Handle Animal
Full rules text, use cases, and edge-case handling for this skill.
Description
Handle Animal covers training, commanding, and calming animals and magical beasts with animal intelligence. It governs everything from teaching a dog tricks to riding a war horse through a melee to raising a bear cub as a loyal companion.
Check
Handle Animal has several uses with different DCs and time requirements.
| Task | DC | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Handle an animal (push it to perform a trick it knows) | 10 | Move action |
| Push an animal (perform beyond normal limits) | 25 | Full-round action |
| Teach an animal a trick | 15 + trick modifier | 1 week |
| Train an animal for a purpose (combat trained, etc.) | 15–25 | 2 months |
| Rear a wild animal as a companion | 15 + HD | 1 year |
| Calm an agitated animal | 15 | Standard action |
Tricks (each trained separately)
| Trick | DC |
|---|---|
| Attack (attack apparent enemies) | 20 |
| Come (return to handler) | 15 |
| Defend (protect handler) | 20 |
| Down (lie down, stay) | 15 |
| Fetch (retrieve an item) | 15 |
| Guard (watch over an area) | 20 |
| Heel (follow closely without straying) | 15 |
| Perform (entertain, display tricks) | 15 |
| Seek (search for something) | 15 |
| Stay (wait in place) | 15 |
| Track (follow a scent trail) | 20 |
| Work (perform labor tasks) | 15 |
An animal may know a number of tricks equal to its Intelligence modifier + 3 (minimum 1). Most domestic animals already know several tricks. Wild animals start knowing none.
Action
Handling (commanding a known trick) is a move action. Pushing (forcing behavior beyond training) is a full-round action. Teaching tricks takes 1 week per trick. Training for a purpose takes 2 months. Rearing wild animals takes 1 year.
Try Again
Handling and pushing may be retried each round or encounter. Teaching a trick: if you fail, you may retry after 1 week. Rearing an animal: if you fail, the animal cannot be trained — it grows up wild.
Special
- Ranger (Animal Companion): A ranger's animal companion is already combat trained and obeys Handle Animal commands automatically. The ranger still uses Handle Animal to teach extra tricks.
- Druid (Animal Companion): Same as the ranger; full Handle Animal interaction for extra trick teaching.
- Ride synergy: 5 or more ranks in Handle Animal grant +2 on Ride checks.
- Animal Affinity (feat): +2 bonus on Handle Animal and Ride checks; increases to +4 with 10 or more ranks.
- Speak with Animals (spell/ability): Grants +4 on Handle Animal checks when speaking directly to the animal.
- Charm Animal (spell): Does not allow training, but temporarily grants willing cooperation for the duration.
- Familiar: Handle Animal does not apply to familiars — they are intelligent companions, not trained animals.