Cost of Untrained Animals?

[CaladanMoonblad]

So, I wish this forum had a poll function...

I'm trying to determine for myself as a GM how much an untrained plane jane version of animals should reasonably cost for players who want to train the animals on their own.

My first inclination is to halve the cost; so a 150 gp riding dog would be 75 gp untrained.

Then I started thinking about the Craft mechanics, and the raw materials is 1/3 of the cost (so that untrained riding dog is 50 gp), while the trainer is taking 6-8 weeks to turn the beast into a PHB version.

Your thoughts and considerations?

[ArcturusV]

Well, I think the Arms and Equipment Guide actually lists untrained costs. Look for "Egg" or "Youth" costs. So there is a baseline out there to work from.

My gut response would be to figure out how much you'd have to pay an expert for the amount of labor involved in breaking in and training the beast. Mark that up 50% higher for Profit Margins, and that would be your discount.

With a premium for unusual animals. Dog trainers are common enough. The guy who can train feral wyverns? Not so much. So give them a rarity adjustment to the trainer price.

[CaladanMoonblad]

Thanks for the suggestion Arcturus...

... so...

Climbdog pups are sold for 30 gold, but trainers charge 125 gp... so that's 1/5 a total price of 155 gp... or X= 0.1935

while a Thudhunter is 200 gp with a 500 gp training fee... so that's 2/7ths the total price of 700 gp. or X = 0.28571

Hm... so Guard Dogs would probably be sold for 1/5 th - 2/7th the range, even lower than my 1/3 Craft supposition. The average is 0.24... or close enough to 1/4 as an average rule.

I'm making some 1st level pre-gens and I'll be sure to add this stat to our game's house rules.

Thanks!