Handle, train, and calm xeno-fauna, mounts, and war-beasts.
Beast Handling covers calming domestic beasts, riding and handling mounts,
training tricks, calming hostile xeno-beasts, bonding war-beasts for
service, and controlling dangerous predators in crisis. Ranchers on back
worlds, cavalry NCOs who break wild mounts, kennel-masters who run the
war-beast pens, scouts who talk a snarling xeno-predator into standing
down with a hand on its muzzle. Where Xenology is the knowledge of what
the beast is, Beast Handling is the practice of being in the same room
with one and walking out alive. A good handler is worth their weight in
rek; a bad one gets eaten. Calming a hostile xeno is an opposed
check vs the beast's morale save. A war-beast requires a bond roll
before it accepts commands without contest.
Rules Reference
Field
Value
Armor Check Penalty
false
Key Ability
WIS
Trained Only
false
Untrained Use
Works on gentled domestic beasts only; wild/feral/xeno auto-fail with GM-imposed consequence.
Key Ability
WIS
Notes
Special: Opposed vs beast's morale save for hostile xenos. War-beast bond (DC
25) required for obedient service. Failure by 5+ on predator control
triggers critical failure.
Special: Calming a hostile xeno is an opposed check vs the beast's morale save
(WIS-based, GM discretion). A war-beast requires a successful bond
(DC 25) before it accepts commands without contest. Failure by 5+ on
controlling a dangerous predator in a crisis is treated as a critical
failure: the predator acts again before the character can respond.
Untrained: Anyone with a steady hand can calm a gentled domestic beast at the
listed DCs. Untrained Beast Handling fails automatically against wild,
feral, or xeno-beasts, and the GM may impose a panic check or bite.
Descriptors
dc: 12
Field
Value
dc
12
task
Calm a domestic beast in a stressful situation
dc: 15
Field
Value
dc
15
task
Ride or handle a mount
dc: 18
Field
Value
dc
18
task
Train a simple trick or command
dc: 22
Field
Value
dc
22
task
Calm a hostile xeno-beast
dc: 25
Field
Value
dc
25
task
Bond a war-beast for long-term service
dc: 30
Field
Value
dc
30
task
Control a dangerous predator in crisis
Synergy
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
from
Survival
threshold
5
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
from
Xenology
threshold
5
Synergies
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
ranks
5
skill
Survival
bonus: 2
Field
Value
bonus
2
ranks
5
skill
Xenology
Uses
application: Calm a domestic beast in a stressful situation
Field
Value
application
Calm a domestic beast in a stressful situation
dc
12
failure
Beast panics; rider or handler at -1.
success
Beast settles; no panic check.
application: Ride or handle a mount
Field
Value
application
Ride or handle a mount
dc
15
failure
Mount balks or bolts; rider checks Ride or falls.
success
Mount obeys; full maneuver on rough ground.
application: Train a simple trick or command
Field
Value
application
Train a simple trick or command
dc
18
failure
Trick fails to set; weeks wasted.
success
Trick set in 1d4 weeks; beast obeys reliably.
application: Calm a hostile xeno-beast
Field
Value
application
Calm a hostile xeno-beast
dc
22
failure
Beast attacks; you are in the engagement.
success
Beast stands down; morale broken.
application: Bond a war-beast for long-term service
Field
Value
application
Bond a war-beast for long-term service
dc
25
failure
Bond fails; beast remains feral.
success
Bond set; war-beast obeys without contest.
application: Control a dangerous predator in crisis