Training
Training a critter can be difficult and time consuming.
Still, having a well-trained animal at your side can offer
considerable benefits.
Training critters can be risky, especially if the critter is dangerous. On a critical glitch, a critter with a higher Body or Strength than you will attempt to attack the trainer, and a critter with a lower Body and Strength will attempt to run away. In either case, the trainer must assert their dominance as described above once again before they can continue teaching the trick.
When all trick “slots” have been used, the critter can be taught no more. One trick can replace another if the trainer desires, but it requires a retraining period that doubles the time it takes to learn the new trick. Once the new skill is learned, the old trick is lost.
Juvenile critters cost twice as much as fully grown ones due to the fact that they prove easier to train upon reaching adulthood if the time has been spent making them accustomed to human interaction.
STEP 1: CHOOSE A CRITTER
The difficulty in training a critter can vary wildly depending on the nature of the critter in question and its history. Consult the Animal Training Table below and determine what modifier, if any, applies to the critter you plan to train.STEP 2: DETERMINE NUMBER OF TRICKS CRITTER CAN LEARN AND SET THRESHOLD OF TEST
The number of tricks a critter is capable of learning is limited to the critter’s Logic. Domesticated (see Chapter 12, Game Information) critters have been bred to work well with metahumans and can learn Tricks equal to twice their Logic. Teaching a trick is an Extended Animal Handling Test with a starting threshold of 3. The threshold to teach a Domesticated critter a trick is lowered by 1. Teaching tricks to paracritters is more difficult than teaching them to mundane critters, raising the threshold by 1. Critters and paracritters with extensive ’ware become emotionally unstable and very difficult to train; raising the threshold by 1 for every point of Essence loss is appropriate. Chimerics tend to be erratic with a short attention span, making them difficult to train as well. Chimerics should increase the threshold by at least 2.STEP 3: ASSERT YOUR DOMINANCE
To begin training a critter, you must first be recognized by the critter as dominant. Make an Animal Handling + Charisma test opposed by the critter’s Willpower x 3, or in the case of Domesticated critters Willpower x 2. If the test is successful, you may begin teaching the critter a trick; if you are unsuccessful, you must wait twenty-four hours to attempt the test again.STEP 4: CHOOSE A CUE
When training a critter, you must choose a particular type of cue with which to issue commands for the critter to perform a particular trick. These can vary greatly, and their effectiveness can also vary considerably from species to species. Dogs, with their sharp hearing, respond well to auditory cues such as spoken command words. Birds generally have sharp eyesight and respond well to hand signals. Keep in mind that an animal trained with auditory cues can be a disadvantage in stealth missions, and an animal trained with hand signals must be in line of sight to command. Many trainers choose to use both auditory cues and hand signals in combination so that the animal can be controlled in all situations. An animal that has been trained to use both types of cues in conjunction can be commanded with either a hand signal or auditory signal alone, though the trainer has a –2 dice pool modifier when issuing commands in this way.STEP 5: TRAINING
Teaching a trick is an Extended Animal Handling Test (3), with an interval of 2 weeks. Various modifiers can affect a trainer’s ability to control and teach an animal depending on a variety of factors, such as the nature of the critter and your treatment of it. Consult the Animal Training Table for details.Training critters can be risky, especially if the critter is dangerous. On a critical glitch, a critter with a higher Body or Strength than you will attempt to attack the trainer, and a critter with a lower Body and Strength will attempt to run away. In either case, the trainer must assert their dominance as described above once again before they can continue teaching the trick.
When all trick “slots” have been used, the critter can be taught no more. One trick can replace another if the trainer desires, but it requires a retraining period that doubles the time it takes to learn the new trick. Once the new skill is learned, the old trick is lost.
Juvenile critters cost twice as much as fully grown ones due to the fact that they prove easier to train upon reaching adulthood if the time has been spent making them accustomed to human interaction.
STEP 6: USING TRICKS
Commanding an animal to use a particular trick is a Simple Action requiring an Animal Handling + Charisma test with a threshold of 1.ANIMAL TRAINING TABLE
| SITUATION | POOL MODIFIER |
|---|---|
| Mundane critter | +0 |
| Paracritter | -2 |
| Chimeric critter | -3 |
| Domesticated | +2 |
| Critter Essence | -1 per 0.5 Essence lost |
| Critter raised around metahumans | +0 |
| Critter raised in the wild | -2 |
| Critter treated poorly by metahumans in the past | -2 |
| Critter treated well by metahumans in the past | +1 |
| Animal sees you as potential prey | -2 |
| Pack/herd animal | +1 |
| Solitary animal | -1 |
| Using animal training equipment | +0 |
| No training equipment | -2 |