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From:	Double D <ddmaster@**.NET>
Subject:	Pets(guard/attack dogs)
Date:	Tue, 25 Mar 1997 03:39:43 -0600

Message no. 1 Lets say that one of the characters has a pet, say a pit bull(attack
dog), and they take him on a run.

How would you Gm the animal?

What rules would need to be implemented on the animal?

What limitations would need to be set on type of pet?

How would you figure out how the animal would respond to a fire fight
and to what extent?

Double D

From:	Matt Breton <mbreton@**.NETCOM.COM>
Subject:	Re: Pets(guard/attack dogs)
Date:	Tue, 25 Mar 1997 08:00:14 -0800

Message no. 2 Double D wrote:
>
> Lets say that one of the characters has a pet, say a pit bull(attack
> dog), and they take him on a run.
>
> How would you Gm the animal?
>
> What rules would need to be implemented on the animal?
>
> What limitations would need to be set on type of pet?
>
> How would you figure out how the animal would respond to a fire fight
> and to what extent?
>
> Double D

I'm not a dog owner, so take what I say with a pound of driveway
de-icer...

First, the character has to have some level of Special Skill: Animal
Handling to survive owning a pet. The animal might be trained to guard,
but ordering around is another deal. Without it, the character is
probably getting into constant Will battles.

Secondly, the character's lifestyle cost is going to get nudged up, to
reflect feeding/housing/handling costs. Something small but significant
(and related to the size/exoticness of the animal.)

As far as GMing it.. try *not* to make it a character's third hand.
The easiest way is to get to know a dog really well, model the campaign
dog after that. They do have personalities; give them something of a
history ('...rescued from a shelter...' leaves a lot of history open; it
might be phobic of something, more aggressive than it has to be, etc.)

There are critter rules, as far as actions they can take, how to handle
combat/Initiative, and so forth. Nothing to deep, admittedly. The
'cyber' rules for animals are absolutely dreadful, and could stand
homebrewing.

As far as limiting type of pet... it depends on where the character is.
Just starting out? I might allow a Small or Large dog, if the player
seems fair about it. (It is a responsibility for the character; you
can't really hole up for four days on stakeout when Rex wants a walkie.)

Hellhounds and Barghests seem like the next choice, to which I would
have to say n-o. (And I'm waiting to hear about a Hellhound
shapeshifter, probably named Drizzt.) Sure,
every-corp-and-its-affiliate has Hellhounds for pets, but I imagine the
cost in training them, training trainers and such is up out of player's
easy grasp. You could try something wonky ("They're pack animals, that
refuse to be separated, so if you want to try and train eight at a
time..." Or maybe, being dual-natured, you need a mage tender that can
'play' with them Astrally, too.)

As to reacting to a firefight, just establish a Professional level for
the animal, reflecting training experience. An untrained animal will
*flee* when it hears gunfire. Second-hand source on this (I may be
wrong) but even most police dogs only handle gunfights well when their
master is right beside them.

-Matt

From:	Hairy Smurf <ab130f92@*******.ADELPHI.EDU>
Subject:	Re: Pets(guard/attack dogs)
Date:	Tue, 25 Mar 1997 12:45:07 -0500

Message no. 3 At 08:00 3/25/97 -0800, you wrote:
[SNIP original post]
>
>I'm not a dog owner, so take what I say with a pound of driveway
>de-icer...
>

I am. Had over half a dozen dogs through out my 25 years.

>First, the character has to have some level of Special Skill: Animal
>Handling to survive owning a pet. The animal might be trained to guard,
>but ordering around is another deal. Without it, the character is
>probably getting into constant Will battles.
>

Yes and No. For a personal pet I'd say the character doesn't really need the
skill. Even if the animal is taken to an obediance school you get trained
along with the animal so you don't really need to know anything you're just
told. Now if the animal is unusuall or specially trained, ie a para or an
attack dog, then you'd need a special skill for it. Especially since the
best attack/guard animals are those who work with the original trainers.

>Secondly, the character's lifestyle cost is going to get nudged up, to
>reflect feeding/housing/handling costs. Something small but significant
>(and related to the size/exoticness of the animal.)
>

Not small. Pets are expensive. I'd say assume the animal is a guest and
aplly those rules. Add 10% for each pet. Also you'll have to decide if where
the character is living will allow pets, especially if the animal is an
obvious para.

>As far as GMing it.. try *not* to make it a character's third hand.
>The easiest way is to get to know a dog really well, model the campaign
>dog after that. They do have personalities; give them something of a
>history ('...rescued from a shelter...' leaves a lot of history open; it
>might be phobic of something, more aggressive than it has to be, etc.)
>
>There are critter rules, as far as actions they can take, how to handle
>combat/Initiative, and so forth. Nothing to deep, admittedly. The
>'cyber' rules for animals are absolutely dreadful, and could stand
>homebrewing.
>

OK need to lump these two together. Each animal does have a different
personality and needs to be played as such. Attack/guard animals will be
slightly more aggressive than others and may be difficult to handle in some
situations. They will however be able to handle themselves in a combat
situation, but they are not stupid they will not be suicidal. Also remeber
that a dogs natural response to most situations, since this seems to be
about dogs, is to bark. That makes it difficult on a run when you want to be
quiet. I would suggest keeping the animal out of offensive situtions like
runs and onluy using it a defense, guarding the apartment, or the car. Real
hard to steal a car with a snarling dog in it. Just make sure the character
knows to leave a window cracked. A mean GM can solve his animal problems
real quick if not. "Sorry the dog is dead" "Dead? Why?" "Well you
left him
in the car without opening a window, and it is 90 degrees out. He
suffocated. ... hehehe". Last thing on this, even an untrained dog will
defend its master. I personally had a pet newfoundland go after a man she
knew and had played with because he was teaching me, i was around 9, to play
golf. He had the club over his had and I was standing next to him. She
though I was in danger, and as soon as he dropped the club she was fine and
came over to say hi. Dogs are loyal to a fault and will always defend their
master.

>As far as limiting type of pet... it depends on where the character is.
>Just starting out? I might allow a Small or Large dog, if the player
>seems fair about it. (It is a responsibility for the character; you
>can't really hole up for four days on stakeout when Rex wants a walkie.)
>
Agreed, not bad for a non-pet owner. :)

>Hellhounds and Barghests seem like the next choice, to which I would
>have to say n-o. (And I'm waiting to hear about a Hellhound
>shapeshifter, probably named Drizzt.) Sure,
>every-corp-and-its-affiliate has Hellhounds for pets, but I imagine the
>cost in training them, training trainers and such is up out of player's
>easy grasp. You could try something wonky ("They're pack animals, that
>refuse to be separated, so if you want to try and train eight at a
>time..." Or maybe, being dual-natured, you need a mage tender that can
>'play' with them Astrally, too.)
>

Right paras are going to be a special case. I would limit them to those
character who are based around animal training or a spell-chucker who can
add magic control to the equation. You have to remeber that the big
difference between regualar pets and paras is that the paras are wild. Pets
are dosmesticated and that makes a difference. Wild pets are more freewilled
and more likely to attack their owners. In addition most states and cities
have a ordinace, at least in US, that forbids wild animals as pets. There
was a case recently in NYC where the owner of a dog almost lost the animal
to the city because they though it was a wolf mix. Turned out it wasn't but
if it had been it would have been put it sleep.

>As to reacting to a firefight, just establish a Professional level for
>the animal, reflecting training experience. An untrained animal will
>*flee* when it hears gunfire. Second-hand source on this (I may be
>wrong) but even most police dogs only handle gunfights well when their
>master is right beside them.
>

An untrained aniaml will more likely *cower* and *hide*. :) A very loyal
animal might stay within sight distance of its master should the master need
help. And yes even trained animals will work at a diminished capacity if
they are not with there mater.

This help?

BTW while I'm all for the increased traffic on NERPS I was wondering if the
post recently are appropirate or not? Course considering no one else has
said anything it probably doesn't matter and no one really cares. :)

Sasquatch

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From:	Lady Jestyr <jestyr@*******.DIALIX.COM.AU>
Subject:	Re: Pets(guard/attack dogs)
Date:	Wed, 26 Mar 1997 09:16:16 +1100

Message no. 4 > As far as limiting type of pet... it depends on where the character is.
> Just starting out? I might allow a Small or Large dog, if the player
> seems fair about it. (It is a responsibility for the character; you
> can't really hole up for four days on stakeout when Rex wants a walkie.)

*ROTFL* Sorry - its just that one of the characters in the campaign I'm
in ATM is called Rex... *giggle*

> Hellhounds and Barghests seem like the next choice, to which I would
> have to say n-o. (And I'm waiting to hear about a Hellhound
> shapeshifter, probably named Drizzt.) Sure,
> every-corp-and-its-affiliate has Hellhounds for pets, but I imagine the

Hmmm... I don't know. One of our players has a fetish for pets. His big,
scary, mother-of-god sammie had a Hellhound for a pet, called Hot Dog.
The sort of stuff the Sammie used to get into, the Hellhound was no
advantage and just likely to get killed. :) His next character, a
burglar modelled on Hudson Hawk, had a Bandit, and his current character
is loosely associated with a Talis Cat. Makes for interesting parties.
:)

Lady Jestyr

-----------------------------------------------
A titanic intellect in a world full of icebergs
-----------------------------------------------
Elle Holmes jestyr@*******.dialix.com.au
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1503/
http://jestyr.home.ml.org/
-----------------------------------------------
Now a Geocities Times Square Community Leader!
-----------------------------------------------

From:	Matt Breton <mbreton@**.NETCOM.COM>
Subject:	Re: Pets(guard/attack dogs)
Date:	Tue, 25 Mar 1997 19:31:52 -0800

Message no. 5 > >First, the character has to have some level of Special Skill: Animal
> >Handling to survive owning a pet. The animal might be trained to guard, but
ordering around is another deal. Without it, the character is
> >probably getting into constant Will battles.
> >
>
> Yes and No. For a personal pet I'd say the character doesn't really need the skill.
Even if the animal is taken to an obediance school you get trained along with the animal
so you don't really need to know anything you're just told. Now if the animal is unusuall
or specially trained, ie a para or an attack dog, then you'd need a special skill for it.
Especially since the best attack/guard animals are those who work with the original
trainers.

Yeah; I looked back at the echo of my post and realized it sounded like
I was insisting gerbil-owners needed Animal Handling, too... I think
any character who owns a 'working' pet is going to come around, sooner
or later, to training it to do tricks, which is where the skill would be
needed.

Odd that we only talked about dogs (admittedly, the obvious choice.)
One of the players in a campaign I'm just decided she wants trained
ferrets..

As far as this being a NERPSy post or not.. well, we could browbeat
Gurth into creating a new supplement (Paranormal Animals of ... ? Wha
tever it would be, it needs a giant mutant carp.)

I think I might add a pets section to my non-existent web page.

-Matt

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