Handle Animal (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Additional Uses

This skill has a number of additional uses.

Domesticate Animals

It is always easiest to domesticate an animal while it is growing up, as covered in the "rear a wild animal" rule. But it is possible (if difficult) to domesticate a wild animal as an adult.

An attempt at domesticating an animal generally takes three months. The trainer must feed the animal, and must have some way to restrain and discipline it and defend from its attacks. This can be done by physical means (cages, leashes, whips) or by magic such as charm spells.

The difficulty depends on the animal's hit dice, it's normal group behavior, and the ties your race has to animals.

Racial affinities are cultural and physiological traits that make certain animals easier to train. A matter of shared perceptions, modes of communication, social organization, and food preferences, these traits create a strong affinity between certain humanoid races and animal species. Any animal listed under "organization" in a humanoid race's description is one that race has affinity for. This includes giant and dire version of such animals. The table below gives some additional animal affinities, and lists affinities of some humanoid races.

Race	Animal affinities
Boggard	Frog
Cyclops	Cockatrice, pig, goat
Dark Creeper	Bat
Dwarf	Ram, bear, goat, raven
Elf	Cooshee, eagle, horse, stag
Elf, Drow	Spider, monitor lizard
Giant, Cave	Lizard
Giant, Cloud	Griffon
Giant, Fire	Fire subtype
Giant, Frost	Winter wolf
Giant, Hill	Dire wolf
Giant, Stone	Cave bear
Giant, Storm	Griffon, shark
Gillmen	Squid
Gnoll	Hyena, hyaenodon
Gnome	Badger, weasel
Goblin	Goblin dog, wolf
Grippli	Frog
Halfling	Dog, squirrel, pony, pig
Hobgoblin	Leopard
Human	Dog, house cat, horse
Kitsune	Foxes
Locathah	Fish
Merfolk	Dolphins, porpoises
Orc	Boar
Ratfolk	Rat
Sahuagin	Shark
Tengu	Flightless birds
Vishanka	Snake
Lizardfolk	Monitor lizard

Animal	DC
Animals living in small groups (wolves, eagles, lions)	20 + hit dice
Herd animals (antelope, zebra)	25 + hit dice
Solitary animals (most cats, bears)	30 + hit dice
Raising the animal from infancy	-10
You have a racial affinity for the animal	-10

If a domestication attempt fails by 4 or less, the time is simply wasted. If it fails by 5 or more, the animal attacks. The creature has to be free from restraint during the later parts of training, and attacks at such a time. Even if the creature survives it can never be domesticated by that trainer.

Effects of Domestication

A domesticated creature can function among humanoids and generally will not attack or harm them unless its training so dictates or its master orders it. A domesticated animal can still react badly if approached carelessly or denied food, and is generally not safe around children or to leave unsupervised around persons unskilled in Handle Animal.

A domesticated creature will never attack a type of creature that has a racial affinity for it, even if provoked, and is safe to have around children of such races.

Both domesticated and non-domesticated creatures can be taught tricks, but only domesticated animals can be pushed to do things they have not been trained to do.

Handling Different Creatures

The handle animal skill handles animals, but can also be used to handle and train other types of creatures, and can even be used to enslave intelligent creatures, conditioning them as slaves. In general, there are two things to consider, intelligence and creature type.

Intelligence and Slavery

Creatures of any Intelligence score can be domesticated, but respond very differently. Only creatures of Intelligence 1-4 can and need be taught tricks.

Vermin and some other creatures have an Intelligence of zero, and are thus not trainable (they cannot be taught tricks), but they can be domesticated and ordered to perform tasks by pushing them. Humanoid races with an affinity for vermin have generally bred such vermin to an Intelligence of 1.

Animals have an Intelligence score of 1 or 2. Paizo has clarified that you can increase an animal's intelligence to 3 or more, and it remains and animal and trainable.

Creatures with an Intelligence of 3 or more are capable of speech and limited sentience. A creature with an Intelligence of 3 or 4 is capable of understanding simple speech and express itself in a few words, but not generally able to handle itself in society and still needs to be taught tricks to complete complex orders and not act on its instincts. In most cases, a creature of Intelligence 4 or less will not protest being domesticated as long as it is fed.

A creature of Intelligence 5 or 6 is able to fend for itself and act as a member of a small community, such as a single household or business. It no longer requires training to perform tricks. It is generally considered slavery and an evil act to domesticate a creature of Intelligence 5 or more; a good-aligned trainer should insist that such creatures be treated as a person. Still, a creature with 6 or less Intelligence will generally not protest unless it is actively mistreated.

A creature of intelligence 7 or more might be slow, but can make its own decisions and engage with society at large. No matter how well its material conditions are, a creature of Intelligence 7 or more will resent slavery. Training a creature of Intelligence 7 or more is definitely an evil act. Such training is more properly termed conditioning and needs constant threat of punishment to be enforced.

A domesticated or conditioned creature that feels itself mistreated can rebel against its trainer or handler with a successful opposed Charisma check. If given active support by others, this check is automatically successful. If this check fails, the creature will still act in accordance with its domestication and training.

Creature Type

• Aberration: Can be domesticated and trained, but all Handle Animal checks in relation to them suffer a -5 penalty. Intelligent aberrations will often seem to thrive on such treatment, but in general there are dangerous side effects from long-time exposure to aberrations.
• Animal: The most common creatures to be trained with Handle Animal. All the base rules apply to animals.
• Construct: Constructs cannot be domesticated or trained.
• Dragon: Dragons can be trained and domesticated. Most dragons are intelligent enough to resent this, and await an opportunity to strike back. Dragons are very patient, and can fake loyalty.
• Fey: Cannot be domesticated or trained.
• Humanoid: Humanoids can be domesticated and trained, but are intelligent enough to resent this as slavery.
• Magical beast: Can be domesticated and trained, but all Handle Animal checks in relation to them suffer a -5 penalty.
• Monstrous humanoid: Can be domesticated and trained, but all Handle Animal checks in relation to them suffer a -5 penalty. Most are intelligent enough to resent slavery.
• Ooze: Cannot be domesticated or trained, but do respond to specific stimuli in such a way that they can be given very simple commands, as if pushing an animal.
• Outsider: Can be domesticated and trained, but all Handle Animal checks in relation to them suffer a -5 penalty. Outsiders cannot be conditioned to act against their alignment or elemental nature.
• Plant: Non-intelligent plant respond as oozes. Intelligent plants cannot be trained or domesticated.
• Undead: Cannot be trained or domesticated. Undead has to be controlled by supernatural means.
• Vermin: Can be domesticated, and vermin with an Intelligence rating can be trained, but all Handle Animal checks in relation to them suffer a -5 penalty.