Falconry

Falconry plays an important part in the daily life of many residents of Theros, particularly those living in Setessa. The use of falcons to hunt, scout, or provide company stretches well beyond the elite, with hunters from all walks of life relying on their birds of prey to provide sustenance.

The falcons of Setessa are highly trained animals that put them on par with a creature summoned though a find familiar spell. These are not magical creatures, however. When they are dead, there is no summoning them back. Unlike standard NPCs, falcons do use the death saving throw mechanic.

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Falcon Handling

Trained falcons use the hawk stat block provide in the core rules. A trained falcon shares their owner's initiative score and acts at the close of the player's turn. These creatures far exceed the training of falcons in the real world. They do not require special equipment to handle or train them, and the ride comfortably on the shoulder of their trainer while not in flight.

Falcon Commands

A falcon thinks independently but will follow commands to the best of its ability. It cannot attack in combat but can take any other action available to it.

Falcons require time each day to stretch their wings and feed themselves. They can also hunt for food for the characters while in the wild. Use the foraging rules on page 111 of the Dungeon Master's Guide to determine the amount of food the falcon can find.

Death Saving Throws

Unlike most NPCs, the trained falcons of Theros use the death saving throw system used by player characters.

Purchasing a Trained Falcon

While the majority of trained falcons originate in Setessa, it is possible to find these birds in any of the major poleis. These falcons typically cost 100 gp and are capable of taking the basic actions described in the Falcon Commands section above.

Training a Falcon

As a baseline, all trained falcons are capable of following commands and taking the actions described in the Falcon Handling section above. As a downtime activity, additional training could allow a character to impart additonal actions and abilities to their faction. This training requires time and a series of animal handling skill checks. As with these falconry rules in general, feel free to limit a falcon to these base actions provided to all the creatures and ignore any additional training options.

The following training tasks apply a new and unique permanent feature to your falcon. Each entry also explains the time this training requires and the animal handling skill check DC required to succeed. To complete this training, you must spend an hour each day for the numder of days provided for each feature. At the end of the training, a success on the animal handling check will grant the falcon a feature. A failure requires you to start over, but you can halve the necessary training time if you attempt to train the falcon with the same feature again.

Scout

7 days of training, Animal Handling DC 7

Your falcon is able to scout for your party. It can seek out sources of food, water, civilization, or landmarks. The falcon will notify you that it has found something by making an audible call and circle above the target until you arrive.

Harry

30 days of training, Animal Handling DC 12

You train your falcon to harass your foes without putting itself at extreme risk. When the falcon uses a Help action to distract an opponent during combat, any attacks of opportunity are made at disadvantage.

Converse

50 days of training, Animal Handling DC 15

You have developed a bond wiht your falcon so strong that you can understand each other. The falcon understands your spoken words and will follow your commands to the best of its ability. The falcon can communicate with you through yes and no answers. It can identify and name creatures it has encountered before. It can also answer questions that involve counting up to the number 5.

Falcon Quirks

The following quirks are useful for providing a falcon with a personality and aiding with roleplay. These quirks do not impact the mechanics of using a falcon in any way. They exist purely to provide flavor and roleplaying opportunites.

Falcon Quirks

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D8	Quirk
1	Your falcon nibbles your ear when it wants a treat. Don’t expect it to listen to your commands until it gets a treat.
2	Your falcon is very jealous. It will nip at any creature it perceives to have romantic interest in you.
3	When riding on your shoulder, your falcon snores loudly.
4	When hunting, your falcon will always try to keep the largest prey for itself.
5	Your falcon sulks unless you regularly affirm how strong and brave it is.
6	Your falcon will try to steal trinkets or food from your party to gift to you.
7	Your falcon is loyal to the end and will never abandon you.
8	Your falcon is jumpy and will act put out when asked to leave your side.