ANlMAl TRlCKS
Animal tricks are specific tasks you can teach an animal using the Handle Animal skill. The training process requires a week of work and a successful Handle Animal check against a listed DC. Successfully teaching an animal a trick includes teaching it some command that indicates it should perform the trick. An animal with an Intelligence score of 1 can learn a maximum of three tricks, while an animal with an Intelligence score of 2 can learn a maximum of six tricks. The Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook defines 12 tricks in the Handle Animal skill description (attack, come, defend, down, fetch, guard, heel, perform, seek, stay, track, and work) and seven general purposes (combat training, fighting, guarding, heavy labor, hunting, performance, and riding) that include various combinations of the existing tricks, yet these are not the only tasks animals can be trained to perform.
NEW ANIMAL TR1CKS
The following new tricks can be taught to animals by training the animal for a week and making a successful Handle Animal skill check against the listed DC.
Aid (DC 20 ) : The animal can use the aid another action to aid a specific ally in combat by attacking a specific foe the ally is fighting. You may point to a particular creature that you wish the animal to aid, and another that you want it make an attack roll against, and it will comply if able. The normal creature type restrictions governing the attack trick still apply.
Bombard (DC 20 ) : A flying animal can deliver projectiles on command, attempting to drop a specified item that it can carry (often alchemist's fire or some other incendiary) on a designated point or opponent, using its base attack bonus to determine its attack roll. The animal cannot throw the object, and must be able to fly directly over the target.
Break Out (DC 20 ) : On command, the animal attempts to break or gnaw through any bars or bindings restricting itself, its handler, or a person indicated by the handler. If not effective on its own, this trick can grant the target character a +4 circumstance bonus on Escape Artist checks. The animal can also take certain basic actions like lifting a latch or bringing its master an unattended key. Weight and Strength restrictions still apply, and pickpocketing a key or picking any sort oflock is still far beyond the animal's ability.
Bury (DC 15 ) : An animal with this trick can be instructed to bury an object in its possession. The animal normally seeks a secluded place to bury its object. An animal with both bury and fetch can be \/ instructed to fetch an item it has buried.
Deliver (DC 15 ) : The animal takes an object (one you or an ally gives it, or that it recovers with the fetch trick) to a place or person you indicate. If you indicate a place, the animal drops the item and returns to you. If you indicate a person, the animal stays adjacent to the person until the item is taken. (Retrieving an item from an animal using the deliver trick is a move action.)
Detect (DC 2 5 ) : The animal is trained to seek out the smells of explosives and poisons, unusual noises or echoes, air currents, and other common elements signifying potential dangers or secret passages. When commanded, the animal uses its Perception skill to try to pinpoint the source of anything that strikes it as unusual about a room or location. Note that because the animal is not intelligent, any number of strange mechanisms, doors, scents, or unfamiliar objects may catch the animal's attention, and it cannot attempt the same Perception check more than once in this way.
Entertain (DC 2 5 ) : The animal can dance, sing, or perform some other impressive and enjoyable trick to entertain those around it. At the command ofits owner, the animal can make a Perform check (or a Charisma check if it has no ranks in Perform) to show off its talent. Willing onlookers or those who fail an opposed Sense Motive check take a -2 penalty on Perception checks to notice anything but the animal entertaining them. Tricksters and con artists often teach their animals to perform this trick while they pickpocket viewers or sneak about unnoticed.
Exclusive (DC 20 ) : The animal takes directions only from the handler who taught it this trick. If an animal has both the exclusive and serve tricks, it takes directions only from the handler that taught it the exclusive trick and those creatures indicated by the trainer's serve command. An animal with the exclusive trick does not take trick commands from others even if it is friendly or helpful toward them (such as through the result of a charm animal spell), though this does not prevent it from being controlled by other enchantment spells (such as dominate animal), and the animal still otherwise acts as a friendly or helpful creature when applicable.
Flank {DC 20 ) : You can instruct an animal to attack a foe you point to and always attempt to be adjacent to (and threatening) that foe. If you or an ally is also threatening the foe, the animal attempts to flank the foe, if possible. It always takes attacks of opportunity. The animal must know the attack trick before it can learn this trick.
Flee {DC 20 ) : The animal attempts to run away or hide as best it can, returning only when its handler commands it to do so. Until such a command is received, the animal does its best to track its handler and any creatures with him or her, remaining hidden but within range of its sight or hearing. This trick is particularly useful for thieves and adventurers in that it allows the animal to evade capture, then return later to help free its friends.
Get Help {DC 20 ) : With this trick, a trainer can designate a number of creatures up to the animal's Intelligence score as "help." When the command is given, the animal attempts to find one of those people and bring her back to the handler, even if that means journeying a long distance to the last place it encountered the target creature.
Hunt {DC 20 ) : This trick allows an animal to use its natural stalking or foraging instincts to find food and return it to the animal's handler. An animal with this trick may attempt Survival checks (or Wisdom checks if the animal has no ranks in Survival) to provide food for others or lead them to water and shelter (as the "get along in the wild" use ofthe Survival skill). An animal with this trick may use the aid another action to assist Survival checks made by its handler for these purposes.
Maneuver (DC 20 ) : The animal is trained to use a specific combat maneuver on command. An animal must know the attack trick before it can be taught the maneuver trick, and it only performs maneuvers against targets it would normally attack. This trick can be taught to an animal multiple times. Each time it is taught, the animal can be commanded to use a different combat maneuver.
Menace {DC 20 ) : A menacing animal attempts to keep a creature you indicate from moving. It does its best to intimidate the target, but only attacks if the target attempts to move from its present location or take any significant action (particularly a hostile-seeming one). As soon as the target stops moving, the animal ceases attacking, but continues to menace.
Serve {DC 15 ) : An animal with this trick willingly takes orders from a creature you designate. If the creature you tell the animal to serve knows what tricks the animal has, it can instruct the animal to perform these tricks using your Handle Animal bonus on the check instead of its own. The animal treats the designated ally as friendly. An animal can unlearn this trick with 1 week of training. This trick can be taught to an animal multiple times. Each time it is taught, the animal can serve an additional creature you designate.
Sneak (DC 15 ) : The animal can be ordered to make Stealth checks in order to stay hidden and to continue using Stealth even when circumstances or its natural instincts would normally cause it to abandon secrecy.
Throw Rider (DC 15 ) : The animal can attempt to fling a creature riding it to the ground. Treat this as a trip combat maneuver that applies to all creatures riding the animal, and that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. An animal that knows the throw rider and exclusive tricks can be instructed to attempt to automatically throw anyone other than its trainer who attempts to ride it.
Watch (DC 15 ) : The animal can be commanded to keep watch over a particular area, such as a campsite, and raise an alarm if it notices any sizable or dangerous creature entering the area. This trick is often included in the Guarding purpose.
NEW GENERAL PURPOSES
Rather than teaching an animal individual tricks, you can simply train it for a general purpose ( Core Rulebook 97). 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 general purpose 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 with the proper training. Training an animal for a general purpose requires only one Handle Animal check, but takes a number of weeks equal to the number of tricks in the general purpose package.
Air Support (DC 20 ) : An animal trained in air support knows the attack, bombard, and deliver tricks.
Burglar (DC 2 5 ) : An animal trained as a burglar knows the come, fetch, maneuver (steal), seek, and sneak tricks. You can order it to steal a specific item you point out.
Liberator (DC 2 5 ) : An animal trained in liberating knows the break out, flee, and get help tricks.
Servant (DC 20 ) : An animal trained as a servant knows the deliver, exclusive, and serve tricks.