Pets and Trained Animals in PFS

[Wrong John Silver]

What are the rules regarding trained animals that aren't familiars, class-based mounts, or animal companions in PFS? Are they allowed? How are they tracked? I assume that some are allowed (standard mounts, and no one's had a problem with my one bard's untrained chicken) but once we start talking about training animals, that might change?

[SCPRedMage]

Additional Resources wrote:

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Equipment

Equipment: Only creatures of the animal type of size Large and smaller may be purchased. No eggs are legal for play. A PC can only purchase an animal, mount, or similar creature if its Challenge Rating is lower than that character's level; creatures with a Challenge Rating of 1 or lower are exempt from this restriction, as are horses.

There's the rules for purchasing an animal from Ultimate Equipment; animals only, nothing bigger than Large, CR must be less than your character's level (so if you're level 5, CR 4 or less), exceptions for CR 1s and horses (so you can always buy those, even at level 1). Any animals you purchase are tracked like other purchases.

As far as in play:

• One "active" pet per adventure. You can also have a mount or beast of burden (that's only allowed to take move actions), and a familiar or mundane pet that doesn't actively participate in any challenges (familiars still provide their "passive" bonuses, like a bat familiar granting +3 to Fly and/or the Alertness feat for being in arm's reach).
  
• Most don't come trained, and you'll have to use Handle Animal to train them (maximum three Tricks per point of Int).
  
• Once per adventure, you can attempt to train your animal a number of times equal to your ranks in Handle Animal, but you can only attempt to train a specific trick once (so if you fail to teach it Defend, you can't try to teach it Defend again until your next adventure).
  
• No making up new Tricks to teach your animal; you're limited to what's listed under Handle Animal, "air walk" (from the spell in the CRB), or Tricks listed in other books (like Animal Archive).

That's the extent of what I can remember that's relevant specifically to purchased animals. Standard Pathfinder rules of handling animals apply.

[Wrong John Silver]

Thank you! That's just what I needed to know.

[kjenks]

Here's a list of PFS-legal animals for sale.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12RqnbGTPb6yFJR7bpIWp-Jv13WXk6dBzdgn zsyGxgqU/edit?usp=sharing

[Nefreet]

kjenks wrote:

Here's a list of PFS-legal animals for sale.

[Nefreet]

Your document wrote:

When you have a combat-trained animal (like a heavy horse), it still won't attack unusual creatures unless you use Handle Animal to teach it a second Attack trick (Attack2). This means your horse will need to ""forget"" one of the six tricks it already knows. I recommend retraining the Heel trick, which can be duplicated by the Guard trick.

I am not aware of any way to "Retrain" a trick (or "Forget" a trick, for that matter).

This is actually the #1 reason that you don't see more store bought animals, because they won't attack 90% of your enemies.

The #2 reason is usually because investing in Handle Animal is more than most characters are willing to do (especially those who dump Charisma, the most commonly dumped stat).

[BigNorseWolf]

Can I retrain an animal companion, mount, familar, eidolon, or other companion creature?

You may retrain the feats and skill points of your companion creatures using the retraining rules from Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Campaign, paying the same cost in gold and Prestige Points as you would if you were retraining those abilities for your character. You may retrain an animal companion or mount's tricks using Handle Animal, as if you were teaching the creature a new trick.
posted Mar 13, 2017 | back to top

[Nefreet]

Missed the part about Tricks, focused on "Retraining" only. Thanks!

[BigNorseWolf]

Nefreet wrote:

Missed the part about Tricks, focused on "Retraining" only. Thanks!

I checked the faq missed it.

Dug around developer quotes for 20 minutes.

Then remembered there was a thread that collected that sort of thing...

[Nefreet]

Whoever thought of compiling Campaign Clarifications into one thread should probably get a big ol' pat on the back ^_^

[My Life Is In Ruins]

basically, in PFS characters should buy a combat trained heavy war horse(adv. horse) ASAP, 326gp with gear and a skill point in Ride (as your PC wants to be competent).
As you go up in levels your character can buy better barding and/or buy a new mount.
I would not advise actively attacking with the mount unless your character build supports those activities or things get desperate.

[pauljathome]

My Life Is In Ruins wrote:

basically, in PFS characters should buy a combat trained heavy war horse(adv. horse) ASAP, 326gp with gear and a skill point in Ride (as your PC wants to be competent).

As you go up in levels your character can buy better barding and/or buy a new mount.
I would not advise actively attacking with the mount unless your character build supports those activities or things get desperate.

I disagree. For most characters a mount is more hassle than its worth. You have to figure out what to do with it in a dungeon, after all. Just tying it up outside

1) May not be possible
2) Will sometimes result in the loss of 326 gp
3) Will get Flutter upset. You do NOT want to get Flutter and his pointy stick upset at you :-)

[GM Lamplighter]

I agree with Paul, although for different reasons (except the one about upsetting Flutter - you do NOT want to do that!)

Unless your character is built around the animal, all purchasing one does is add entries to an already-crowded initiative tracker. In PFS, the players generally outnumber the enemy already, and upping the odds just exacerbates the situation. Too many extra animals may actually lessen participation by other players. No one likes to roll low on initiative and then find that someone else's second (or third, or fourth) attack killed everyone before they could even act.

[Malviria]

My Life Is In Ruins wrote:

basically, in PFS characters should buy a combat trained heavy war horse(adv. horse) ASAP

I had a mule. It was't very useful because we kept going to diplomatic luncheons and plays and things instead of dangerous tombs where I needed heavy equipment, but at least it didn't cost me much. I got a magic backpack recently and sold the mule.

Now I have Mount in my spellbook. One spell gets me a days worth of riding, which is quite convenient. As a bonus, the blob of magic that looks like a horse doesn't need feeding, and if it dies it's not a serious problem.