[Bestiary] Should predators be tacticians?

[Dunadin777]

Originally Posted by Not another shrubbery

In Low-Tech Companion 3. Before that book came out, Survival would probably have been the go-to skill for that sort of thing. Humans also have the advantages (WRT to an IQ-based skill) of having a much higher and non-fixed IQ and not having Hidebound nor Bestial, so making it no problem to justify them learning and using a skill like Tactics. These things make Survival look most appropriate to me for such animal behaviors as being discussed.

The only problem with this interpretation is that Survival is never a teamwork skill. It's based on individual efforts, and the Basic description only uses it for trapping animals, whereas Tactics is a skill that is about small-unit and personal combat. If the animal is a solitary hunter, Survival might apply equally well, but if the animal is operating as a group Tactics really ought to be the obvious choice. Tactics even prescribes what happens as being similar to the pack hunt scenario--success means you are in an advantageous position, such as a pack predator lying in wait while others drive the prey into him.

The Hidebound and Bestial should factor into familiarity, but clearly being Hidebound does not hinder a wolf's ability to hunt game as large as deer, since this is instinctive behavior. That's why I think Tactics with the (Hunting) specialty is the way to go--it means that animal hunters will be at a severe disadvantage against human hunters, but also that soldiers won't necessarily have as much luck as a dedicated hunter.