Handle Animal and Animal Companions


Rules Questions

The Exchange

Is it automatically assumed that animal companions have certain tricks, or do we have to teach them specific tricks first?
I ask because I want to be able to ride my animal companion into battle, but I want to be sure for PFS.

Also does Wild Empathy for ranger and druid stack?


AlanM wrote:

Is it automatically assumed that animal companions have certain tricks, or do we have to teach them specific tricks first?

I ask because I want to be able to ride my animal companion into battle, but I want to be sure for PFS.

Also does Wild Empathy for ranger and druid stack?

Your Druid and Ranger levels will stack for the purpose of Wild Empathy rolls (that's your question right?)

Your animal companion will begin with 1 bonus trick at first level. You can make it "Combat Riding" and you'll be fine for riding your animal companion.

Beyond that you can then use Handle Animal to teach it additional tricks. The number of tricks an animal companion can learn is based on it's Int score. The "bonus" feats are up and above that normal limit.

If you use the Stat Increase for your Animal Companion to raise its Int above 2, then technically it shouldn't need tricks at all, and should be able to understand your verbal requests as it will understand Common.


AlanM wrote:

Is it automatically assumed that animal companions have certain tricks, or do we have to teach them specific tricks first?

I ask because I want to be able to ride my animal companion into battle, but I want to be sure for PFS.

Also does Wild Empathy for ranger and druid stack?

From the PRGRD: "...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."

This means that an animal companion has the bonus tricks when the PC bonds with it.

However.....

Combat Training is not a trick, it is a Special Purpose that is made up of 6 tricks: Attack, Come, Defend, Down, Guard, and Heel.

An animal with a 6 intelligence can learn 6 tricks so Combat Training takes up its entire allotment of normal tricks.

Unless the PC is a 15th level Druid or 19th level Ranger, an animal companion could not "come with" Combat Training. The PC could assign the bonus tricks that the animal would have to some of the tricks that make up Combat Training and then spend the time needed to train the rest from its allotment of normal tricks, at which point the animal would be combat trained and could be ridden into battle.

Also, this would not apply to a war horse, war pony or riding dog. These animals are assumed to have already been taught combat training by someone else.

The Exchange

Grond123 wrote:
AlanM wrote:

Is it automatically assumed that animal companions have certain tricks, or do we have to teach them specific tricks first?

I ask because I want to be able to ride my animal companion into battle, but I want to be sure for PFS.

Also does Wild Empathy for ranger and druid stack?

From the PRGRD: "...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."

This means that an animal companion has the bonus tricks when the PC bonds with it.

However.....

Combat Training is not a trick, it is a Special Purpose that is made up of 6 tricks: Attack, Come, Defend, Down, Guard, and Heel.

An animal with a 6 intelligence can learn 6 tricks so Combat Training takes up its entire allotment of normal tricks.

Unless the PC is a 15th level Druid or 19th level Ranger, an animal companion could not "come with" Combat Training. The PC could assign the bonus tricks that the animal would have to some of the tricks that make up Combat Training and then spend the time needed to train the rest from its allotment of normal tricks, at which point the animal would be combat trained and could be ridden into battle.

Also, this would not apply to a war horse, war pony or riding dog. These animals are assumed to have already been taught combat training by someone else.

uhhh, an animal with an intelligence of 2 knows 6 tricks, at int 6 it can understands any spoken commands that you give it...


Grond123 wrote:


An animal with a 6 intelligence can learn 6 tricks so Combat Training takes up its entire allotment of normal tricks.

This I assume is a typo.

You could likely train an animal with an INT of 6 to read your written commands.


Treantmonk wrote:
Grond123 wrote:


An animal with a 6 intelligence can learn 6 tricks so Combat Training takes up its entire allotment of normal tricks.

This I assume is a typo.

You could likely train an animal with an INT of 6 to read your written commands.

Correct. I meant an animal with a 2 intelligence......

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Treantmonk wrote:
Grond123 wrote:


An animal with a 6 intelligence can learn 6 tricks so Combat Training takes up its entire allotment of normal tricks.

This I assume is a typo.

You could likely train an animal with an INT of 6 to read your written commands.

Dear Pony,

Gone adventurin', while I'm out could you:

1) Clean the stables
2) Pick up bread and milk
3) Kill the rats living in the tavern basement for Archibald Questgiver
4) Have dinner ready for when I get home.

Love,
Garry Greenthumb,
Druid.

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