attacks any sort of creatures when defending you. An animal acting under this command remains vigilant to the best of its ability. As a living creature, an animal needs to eat and sleep, and eventually it must abandon a task if not relieved. Unless something else interferes or distracts the animal, it normally takes up the task again after seeing to its needs. If in doubt, you can call for another Handle Animal check with a -5 penalty. The character who originally gave the order makes the check even if no longer present.
Disarm (DC 20): The animal attempts to disarm a designated creature. The animal must know the attack trick to learn this trick, and it will disarm only those kinds of creatures it has been trained to attack. You designate some item the subject holds or carries, and the animal will try to seize that item. If given no other instructions, the animal attempts to make the subject drop any weapon it holds. If the animal uses a bite attack (or some other natural weapon that allows it to grasp an object), it winds up holding the target item in its mouth (or grasp) after a successful disarm.
Dive (DC 15): The animal dives into water as you direct, possibly from heights far above what it would normally attempt. The animal can also swim underwater even if it normally would not do so.
Down (DC 15): The animal breaks off from combat or otherwise backs down. An animal 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.
Rules of the game (Down): You give this command to make the animal stop whatever it's currently doing. Usually, you give this command to make an animal stop fighting, but you can make it cease almost any activity. The rules don't say what the animal does when it backs down; I recommend that the animal remain adjacent to its foe (or other object of its attention) or it makes a 5-foot step away from the opponent and toward you. The DM decides if the animal makes the step. An animal that doesn't know this trick fights until it defeats its foe (or acts until it completes its task) or until an injury or some other condition (such as a fear effect) forces it to flee. The rules don't say how long a wounded animal keeps fighting. An animal usually doesn't fight to the death, and I recommend that it fight until it loses somewhere between half and three quarters of its hit points. The more aggressive the animal, the more punishment it endures before fleeing.
Fetch (DC 15): The animal goes and gets something. If you do not point out a specific item, the animal fetches some random object.
Rules of the game (Fetch): The animal picks up something and brings it to you. If you point to a specific item, the animal goes to get it and then carries or drags it to you. If you fail to point out a specific item, the animal grabs some random object that it can easily pick up and carry and brings that to you. The rules don't say how far the animal travels to retrieve a random item. I suggest that the animal moves to the nearest location that might have something to fetch before searching for something to pick up, but that it's always at least a half move for the creature.
Guard (DC 20): The animal stays in place and prevents others from approaching.
Rules of the game (Guard): This works much like the defend command, except that the animal stays in place and keeps other creatures from approaching or entering the area.
Heel (DC 15): The animal follows you closely, even to places where it normally wouldn’t go. An animal that knows this trick will move through a tight space if commanded to do so.
Rules of the game (Heel): When you give this command, the animal moves adjacent to you (or possibly into your space if it's sufficiently small) and follows you wherever you go, even if you go somewhere the animal wouldn't normally go. If an animal doesn't know this trick, getting it to travel along with you could require some effort. You could assume that an animal follows the character who handles its care and feeding; however, animals are notorious for becoming distracted when moving from place to place. Unless you keep the animal on a lead (or use it as a mount) you can pretty much count on delays when traveling as the animal dawdles or makes impulsive detours. The animal also can balk at crossing terrain that it finds unfamiliar or unpleasant. You might overcome either problem by pushing the animal to heel or by using the "come" command.
Hold (DC 20): The animal initiates a grapple attack and attempts to hold a designated enemy in its arms, claws, or teeth. An animal with the improved grab ability uses that ability in the attempt; otherwise, the attack provokes attacks of opportunity. An animal must know the attack trick before it can learn this trick.
Home (DC 20): The animal returns to the location where it was trained to perform this trick, traveling overland as required.
Hunt (DC 15): The animal attempts to hunt and forage for food for you using its Survival skill. While any animal automatically knows how to hunt and forage for its own needs, this trick causes it to return with food rather than simply eating its fill of what it finds.
Jump (DC 15): The animal performs a jump as you direct—either a long jump or a high jump. Swimming animals perform these jumps in water, while land bound animals perform these jumps on land.
Mark (DC 20): The animal moves toward a creature you designate and endeavors to stay near the creature no matter what it does or how it moves. The animal generally stays within 10 feet of the creature but keeps out of its reach. While performing this trick, the creature makes noise to help mark the foe’s location. If the animal also knows the seek trick, you can designate an area or direction for the animal to seek out foes that are attacking you. To identify a foe, the animal must see the creature attack you or use a spell or other magical effect with a visible manifestation in your direction. Otherwise the animal marks the first creature it encounters.
Overrun (DC 20): The animal attempts to overrun a designated creature, provided the animal is big enough to do so. If the animal has the trample special ability, it uses that ability against the creature if the animal is big enough to do so.
Perform (DC 15): The animal performs a variety of simple tricks, such as sitting up, rolling over, roaring or barking, and so on.
Rules of the game (Perform): According to the rules, teaching an animal this trick allows it to execute a variety of simple stunts, such as sitting up, rolling over, roaring, or barking on command. The rules don't say how many stunts the animal learns, but the examples make it fairly clear that the stunts must be both simple and well within the animal's physical limits. I recommend that the animal learn a suite of stunts that it can execute in about 3 minutes, say three to twelve stunts in all. Other possible stunts include jumping through hoops (for animals with Jump bonuses), balancing on a wire or rolling ball (for animals with Balance bonuses), or playing a simple tune (for almost any animal that can pick up and manipulate an object). Keep in mind that some stunts might require a trained character to make the animal perform on cue. For example, you can train animals to simulate the ability to perform arithmetic by responding to subtle cues from its trainer. In such a case, the assisting character also needs the Perform skill (most likely act), or some skill that allows covert communication, such as Bluff.
Scent Fighting (DC 20): The animal is trained to help its rider or handler fight against a creature that it cannot see. Each round, the creature takes a move action to locate the direction of a scent and then travels in that direction, stopping when it is within 5 feet of the source of the scent (or at the limit of its movement) and indicating the location of the origin of the scent. An animal must have the scent ability to learn this trick.
Seek (DC 15): The animal moves into an area and looks around for anything that is obviously alive or animate.
Rules of the game (Seek): On command, the animal moves into an area you designate and looks for anything obviously alive or animate. The rules don't say what the animal does when it finds what it seeks, but I recommend that it stops and does something to indicate the subject's location. For example, a dog might "point" (strike a rigid pose with its nose extended toward the subject).
Special Movement (DC 20): The animal will use one specific special movement mode it does not normally possess if a spell or other effect grants it that movement mode: flying, burrowing, climbing, or swimming. An animal trained to fly will also air walk.
Stalk (DC 20): The animal follows a designated target, doing its best to remain undetected, until the target is wounded or resting, and then attacks. An animal must know the attack trick before it can learn this trick.
Stay (DC 15): The animal 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.
Rules of the game (Stay): When you give this command, the animal stays where it is until you give it another command. The rules don't say so, but this command does not work when the animal is engaged in combat or any other intense activity (you need the down command for that). While waiting, the animal does not try to guard the area against intruders, but it does defend itself if attacked. Likewise, it sees to its own needs, as noted in the notes about the "defend" trick in Part Two.
Steal (DC 20): The animal grabs an object in the possession of a target creature, wrests it away, and brings it to you. If multiple objects are available, the animal attempts to steal a random one. An animal must know the fetch trick before it can learn this trick.
Subdue (DC 20): The animal attacks a designated target creature to deal nonlethal damage, taking a –4 penalty on its attack roll. The animal stops its attack when the target creature lapses into unconsciousness. An animal must know the attack trick before it can learn this trick.
Swim (DC 15): The animal enters water and swims as you direct or in the pursuit of accomplishing another trick. Most animals don’t need to be taught the swim trick; this is only used for teaching an animal to swim that otherwise would not be inclined to do so.
Track (DC 20): The animal tracks the scent presented to it. (This requires the animal to have the scent ability.)
Rules of the game (Track): Only animals that have the scent ability can learn this trick. When you give this command, you must present the animal with a scent to track. You can present a scent in any number of ways. The most reliable is to allow the animal to sniff some article that the target has worn or touched.
Warn (DC 20): The animal reacts to new creatures coming near, even without any command being given, regardless of whether the animal sees the newcomer, or hears it, or detects the creature with scent. The exact warning sound given (hiss, growl, squawk, bark) varies depending on animal type and the training; this sound is chosen at the time of training and cannot be changed. If the newcomer does not stop after this warning, the animal attacks. As part of the training, the animal can be trained to ignore specific creatures (such as the trainer’s allies). An animal must know the guard trick before it can learn this trick.
Web (DC 15): On command, a web-spinning vermin shoots a web at the closest hostile creature.
Work (DC 15): The animal pulls or pushes a medium or heavy load.
Rules of the game (Work): You can command the animal to push or pull a medium or heavy load. The rules don't say so, but you reasonably could assume that the animal can perform other kinds of labor, provided it is physically able to do so, such as walking on a treadmill or lifting things (if the animal has a grasping appendage). Draft animals must know this trick before they can pull vehicles or other devices (such as farm implements) any appreciable distance. An animal that does not know this trick still can push or pull a medium or heavy load, but it is inclined to give up the task or try to escape after moving the load a short distance. The DM must decide if the animal needs a harness or other special equipment to move the load. Most four-footed animals, for example, aren't very good at pushing unless provided with a bar or pad to push against. Likewise, most animals can't pull anything unless fitted with a harness over the chest or shoulders (or both).
Editor (Tripping): As someone pointed out, you can train an animal to bull rush, disarm, grapple, and overrun, but you can’t teach them to trip. I believe this is an oversight on the part of WotC and you should be able to teach an animal to trip. I would simply call the trick “Trip”. Without the improved tripping feat, the animal is open to attacks of opportunity. You have to have the animal trained in the attack trick before you can train them in trip.
Train an Animal for a Purpose: Rather than teaching an animal individual tricks, you can simply train it for a general purpose. Essentially, an animal’s purpose represents a preselected set of known tricks that fit into a common scheme, such as guarding or heavy labor. The animal must meet all the normal prerequisites for all tricks included in the training package. If the package includes more than three tricks, the animal must have an Intelligence score of 2. An animal can be trained for only one general purpose, though if the creature is capable of learning additional tricks (above and beyond those included in its general purpose), it may do so. Training an animal for a purpose requires fewer checks than teaching individual tricks does, but no less time. At your DM’s option, you may be able to train an animal for a purpose that isn’t mentioned here.
Advanced Fighting (DC 20): An animal trained for advanced fighting knows the tricks assist attack, attack, down, hold, stay, and subdue. Training an animal for advanced fighting takes five weeks. You can also “upgrade” an animal trained for fighting to one trained for advanced fighting by spending two weeks and making a successful DC 20 Handle Animal check. The new general purpose and tricks completely replace the animal’s previous purpose and any tricks it once knew.
Combat Riding (DC 20): An animal trained to bear a rider into combat knows the tricks attack, come, defend, down, guard, and heel. Training an animal for combat riding takes six weeks. You may also “upgrade” an animal trained for riding to one trained for combat riding by spending three weeks and making a successful DC 20 Handle Animal check. The new general purpose and tricks completely replace the animal’s previous purpose and any tricks it once knew. Warhorses and riding dogs (see the Monster Manual) are already trained to bear riders into combat, and they don’t require any additional training for this purpose.
Defensive Guarding (DC 20): An animal trained for defensive guarding knows the tricks defend, down, guard, hold, subdue, and warn. Training an animal for defensive guarding takes six weeks. You can also “upgrade” an animal trained for guarding to one trained for defensive guarding by spending three weeks and making a successful DC 20 Handle Animal check. The new general purpose and tricks completely replace the animal’s previous purpose and any tricks it once knew.
Fighting (DC 20): An animal trained to engage in combat knows the tricks attack, down, and stay. Training an animal for fighting takes three weeks.
Fishing (DC 20): An animal trained for fishing knows the following tricks: attack, come, dive, down, fetch, and seek. Diving birds such as cormorants are excellent fishers and are trained to fish on command in some lands.
Guarding (DC 20): An animal trained to guard knows the tricks attack, defend, down, and guard. Training an animal for guarding takes four weeks.
Heavy Labor (DC 15): An animal trained for heavy labor knows the tricks come and work. Training an animal for heavy labor takes two weeks.
Helpmate (DC 20): An animal helpmate serves you or a creature you designate, acting as a companion, guard, and assistant. It knows the tricks come, down, fetch, guard, heel, and stay. Training an animal to be a helpmate takes six weeks.
Herding (DC 20): The animal knows how to drive groups of other animals from place to place and how to keep individuals from wandering away from the herd. It knows the tricks come, down, guard, heel, mark, and seek. Training a herding animal takes six weeks.
Hunting (DC 20): An animal trained for hunting knows the tricks attack, down, fetch, heel, seek, and track. Training an animal for hunting takes six weeks.
Messenger (DC 15): An animal trained as a messenger knows the following tricks: come, fetch, seek, and track. Animal messengers can be fitted with small canisters or harnesses to carry short written messages.
Performance (DC 15): An animal trained for performance knows the tricks come, fetch, heel, perform, and stay. Training an animal for performance takes five weeks.
Rescue, Land (DC 15): The animal knows how to find and retrieve hurt or incapacitated creatures. It knows the tricks fetch, mark, seek, track, and work. Training a rescue animal takes five weeks.
Rescue, Sea (DC 20): An animal trained for rescue knows the following tricks: come, defend, dive, fetch, seek, and work. Strong swimmers such as porpoises can be trained to aid humanoids in water.
Riding (DC 15): An animal trained to bear a rider knows the tricks come, heel, and stay. Training an animal for riding takes three weeks.
Thievery (DC 20): An animal trained for thievery knows the tricks fetch, heel, home, seek, steal, and work. Training an animal for thievery takes six weeks.
Underground Fighting (DC 20): An animal trained to engage in combat underground, where scent is typically as important as vision in a fight, knows the tricks attack, defend, down, scent fighting, seek, and heel. Training an animal for underground fighting takes six weeks.
Rear a Wild Animal: To rear an animal means to raise a wild creature from infancy so that it becomes domesticated. A handler can rear as many as three creatures of the same kind at once. A successfully domesticated animal can be taught tricks at the same time it’s being raised, or it can be taught as a domesticated animal later.
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
Time: Normally, teaching or training a creature requires two months of time. A character can accelerate the process of teaching or training a creature, reducing the time required to the listed time, by adding the DC modifier to the base DC for teaching or training the creature. A character can’t reduce the required time to less than 1 minute.
Reduce Teaching/Training: DC Modifier
1 month: +25
1 day: +50
1 hour: +75
1 minute: +100
Ghosts: You may use this skill on animals that have been transformed into ghosts, but there is an additional –4 penalty to do so.
Handle Vermin: Vermin are vital to the drow. On one hand, they are creatures sacred to Lolth, expressions of her perfect divine form. On the other, they are abundant, and with the proper training, they can serve as guardians, soldiers, and even steeds. Since vermin are mindless creatures, they don’t learn as other animals do. Instead, they must be “programmed” by a trainer, who encodes a desired pattern of behavior that the creature reproduces under a specific set of circumstances. This technique is beyond the capabilities of most animal handlers, and only characters with the Vermin Trainer feat or with access to a similar ability—such as that granted by the vermin keeper prestige class can train vermin. Even with the required feat, handling and training mindless creatures has associated challenges. The larger the vermin, for example, the harder it is to control—thus, when making a Handle Animal check to handle or train a vermin, apply the creature’s special size modifier to the check DC. Vermin can learn up to three tricks or one general purpose that encompasses no more than three tricks. Some vermin have a special quality that enables them to learn more than others of their type ordinarily could. It is impossible to push a vermin. Additionally, vermin are never deemed “wild animals” and thus cannot be reared. In addition to the tricks described in the Player’s Handbook and elsewhere, drow commonly teach the following tricks to their vermin servants.
Vermin Size: Handle Animal DC Modifier
Medium or smaller +0
Large +2
Huge +5
Gargantuan +10
Colossal +15
Swimming Animals: Clever animals with natural swimming ability offer a unique way for a human to accomplish tricky work in water. Creatures such as porpoises or seals can swim faster and stay submerged far longer than a human can. Many animals don’t need to be taught to swim. Obviously, any creature with a natural swim speed is perfectly at home in the water. Animals without swim speeds might simply be inclined to swim or disinclined to swim. Chimpanzees, for example, detest water and just don’t like to swim. Most dogs, by contrast, take to water with enthusiasm and will likely carry out commands such as fetch or come even if they must swim in order to comply. The swim trick is only necessary for animals that otherwise would avoid entering water.
Action: Varies. Handling an animal is a move action, while pushing an animal is a full-round action. (A druid or ranger can handle her animal companion as a free action or push it as a move action.) For tasks with specific time frames noted above, you must spend half this time (at the rate of 3 hours per day per animal being handled) working toward completion of the task before you attempt the Handle Animal check. If the check fails, your attempt to teach, rear, or train the animal fails and you need not complete the teaching, rearing, or training time. If the check succeeds, you must invest the remainder of the time to complete the teaching, rearing, or training. If the time is interrupted or the task is not followed through to completion, the attempt to teach, rear, or train the animal automatically fails.
Try Again: Yes, except for rearing an animal.
Special: You can use this skill on a creature with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2 that is not an animal, but the DC of any such check increases by 5. Such creatures have the same limit on tricks known as animals do. The Monster Manual provides information on teaching or training other kinds of creatures as appropriate. A druid or ranger gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Handle Animal checks involving her animal companion. In addition, a druid’s or ranger’s animal companion knows one or more bonus tricks, which don’t count against the normal limit on tricks known and don’t require any training time or Handle Animal checks to teach. If you have the Animal Affinity feat, you get a +2 bonus on Handle Animal checks.
Synergy: If you have 5 or more ranks in Handle Animal, you get a +2 bonus on Ride checks and wild empathy checks.
Untrained: If you have no ranks in Handle Animal, you can use a Charisma check to handle and push domestic animals, but you can’t teach, rear, or train animals. A druid or ranger with no ranks in Handle Animal can use a Charisma check to handle and push her animal companion, but she can’t teach, rear, or train other nondomestic animals.
FEAT: EXTRA TRICKS [GENERAL]
A creature with this feat can learn more tricks than normal. Most creatures with an Intelligence lower than 3 can learn three tricks for every point of Intelligence. Trained animals and special mounts can learn more by taking the Extra Tricks feat, described below. DMs should feel free to introduce special stables or trainers that specialize in producing animals with the Extra Tricks feat and unique selections of tricks.
Prerequisites: Animal or magical beast with Int 1 or 2, must know at least one trick.
Benefit: The creature can learn three more tricks than normal.
Normal: Without this feat, animals and magical beasts can learn a maximum of three tricks per point of Intelligence.
Special: This feat can be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, the creature can learn up to three more tricks.
Editor: At early levels, a riding dog trained for guarding is a cheap and highly effective combatant. If you are bigger then a Halfling, just get the tricks, guard, heel, and defend.
Editor (Rangers/Druids): Useful primarily for rangers/druids with a steady cash flow, Handle Animal is a poor man’s (or woman’s) route to cheap combat and tracking labor. Summon monster... what? Leadership feat... huh? Why spend valuable spell and feat slots when guard dogs are 25 gp each? Guard dogs have only two hit dice, but they have a high base movement rate, the easily-abused Scent ability (which you should feel free to abuse), impressive bonuses to track, and, most annoying of all, gain free trip attacks on every bite attack without reprisal. To automatically command them for trained tasks, all you need is a +9 to Handle Animal, or +11 if they are wounded. A ranger with four trained guard dogs is almost guaranteed to make all but the most difficult tracking checks, detect invisible opponents, and run down fleeing opponents with ease. From a min/max perspective, this is awesome. From a role-playing perspective, rangers probably shouldn’t use guard dogs as fodder. Be sure to keep a freshly peeled onion under the table when dogs #17-20 die so the DM is confident that you are deeply affected by the loss. Then wait at least five minutes before purchasing dogs #21-24.
Editor (Mounts): Your DM may charge high prices for pre-trained mounts other animals. In such cases, you may find it useful to spend more skill points on Handle Animal and train the creatures yourself. High checks will also allow your character to tame and train wild creatures like wolves, which are even more useful than standard dogs. Non-ranger cavalry characters will also find this skill useful, if expensive and difficult, for the purpose of training mounts to perform specific tasks. Usually, however, this is not necessary for cavalry warriors to be effective. Still, the synergy bonus to Ride from five ranks in Handle Animal can come in useful.
Editor (Breaking Point): At fifteen ranks, even slight bonuses to Handle Animal will allow the character to do whatever she wants to do with animals. Most characters can even get away with ten or twelve ranks.
