Bird Companionship (sage ability)

Bird Companion is an amateur-status sage ability in the study of Falconry, expressing the exceptional trust and attachment between the falconer character and the bird, shown by the bird's attachment to its handler and it's spontaneous efforts to assist through behaviour within its natural abilities and training. It is presumed that the character has a deep interest and attachment to the bird also, so that after many hours of releasing, calling, stroking and preening the bird, a relationship is built in the evenings, mornings and even throughout the act of travel, each and every day. The player does not have to "role-play" this relationship, although they may... it develops as a characteristic of assumed game play.

The bond permits the character to benefit from this trust and dependable cooperation. The ability "rouse to hunt" directs the bird to seek food; "Train Falcon" gives the character the ability to teach the bird. Thus the benefits accruing from the bird being a companion are wholly natural and — though for game purposes specified by the player — arise as though from the bird's own motives. Benefits occur only in the outdoors and not in subterranean situations; they include:

• Harry the enemy. If the character is beset by an enemy that is within 3 combat hexes of the character, the bird will, once every three rounds, attempt to rake the head of that enemy without being directed to, attacking for 1 point of damage; a falcon has a THAC0 of 19; a hawk, 20. The attack will be on the enemy closest to the player; during the attack, that enemy will be distracted whether the hawk hits or not, so that the character will be free to ignore the movement penalty associated with breaking off melee from that specific enemy. If more than one enemy is faced, the bird's attack will be random as to who is actually harried.
• Spot. The bird will spontaneously call and circle over any noticable detail in the landscape to a distance of four hundred yards from the character, to bring the character's attention to that thing. It might be someone's camp, an entrance, a farm house, a carcass, the scene of something that has occurred, enemies camped or on the move... it really is a matter of what the campaign might require. The falconer character will immediately recognise this behaviour and will understand that there's something there that's worth noticing. The bird will not seek to do this without good purpose.
• Snatch. While the bird cannot know the mind of the falconer, if there is clearly some object of no greater than three pounds weight that is within five feet of a character's outstretched fingers, the bird will essay to bring that object to the character, perhaps lifting it to bring it or dragging it over the ground. If the character can speak with animals, the bird can be induced to obtain a free object, perhaps a wand in the hands of an enemy, if armour class 4 is achieved; however, in this latter case, the weight of the object cannot be more than half the weight of the bird.
• Screech. The bird will raise a ruckus if it is unhooded and an enemy approaches within ten combat hexes of the character, whether or not the character is aware. Should this happen, the character and any companions within 60 feet may obviate the need for a surprise roll. A thief can reduce this distance by 1 hex per level above 1st.
• Follow. If the characters are pursuing a fleeing creature, then the bird will, just as with "spot" above, continue to keep the quarry in sight and intermittently turn over the target, or make swoops towards it to provide a more exact location. The bird will keep up this behaviour so long as the pursued creature is yet within a mile of the bird's companion character. For safety, the bird will remain hundreds of yards above the target, well out of reach.

It should be noted that an enemy will be well-aware of this behaviour, particularly higher level fighters who will have some skill in falconry even if that is out of their knowledge field. If they are so moved, then, they may attempt to bring down the bird with missiles or with magic. Too aggressive a use with the bird, therefore, risks its very existence, since it has only 1 or 2 hit points.

Additionally, others who may be in possession with a falcon or hawk may seek to send their bird against the player character's, producing a separate fight high over the party. Certain tactics can be employed in such situations: the bird can be provided with protective magic, such as armour or barkskin. The bird can be enlarged, or even blessed. Lost birds may be reliably reincarnated as birds, or raised from the dead, if one has become particularly beloved by the player.