[Basic] Dogs memorizing scents.

Dragyn · 06-05-2013, 12:03 PM

A question recently came up in a game I'm in.. It's not for my character, but for the ally/pet of another.

A dog has an IQ 4 and Discriminatory Smell, but to memorize a scent Discriminatory Smell requires an IQ roll.

It strikes me that no dog alive would be useful as a tracker if they can only memorize a scent on a critical success.

I thought there was a 'rule of 12' for situations like this, but I can't find it anywhere. Help?

the_matrix_walker · 06-05-2013, 01:04 PM

I'm not certain, but I think the "Rule of 12" was 3rd Edition.

I would simply replace the IQ roll with a Per roll for animals.

However remembering for tracking something specific on the spot is not memorization. Your dog is with you a good amount of time, so he has plenty of opportunity to use extra time bonuses to commit your scent to memory.

Dragyn · 06-05-2013, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

I'm not certain, but I think the "Rule of 12" was 3rd Edition.

I would simply replace the IQ roll with a Per roll for animals.

However remembering for tracking something specific on the spot is not memorization. Your dog is with you a good amount of time, so he has plenty of opportunity to use extra time bonuses to commit your scent to memory.

And with an average Per of 12.. :)

Yes, I began to realize that the Rule of 12 was probably a holdover from my 3rd Edition memories.. but still, it seems more than reasonable to me.

I think the GM is houseruling it into effect.

ClayDowling · 06-05-2013, 02:57 PM

I would definitely base it off the dog's PER/smell score. Dogs are notoriously good at remembering smells, since this is their primary sense. Every drug, produce or bomb sniffing dog in the world is working off a memory of a scent, and they retain it for years. You cannot, for instance, take a cadaver dog past a cemetary, no matter how long he has been retired, without getting a pretty major chorus of "I found it! Give me the toy!" They are also perfectly capable of recognizing that a smell is similar to something important and acting accordingly.

My sister's dog smells me maybe once every six months. He still recognizes me, and has behavior specific to me that he wouldn't do with a stranger. So their ability to remember a smell is pretty solid, in line with our ability to remember a picture.

Flyndaran · 06-05-2013, 03:01 PM

The whole need to spend a minute memorizing a scent is as silly as needing that much time for you to remember someone's face for later. A perception roll may be required to distinguish between subtly different faces or scents. But not to simply remember it in general.

Agemegos · 06-05-2013, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClayDowling

You cannot, for instance, take a cadaver dog past a cemetary, no matter how long he has been retired, without getting a pretty major chorus of "I found it! Give me the toy!"

I know a bloke who has a dog that flunked out of drug-sniffer-dog training because of handling issues. There were houses in his street that it was embarrassing to walk the dog past.

Flyndaran · 06-05-2013, 06:36 PM

The problem with drug sniffing dogs isn't one of smell. It's the fact that well trained dogs respond to the handler's commands, intentional and unconscious. It makes them near useless when dealing with human to human interactions. Dogs know when you want them to alert to the skeezy dirty hippy and not the important looking business suited bloke.

Schilcote · 06-05-2013, 07:46 PM

(GM here)

It's also worth noting that it's not a real dog. :P

But yeah, like I said over in the game, smell as a sense is kind of useless if you can't compare what you're smelling now to what you've smelled before. Having a nose myself, I can tell you that I can remember scents quite well.

Anyway, PER-based smelling it is!

dcarson · 06-06-2013, 05:33 PM

Animals memories can vary also. I remember reading a circus trainer talking about elephants. Some seemed to remember every move from an act they used years earlier, others he said seemed to have trouble remembering from day to day they were elephants. So a given dog could have one of the memory (Dis)Advantages.

Agemegos · 06-06-2013, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcarson

I remember reading a circus trainer talking about elephants. Some seemed to remember every move from an act they used years earlier, others he said seemed to have trouble remembering from day to day they were elephants.

Flanders and Swann had a song about it.

06-05-2013, 12:03 PM	#1
Dragyn Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: New Hampshire	[Basic] Dogs memorizing scents. A question recently came up in a game I'm in.. It's not for my character, but for the ally/pet of another. A dog has an IQ 4 and Discriminatory Smell, but to memorize a scent Discriminatory Smell requires an IQ roll. It strikes me that no dog alive would be useful as a tracker if they can only memorize a scent on a critical success. I thought there was a 'rule of 12' for situations like this, but I can't find it anywhere. Help? __________________ Kevin's Outdoor, my online store. <><

06-05-2013, 01:04 PM	#2
the_matrix_walker Join Date: May 2005 Location: Lynn, MA	Re: [Basic] Dogs memorizing scents. I'm not certain, but I think the "Rule of 12" was 3rd Edition. I would simply replace the IQ roll with a Per roll for animals. However remembering for tracking something specific on the spot is not memorization. Your dog is with you a good amount of time, so he has plenty of opportunity to use extra time bonuses to commit your scent to memory.

06-05-2013, 02:57 PM	#4
ClayDowling Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Ann Arbor, MI	Re: [Basic] Dogs memorizing scents. I would definitely base it off the dog's PER/smell score. Dogs are notoriously good at remembering smells, since this is their primary sense. Every drug, produce or bomb sniffing dog in the world is working off a memory of a scent, and they retain it for years. You cannot, for instance, take a cadaver dog past a cemetary, no matter how long he has been retired, without getting a pretty major chorus of "I found it! Give me the toy!" They are also perfectly capable of recognizing that a smell is similar to something important and acting accordingly. My sister's dog smells me maybe once every six months. He still recognizes me, and has behavior specific to me that he wouldn't do with a stranger. So their ability to remember a smell is pretty solid, in line with our ability to remember a picture. __________________ Online Campaign Planning

06-05-2013, 03:01 PM	#5
Flyndaran Untagged Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon	Re: [Basic] Dogs memorizing scents. The whole need to spend a minute memorizing a scent is as silly as needing that much time for you to remember someone's face for later. A perception roll may be required to distinguish between subtly different faces or scents. But not to simply remember it in general. __________________ Beware, poor communication skills. No offense intended. If offended, it just means that I failed my writing skill check.

06-05-2013, 06:36 PM	#7
Flyndaran Untagged Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon	Re: [Basic] Dogs memorizing scents. The problem with drug sniffing dogs isn't one of smell. It's the fact that well trained dogs respond to the handler's commands, intentional and unconscious. It makes them near useless when dealing with human to human interactions. Dogs know when you want them to alert to the skeezy dirty hippy and not the important looking business suited bloke. __________________ Beware, poor communication skills. No offense intended. If offended, it just means that I failed my writing skill check.

06-05-2013, 07:46 PM	#8
Schilcote Join Date: Jan 2011	Re: [Basic] Dogs memorizing scents. (GM here) It's also worth noting that it's not a real dog. :P But yeah, like I said over in the game, smell as a sense is kind of useless if you can't compare what you're smelling now to what you've smelled before. Having a nose myself, I can tell you that I can remember scents quite well. Anyway, PER-based smelling it is! __________________ "Son, I have seen some unbelievable things in my time, but I have never seen a Texan with a robotic chainsaw fist kill a gun-slinging dinosaur by punching it in the head."

06-06-2013, 05:33 PM	#9
dcarson Join Date: Mar 2008	Re: [Basic] Dogs memorizing scents. Animals memories can vary also. I remember reading a circus trainer talking about elephants. Some seemed to remember every move from an act they used years earlier, others he said seemed to have trouble remembering from day to day they were elephants. So a given dog could have one of the memory (Dis)Advantages.