What happens to animals when their Int goes up?

[Hypersmurf]

The real question is, why would you bother trying to advance an animal's Int score past 2?

Well, for a start, as soon as it hits 3, the creature understands Common...

-Hyp.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Perhaps he wants to play an animal as a PC?

(Goodness knows I want to!)

 

[javcs]

Be less rules-twisting in just getting it awakened.

I did play an awakened cat once ... that was an unusual experience. I had an item that let me use forepaws as hands, swashbuckler/rogue with a rapier.

 

[Gerion of Mercadia]

To me, "no creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher can be an animal" covers the question of "Can I, by virtue of being an Animal (ie, through gaining more hit dice of the Animal type) increase my Intelligence score to 3 or higher?"

If you're getting a +1 to an ability score by advancing in the Animal Type, that ability score increase is beholden to the rules of the Animal Type.

Thx for the backup.

Now what to do with the PC Druid that decides to make a "collar of fox's cunning" and stick it on His animal companion...

 

[Gerion of Mercadia]

*** slipping into muchkin mode here ***

Be less rules-twisting in just getting it awakened.

Nah - he can't be My Animal companion then. Got to Mess with the DM's head.

 

[javcs]

*** slipping into muchkin mode here ***



Nah - he can't be My Animal companion then. Got to Mess with the DM's head.

Ah, but it could be a cohort (and take class levels), which is likely worse.

 

[ChimericDream]

Thanks for all the quick responses. It was more of a proof of concept type question, but I was working on advancing a dire wolf, and I briefly courted the idea of increasing its Int, just for grins. I didn't wind up doing it, but thought it would spur some interesting discussion (and I see it has).

 

[Vegepygmy]

You can't add to the int score of an animal by merely advancing its HD. You need some other sort of magical effect.

If you do increase the int to 3 or higher, the creature's type becomes magical beast.

The FAQ has this to say on the matter:

Can an animal increase its Intelligence when it gains an ability score increase at every 4 Hit Dice? If its Int increases beyond 2, does it become a magical beast?

The Sage recommends that the DM not allow an animal (or any nonintelligent creature) to increase its Intelligence via HD advancement except as a very special case. Even the biggest 18-HD viper in the jungle shouldn’t be able to have an Intelligence of 4.

Regardless, an animal’s type doesn’t change simply due to an Intelligence increase.

On this last point, I suspect the Sage is wrong, and that the animal's type changes to Magical Beast (Augmented Animal). But maybe not.

 

[just__al]

Be less rules-twisting in just getting it awakened.

I did play an awakened cat once ... that was an unusual experience. I had an item that let me use forepaws as hands, swashbuckler/rogue with a rapier.

Puss & Boots!!!

 

[Klaus]

Despite the line "no creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher can be an animal", it's possible to achieve it.

For example, before the change to Wildshape to base it off Alternate Form, a druid explicitly gained the Animal type while retaining his own Intelligence score. Even after those changes, the same effect occurs when using a Polymorph spell.

A simple question is "What happens when you cast Fox's Cunning on a dog?"

Would this result in a change in Type? I see no reason it should. I could see a rules-based justification for it granting a +4 enhancement bonus to Int (maximum 2), but not for changing the creature's Type.

My own inclination would be to let the spell result in an Animal with an Int of 5 or 6; I would not, however, allow Animal hit dice to increase Int above 2, just like Klaus.



To me, "no creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher can be an animal" covers the question of "Can I, by virtue of being an Animal (ie, through gaining more hit dice of the Animal type) increase my Intelligence score to 3 or higher?"

If you're getting a +1 to an ability score by advancing in the Animal Type, that ability score increase is beholden to the rules of the Animal Type.

-Hyp.

I would treat a Fox's Cunning spell cast on an animal to act like a short-term Awaken: the creature becomes a magical beast for a short while, then reverts to animal.