Can an animal companion read?

[Elric200]

This is somewhat of an off beat question but can animal companion that you have that has its intelligence raised to 3 then has say a circlet of vast intelligence +5 placed on its head for a few days read because it could theoretically understand spoken and written language then read a tome of understanding +4 and have its intelligence raised to 7? I understand this would be a misapplication of resources but is it possible?

[TxSam88]

probably up to GM fiat, but I would say yes, as long as the animal has a headband slot available for the headband of vast intelligence.

[Name Violation]

it would need 1 rank in linguistics to be able to read/understand a language. having a 3+int doesnt automatically grant a free language

[zza ni]

as per the intelligent animal rules:

intelligent animal rules:

"Increasing an animal’s Intelligence to 3 or higher means it is smart enough to understand a language. However, unless an awaken spell is used, the animal doesn’t automatically and instantly learn a language, any more than a human child does. The animal must be taught a language, usually over the course of months, giving it the understanding of the meaning of words and sentences beyond its trained responses to commands like “attack” and “heel.”

Even if the animal is taught to understand a language, it probably lacks the anatomy to actually speak (unless awaken is used). For example, dogs, elephants, and even gorillas lack the proper physiology to speak humanoid languages, though they can use their limited “vocabulary” of sounds to articulate concepts, especially if working with a person who learns what the sounds mean.

An intelligent animal is smart enough to use tools, but might lack the ability to manipulate them. A crow could be able to use simple lockpicks, but a dog can’t. Even if the animal is physically capable of using a tool, it might still prefer its own natural body to manufactured items, especially when it comes to weapons. An intelligent gorilla could hold or wield a sword, but its inclination is to make slam attacks. No amount of training (including weapon proficiency feats) is going to make it fully comfortable attacking in any other way.

Even if an animal’s Intelligence increases to 3 or higher, you must still use the Handle Animal skill to direct the animal, as it is a smart animal rather than a low-intelligence person (using awaken is an exception— an awakened animal takes orders like a person). The GM should take the animal’s Intelligence into account when determining its response to commands or its behavior when it doesn’t have specific instructions. For example, an intelligent wolf companion can pick the weakest-looking target if directed to do so, and that same wolf trapped in a burning building might push open a door or window without being told."

so:

you need to spend time in game to teach the intelligent animal a language, but it does get one free (without spending a rank in linguistics).
it doesn't specifically say, but it seem like the animal doesn't learn to read (and more so write) that language unless it spends a rank in linguistics.

and knowing what you say doesn't remove the need for you to still guide it with handle animal when ordered.

[Diego Rossi]

As an added note, a lot of animals can't focus their sight on a written page well enough to be able to read. We generally forget how unusual is our sight. Humans and a few monkeys can see the 7 colors spectrum, but most mammals see way fewer colors. A lot of animals don't see clearly small shapes but see movement better than us.
For simplicity's sake, in the game, we threat them as if they had human sight, but that is very far from true.

[zza ni]

btw. what i brought were the rules for an animal that got it's int raised by normal non magical-items means. (such as an animal companion stat increase for higher character levels)

using a headband that add intelligence, which also automatically would let even a child learn a new language per +2 int it gives (without the need to sit down and learn it for months and without regards to skill ranks spent ether), should probably bypass both need to teach it the languages and the rank skill for reading\writing. but that language\s is set up when crafting the item and can not be changed.

[Mysterious Stranger]

Reading is a learned behavior not a product of a high INT. The section on INT in the beginning of the core rule book states any creature capable of understanding speech has at least a 3 INT. the same section states that if you have at least a 3 INT you can read and speak your racial language and common. I have always taken the being able to speak common and read as applying to PC’s only. This allows all PC’s to be able to communicate with each other and to function in the game. Not being able to read would make it difficult for a PC to be able to fully participate in many activities. Universal literacy is actually something that is historically quite rare. In some cases there were even laws on who was allowed to learn to read.

If any creature with an INT of 3 or higher can automatically read that means the illiterate peasant does not exist. It also means that every child can read as soon as they can talk.

I have to agree that the animal would need to spend a rank in linguistics in order to be able to read.

[Melkiador]

Reading proficiency for all was a simplification added in either 3.5 or PF1. I remember some people not being able to read like Barbarians. Like any change though, it had some weird repercussions. Animals probably shouldn't be able to read, unless they take a rank of linguistics, and frankly even that is "weird", but then this is a fantasy world.

[DAOFS]

As I recall, 3.5 Barbarians had Illiterate as a special ability. Regarding the actual thread topic, at my table an animal companion who had 3 intelligence from levels couldn't speak a language at first without training/linguistics, but I might let one with an Int headband automatically learn one.

[Elric200]

The better question is, is a Tome of Clear Thought a normal book or does it change it contents to fit whomever or whatever reads it as it does not say what language the Tome is written in it just gives a time limit as to how long one must study/read the contents.

Lets say the Circlet of vast intelligence had linguistics as one of its 3 skills the Animal companion should be able to read and understand the tome of clear thought and get the Intelligence bonus?

[Azothath]

we're really talking different topics in this general chat. Animal Companions and the lines in the sand that define Sentience.

An Animal Companion is a game role or class ability. It is a general slot with some assumptions and advancement outlined that is meant as a combat sidekick rather than a Familiar information gatherer/intelligent helper. So we really just have the starting assumptions about the animal or beast via a feat in the game role/slot. Clear sample creatures are given and the dev's talk about later expansion (see post above).

High level play and spells complicate that role and the home GM is expected to roll with it. It is reasonable to free an Animal Companion if it is awakened as now it does not fit into the role so easily. The Devs have clearly set Awaken:T5 as the gateway to sentience via magical means as the spell contains important text (no longer fills various class ability roles).
It's generally funny as players want it to be more capable and control its actions but making it sentient frees it from the role and we don't want to push it as (PR difficult topic sounds like "slobbery"). In game terms it is not so easy to retrain an Animal Companion class ability into a Cohort but that's what is going on. So it clearly falls into a Home Game GM decision.

At more basic levels the Org Play FAQs cover magic item use and activation.

as far as reading, an animal could be uplifted to sentience and learn to read or granted that ability through various magical means. I think it will again fall into the GMs lap on how to handle this development.

Personally I think sentience is required for interpretive reading as defined as language in the Game. The game is rather rough going from no language & not reading, understanding a set list of commands/tokens, a few cases of understanding simple language but not being able to speak, and full blown reading & understanding of Oscar Wilde. Language involves tokenizing ideas into symbols, formulating a conceptual response based on understanding(interpreting the message) (animals aren't supercomputers with large databases). Learning a small set of symbols with trained responses is training and reading the handler, not interpretive reading.

I think it is also illustrative of how technology was handled, you need a feat. Sure it was rough and mostly disdained but it shows how the Writers framed it for the game and reflects the rough quantization used.

[zza ni]

i think the link for the intelligent animal rules that I posted above has it set good enough:

"Even if an animal’s Intelligence increases to 3 or higher, you must still use the Handle Animal skill to direct the animal, as it is a smart animal rather than a low-intelligence person (using awaken is an exception— an awakened animal takes orders like a person)."

in other words even if the animal can suddenly understand what you are saying it doesn't mean it understands what you want it to do.

- "listen carefully Rusty, I'm handing you a piece of bread, and there is a hungry bagger over there, I want you to help him."
- "Eat bagger?"

[Niemand]

Did you hear about the pirate who taught his parrot dirty jokes? The parrot was "Naughty Cal".