Animal Tricks

Attack

• Prerequisite: Must have a natural weapon

The animal attacks apparent enemies. You may point to a particular creature to attack and the animal will comply if able. Normally, an animal will only attack a humanoid or another animal. This trick does not allow the targeting of undead creatures or magical creatures (those created with the use of magic).

Teaching the animal this trick lets you replace its proficiency bonus with yours for the purpose of attack rolls and the save DCs of any of its attacks (such as knocking a target prone or pushing it back)

Note: An animal continues to fight until it must flee (due to injury, a fear effect, or the like) or its opponent is defeated.

Greater Attack

• Prerequisite: Attack

The animal can be commanded to attack undead and magical creatures.

Teaching the animal this trick lets you add its proficiency bonus with yours for the purpose of attack rolls and the save DCs of any of its attacks (such as knocking a target prone or pushing it back)

Note: An animal continues to fight until it must flee (due to injury, a fear effect, or the like) or its opponent is defeated.

Don't Bite

• Prerequisites: Attack and a natural weapon other than bite

The animal can be commanded to attack without biting the creature. This can be an important safety measure to reduce the animal's exposure to the Sonohoka Syndrome virus.

Heel

• Prerequisites: none

The animal comes to you, even if it would normally not do so. Example: getting onto a boat or crossing a narrow bridge. Once with you, the animal follows you closely, even to places where it normally wouldn’t go.

Defend

• Prerequisites: none
• Passive trick (does not require an animal handling check)

The animal will defend you as a reaction as long as it is within 5 feet of you. The defend reaction allows the creature to put itself between you and an attacker, giving a +2 cover bonus to your AC. If there is no room to put itself between you and the attacker, it can roll to shove the attacker.

• Shove Rule: The attacker must succeed on a Strength or Dexterity saving throw (it chooses which), or the animal pushes it 5 feet away. The DC for the saving throw equals 8 plus the animal's Strength modifier and Proficiency Bonus. This shove is possible only if the target is no more than one size larger than the animal.

Improved Defender

• Prerequisites: Defend
• Passive trick (does not require an animal handling check)

The animal will defend you as a reaction as long as it is within 10 feet of you. The defend reaction allows the creature to put itself between you and an attacker, giving a +4 cover bonus to you4 AC. If there is no room to put itself between you and the attacker, it can roll to shove the attacker.

• Shove Rule: The attacker must succeed on a Strength or Dexterity saving throw (it chooses which), or the animal pushes it 10 feet away. The DC for the saving throw equals 8 plus the animal's Strength modifier and your Proficiency Bonus. This shove is possible only if the target is no more than one size larger than the animal.

Down

• Prerequisites: Attack

The animal breaks off from combat or otherwise backs down.

Note: An animal that doesn’t know this trick continues to fight until it must flee (due to injury, a fear effect, or the like) or its opponent is defeated.

Fetch

• Prerequisites: none

The animal goes and gets something. If you do not point out a specific item, the animal fetches some random object.

You can give this command as a non-action at the same time you throw something; the animal will attempt to retrieve what you threw. If the DM decides the animal can't figure out how to achieve this, it may try to find something "similar" to what you threw, or it may give up and return with nothing at all.

Guard

• Prerequisites: none

The animal stays in place and alerts you if others approach. For purpose of this trick, alerting is assumed to be some kind of noise such as barking or chirping. If an animal knows this trick, it can be assigned a watch during travel.

Aggressive Guard

• Prerequisites: Guard and Attack

The animal will also attack anyone approaching in addition to alerting you. The animal cannot be surprised while on guard.

Perform

• Prerequisites: none

The animal performs a variety of simple tricks, such as sitting up, rolling over, roaring or barking, and so on. If performing along with its handler, it gives the handler advantage on their performance check.

Scout

• Prerequisites: none

You can command your animal companion to move into an area and make a perception check to look around for anything that is obviously alive or animate. Then it returns to you. It can indicate only whether it did or did not find anything that is obviously alive or animate. If an animal knows this trick, it can be assigned to scout during travel.

Track

• Prerequisites: Keen Smell ability

The animal tracks the scent presented to it. Tracking a trail in this way gives the guide job advantage on their rolls during travel. The animal gains proficiency in Perception, Investigation, or Survival.

Improved Tracking

• Prerequisites: Track

Gains expertise in the skill they gained proficiency in with the track trick. You can replace its proficiency bonus with your own for the purposes of tracking checks.

Work

• Prerequisites: none

The animal pulls, carries or pushes a medium or heavy load. It gains proficiency in Athletics and you can replace its proficiency bonus with your own for the purposes of checks related to managing a load.

Ride

• Prerequisites: none

The animal has been trained to accept a rider, following all the standard mounted combat rules. A creature mounting it can elect to treat it as a controlled mount and must meet all the standard criteria to be able to mount the animal.

Stunt Riding

• Prerequisites: Ride

The animal has been giving training for jumps and other such stunts. It gains proficiency in Acrobatics checks and Dexterity saves, and you can replace its proficiency bonus with your own for the purposes of these checks and saves.

Combat Mount

• Prerequisites: Ride

You can command your animal companion to carry you into life-threatening situations such as combat.

Non-aggression

• Prerequisites: none

The animal will not act hostile towards others unless told to, and will regard others as non-hostile unless told not to - in other words, it will just be chill. This trick is generally always on once learned - no command is required (no animal handling check). Without it, your animal may flee from, or attack others, if provoked to do so. Example: an animal might flee if attacked.

Find Help

• Prerequisites: Non-aggression

When given this command, your animal will attempt to seek out creatures it registers as helpers and lead them back to you.

Hunt

• Prerequisites: Attack and it must be a predatory animal (such as hawks or dogs)

The animal will hunt on their own and bring the kill back to you, rather than eating it for themselves. This is the same as the animal foraging independently of you - it rolls a Survival check and brings you what it catches. If an animal knows this trick, it can be assigned to forage during travel.

Deliver

• Prerequisites: Fetch

This trick can be taught multiple times to add new routes - each time the trick is learned, the animal learns a memorized route of no more than its Intelligence score in miles, at the end of which it stops. It can be given an item to deliver upon reaching the end of the route. It can repeat the route to return, which it will typically do in response to being given a pre-ordained treat.

Assist Attack

• Prerequisites: Attack

You can command them to aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature within 5 feet of them. They feint, distract the target, or in some other way team up to make their ally’s attack more effective. If their ally attacks the target before their next turn, the first attack roll is made with advantage. It also flanks the designated opponent, if it can do so without provoking attacks of opportunity.

Dodge

• Prerequisites: none

The animal can take the dodge action in combat. When they take the Dodge action, they focus entirely on avoiding attacks. Until the start of their next turn, any attack roll made against them has disadvantage and they make Dexterity saving throws with advantage. They lose this benefit if they are incapacitated or if their speed drops to 0.

Hide

• Prerequisites: none

When given this command, the animal takes the hide action. The animal gains proficiency in stealth checks, and you can replace its proficiency bonus with your own for the purposes of these checks.

• Hide Rules: With the Hide action, the animal attempts to conceal itself. To do so, it must succeed on a DC 15 Stealth check while it is Heavily Obscured or behind Three-Quarters Cover or Total Cover, and it must be out of any enemy’s line of sight. If the animal can see a creature, it can discern whether it can see them. On a successful check, it has the Invisible condition while hidden. Make note of the check’s total, which is the DC for a creature to find the animal with a Perception check. They stop being hidden immediately after any of the following occurs: they make a sound louder than a whisper, an enemy finds it, they make an attack roll, or they cast a spell with a Verbal component.
• Invisible Condition: While the animal has the invisible condition, they experience the following effects.
• Surprise: If they’re Invisible when they roll initiative, they have advantage on the roll.
• Concealed: They aren’t affected by any effect that requires its target to be seen unless the effect’s creator can somehow see them. Any equipment they are wearing or carrying is also concealed.
• Attacks Affected: Attack rolls against them have Disadvantage, and their attack rolls have Advantage. If a creature can somehow see them, they don’t gain this benefit against that creature.

Action

• Prerequisites: Stat block action

When you train an animal companion in this skill choose one action from its stat block. (You cannot teach your animal companion the multi attack action even if it exists in its stat block). You can command your animal companion to perform this action on its next turn.

Note: You can teach your animal companion as many actions as are in its stat block, but each of these actions counts as a separate trick that the companion must learn.

Dash

• Prerequisites: none

You can command your animal companion to take the dash action on its next turn.

Disengage

• Prerequisites: Down

You can command you animal companion to not attack or stop attacking a specific creature. Alternatively, you can command your animal companion to take the Disengage action on its next turn.

Use Object

• Prerequisites: none

You can command your animal companion to take the use an object action on its turn. The animal companion cannot use a weapon to make attacks or use a shield efficiently. They must be physically able to engage with the object. The object must not require more then animal intelligence to operate. Examples: open an unlocked door, pushing a button, or pulling a lever.

Hold

• Prerequisites: Attack

The animal initiates a grapple attack and attempts to hold a designated enemy in its arms, claws, or teeth. An animal with a grapple ability on its stat block will use that ability. Otherwise, it will use the standard grappling rules.

• Grapple Rules: The target must succeed on a Strength or Dexterity saving throw (it chooses which), or it has the grappled condition. The DC for the saving throw and any escape attempts equals 8 plus the animal's Strength modifier and Proficiency Bonus. This grapple is possible only if the target is no more than one size larger than the animal and if the animal has a body part free to grab it.
• Grappled condition: While they have the Grappled condition, they experience the following effects.
• Speed 0. Their Speed is 0 and can’t increase.
• Attacks Affected. They have Disadvantage on attack rolls against any target other than the animal that is grappling them.
• Movable. The grappler can drag or carry them when it moves, but every foot of movement costs it 1 extra foot unless they are Tiny or two or more sizes smaller than the animal grappling it.

Steal

• Prerequisites: Fetch

The animal grabs an object in the possession of a target creature, wrests it away, and brings it to you. If multiple objects are available, the animal attempts to steal a random one. It will give priority to items that are visible and in the open over ones that are inside pockets or bags.

Subdue

• Prerequisites: Attack

The animal attacks a designated target creature to deal nonlethal damage, taking a –4 penalty on its attack roll. The animal stops its attack when the target creature lapses into unconsciousness.

Channel

• Prerequisites: Vigor Score 10

You can cast magic through your animal companion. Any spell that requires a touching the target can be cast if your animal companion is touching them. Your animal companion must remain in line of sight.

Commune

• Prerequisites: Vigor Score 10

You can commune with your animal companion, allowing you to give it commands without others hearing. Additionally, you can share images and impressions that aid you in making your commands clear. You gain advantage with animal handling checks while you are communing with your animal.

Detect

• Prerequisites: Vigor Score 10
• Passive trick (does not require an animal handling check)

You can use your detection skill through your animal, allowing you to sense the presence of dark around your animal. If your animal is within 15 feet of you while using your detect skill, you gain advantage on the check.

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