Handle Animal: Training an animal for a purpose and trick slots

[Anon von Zilch]

A player in my v.3.5 game says he's 90% sure that the tricks learned from training an animal for a general purpose don't use up the tricks the animal could normally learn. So an animal with Int 2 could both be trained for combat riding, giving it six tricks, and then be trained in six additional tricks individually. At most the general purpose would use up a single trick slot, he says.

Please help me convince him he's wrong.

[retaliation08]

"Train an Animal for a Purpose
Rather than teaching an animal individual tricks, you can simply train it for a general purpose. Essentially, an animal’s purpose represents a preselected set of known tricks that fit into a common scheme, such as guarding or heavy labor. The animal must meet all the normal prerequisites for all tricks included in the training package. If the package includes more than three tricks, the animal must have an Intelligence score of 2.

An animal can be trained for only one general purpose, though if the creature is capable of learning additional tricks (above and beyond those included in its general purpose), it may do so. Training an animal for a purpose requires fewer checks than teaching individual tricks does, but no less time."

I think it is pretty explicit in the RAW.

Also:


An animal with an Intelligence score of 1 can learn a maximum of three tricks

If the package includes more than three tricks, the animal must have an Intelligence score of 2.

This strongly suggests that the tricks for each purpose count towards max tricks, or an animal with 1 INT would be able to be trained for any of the purposes.

[Anon von Zilch]

His main argument seems to be that unless the tricks learned from a general purpose aren't free, there wouldn't be an option to train an animal for a purpose in the book.

[retaliation08]

Well, it is obvious that he is just trying to get some benefit unjustified by the rules as written. If he isn't persuaded by the very specific text, then it is pointless in arguing. As DM, you never have the burden of proof; it is on the player to convince you.

I would just tell him no, that is not how it works in your game regardless of how he feels about the book. Otherwise this type of situation will be recurring with this players and maybe the others.

On the other hand, having a few extra tricks probably won't break your game.