Tricks
Armor Use: This represents the training required to teach a critter to wear man-made armor without penalties from distraction or interference.
Attack: The critter is trained to attack targets the handler directs them to attack.
Assist: The animal is trained to assist the handler in simple tasks, such as picking up objects, opening doors, or crossing the street. This trick is primarily for critters owned by those with physical handicaps.
Bodyguarding: The critter is trained to follow and guard the trainer or another individual the trainer designates.
Companion: This “trick” is actually a set of tricks, basic trained behaviors that make an animal useful as a companion. This includes but is not limited to things like sit, stay, heel, and don’t poop in the house.
Detect [Category]: The critter is trained to use their natural and enhanced senses to find and point out bombs, drugs, and, with Awakened critters, even magic.
Herding: The critter is trained to direct a target the way their handler commands. The critter intimidates a target through barks, growls, roars, or feigned attacks. In doing so, the target is forced in a direction of the handler’s choosing.
Homing: The critter is trained to return to a certain location if not under the guidance of its master or another metahuman.
Mount: The critter is trained to have a rider and follow their basic directions (walk, stop, left, right, etc.) without an Animal Handling test. More complex tasks (and any test during combat) require Animal Handling tests or the relevant trick.
Patrol: The critter is trained to protect a certain object or area as designated by the trainer. They first attempt to Intimidate any intruders they encounter; if the intruder doesn’t back off, the critter attacks them using whatever means are at its disposal.
Retrieve: The critter is trained to track down and retrieve certain objects. The trainer can either point to an object within line of sight for the critter to retrieve or show the critter a particular object and then direct them to an area to search for a similar object. The success of the latter method varies greatly depending on the intelligence of the animal.
SEIS Training: A critter with the SEIS augmentation can be trained to use it to navigate a facility and use the facility’s automated defenses to its benefit. A SEIS- equipped animal that was raised in a particular facility from the time it was young does not need this training to use the system’s capabilities. However, an animal that has SEIS installed when fully grown or an animal that is moved to a new facility that it does not have experience with requires this type of training to be able to use the new facility’s systems.
Skill Improvement: Represents training to refine skills a critter already has. Increase a skill the critter has by 1 rank. This trick does not count against the critter’s total tricks. You cannot raise a critter’s skill higher than the trainer’s ranks in Handle Animal or the skill in question.
Skill Use: Represents training in a skill a critter does not normally possess. These skills include Escape Artist, Gymnastics, Perception, Performance, Running, Sneaking, Survival, Tracking, and Unarmed Combat. A critter that can astrally perceive can be taught Assensing and Astral Combat. An animal cannot be taught a skill they physically cannot perform. For example, a dolphin cannot learn the Running Skill.
Tracking: The critter has been trained to use its keen natural Tracking skills at its master’s command.
Trigger Training: The critter has been trained to use one of its trained abilities as if a trainer commanded it when a trigger is set off. Triggers can come in many forms but most most commonly used triggers are ultrasonic tones, specific scents, or specific visual cues. The trainer need not be present for the animal to react to these cues.
GEAR & EQUIPMENT TRAINING
Barding and Brutality: The same tech used to create lightweight yet durable armored clothing for metahumans is sometimes applied to domesticated animals including dogs, horses, and a few others. It is a relatively common sight in the more affluent areas of the Seattle sprawl to see a dog being walked wearing a chem-resistant pooch coat to protect them on days where the acid rain is particularly bad. Many ranchers still keep to the old traditions and ride horses to herd cattle. They have had to adapt to the hazards of the Sixth World, however, outfitting their horses with armored barding that gives the horse a fighting chance if some nasty paracritters try to make it a meal. Police dogs are routinely outfitted with heavy body armor as a sensible response to a highly armed criminal element.
Critter Body Armor: Only critters who have been trained with the Armor Use trick are able to wear Critter Body Armor. The maximum armor rating any critter can wear without penalty is equal to the critter’s Body – 3 if flying or swimming, or Body + 3 if on the ground. Otherwise armor penalties for critters function the same as they do for metahumans. Critter Body Armor stacks with a critter’s natural armor. Critter Body Armor must be specially made for the specific species and fitted to their size. It can accept the following armor modifications for the standard cost: Chemical Protection, Concealed Pocket, Drag Handle, Electrochromic Clothing, Fire Resistance, Insulation, Nonconductivity, Thermal Damping.
Critter Earphones: These allow a trainer to giver verbal commands remotely and protect critters with sensitive hearing from extremely loud noises. Only critters who have been trained with the Armor Use trick are able to wear critter earphones. These earphones are produced for a wide variety of critters and can accept the following modifications: Audio Enhancement, Sound Link, and Spatial Recognizer.
Critter Goggles: These can be extremely useful in controlling critters trained to recognize visual cues and to protect the eyes of critters in combat or other hazardous environments. Only critters who have been trained with the Armor Use trick are able to wear critter goggles. These goggles are produced for a wide variety of critters and can accept the following modifications: flare compensation, image link, low-light vision, and vision enhancement. It should be noted that critters cannot be trained to understand and use AROs. These goggles have a capacity equal to their rating.
Sensor Collar: This collar comes equipped with a Rating 2 camera and omnidirectional microphone, providing surveillance information to the handler of the animal’s surroundings. It also allows the critter’s location to be tracked via GPS. In jurisdictions where critters or certain species of critters are required to be registered, this collar can broadcast the animal’s registration information.
Training Kit: While the nature of this equipment varies from animal to animal, certain accessories are extremely helpful in training a critter, especially the more complex tricks. These accessories include things like treats, leashes, collars, whips, attack targets, and other similar things.