Canine Handling I (sage ability)

Canine handling I is an amateur-status sage ability in the study of dog training that allows the character to direct companion dogs, working dogs and war dogs in the performance of various tasks and behaviours. The skill set depends upon the type of dog, but in each case the character is able to form a strong bond with the canine and utilise its abilities fully in a range of practical situations.

The presence of a dog allows a set of bonds with the game party that extends beyond its owner. Dogs possess an innate ability to form connections with those in its constant association, with a loyalty and affection that transcends charisma scores. As the party's faithful companion, the dog becomes a source of comfort and protection for all, potentially offering solace and reassurance in times of adversity. Regardless of one's initial relationship with the dog, over time its presence is sure, under a DM's careful guidance, to instigate itself at unexpected moments within the campaign. These associations between dog and others must be considered, as the dog does have it's own capacity to make decisions without its owner. Essentially other members of the party should therefore treat the dog as a "follower" with respect to interactions.

Companion Dogs

If the character possesses this ability at the start of the game, he or she is accompanied by a faithful companion dog that has been by their side for the past 2-5 years. This companion, weighing between 80 and 120 lbs., embodies the sturdy and dependable nature expected of a loyal canine. With an initial 1d8+2 hit points, the dog has already weathered challenges alongside its owner, forging a bond of unwavering loyalty and trust. Morale should be treated as 2. The breed is recommended to be of a local variety to the character's origin, but within those parameters the character may choose this detail.

If a character acquires the canine handling I ability after the start of the game, they have the option to obtain a companion dog of their choosing, of whatever age or available breed desired. Once the dog has matured or has been acquired as a mature dog, the character can establish a strong companionship within just one week. During this time, the dog quickly learns to heel and sit without difficulty, demonstrating its readiness to follow the character's lead. At the outset of this companionship, the dog's morale is set at 9. From then on, the character can teach the dog additional skills, requiring either a day or a week, selecting from a range of abilities that companion dogs are capable of performing. However, as the weeks progress, the dog's morale gradually declines by 1 point per week until it reaches a morale of 5. Afterward, the dog's morale diminishes by 1 point every 6 months, or according to the standard morale rules.

Training "time" requires no more than about 15 to 20 minutes per day, which can be easily managed before or after a day's travel.

Unskilled Companion Dog Owners

Characters without this skill who acquire a companion dog may form a strong companionship after one month of consistent interaction and care. During this time, any character in the party may attempt to teach the dog basic commands such as sit or heel, provided they pass a wisdom check. However, only one check by one character is permitted each month to avoid confusion and inconsistency in training. Subsequent attempts can be made on a monthly basis until all desired commands are successfully learned.

As the dog adapts to its new environment and bonds with its owners, its morale gradually decreases by 1 point per month until it reaches 5 points, reflecting the adjustment period and potential challenges in acclimating to its surroundings. Afterward, the dog's morale diminishes by 1 point per year, or in accordance with the standard morale rules, reflecting the natural progression of its emotional state over time.

Companion Dog Skills

Here is a list of skills that companion dogs can be taught, acknowledging that most of these are quite benign. It is assumed the dog begins sleeping with its owner and and is able to fetch with minimal attention paid.

There are a set of skills that grant a +4 bonus to an unskilled teacher's wisdom, or which may be taught by a skilled character in a single day. These include fetch, stay, speak, roll over or shake a paw. Additional skills, requiring a normal wisdom check per month, or a full week for a skilled character, are as follows:

Feed: the dog is taught to accept food only from its owner's hand, or from those persons who are also trained to feed the dog, or from a designated container. Thereafter, the dog won't eat until one of these conditions is met. Further, the dog is trained to resist moving forward to feed until specifically commanded to do so.

Hunt: the dog learns to aid the character in hunting, which raises the amount of food that can be obtained by an experienced hunter in that skill by 50%.

Play dead: the dog learns to lay down and appear to be deceased, demonstrating its capacity to follow complex commands. The length of time is usually no more than a single round of time. Those with dog handling ability can increase this length of time by one round per week of additional training, to a maximum of 3 full minutes.

Protect: the dog can be taught to remain within 10 ft. of the character, fighting any enemy combatant that comes within 15 ft., either automatically upon the dog's volition, or against an opponent designated by the character (which costs 1 action point (AP) to give this command).

Working Dogs

Characters with the dog handling I ability at the start of the game, who also has an amateur ability as a guard, herder, hunter or teamster may decide to begin the game with a "working dog" that's suitable to those skills. Like the companion dog, this companion will again have been faithful to the character for the past 2-5 years. The dog's weight will be commensurate with its breed, either a rottweiler, border collie, retriever or mastiff. Consult the hit points per die mass rules, adding +3 to the dog's total hit points. Rules for morale and learning additional abilities function as with companion dogs.

Working Dog Benefits

The following includes rules specific to these dog breeds and the character's attendant sage ability, from which the character may benefit.

Border Collie (herder): the dog enters the game with the ability to gather, drive and manage livestock tirelessly alongside a herder. This includes returning scattered livestock, moving herds through narrow passages or driving them into pens with precision and control. The presence of the dog increases the potential number of animals the herder can manage by an additional 50%, which reducing the herder's overall daily effort by half. In real terms, this reduces the amount of food a herder has to eat per day from 4 lbs. to 2.

Mastiff (teamster): the dog enters the game having learned to pull dog carts able to carry up to 350 lbs., at a rate of 2½ miles per hour, for up to six hours a day, provided they receive a rest day after every two days of work, which maintains the dog's health and well-being. They're also good at managing other draft animals, permitting a saving throw for any animal that might turn a foot or cause a broken axle upon the malady table. Mastiffs can be trained to "protect" a character as well as a rottweiler, if given a month's training.

Retriever (hunter): the dog enters the game with the hunt skill, raising the total amount of food that can be gotten through that skill by an experienced hunter by 100%, rather than what it would be using an other breed of dog. This results from the ability to retrieve birds, locate wounded or downed game and a natural ability to track. However, only characters skilled in tracking themselves can make use of the retriever as a tracker for other purposes, which results in the target's intelligence being reduced by 1 additional point when a tracking roll is made.

Rottweiler (guard): the dog enters the game with the ability to "protect" the character, as described above, though the perimeter defended is increased by 1 hex (up to 15 ft. from the character), and therefore the attack range is increased as well. In addition, with one month's training, rottweilers can be taught to attack, as per the skill described under war dogs, below. Additionally, the rottweiler also possesses the "On Guard" ability, while aggressively acting to growl as a strong deterrent to potential intruders.

War Dogs

Characters must have canine handling I ability in order to purchase or make use of a war dog, which is a dog bred and already trained to "protect" the character purchasing the animal — though it requires a week of continued association before the war dog will naturally do this. War dogs also have the "On Guard" ability and can also be trained to perform any action that a companion dog can perform. Despite their unusual aggressiveness, they will make "friends" with any character that has been taught to feed the war dog; otherwise, they may be standoffish towards other party members, even after they may have been directed to protect those members from time to time. There is no danger that a war dog may bite or attack a friendly character, however, unless deliberately provoked.

Species of war dog include mastiffs, rottweilers and bulldogs, who centuries ago were typically larger and more robust than the smaller, compact Bulldogs commonly seen today. In the game world, bulldogs are also bread for bull-baiting and bear-baiting, which are described in detail below. War dogs weigh from 120 to 150 lbs., and have been bred to attack as 2 hit dice creatures, while possessing 2d6+6 hit points. Mastiffs that have been trained to be war dogs cannot be used to manage draft animals nor pull dog carts.

In addition to other skills the war dog may have or be taught, it has also been trained to "attack." Handling I allows the character to direct the dog to attack a specific enemy combatant within 40 ft., or 8 combat hexes. This requires the character to point and expend 1 AP. Once given the attack command, the war dog will engage the designated enemy with ferocity and tenacity, persisting in its assault until called off by the handler (1 AP). Even after the enemy combatant has been incapacitated or killed, the war dog will continue to attack; if permitted by circumstances, the war dog may exhibit a voracious instinct to consume the fallen enemy's remains. Making use of this attack skill also requires one week's continual association with the dog.

See also,
Animal Training (sage field)
Dog (wild)