Pets?

[Perducci]

We all know about familiars and animal companions, but are there any rules about a character having a pet? No special abilities or anything, just a pet. They'd have to put some skill points in Handle Animal sure, but is there any limit or anything?

Why wouldn't an assassin or rogue have a pet viper for an easy source of poison? Or a barbarian have a puppydog(Thog anyone?). Any LE character worth their salt needs a fluffy cat to stroke.

I've done some searching but haven't really come up with anything.

Any help?

[Solo]

I don't think it needs anything complicated, unless you were to train the animal to do things like stunts.

[[FLUX]]

1 gp/HD + X gp for flavor abilities, depending on the case = "You just bought a pet!"

[[FLUX]]

1 gp/HD + X gp for flavor abilities, depending on the case = "You just bought a pet!"

[Xyk]

Yeah, it's just the handle animal skill i think. One of the games I DMed the barbarian who didn't read OOTS had a kitten...and proceeded to crush it by petting it too hard.

[Xyk]

Yeah, it's just the handle animal skill i think. One of the games I DMed the barbarian who didn't read OOTS had a kitten...and proceeded to crush it by petting it too hard.

[batsofchaos]

I'm not sure Handle Animal is the best choice. Handle Animal only allows a player to command an animal to perform a trick (such as attack, come, stay, etc.) as a trained/untrained check, or to train a domesticated animal in tricks/specific purpose or raise wild animals from infancy to domesticated animals as a trained-only check. None of these fit the bill for a pet, exactly. One could say teaching an animal "heel," "stay," and "come" would constitute making it into a pet, but means that one must have ranks in Handle Animal in order to have a pet, and that all pets have these three tricks.

If I were to adjudicate it in a game, first and foremost I'd make it clear to my players that a pet and a trained animal are different things. Pets like their owners and will follow them around and be friendly, but they're not trained unless you train them (in which case Handle Animal would be appropriate). After that was understood, the rules would be thus for me:

The player must spend a number weeks with an animal equal to 2 x int of the animal (so either two or four). these weeks should be non-stressful, but don't need to be devoted spending time at it like say, researching a spell needs practically undivided attention. After the time passes, the player makes a charisma check DC 10 for a domesticated animal, or DC 20 for a wild animal. This DC is modified if during this time the animal is put into a stressful position (such as being abused by the player, or being close to a combat situation), the DC check increases by 2 per event. If successful, the animal permanently has a helpful attitude towards the player. If failed by less than 10, the player must spend an additional number of weeks equal to the animal's intelligence score before making another check, with a cumulative +1 bonus after each reattempt. If the player fails a check by 10 or more, the animal will become hostile and cannot become a pet.

Fairly simple, and doesn't get you a trained attack dog for free.

[evisiron]

Most of the time if it is not game effecting, little is needed.

*Sigh*
A half orc barbarian in my next campaign is planning to carry around a bag of kittens. For snacks.

[Dhavaer]

Most of the time if it is not game effecting, little is needed.

*Sigh*
A half orc barbarian in my next campaign is planning to carry around a bag of kittens. For snacks.

Consider yourself lucky. The full-orc fighter (named Fluffy) in a campaign I was in carried around half a donkey and a keg full of pig fat.

[Charity]

Consider yourself lucky. The full-orc fighter (named Fluffy) in a campaign I was in carried around half a donkey and a keg full of pig fat.

Er I hesitate to inquire which half of a donkey... was it for food or amusement?