Buying animal friends [Archive] - Wizards Community

Buying animal friends [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
mcnathan
02-04-06, 09:17 AM How much do various animal friends cost? Say I want a wolf, but i don't want to be a ranger or a druid, just a fighter with some ranks in handle animal and I want a wolf buddy? How much would it cost? What about other animal companion that aren't necessarily animal companions? Dogs, hawks, eagles, bears, or even those freaky dino things from Eberron, how much do these things cost?
antsterr
02-04-06, 12:33 PM I don't think there are any set costs for wild animals.
For a wolf I'd suggest it should be around 4 times as much as a dog of equal training. See the PHB page 129 for the cost of a dog.
SilverFoxKnows
02-04-06, 01:20 PM spent 250gp for a big Doberman (not period correct, but hey, it's a fantasy game) with near max HPs and already trained for combat tricks. "Slag" has aided him in enough fights that I've leveled up the dog. Not only is the PC building a reputation but so is the dog. Like Chopper or The Beast.
Lady Maedhros
02-04-06, 04:01 PM Yeah, that's really something a DM would have to come up with on-the-fly.

Something like 150 gp X CR for common and communal animals (wolves, elk) and 250 gp X CR for rare and solitary animals (tigers, endangered hawks) might be a good baseline.
Sae Cael Oanar
02-04-06, 05:58 PM more important than the price is the bond.

the animal is less attached to you than an animal companion. it may fight to save your life or its, but i doubt it will recklessly charge into battle at your whim. a dc 20 handle animal check would suffice. kind of like making an unwilling horse go into battle.
Lady Maedhros
02-04-06, 06:54 PM What makes you think that?

Any animal can be taught tricks with the Handle Animal skill. The only difference between a druid's animal companion and a fighter's pet is that the animal companion gets some virtual class levels and a couple extra tricks. That's it.

A druid's companion will run in fear if it feels outclassed, will refuse to attack an unusual creature unless you train or push it (which, yes, is a DC 20 HA check), and has to be taught how to do things (stay, guard, attack, come, etc).

There's no reason whatsoever to think that a wolf who's been shown that attacking what his bipedal pack leader points at will garner free food won't attack anything she points at. Or that he won't consider the party his packmates and defend them against attack the way he would other wolves. Or that he might not fight to the death for a humanoid he'd spent sufficient time with.

Pack animals act like pack animals, regardless of their pack, and are perfectly capable of very strong bonds with ordinary people. It just so happens that if they bond to a druid, they get some nifty spiritual steriods.
shadowfoot666
02-04-06, 07:14 PM there are pretty good rules for all of this in Arms & Equipment (TSR), including prices for all kinds of exotic pets, gear for them and rules on training different types of animals (from birth?, are they "communal"?, high or low animal intelligence, etc.). I highly recomend this book if you dont own it.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
mcnathan 02-04-06, 09:17 AM	How much do various animal friends cost? Say I want a wolf, but i don't want to be a ranger or a druid, just a fighter with some ranks in handle animal and I want a wolf buddy? How much would it cost? What about other animal companion that aren't necessarily animal companions? Dogs, hawks, eagles, bears, or even those freaky dino things from Eberron, how much do these things cost?
antsterr 02-04-06, 12:33 PM	I don't think there are any set costs for wild animals. For a wolf I'd suggest it should be around 4 times as much as a dog of equal training. See the PHB page 129 for the cost of a dog.
SilverFoxKnows 02-04-06, 01:20 PM	spent 250gp for a big Doberman (not period correct, but hey, it's a fantasy game) with near max HPs and already trained for combat tricks. "Slag" has aided him in enough fights that I've leveled up the dog. Not only is the PC building a reputation but so is the dog. Like Chopper or The Beast.
Lady Maedhros 02-04-06, 04:01 PM	Yeah, that's really something a DM would have to come up with on-the-fly. Something like 150 gp X CR for common and communal animals (wolves, elk) and 250 gp X CR for rare and solitary animals (tigers, endangered hawks) might be a good baseline.
Sae Cael Oanar 02-04-06, 05:58 PM	more important than the price is the bond. the animal is less attached to you than an animal companion. it may fight to save your life or its, but i doubt it will recklessly charge into battle at your whim. a dc 20 handle animal check would suffice. kind of like making an unwilling horse go into battle.
Lady Maedhros 02-04-06, 06:54 PM	What makes you think that? Any animal can be taught tricks with the Handle Animal skill. The only difference between a druid's animal companion and a fighter's pet is that the animal companion gets some virtual class levels and a couple extra tricks. That's it. A druid's companion will run in fear if it feels outclassed, will refuse to attack an unusual creature unless you train or push it (which, yes, is a DC 20 HA check), and has to be taught how to do things (stay, guard, attack, come, etc). There's no reason whatsoever to think that a wolf who's been shown that attacking what his bipedal pack leader points at will garner free food won't attack anything she points at. Or that he won't consider the party his packmates and defend them against attack the way he would other wolves. Or that he might not fight to the death for a humanoid he'd spent sufficient time with. Pack animals act like pack animals, regardless of their pack, and are perfectly capable of very strong bonds with ordinary people. It just so happens that if they bond to a druid, they get some nifty spiritual steriods.
shadowfoot666 02-04-06, 07:14 PM	there are pretty good rules for all of this in Arms & Equipment (TSR), including prices for all kinds of exotic pets, gear for them and rules on training different types of animals (from birth?, are they "communal"?, high or low animal intelligence, etc.). I highly recomend this book if you dont own it.