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View Full Version : Handling Animal Companions When You Can Speak With Them



ShriekingDrake
2011-01-30, 01:55 PM
Are there any rules that address handling animal companions when you can Speak with Animal or Speak with Plants.

Ordinarily, you have to use tricks and push through the Handle Animal skill to get your animal companion to assist you. It strikes me that there must be some advantage to being able to speak to an Animal Companion who is already REALLY friendly toward you.

Any thoughts on how this might work?

Coidzor
2011-01-30, 02:07 PM
Verbal coordination as with any allied NPC combatant, really.

ShriekingDrake
2011-01-30, 02:11 PM
So it would not require the typical burdens associated with Handling Animals? That's great.

Coidzor
2011-01-30, 02:19 PM
Worst case scenario you'd have to diplomance it, but that's going to be a bit rare if you have a good working relationship.

ShriekingDrake
2011-01-30, 06:08 PM
So, basically, you get to treat your AC as any old party member or at least an NPC if you can speak to it. How about if you want it to perform a task that is a task that is not a trick your AC knows but is a trick?

Coidzor
2011-01-30, 07:34 PM
Like what? And is the Animal Companion just being spoken to or does it have greater than animal intelligence as well?

ShriekingDrake
2011-01-30, 08:32 PM
Animals will have an intelligence of 1 or 2. Magical means will let you speak with them. In most cases, however, they will not be able to understand anything that goes far beyond the kinds of tricks they can learn or training they can receive. So, if they've learned a set of tricks, can you get them to perform a trick they haven't previously learned BECAUSE you can now explain it to them in a language they can, for the moment understand? For instance, if your AC has not been taught to "fetch" could you say, " Hey Fido, it's me your Ranger, anyway, would you please go get that red ball. I know it is not something we've practiced before, but I'd like you to run over to that red ball, pick it up with your mouth and bring it here, as fast as you can, if you please."? Do you get my point?

stainboy
2011-01-31, 12:44 PM
I think the text of Speak with Animals is copied from 2E, so it was written before the tricks system and before animals became magical beasts if they were intelligent enough to talk to you. The spell's interaction with 3.5 animal companion mechanics isn't well-defined and it's DM's call what happens.

DragonBaneDM
2011-01-31, 12:53 PM
Get...I dunno, a doggie-jacket of Fox's Cunning.

Animal now has 5-6 Int. Go superior tactics go! :smalltongue: