Will I get into trouble if I teach my animal companions tricks using druidic as the command words?
How 'bout if they have 3 int and I spend time teaching them to understand druidic?
If I'm not allowed, what language do you think we should learn so I can talk to them without others knowing what I'm saying?
I think teaching commands (Come, Sit, Stay, Attack) in Druidic would be fine, as it is an animal without cognitive ability.
But once it hits Int 3 and can actually speak, teaching it Druidic would be a horrible mistake.
A druid who ceases to revere nature, changes to a prohibited alignment, or teaches the Druidic language to a nondruid loses all spells and druid abilities (including her animal companion, but not including weapon, armor, and shield proficiencies). She cannot thereafter gain levels as a druid until she atones (see the atonement spell description).
As for what language to use so people don't know what you're saying, I say pick a language that you are unlikely to come across. So if you have no intention of travelling to the Darklands, use Necril. If you are going to the Darklands, but not Tian Xia, use Minkaian. If you are going to Tian Xia, use Varki.
Just pick something that shouldn't be common where you are adventuring.
You don't have to speak a language to command your companion. You can make grunts, gestures or whatever that the companion can see/hear and those grunts/gestures are unique to whatever command you're trying to give.
There's really no reason to give a companion Int 3. You should have enough tricks to do what you need at Int 2. Even if you want the companion to understand others, they would still need to perform a Handle Animal skill. So, what's the point? They'll never have the bonus and skill total you get, and it's a move action (I think) for them to handle animal, while you get it as a free action.
But once it hits Int 3 and can actually speak, teaching it Druidic would be a horrible mistake.
Depends on your game. Some games don't let animals speak at all, PFS Campaign in particular.
Anyways, why not just use non-verbal? I don't think a few words is really teaching a language anyway, especially not to an animal. I know that's how I've taught my own dog. She also knows more than six tricks though, and i don't think she has to forget one to learn another like a pokemon, so its possibly pathfinder isn't quiet perfect at emulating training an animal...
I see no issue with teaching an animal companion to recognize phrases in Druidic as command words, nor do I see an issue in teaching an animal with Int 3 to comprehend Druidic. Now, if that animal was a Raven, and it was going to *speak* Druidic, that might be something different. But even that, I would allow with no penalty in a campaign I was DMing.
I think the fundamental intent behind that restriction was to prevent Druidic from becoming a commonplace language amongst the fully sentient, Humanoid (and sentient monstrous) races of the world. Animals recognizing, or even speaking bits of Druidic falls outside this intent, in my opinion.
That being said... if you wish to teach a companion an alternate language, you might consider Sylvan.
Well, I understand that as a PFS rule, but the Blog says they learn a language, even if they can't actually speak it themselves.
And the restriction is on the Druid teaching, not on the student speaking.
I also don't know that it has to be a fear of it becoming "commonplace" as opposed to just being a secret of their religious practices. The point isn't the number of people, since you become an ex-Druid after teaching it to just one other person.
An intelligent animal is not a Druid, so an ex-Druid you become.
I also don't know that it has to be a fear of it becoming "commonplace" as opposed to just being a secret of their religious practices. The point isn't the number of people, since you become an ex-Druid after teaching it to just one other person.
Its a legacy rule. It doesn't need any sort of logic or reason attached to it. I don't think I've ever seen druid used either, but maybe that's purely anecdotal.