Can someone explain me the difference between the Come and Heel tricks (as per Handle Animal skill)? Their descriptions sound awfully similar to me...
Come (DC 15): The animal comes to you, even if it normally would not do so.Heel (DC 15): The animal follows you closely, even to places where it normally wouldn't go.
[edit] Whooo, new PRD home page looking good!
By RaW, both tricks are based on the animal being with you, even against its instinct. I understand that Come assumes that the animal was away and you recall it back to you, but wouldn't commanding the animal to heel get the same effect?
I have a tendency to use them as (Come) bring animal in spooky dungeon and (Heel) behave in public and don't pounce on innocent city folks...
'findel
Can someone explain me the difference between the Come and Heel tricks (as per Handle Animal skill)? Their description sound relatively similar to me...
Come (DC 15): The animal comes to you, even if it normally would not do so.Heel (DC 15): The animal follows you closely, even to places where it normally wouldn't go.
[edit] Whooo, new PRD home page looking good!
I have a tendency to use them as (Come) bring animal in spooky dungeon and (Heel) behave in public and don't pounce on city folks...
'findel
Example:
Your animal companion doesn't like graveyards? Come make him come to you if you are already in a graveyard, but you have to repeat it if you move anyway.Heel means he goes to you and stays by you (everywhere).
Example 2:
Your animal companion doesn't like boats?
Come make him come to you if you are already on a boat, but you have to repeat it if you move anyway.
Heel means he goes to you and stays by you (everywhere) which means no private time away.
Example:
Your animal companion doesn't like graveyards? Come make him come to you if you are already in a graveyard, but you have to repeat it if you move anyway.Heel means he goes to you and stays by you (everywhere).
Example 2:
Your animal companion doesn't like boats?
Come make him come to you if you are already on a boat, but you have to repeat it if you move anyway.
Heel means he goes to you and stays by you (everywhere) which means no private time away.
But yet the connection to places is made clearer in the heel description.
Would Come make an animal disengage from melee (and thus supersede Down), and would Heel make an animal come to you even if he normally wouldn't do so (and thus supersede Come)? Is Heel 'dismissible'; can you order it not to heel or does it take another trick to do that?
As for places where the animal doesn't like to go, is there a guideline or some kind of tool that tells DMs what kind of conditions would make a typical animal refuse to go, or is it all left out to DM's fiat? Can those tricks override fear effects, magical or otherwise?
'findel
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I always understood Heel to mean follow you by your side while you are moving and Come to have your animal return to you while you are stationary (more or less).
I don't think either command could be given while the animal was engaged in combat until Down was issued. Otherwise, why have Down at all when several other commands would work just as well, especially Heel.
I always understood Heel to mean follow you by your side while you are moving and Come to have your animal return to you while you are stationary (more or less).
I don't think either command could be given while the animal was engaged in combat until Down was issued. Otherwise, why have Down at all when several other commands would work just as well.
As a DM, how would you rule a player that has the Heel trick (but not the Come trick) and while its animal is presently away, give the command to heel.
How different would you play it than the Come trick? Should Come be a prerequisite for Heel?
Taking cues from the few notions of dog training and animal husbandry that I know, Heal should (IMO) encompass all the handling of the animal without leash, reins, lunges and other guiding implements.
Again in animal training, teaching an animal to heel is a step above teaching the animal to come (kind of like a continuous 'come and stay near' command).
In that light, I'd be tempted to put more emphasis on the 'even if it normally would not do so' part of the come tricks.
'findel
The way I would rule it would be that "Come" will call a distant animal to you, and "Heel" will instruct a nearby to follow you. For example:
The dog is in the yard and you come out of the house to talk him for a walk.
Scenario 1, Come: You walk out of the house and shout "Here boy!" The dog comes running to you, and you clip his leash to his collar, because you know that if you don't he's going after every squirrel, interesting bush, and bird on the way, and you will constantly be hollering for him to come back.
Scenario 2, Heel: You walk out of the house and shout "Here boy!"... nothing. You shout it a couple more times, then curse and go find the dog chewing on a stick behind the tool shed. You give his head a quick rub, then slap your thigh and say "Heel!". The dog perks up and follows a couple steps behind you while the walk.
Scenario 3, Come and Heel: You walk out of the house and shout "Here boy!". The dog comes running to you. Then you slap your thigh and say "Heel!". The dog gives a happy little bark, and follows along behind you while you walk.
So in my opinion, "Come" will get the dog out of the bushes, or away from that neat stick, but it won't keep his attention long. "Heel" won't get the dog's attention, but will keep it once you have it.