Animals function much like player characters or monsters, in that they have similar stats and participate in combat through initiative rolls. By default, animals have a movement and a speak action, but some special abilities may grant them a hand action of their own. Animals, however, may never use more than a single hand action per turn(not counting extra actions granted by a high initiative roll) regardless of how many hand actions they have. Animals are considered to have 1 skill point in every skill, save the "skill" they use for their abilities and attacking(see below). Animals may not take race or facet levels, but may make critical hits whenever they attack.
Animal interactions with humanoids
Every animal has its own personality owed to its environment and genetics. This separates them from monsters, which are generally created with a single drive. Because of this, some animals can be raised to be more useful to humanoids. When a player character encounters an animal, it will fall into one of the below categories, which characterizes its interactions with other animals and sentient beings.
Enraged: Enraged animals are practically monsters, attacking other animals or sentient creatures on sight. Little other than serious injury will drive them away, and attempts to intimidate them take a -6 penalty, though infuriate attempts are made with a +4 bonus. Few animals are naturally enraged, though they can become this way when backed into a corner, enchanted by some magics, or infected by diseases like rabies. Animals who are naturally enraged cannot be tamed, even if they are raised from birth. This doesn't stop some people from trying. Enraged animals cannot be taken as companions.
Feral: Most animals encountered in the wild are feral. Though they may attack sentients if they believe they have the advantage, are in a pack, or are starving, most feral animals will usually avoid them unless provoked. Carnivores are the most likely to attack, followed by omnivores, then finally herbivores. Feral animals are extremely difficult, but not impossible, to tame if they have already grown to maturity, but when raised from birth they will usually be at least tame, if not domesticated. To get feral animals to the point where they can be trained requires a few generations worth of selective breeding. Feral animals cannot be taken as companions.
Tame: Tame animals have been around humanoids long enough that they know that they're usually safe around them. Most of them have either reached this point by scavenging from the humanoids or been bred to be this way. Most animals that reside within humanoid settlements are tame. While most tame animals are little more than scenery for the sentients around them, some are a slight help to those around them, like cats that keep areas cleared of rodents, and others can be a nuisance, sometimes pestering the locals for food or even stealing from them. Tame animals will not attack humanoids unless first attacked, and even then will usually first choose to run away. When taken as a companion, a tame animal is one that has taken an interest in the character, and while it usually won't do much to help the character out, it will occasionally keep feral animals at bay and help to warn the character of danger. Tame animals can, with time, be trained to act as domesticated or trained, and when raised from birth one of these is pretty much an eventuality.
Domesticated: Domesticated animals have been bred to serve humanoids in any number of roles, from protectors to hunters to companions. When an animal is raised as domesticated, it chooses one or more humanoids, generally whoever's spent the most time with it or has treated it most kindly, as its owners. Like tamed animals, domesticated animals will not attack humanoids unless they are first attacked, though they may also do so when they feel their owner's life is in danger. Domesticated animals quickly bond with their first owner, and a character may take a domesticated animal as a companion. A domesticated animal will follow its owner into most situations, and will do its best to keep its owner from harm, but when faced with a real threat lacks the training to do anything other than attack whoever it perceives as attacking its owner.
Trained: A domesticated animal can serve a great use to sentient beings, but some have been so well-trained that they can understand complex commands and perform tasks that are otherwise impossible for an animal to do. A trained animal acts very much like a domesticated animal, and may be purchased by a character like one, but due to their extensive training they can take complex commands from their owner not only verbally but through body language cues, so much so that as long as the animal can see or hear their owner they can understand what the owner wants and will attempt to do that to the fullest extent of its abilities.
Gaining animal companions
Much like gaining a human companion, a player must spend XP in order to gain and advance their animal companion. The XP cost for a level 1 animal is 1000 for a trained animal, 500 for a domesticated animal, and 100 for a tame animal. A player may not take feral or enraged animals as companions, but through roleplaying may be able to tame a feral animal. After purchasing the animal with XP, the player must spend their own XP to advance the animal, though the GM may grant additional XP to that animal if its owner's player roleplays the interactions between owner and animal well. The cost to level an animal is the same as the cost to buy the same racial level as though the animal were a player. Animals cannot take racial or facet levels, nor directly buy advantages or take disadvantages. A player may have no more than their own equipped threat level(their usual threat level when fully equipped in their preferred outfit) in combined animal threat levels as companions, and no single animal companion may have more than half its owner's threat level as its own threat level(round up). A player may purchase additional animal companions, but no more than the normally allowed amount may be "active"(that is, following the player) at once.
Care and Feeding: Tame animals don't hang around you constantly, and unless local conditions are very poor, such as a desert or tundra, the animals following you don't need to be fed. Domesticated or trained animals, on the other hand, rely on their owner for food. The amount of food they require is 8 dollars a week for a medium animal, 4 dollars per week for a small animal, 2 dollars per week for a small2 animal, and 1 dollar per weel for a small3 or smaller animal. Larger animals double the amount required to sustain them for each size increase, with large animals costing 16 dollars a week, large2 costing 32 per week, and so on. You may spend 1 hour per 4 dollars hunting or foraging with your animal to cover these costs, instead of spending the money. In addition, trained animals require 2 hours per week of training to be able to advance in their abilities, if a week is missed then you may not level up that animal until four weeks have passed with the animal being trained. Domesticated animals do not have such requirements, but both trained and domesticated animals become stressed when away from their owners, losing 1 MP per hour away from them. This MP does not return with rest unless the animal has spent at least 4 hours with their owner the previous day.
Animal Stats: Animal stats start at 4 each, with the player being given 12 points to distribute among them, leaving each stat no higher than 10. The player then has 20 to split between HP and MP, with a minimum of 2 in either. This is the amount of HP/MP they gain each level, as well. An animal gains one special ability from the list of Animal Abilities at first level, then one every even level. An animal gains a stat point every 3 levels. An animal has 1 skill rank for the purpose of using its abilities and attacks at first level, then gains an additional skill rank at third, sixth, tenth, fifteenth, and twenty-first level.
Odd Sizes: Animals will be listed with a default size. A player may only take animals of their own size+1 or smaller, however, at level 1. The XP cost of the appropriate odd-sized advantage is added to the cost of the animal. If a player wishes to own a larger size animal, they may instead take a "baby" version of that animal, which is 5 sizes smaller than its default size. Every three levels an animal advances, a character may choose to spend 250 additional XP to increase the animal's size category. When a character takes a baby animal, they get to choose the first ability the animal gains, otherwise it comes with one chosen by the GM.
Animal Abilities
The rules for creating animals let you make pretty much anything you would want, though they may not be able to do everything you would imagine them doing at first level. In order to maintain game balance, animals learn their abilities as they level, and even if you would think that an ability would come naturally to a creature(such as a thick armored hide providing protection or wings allowing it to fly), these abilities are unusable until they are taken through the creature leveling up.
Retriever: An animal with this advantage has the equivalent of a single hand action, either through a tail, their mouth, or agile paws. How well they can use this hand action, however, depends on whether they are trained. While no animal will be able to wield a weapon, a domesticated or trained animal can use its hand action to perform simple tasks like retrieving items, pulling switches, or pushing obstacles out of the way. This ability may only be purchased once.
Manually Dexterous: An animal must have purchased the retriever ability before this one may be purchased. Like the retriever special ability, but the creature has individual fingers and can work more complicated items like doorknobs and keys. Creatures with this special ability also gain a +4 to any rolls made to hold onto things, including rolls made to initiate, hold, or escape from a grapple. This ability may only be purchased once.
Climber: Climbing animals either have instinctual abilities or some sort of natural equipment like gripping hairs, suction cups, or the like to be able to climb up and down surfaces at rapid speeds. A creature with this can move along walls, ceilings, and other non-horizontal surfaces as though they were horizontal so long as those surfaces are not frictionless. This ability may only be purchased once.
Flyer: A creature with this ability has one of the flight advantages, as described in the various flight advantages. The first time this ability is bought, it has the glide advantage. The second time, it has hover. The third time, it has limited flight, and the fourth time, it has full flight.
Natural Weapons: When a creature gains this ability, it gains the use of some form of natural weapons such as sharp claws or teeth, fired spines, or a club-like tail. This attack uses their hand action, and counts as a one-handed weapon with a cost of up to 200 dollars. Superior quality enhancements can be added to the weapons, but only by adding value through the purchase of this ability rather than spending actual money. When you choose a ranged weapon, the creature has an amount of ammo equal to 10 dollars' worth per day. You may purchase this ability multiple times. You may choose for another purchase to upgrade from a one-handed weapon to a two-handed weapon, to add 20 dollars worth of ammunition per day, or to raise the value of the weapon by 200 dollars.
Natural Spell: The animal with this ability has access to a single spell with an MP cost equal to or less than 10 MP times the number of times this ability has been bought on a single spell. This spell uses the animal's "hand action". Animals cast with their personality stat, using their ability "skill". This ability may be bought multiple times, each time use either to buy a new spell or increase the value of a current spell they possess. When buying up a spell this way, you may "trade up" for a higher spell, replacing its original spell. Casting this spell uses the animal's MP and the spell is not modified in any way.
Elementally Attuned: This ability gives the animal the Elemental Affinity advantage for an element of your choice the first time it is bought. Whenever it is bought again, you may purchase another Elemental Affinity, for an element that is not the opposite of a currently-possessed Elemental Affinity or Specialization, or you may upgrade an Elemental Affinity to an Elemental Specialization.
Armored: Normally, an animal is considered to have a single die of armor, but for each time this ability is bought, an additional die is added to their armor, up to a maximum of 6 armor dice.
Enhanced Senses: An animal with this ability gains +4 to all its unskilled accuracy rolls made to detect things with its senses for each time this ability is bought.
Rideable: An animal with this ability can be ridden by a character of the same size or smaller. A rideable animal can seat more characters if they are smaller, with each smaller size counting as half of the larger size. A medium rideable animal can carry a single medium character, or 2 small characters, or 1 small character and 2 small2 characters, or any other combination that adds up to a single medium character. Mounting or dismounting a rideable animal takes 20 feet of movement each, and the rideable animal moves on its own turn, though it will usually wait until its rider's turn to move in order to simplify things. This ability may only be purchased once.
Scavenger: Once per week, an animal with this ability may spend 8 hours scavenging through various trash cans, dump sites and general areas where people leave stuff. If they do this, they bring home 1d10 dollars worth of useable materials for every time this ability is bought.
Magic Resistant: An animal with this ability is more able to avoid or resist magic, and as such gains a +2 to all of their oppose rolls for each time this ability is taken.
Scary: An animal with this ability may make intimidation attempts using its talk action. The first time it uses it in an encounter, it gains a +2 bonus to that roll for each time this ability has been purchased.
Cute: An animal with this ability may make infatuation attempts using its talk action. An animal may initiate infatuation attempts against any character, as it is using its adorable apparance rather than sexuality to affect others. The first time it uses it in an encounter, it gains a +2 bonus to that roll for each time this ability has been purchased.
Annoying: An animal with this ability may make infuriation attempts using its talk action. The first time it uses it in an encounter, it gains a +2 bonus to that roll for each time this ability has been purchased.