Handle Animal and Spells.

Nysan · Post by **Nysan** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 5:15 am

Quick question.

After reading the help files on 'handle animal' and considering the nature of animate dead, I have to ask why does a character have to be trained in handle animal to order around summon pets like animate dead creates? Is it just how pets are coded and can't make exceptions for abilities like animate dead? Or...?

Glim · Post by **Glim** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 7:04 am

I believe it is the way all animals are coded. For undead creatures you might have to explain it as having to repeat yourself because the undead is too mindless and dumb to get it the first time.

Also, I think that human pets you don't need handle animal trained. Or at least, not very well.

As for a more codewise answer, I couldn't say.

Nysan · Post by **Nysan** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 2:50 pm

I was assuming it was due to code restrictions. Something about not being able to write seperate rules for controling different pet types. But, spare time playing with spells and reading help files drove me to ask anyways.

Ceara · Post by **Ceara** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 1:16 pm

Not sure what the question is but animals have a mind and instict, they can be disobedient and willfull. Where undead are typically mindless and controlled by their creator, the spell if done properly gives the caster complete control over them.

Nysan · Post by **Nysan** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 11:16 pm

Ceara wrote:Not sure what the question is but animals have a mind and instict, they can be disobedient and willfull. Where undead are typically mindless and controlled by their creator, the spell if done properly gives the caster complete control over them.

The question was why do pets created by 'animate dead' require 'handle animal' checks. Several tests while bored one day showed that it does, nothing I told my undead pet to do was accepted. Wanted to know if it was merely a problem to create special rules for 'those pets' or another reasoning behind it.

Ceara · Post by **Ceara** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 2:05 am

Ah ok, yeah probably because they are codewise a minion. So they are basically the same as a pet codewise. Otherwise they would have to code undead seperately, maybe create a mobflag for undead minion or somesuch and write the code to control them seperately... well maybe just put an ifcheck for an undead flag but I haven't looked at fk's code so I can't really say for certain or make an educated suggestion on the easiest way to code it.

Nysan · Post by **Nysan** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 2:19 am

Aye, figured it was a code matter. But can't help but ask about the weird situations I find myself wondering about now and again. Usually, I'm just babble...but once in a while.

Raona · Post by **Raona** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:19 pm

It seems to me that some pets are more stubborn than others. Any idea if undead are particularly pliable? That is, yes, you need HANDLE ANIMAL to order them about, but they will follow orders dutifully even if you have only the faintest hint of that skill? That would actually seem right on the mark, ICly. You have to know how to give commands to undead, but you don't have to be particularly good at it - persuasive - as you might need to be able to be to work with a mule.