New Skills! Handle Undead, Handle Construct, Handle Dwarf, etc...


Homebrew and House Rules


So, expanding upon the idea of one skill representing a separate set of skills (like perform, knowledge, & profession), why not do the same with Handle Animal by making it separate skills that handle different types of creatures?

For example: A vampire is coming at you. You can fight it OR roll a handle undead check to keep it away or safely get past it.

Depending on class theme and flavor, I feel that this option could make the game more interesting, if not more comical.

See the Ranger's favored Enemy list to get the gist of what all the different "handle" skills could be.


Good for beer and pretzels throwing garlic grains at the vampire, but overall that's just a diplomacy check (which handle _____ or diplo wouldn't work on mindless undead) which is already not going to work in actual combat.


You would have to give classes so many more skill points.

Also, handle animal only really works because animals have such low intelligence. Your more splitting diplomacy into many skills rather than anything else.


Handle dwarf helps with dwarf tossing!


It would have to be limited to non-sapient creatures. Diplomacy is what you use on intelligent entities; handle animal only really works as written because its target type is universally of lower intelligence and lacks sapience, free will, self-awareness, or whatever term best floats your boat.

So for example, you might be able to use Handle Magical Beast on... say... a Remorhaz with its 5 Intelligence, but you wouldn't be able to use it on a highly-intelligent and clearly sapient Aranea, despite both being Magical Beasts.


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I'm going to take Skill Focus Handle Dragon to become Danerys.

I'm also going to take Skill Focus Handle Nymph for... other reasons.


Orthos wrote:

It would have to be limited to non-sapient creatures. Diplomacy is what you use on intelligent entities; handle animal only really works as written because its target type is universally of lower intelligence and lacks sapience, free will, self-awareness, or whatever term best floats your boat.

So for example, you might be able to use Handle Magical Beast on... say... a Remorhaz with its 5 Intelligence, but you wouldn't be able to use it on a highly-intelligent and clearly sapient Aranea, despite both being Magical Beasts.

Say that to the dragons who take Skill Focus (Handle Human). Although, according to them the "sapience" of humans is found lacking.


Ragnarok Aeon wrote:
Say that to the dragons who take Skill Focus (Handle Human). Although, according to them the "sapience" of humans is found lacking.

Dragons could even possibly consider all humanoid races as distinct breeds rather than distinct races and use the skill Handle Humanoid. After all, we humans apparently consider all dragons as the same if we look at the favored enemy list.

Now, that would be cool if the PCs were playing the dragons. But with the PCs as humanoids... slavery isn't fun.


Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Arcanemuses wrote:

So, expanding upon the idea of one skill representing a separate set of skills (like perform, knowledge, & profession), why not do the same with Handle Animal by making it separate skills that handle different types of creatures?

For example: A vampire is coming at you. You can fight it OR roll a handle undead check to keep it away or safely get past it.

Well considering you can't do that to an animal with the Handle Animal skill, your proposal doesn't really make sense.


Zaister wrote:
Arcanemuses wrote:

So, expanding upon the idea of one skill representing a separate set of skills (like perform, knowledge, & profession), why not do the same with Handle Animal by making it separate skills that handle different types of creatures?

For example: A vampire is coming at you. You can fight it OR roll a handle undead check to keep it away or safely get past it.

Well considering you can't do that to an animal with the Handle Animal skill, your proposal doesn't really make sense.

You can, its just not at all practical.


Orthos wrote:
It would have to be limited to non-sapient creatures.

So dwarves and gnomes should qualify for Handle Animal?


Will Handle Dwarf finally give us a Constitution-based skill?


Ciaran Barnes wrote:
Will Handle Dwarf finally give us a Constitution-based skill?

I thought Profession (Alcoholic) was already constitution based.

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