Breed beasts [2233]

Olympia: The Age of Gods PBEM (Oct 4 2000)

### E.14.5: Breed beasts [2233]

      Usage:  BREED <item> <item>
      Piety:  3 or 0 (see below)
      Time to learn: 28 days.
      Time to use: 7 days.
      Required to use: Holy symbol

Attempt to breed two animals together to produce an offspring. Not all animals produce successful offspring. Occasionally, cross-breeding different beasts will produce strange results.

For example:

To breed two wild horses together:

BREED 51 51

To attempt a cross-breed of a horse and an ox:

BREED 51 76

Wild horses [51], riding horses [52] and warmounts [53] may be used interchangably with BREED.

When two like normal animals are bred together (e.g., BREED 52 52 to breed two riding horses), no piety is required. Natural instincts, along with the guidance of the priest, is all that is needed to consumate the union. Such unions are always successful.

The following animals are considered normal:

      	[52] riding horse
      	[53] warmount
      	[76] ox

Breeding dissimilar animals (e.g., BREED 52 76 to cross a horse and an ox) or breeding fantastic animals (e.g., BREED 286 286 to breed two dragons) is a different matter. Such unions require the calming effect of Dol to have any chance of success. This use costs the priest 3 piety and requires a holy symbol.

But even under the power of Dol, cross-breeding and breeding fantastic beasts is a difficult matter. Some cross-breeds are infertile and can produce no offspring. Even if the cross-breed is fertile (or if two fantastic creatures are being bred together), there is only a 75% chance of an offspring. Further, there is a small chance that one of the breeding parents will be killed in the attempt.