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Train an Animal

Source Ultimate Campaign pg. 87
You can use the Handle Animal skill to train an animal, as described in the Core Rulebook. The rules for training assume the training period is continuous. However, you can break this training into smaller increments (allowing you to make progress on this training between adventures), but you must attempt a Handle Animal check for each training period, and the DC increases by 2. Failing the check means that training period doesn’t count toward completing the training.

This use of downtime doesn’t allow you to exceed the animal’s normal training limitations from the Core Rulebook. For example, spending downtime doesn’t allow you to teach an animal more tricks than it could learn if you weren’t using the downtime system.

Teach an Animal a Trick: This requires 7 days and a successful Handle Animal check at the end of the training period. You may spend Goods, Influence, Labor, or Magic to modify your check result, with each 1 point of capital adding 2 to your total (maximum +10). The DCs and specific tricks are detailed on page 97 of the Core Rulebook.

Train an Animal for a General Purpose: This sort of training can take several weeks, depending on the nature of the training. You may spend Goods, Influence, Labor, or Magic to modify your check result, with each 1 point of capital adding 2 to your total (maximum +10).

Rear a Wild Animal: Depending on the maturation rate of the animal, this can take anywhere from weeks to months or even years. For simplicity’s sake, interacting with the animal for an hour per day in a safe environment counts toward this training and doesn’t require you to spend any downtime. As long as you maintain this daily contact, you need to succeed at only one Handle Animal check at the end of the rearing period. An interruption requires you to succeed at a check to continue the rearing (you may attempt this check once per day). The assumption is that you have a non-expert taking care of the animal’s basic needs while you are away so it isn’t neglected. If you know you will miss a day of this contact, you may spend 1 point of Influence or 1 point of Labor for each missed day to have a skilled animal handler rear the animal for the day, meaning your absence doesn’t count as an interruption in the animal’s training.

Archives of Nethys

Rules Index | GM Screen

Train an Animal