Okay, so let's say I started with an ape and say I taught him the wood miracle 100%. If he switched to a leopard, would he still retain the 100% that he learned or would it reduce?
That would depend on how you switch them. If you used a creature changer, then yes, he would loose some of his learnt knowledge. If you are swapping at the creature breeder then no, he shouldn't forget anything.
Yeah, as Kays stated. Maybe the trick to teaching creatures miracles without getting frustrated is to choose the Ape at the beginning of the game, teach it all available miracles, well not really all miracles (teach it in skirmish maps)then go switch to any creature that pleases you. (This goes for all the players of BNW1)
But if you do use the creature changer to change at a less inteligent creature then you will still end up with a dumber creature. :rolleyes.
However, using both the creature breeder and the creature changer, there is a cheat/trick which can be used that will actual increase a creature's knowledge. This is how clans trained creatures for online play. But I'm hazy on the actual mechanics of it.
Yeah, basically you're doing what I'm doing now (I just started playing again). Start with the Ape and teach it lots of stuff on some of the well-constructed custom maps on this site. If you train it well now, according to how you'd like it to behave once you start getting into the actual storyline, it'll pay off immensely later. Use the breeder on Land 1 to switch to one of the unlockable creatures or the Sheep if you can manage to find all of the darned things.
Here's just info where the sheep are. (I know their already in the FAQS)
1. Near the Japanese Hut where you did the pillar thingy.
2. Near the Sculptors house
3. Inside the farm with the pigs; you'll notice there's a sheep there.
4. Behind the huge gate.
5. The mountain near the graveyard. Where the first sheep was mentioned in the cinematic.
6. Near your starting point, in some trees.
7. Near your starting point again... In a cliff near where you found the sheep #6.
8. Near the singing stone that's far away. You can see the singing stone from your temple.
9. In the mushrooms in the sick brother quest.
10. You don't have to find it; it's already with the shepherd.