Animal Training (choose type): The character knows how to raise, train, and care for one type of animal. The animal can be taught some simple tricks or simple orders. A character who wants to train two or more different animal types must choose this skill more than once—Horse Training is one skill, Dog Training is another. However, a horse trainer can train any sort of natural horse or pony and a dog trainer can train any breed of dog. Any culture that features a strong bond with some animal type will have many members with the corresponding Animal Training skill.
🐾 Racial Variants #
| Variant | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Elven | Sylvan Empathy | Elves train through soft vocalizations and shared meditation. Their animals can be taught “Passive Observation”—they can be ordered to watch a location and alert the trainer to specific scents or sounds without being seen. |
| Dwarven | Beast-of-Burden Discipline | Dwarves specialize in stubborn, powerful animals (rams, boars, mules). Their training emphasizes “Immovability.” A Dwarf-trained animal gains a +4 bonus to resist being spooked or intimidated. |
| Gnomish | Gadget-Augmented Training | Gnomes use whistles, clickers, and treat-dispensing toys. They can teach an animal a “Trick” in half the usual time, though the animal may become confused if the trainer loses their mechanical tools. |
| Halfling | Communal Bond | Halflings treat their animals as family. A Halfling-trained dog or pony can be “handed off” to any party member the Halfling trusts, and the animal will obey that person as if they were the trainer. |
🗺️ Regional Variants #
- The High-Cavalry Stablemaster (Metropolitan/Urban)
In the capital, animals are trained for Precision and Pomp.
- Specialty: Formation Discipline. They can train a group of animals (up to 6) to move as a single unit. This is perfect for parade maneuvers or ensuring a pack of hounds doesn’t break formation during a hunt.
- The Frontier Beast-Master (Wilderness/Borderlands)
In the wilds, animals are Sentries and Hunters.
- Specialty: Tactical Silence. They can train animals to communicate through non-vocal cues (tail positions, ear twitches, or pawing the ground). This allows the trainer to “talk” to their animal during a Stealth mission.
- The Desert Falconeer (Arid/Waste)
Trained in the soaring heights and vast horizons of the desert.
- Specialty: Aerial Retrieval. (Bird Training) They excel at training raptors to find and retrieve specific small objects (keys, jewelry, or messages) from distances of up to a mile away.
- The Coastal “Whaler” (Coastal/Maritime)
Trained in the rare art of working with semi-aquatic or marine animals.
- Specialty: Hydro-Command. They can train animals (like seals or large water-dogs) to perform tasks underwater, such as untying knots on a hull or locating submerged cargo.
🎓 The “Trick” Mechanic #
As per the rules, animals can learn simple tricks or orders.
- The “Complex Task” Rule: If a character succeeds on an Animal Training roll by 5 or more, they can teach the animal a “Complex Task” (e.g., “Go find the person wearing the red cloak and bark,” rather than just “Fetch”).
- Critical Failure: If the trainer rolls a natural 20, the animal develops a “Quirk”—a specific habit (like a fear of fire or a refusal to move in the rain) that requires a successful Persuasion check to overcome each time it triggers.
⚖️ Synergy with Other Skills #
- Animal Training + Medicine: The trainer can identify an animal’s illness with a +4 bonus and can administer medicine without the animal becoming hostile or frightened.
- Animal Training + Mimicry: The trainer can use their animal’s own vocalizations to give commands from a distance, making it look like the animal is acting on its own.
