Bird Buying [Archive] - Wizards Community

Bird Buying [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
scaryfroman
09-07-04, 10:53 PM I am interested in getting my character into falcolnry. I was wondering what it would cost to purchase a trained bird for that purpose (probably a hawk). Any Ideas?
Cyan Wisp
09-08-04, 03:55 AM Well, don't know if it helps, but in the 2e Player's Handbook, you could buy a trained falcon for 1000gp (yikes!). Of course, in 2e it took 2d6 weeks to teach it one trick.

[from here on, I am making it up as I go along, so be warned...]

In 3e, training an animal takes only 1 week/trick.

If the average 2e time taken to teach a trick was 7 weeks and if we assume that an animal handler's time is just as valuable in 2e as 3e...

1000gp/7 = 142gp, say 150gp per trick known for a trained falcon.

Of course, to handle the animal yourself, you're going to need to make Handle Animal checks all the time. This is only DC 10, unless you want it to do something it isn't trained for ("push"), in which case it is DC 25. And if you get ranks to improve your chances, then you may as well train it yourself, if you've got the time to spare.

Hope that is some food for thought. :)
Shadowfax7
09-08-04, 11:55 AM I would say the cost for the bird is the same, 1000 gp. There aren't many differences in prices of such things between editions.

Also, such a bird would be trained for a purpose (falconry), which would include 3-6 tricks.
Pagan priest
09-08-04, 03:22 PM There's rules, then there is reality. In reality, training a falcon takes a lot of time, as in months, not weeks, and it normally requires starting with a very young chick. As a DM, I would change things a little bit, like only requiring the character to be present and assisting during the training, rather than having to do all the training themselves, and allowing high Animal Handling rolls to lower the amount of time required. Other magic would also have appropriate effects.

IMC, I only charge 500gp for a small hawk, 750 for a large. And only 25 for an untrained fledgling.

This is not random guess work on my part, I have had the opportunity to speak with a couple of people who actually had trained red tailed falcons. It is an increadible amount of work, and it must be done on a daily basis, every single day, with no excuses or exceptions. As much as I enjoy the image of owning sucha bird IRL, I know that I could never do it.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
scaryfroman 09-07-04, 10:53 PM	I am interested in getting my character into falcolnry. I was wondering what it would cost to purchase a trained bird for that purpose (probably a hawk). Any Ideas?
Cyan Wisp 09-08-04, 03:55 AM	Well, don't know if it helps, but in the 2e Player's Handbook, you could buy a trained falcon for 1000gp (yikes!). Of course, in 2e it took 2d6 weeks to teach it one trick. [from here on, I am making it up as I go along, so be warned...] In 3e, training an animal takes only 1 week/trick. If the average 2e time taken to teach a trick was 7 weeks and if we assume that an animal handler's time is just as valuable in 2e as 3e... 1000gp/7 = 142gp, say 150gp per trick known for a trained falcon. Of course, to handle the animal yourself, you're going to need to make Handle Animal checks all the time. This is only DC 10, unless you want it to do something it isn't trained for ("push"), in which case it is DC 25. And if you get ranks to improve your chances, then you may as well train it yourself, if you've got the time to spare. Hope that is some food for thought. :)
Shadowfax7 09-08-04, 11:55 AM	I would say the cost for the bird is the same, 1000 gp. There aren't many differences in prices of such things between editions. Also, such a bird would be trained for a purpose (falconry), which would include 3-6 tricks.
Pagan priest 09-08-04, 03:22 PM	There's rules, then there is reality. In reality, training a falcon takes a lot of time, as in months, not weeks, and it normally requires starting with a very young chick. As a DM, I would change things a little bit, like only requiring the character to be present and assisting during the training, rather than having to do all the training themselves, and allowing high Animal Handling rolls to lower the amount of time required. Other magic would also have appropriate effects. IMC, I only charge 500gp for a small hawk, 750 for a large. And only 25 for an untrained fledgling. This is not random guess work on my part, I have had the opportunity to speak with a couple of people who actually had trained red tailed falcons. It is an increadible amount of work, and it must be done on a daily basis, every single day, with no excuses or exceptions. As much as I enjoy the image of owning sucha bird IRL, I know that I could never do it.