This skill incorporates both the ability to tame animals and to train animals. Animals must be tamed before they can be trained. Some animals can be purchased or otherwise obtained who are already tamed, in which case they just need to be trained.
Knowledge of Animals
Someone with this skill is also knowledgeable about the various animals of the Frontier.
The chance of identifying a specific animal is equal to (rank x 10) + (Education x 3).
Animal Taming
This ability gives a character the chance to tame a wild animal. Once tamed the animal can only be used as a beast of burden or herd animal, unless the Animal Training skill is used to make it a pet or companion. Some types of creatures are more difficult to train than others. The following creatures have a -10 modifier to the skill check: all tiny creatures, giant herbivores, all insectivores, large omnivores and carnivores. Giant omnivores and carnivores suffer a -20 modifier to the skill check. Monsters, particularly vicious creatures, or Sathar-developed creatures, cannot be tamed. Examples of monsters would be sand sharks, queequeg, and slither, all included in the Star Frontiers Expanded Rules.
Taming a creature can be time consuming and dangerous. The time required depends on its size and type and is left to the referee's discretion. If a character fails the skill check he must roll 1d100, 01-25 means that the creature attacks the character attempting to tame it. A character failing a skill check may try again on the same creature after a suitable period of time has elapsed, with a +10 skill modifier (or -10 if the animal tried to attack the character). Once three skill checks have been missed on the same creature, it is considered untamable. Taming a creature requires the character with this skill to work with the animal day after day. If he misses more than two days of taming time, the creature returns to its original state. Once tamed, however, an animal remains so unless abandoned. Just because a creature is tamed does not mean it does not require a cage, pen, or corral, it simply means that the creature will not attack unless unusually provoked.
The base chance to tame an animal is equal to (rank x 10) + ((PER + LDR - 80) / 4).
Animal Training
A character making a successful check with this skill can train a tamed animal. Training includes teaching an animal to carry a rider and obey riding commands, to guard a location and only allow known characters to pass, or to follow a command word. Commands are simple instructions such as "fetch," "attack," "return," etc. and simple nouns, like weapon, Vrusk, box, etc. Teaching an animal requires days, sometimes weeks, of work. The time required depends on the intelligence of the animal and what is being taught.
The base chance to train an animal to a moderate task is equal to (rank x 8) + ((PER + LDR - 80) / 4). The GM may award a bonus for a simple task or a penalty for a complex task. |