Poacherbud
2013-02-26, 11:25 PM
So, I've googled it but I can't find an acceptable answer for this problem. The DMG states that in order for you to tell your animal companion to attack a specific target, it is a full round action. The PHB states that you can use the animal companion trick "attack" (which i may note states that you are pointing at a particular thing) as a handle animal check. Since druids have link, they can use handle animal as a free action. So the PHB would make it seem that you can attack via a free action. The DMG clearly is talking about druid animal companions when making the standard action comment. For your reference here are the quotes from both PHB and DMG.
PHB (pg 36) Link (Ex): A druid can handle her animal companion as a free action, or push it as a move action, even if she doesn’t have any ranks in the Handle Animal skill. The druid gains a +4 circumstance bonus on all wild empathy checks and Handle Animal checks made regarding an animal companion.
PHB (pg 74) Attack (DC 20): The animal attacks apparent enemies. You may point to a particular creature that you wish the animal to attack, and it will comply if able. Normally, an animal will attack only humanoids, monstrous humanoids, giants, or other animals. Teaching an animal to attack all creatures (including such unnatural creatures as undead and aberrations) counts as two tricks.
DMG (pg 205-206)
Druids can begin play with animal companions, which are something like cohorts, and rangers can gain them during their careers. Use the following rules of thumb to adjudicate situations that may arise when characters have animal companions. While the class descriptions in the Player’s Handbook list the animals available as companions, those lists assume the character spends most of her time in the animals’ home territory and treats them well. If she spends most of her time at sea, in cities, or otherwise in places that the animals don’t like, her animals are likely to desert. Remember, these creatures are loyal friends but not pets or servants. They won’t remain loyal if being the character’s friend becomes too onerous. The animal is still an animal. It’s not a magical beast, as a familiar or a paladin’s mount is. While it may have learned some tricks, it’s still no more intelligent than any other animal of its kind, and it retains all its bestial instincts. Unlike intelligent followers or cohorts, animals can’t follow complex instructions, such as “Attack the gnoll with the wand.” A character can give a simple verbal command, such as “Attack” or “Come,” as a free action, provided such a command is among the tricks the animal has learned. A more complex instruction, such as telling an animal to attack and pointing out a specific target, is a standard action. Animals are illequipped to handle unusual situations, such as combats with invisible opponents, and they typically hesitate to attack weird and unnatural creatures, such as beholders and oozes. Left to its own judgment, an animal follows a character and attacks creatures that attack her (or that attack the animal itself ). To do more than that, it needs to learn tricks as described under the Handle Animal skill, page 74 of the Player’s Handbook.
So sorry about the wall of text but it is pertinent to make an informed decoision. So DMG says standard action and PHB says free action. Which is it?
PHB (pg 36) Link (Ex): A druid can handle her animal companion as a free action, or push it as a move action, even if she doesn’t have any ranks in the Handle Animal skill. The druid gains a +4 circumstance bonus on all wild empathy checks and Handle Animal checks made regarding an animal companion.
PHB (pg 74) Attack (DC 20): The animal attacks apparent enemies. You may point to a particular creature that you wish the animal to attack, and it will comply if able. Normally, an animal will attack only humanoids, monstrous humanoids, giants, or other animals. Teaching an animal to attack all creatures (including such unnatural creatures as undead and aberrations) counts as two tricks.
DMG (pg 205-206)
Druids can begin play with animal companions, which are something like cohorts, and rangers can gain them during their careers. Use the following rules of thumb to adjudicate situations that may arise when characters have animal companions. While the class descriptions in the Player’s Handbook list the animals available as companions, those lists assume the character spends most of her time in the animals’ home territory and treats them well. If she spends most of her time at sea, in cities, or otherwise in places that the animals don’t like, her animals are likely to desert. Remember, these creatures are loyal friends but not pets or servants. They won’t remain loyal if being the character’s friend becomes too onerous. The animal is still an animal. It’s not a magical beast, as a familiar or a paladin’s mount is. While it may have learned some tricks, it’s still no more intelligent than any other animal of its kind, and it retains all its bestial instincts. Unlike intelligent followers or cohorts, animals can’t follow complex instructions, such as “Attack the gnoll with the wand.” A character can give a simple verbal command, such as “Attack” or “Come,” as a free action, provided such a command is among the tricks the animal has learned. A more complex instruction, such as telling an animal to attack and pointing out a specific target, is a standard action. Animals are illequipped to handle unusual situations, such as combats with invisible opponents, and they typically hesitate to attack weird and unnatural creatures, such as beholders and oozes. Left to its own judgment, an animal follows a character and attacks creatures that attack her (or that attack the animal itself ). To do more than that, it needs to learn tricks as described under the Handle Animal skill, page 74 of the Player’s Handbook.
So sorry about the wall of text but it is pertinent to make an informed decoision. So DMG says standard action and PHB says free action. Which is it?