[3.5] Evil Animal Trainer - Fear Effects Effect Handle Animal?

[A.A.King]

I'm wondering if there are ways to create a character who commands an army of animals in a less then honorable way. I want someone who can make animals cower in fear for him and who uses fear-induced loyalty to make them fight for him. Someone who is able to train them quickly to increase their strength and battle abilities and maybe can even make them go into a rage-like state.

I'm not looking for build mainly focused on Animal Companions like using Beast Master for 3 extra companions. Having a main animal in the form of Animal Companion would definitely be a bonus but I want to be able to "train" a decent sized army and more importantly be able to create soldiers who do my bidding on the spot and to never have to have problems with being attacked by wild animals (or maybe even someone else his animal companion)

Does the game over good ways to achieve this?

NEW QUESTION
Right now I'm pretty stuck on the idea of focusing on Soothe the Beast + Perform (Weapon Drill) and a Whip to influence the mind set of animals. What I don't like though is the fact that hitting them with my whip makes them "Helpful", just doesn't sound right. So I'm thinking of adding an extra layer to this character and also add a focus on fear effects. But, would this extra strength be helpful to the training of animals? Is it easier to make a beast "helpful" if it is shaken? Is it easier to teach an animal a trick if it cowers in fear? Is there any synergy between Wild Empathy/Handle Animal and Fear Effects?

[CyberThread]

hmmm wild empathy


but the one thing that pops up in my head, for animals + evil , wthout me having to think hard.


Really only comes to mind is Zenterihm Sky Mage from Lords of ruin/darkness

one of those books.

[A.A.King]

I don't have those books and if I google Zenterihm Sky Mage all I find is this thread.... can you tell me what is does?

[CyberThread]

Zhentarim Skymage

(Lords of Darkness , p. 102)


Okay to put simply I goofed a little bit, I was looking at it, and thinking it was animals.


It is actually more to deal with mounts, and flying mounts at that.


It is a full casting Wizard/sorcerer that lets you use *any * creature *any* I repeat again... * any* as a mount for Class Level +Cha mod + 1 = creatures HD you can pick from.


It also has heavy focus on being a CHA based caster, wanting things like suggestion and charm and reading or detecting thoughts.

You gain the ability to craft wands, a few flying mount feats, full 5/5 casting, bunch of scrolls so you can learn magic cheaper if your a wizard, enlarged and maximized metamagic feats.



It really is overpowered, but in retrospect not really what you are wanting.


The only other suggestion I could think of is beast heart adept.


http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20070209a&page=4

[Medic!]

Using some warlock levels for Charm and Call of the Beast might help out a bit, and maybe some Human Paragon levels to get Handle Animal as an always-class-skill?

Can use Charm for initial capture or for on-the-spot attitude adjustments, Call of the Beast will give you Wild Empathy and constant Speak with Animals.

[Gerrtt]

Yeah, all you really need is some way to get wild empathy, a way to do it quickly (it takes a minute to do it, that's ten rounds for those of you not keeping score) and ranks in handle animal.

Then be evil.

[CyberThread]

Wild Empathy
Druid 1
Druid 1, class variant, Dungeonscape, vermin empathy, replaces wild empathy
Ranger
Spirit Shaman 1, Complete Divine
Initiate of Nobanion, feat, Champions of Valor - only useable on felines
Animal Lord 1, ecl 6, Complete Adventurer
Beastmaster 1, ecl 6, Complete Adventurer
Chameleon 1, ecl 6, Races of Destiny, wild focus
Totemist 1, Magic of Incarnum
Totem Rager 1, ecl 7, Magic of Incarnum
Black Blood Hunter 2, ecl (8?), Player's Guide to Faerun
Primeval 1, ecl 9, Frostburn - specific animal only
Vandalis Beastkeeper 1, ecl 5, Eberron: Dragonmarked
Call of the Beast, least warlock invocation, Complete Mage, can also speak with animals
Natural World, mantle, Complete Psionic
Weretouched Master 2, ecl 7, Eberron Campaign Setting
Vermin Keeper 1, ecl 6, FR: Underdark, vermin only

Stacks
Scorpion Wraith, ecl 6, Eberron: Secrets of Xen'Drik, also treat vermin as magical beasts
Swanmay, ecl 6, Book of Exalted Deeds

[Pesimismrocks]

In races of Ansalon there is an ogre prc which is dedicated to enslaving humanoids. I'm sure it would be easy to change it to an any race with animals prc instead.

[A.A.King]

If the only real way is to get Wild Empathy then fluff wise what I like best is

Soothe the Beast + Perform (Weapon Drill) and then using a Whip.

But for that to be a good option I need to know, do Bardic Music and more importantly War Chanter music effect animals?

And what are the tricks to do with Wild Empathy and Handle Animal to increase their battle strength quickly. Applying the War Beast template takes 2 month which is kind off too much of a commitment for this character.

I'm also still looking for an ability similar to "Inspire Frenzy" but then something which doesn't require me to be in a frenzy but works on animals.

[CyberThread]

Hmm that would be the Ogre Slaver, and would be a good lead in with a fey bard.

[A.A.King]

Hmmm Ogre Slaver is definitely nice to keep in mind, but with the fact that it is from Dragonlance and the fact I'd have to ask my DM to modify it makes it a bit too situational to focus on for now. I do like the abilities it has though

[CyberThread]

what about the good ole fashoin http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Thrallherd


and change the abilities from humanoid targets to animals.

[A.A.King]

Trallherd is definetly something to think about. It still doesn't feel quit like I want it to feel but I would work and adding a level of Pyrokineticist would give me atleast some of the feel I want

Also, addes a new question. Any synergy between a Fear Build and Handle Animal/Wild Empathy?

[Urpriest]

Also, addes a new question. Any synergy between a Fear Build and Handle Animal/Wild Empathy?

No direct synergy, but they both do well with high-Cha skill-focused builds. Using fear on the animals won't help you Handle or Wild Empathy them (though it will help you use Charm Animal and similar things with saving throws, since you'd debuff their saves), but you'd have the Cha to be good at intimidation if you so chose.

[CyberThread]

Instead of fear spells, you can always use spells that debuff CHA

[A.A.King]

Instead of fear spells, you can always use spells that debuff CHA

I'm probably missing something but, why would I want to debuff CHA?

[CyberThread]

if you roll diplomacy checks, (wild empathy) , the creature gets to roll an opposing diplomacy check, which runs off of CHA.



*Edit* Come to think of it they have really weak CHA already..until you hit magical beasts and dire versions..so may still be worth it.

[Urpriest]

if you roll diplomacy checks, (wild empathy) , the creature gets to roll an opposing diplomacy check, which runs off of CHA.



*Edit* Come to think of it they have really weak CHA already..until you hit magical beasts and dire versions..so may still be worth it.

No they don't. Diplomacy has fixed DCs, no way to oppose it unless you're using the Giant's variant or something.

[Fouredged Sword]

Just use intimidate as normal. If you successfully intimidate a target, they become friendly until they have left your presence for a while. There is no reason this wouldn't work VS animals. It would allow a character to quickly force a creature into compliance even if they are not trained. Then it is simply a matter of hitting the push animal DC.

If you have tortured the subject in the past, a DM may give you a substantial bonus on the intimidate check.

I would go at this from an Orc with the feat that lets you use Str for intimidate. A low Cha character supplementing a bad cha with intimidation and using that to control animals could make for a mechanically interesting character at low levels.